Wedding Planning Resources
This is my wedding planning resource page. I recently went through the process of planning my own wedding and if you are on a tight budget like I was it is very tough! I created this page for others who may also be a bride on a budget looking for cheap wedding ideas and ways of getting creative to save money on your big day. Please check out my wedding planning ideas below. I hope my suggestions will help you save some money! A great way to save money on your wedding is do some projects on your own. DIY wedding projects are a great way to cut costs. You will also get to experience the satisfaction of having done some things on your own - some of which you may think you could not have done! You may just impress yourself!
You might also be interested in my blog, where I've written a few more in-depth pieces on how to plan a wedding on a budget. You can check it out by clicking HERE .
I also have a message board and classified ad service on this page for everyone to use to share ideas, advertise items for sale, etc. Feel free to post your wedding/bridal/formal or party-related items or services.
If you're looking for a certain topic on this page and would prefer to skip directly to it, please use the following links to jump directly to that topic.
My
Wedding Planning
Excel Spreadsheet
Wedding
Dresses
Veils.
Headware and
jewelry
Flowers
Links
Cake, cupcakes
Other ideas, favors,
etc.
Mirrored Tier display
Below is a link to my Classified Ads page. If you have something wedding-related to sell, you can post a free classified ad here!
View
my Classified Ads
Free
Classifieds by Bravenet.com
If you'd like to post comments, ideas, tips, advice, etc. please go to my Message Board and leave a message! I'd love to hear your ideas!
I'm offering a free copy of my Wedding Planning Worksheet. I searched the internet and could not find what I was looking for in a wedding planner, so I created one myself. I wanted a place to keep information and details throughout my planning that I could print and easily update/change without having to erase things from a book, and I also wanted a good way to work out the numbers to see how much I would need to pay, etc.
The planner has 23 tabs to keep track of your Timeline, Budget, Attendants, Florists, banquet facilities, photographer/videographer, etc. The tabs I used most were probably the Budget and the Timeline, since these were the most important items!
Here are a few screen shots:
You can download the worksheet by clicking the link below. This will take you to the file. http://wikisend.com/download/623798/weddingworkbook2008.xls
If you use the worksheet, I'd love to hear your feedback and know that you downloaded it. Please fill out my poll below to answer a few simple questions about the worksheet. Thanks!
Bottom line, if you are trying to keep costs low, you need to be creative! And if you are creative and crafty by nature, you might be able to save quite a bit of money by doing DIY projects. Keep in mind it might not always be practical, and some projects might even cost you more in the long run depending on how many pieces, etc. you would need to buy in order to make the item. If you have a Michaels or Joanns craft store in your area, have your friends and family save their coupons for you. They will come in handy! I managed to get a very pretty guest book and matching pen for under $20 total using coupons, and the Unity Candle for about $15 with a half price coupon. Save those coupons!
Shopping for a dress on a budget is very tricky! I went to the bridal stores and at the minimum I knew I was going to have to spend at least $300 on a dress, another $200 on alterations, another $100 or so on "preservation." A $300 dress quickly becomes a $600 dress in no time at all. I think anything that is labeled "bridal" or "wedding" immediately jacks up the price. If you are looking online for dresses, try searching for "white formal dresses" or "ivory evening gowns" and you may find some dresses out there that are quite a bit less, not exactly "bridal" but are just as beautiful. This works especially if you are looking for a destination or informal wedding dress. I found mine at Nordstroms.com. It was on sale for $118, and with shipping I got it for $126! What a deal! My grandma referred me to a seamstress who did my alterations, which cost me $50. I felt good being able to fit into a dress that was truly my size. At the bridal stores prepare to try on dresses 2 sizes larger than what you wear in order for them to fit decent...then plan on having them altered to fit your body since they're going to be too big! What a racket!
One other idea - check bridesmaids dresses. They come in all colors and styles, and you should be able to have it made in whatever color you want - which would mean ivory, off-white, etc. That could save some money as well.
