Hi all , just stumbled across this site and maybe people can help me with what to do now ...... My partner and I got engaged on xmas day which will bring us together now as a family ( i have a little 8 month old girl ) and that im so excited about. We have no savings at the moment to arrange the wedding my dad who is a traditional dad has offered to contribute 3k towards the wedding, therefore to make our wedding in reach for 2012 I dont want to spend any more than 5k. So what to do now ? I dont know where to start? dont know what I have to plan? Dont want a church then a social club reception disco its just not my thing , I want it all in the same venue but dont know if this is actually in reach with my budget?? Or should I look at weddings abroad as the most important thing to me is having the important people there for me and the day been perfect rather than paying for randoms to be nosey and eat food on my account. What should I do now?? HELP Im so confused on what to do ............... x
CommentAuthorMrs (Dove) Pidgeon
Perfectly possible to do for that budget in a hotel if you keep the guest list small.
Look around for the hotel deals, which will give you the date and then for everything else. And don't forget to budget for a registrar!
Now a extremely happy German housewife and now a Mother!!!!
Islay Jean born 24th June in Hannover.
CommentAuthorlala "mod" bunni
first thing ...stop panicing........
anything is in reach with in you budget ,,,,,the first thing i did was to email venues and