Here are few of the online stores I looked at before I found my Nordstroms dress. Keep in mind, once you buy a wedding gown online you cannot send it back. Make sure you go to the bridal stores in your areal and try on similar styles so you know it's what you want and you'll be happy with it. I like that the fact that cheap-wedding-gowns.com takes all of your measurements and makes it specifically to fit you.
www.cheap-wedding-gowns.com
www.nexteve.com
www.dress-queen.com
Well, as if prices of dresses aren't enough, the veil and any headware also comes with a hefty price tag! Tiaras can cost just as much as your dress! Since I bought a dress that was not white I wasn't sure if I'd be able to wear a veil. I was so happy when I found the sites below where I could get my veil custom-made. Their prices are about 1/2 to 1/3 less than what I would have paid at the bridal store. They have all sorts of lenths and styles to choose from, different edgings, etc. I got mine from veilshop.com and was very happy with their service.
http://www.veilshop.com/
www.whitedovebridal.com
It is up to personal preference whether or not you want to go with real or silk flowers. I do love the look of real flowers, but I decided that I was crafty enough to use silk and make my own bouquets, boutinnieres, etc. I had originally thought I could go to my local wholesale club (Sams Club) and get a bunch of roses from there, which could be a great idea if you're having a small wedding. They have beautiful flowers and always carry a nice selection.
If you ARE interested in silk however, I found a few places online that had great deals on ready-made bouquets. I was all set to get bouquets from them until I picked my dress and then couldn't find anything that was really going to match it. Keep in mind that stores like Michaels and Joann Fabrics stock seasonal flowers months before that season starts, so you'll want to pay attention to your local craft stores if you are going to purchase flowers and make your own bouquet.
Here are 2 websites that you could check out:
http://www.save-on-crafts.com/specials.html
www.afloral.com
Also, I found quite a few resources for how to make your own bouquets, boutinniers, etc. Here are the links with all sorts of ideas and how-tos:
http://www.pashweddings.com/weddingforums/showthread.php?t=9656
http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/06/13/diy-flowers-real-fake-or-both/
http://www.save-on-crafts.com/cormakbas.html
http://www.budget-bride.com/DIY%20Corsage%20Main.htm
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=C_jwmvYrQ_k
http://www.perfect-wedding-day.com/orchid-corsage-instructions.html
Here are some photos to use as ideas for your bouquet:
http://galleries.weddingchannel.com/odb/themes/weddingchannel/Results.aspx?type=19&WC%20Galleries=Flowers%20And%20Decor&MsdVisit=1
http://www.wedding-flowers-guide.com/seasonal-wedding-flowers.html
http://www.wedding-flowers-and-reception-ideas.com/wedding-flowers-pictures-examples.html
Click here for the instructions for My DIY Bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres, shown below
A fellow co-worker recently got engaged and he was telling me how they were shopping for cakes. One bakery gave them a quote of $1000 for a cake! Of course he was like - NO WAY! I managed to come up with an idea (that seems to be quite trendy right now) that saved me a huge amount of money. Cupcakes! I got them from my local Sam's Club. In the end I spent about $50 on the "cake" for my wedding. I also enlisted the help of a skilled woodworker at my office, and he made me some wooden tiers that were set on all of the tables at the reception hall. I used the cupcakes as both decoration and centerpieces. Not only was it a design look, but it was also functional. Plus, I left the tiers with my friends at the hall so they could use them for future functions.
If you are leary of the cupcake idea, just go on flickr.com and do a search on "cupcakes", or "wedding cupcakes", and you will find a ton of pictures out there showing how adorable and clever this idea is. It's very Martha Stewart.
http://www.wedding-ideas-and-details.com/cupcake-wedding-cakes.html
http://www.do-it-yourself-weddings.com/wedding-cupcake-tower.html
http://www.cakejournal.com/archives/how-to-make-a-cake-stand-for-cupcakes-or-mini-cakes
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Cupcake-Wedding-Cake
http://www.weddingcupcakes.org/cupcake_wedding_cake.html
Here are my cupcakes (I did a trial run) and the mirrored tier I made on my own. This functioned as my "wedding cake" and was put on the traditional cake table. Since I went the cheap route I didn't have a whole lot of options at Sams Club as far as wedding paper/wrappers, etc. These were pretty plain, so I found a way to make my own cupcake wrappers out of paper doilies. Here is the link to that. http://cakedec.forumotion.com/tutorials-f15/how-to-make-a-cupcake-wrapper-from-a-doily-t1797.htm
If you aren't so inclined you can actually buy pre-made ones, but they are rather expensive, about $1 per cupcake. That was a little too pricey for my budget, so I made my own! My friend and I figured we could get 4 wrappers out of 1 14" paper doily. We used white ones for the cupcakes that went on the mirrored tier, and gold ones for the mini centerpiece tiers.
Here are samples of the wrappers that we made. My friend is a crafting genius and she figured out how to do this! We used 12" gold doilies. First we cut the center out by carefully cutting along the edge of the design. We then were left with one giant circle of just the edge of the doily. You can get three of them out of a 12" doily. Look at the pattern, and find the largest "bump" in the design. Cut straight through the middle of the "bump". Skip the next "bump", then cut through the middle of the next "bump". You'll have a very well-centered cupcake wrapper. The white ones are from 14" doilies and aren't as centered as the gold ones, but no one will notice!
The night before the wedding we used double-sided tape and taped these around the cupcakes.
How to make a mirrored cucapke tier
Supplies:
1 12" round mirror
2 10" round mirrors
2 7" or 8" round mirrors
2 boxes (4 per box) of 3" columns used for wedding cakes
double-sided tape
The 12" round mirror will be the bottom tier. Set this on the table. Take double-sided tape and put a couple of pieces on the reversie side of a 10" mirror. Match up the 2 10" mirrors so you have one piece. This will help to make the tier sturdy, plus it will create a nice reflection on the other tiers vs reflecting the gray/green background of the mirror. Do the same thing for the 7" or 8" mirrors.
Put small pieces of double-sided tape on the bottom and top corners of all of the columns. Situate 4 of the columns evenly on the 12" mirror, and center the 10" mirrors on top. Do the same again for the next level. And there you have it, a very elegant and inexpensive cupcake tier! Plus, it's shaped like a wedding cake to still give you the look and feel of a layered cake.
My mom happened to see this giant Wilton cupcake pan which I decided would be PERFECT for my top cake! The only thing was, I discovered that I'm not very good at cake decorating! The flowers came much easier to me than doing this. Here's a picture of my 2nd attempt. I definitely needed more practice.....this one is actually an improvement on the first one I made! I spent about $18 on the pan, and I'm embarrassed to say another $30+ on a vat of frosting from Sam's so I could practice. So, yeah, I overspent on this one. I could have gotten a store-bought cake for a lot cheaper, but I decided I was cutting corners every where I could on this, so a little splurge on the cake was worth it. I was going for "the look" and this giant cupcake was going to be the perfect top cake if it killed me.
Here's my next attempt - getting better, but still not cake-table worthy. This was the Sam's frosting trial too. This time I didn't put the top of the cupcake on it and tried to just use a giant swirl of frosting on top, just like if you were to make a small one and decorate it. My friend and I have a new idea we're going to play with soon....stay tuned...
OK! Here is how the final "wedding cake" turned out, along with the cupcakes. I was so happy with the way everything looked. It all came together beautifully! Below is a picture of my "wedding cake" on the cake table, and below this is a picture of the mini tier that went on the dinner tables.
In addition to the cupcake centerpieces, I used votive candles and decorated the glass with a ribbon. You can find these votive candles at your local Michaels store. They are about $8 for a box of 12. Of course I managed to use either a 40% or 50% off coupon, so I got them for a bargain price. Since I decided to go with gold accents, I was able to get the ribbon on clearance right after the holidays. We had our reception at a banquet hall owned by some friends of ours (I know, very lucky!). They have small bud vases so I waited for when Michaels had the spring floral bushes on sale and bought a few of them and cut them up so I could make individual centerpieces out of them.
Here's the votive:
This was a clever idea my genius friend came up with. I went to the dollar store and picked up MANY packs of "tic tac" like mints. She had done this before for another party, so she had a template to follow. They are cut so you can open the container without having to peel off the special label. All we needed to do was cut them out and tape them on with double-sided tape.
I wanted to acknowledge those who have passed on that could not be present at our wedding. I know people put a vase of flowers at the ceremony and mention it in the program, which I liked that idea. But I also wanted to add my own personal touch to this, so I made the arrangement myself. I found this cute votive holder which reminded me of a little wine glass. I bought a piece of round styrofoam and more spring flowers and decorated it.
Here are some helpful link for other do it yourself ideas:
http://www.do-it-yourself-weddings.com/wedding-guest-book-alternative.html
http://weddings.pirate-king.com/Unique_Wedding_Ideas.htm
http://wedcraft.com/
http://www.pashweddings.com/
http://offbeatbride.com/
Have fun planning your wedding! It can be stressful, but it can also be fun and the feeling after it's all said and done was very rewarding. I received a lot of compliments on how I added my own personal touch, how it looked very classy and put together, etc. Of course this made me feel SO good - all of my efforts paid off!
If you are interested in my Wedding Planning Worksheet please feel free to download a copy of it, and let me know what you think. And if any of my ideas helped you plan your own wedding, I would love to hear from you and how it went!
And PS - don't forget to check out my bridal jewelry!!! You can check out my online store to see what is currently available, or check hereto see design samples of what I could create for you.
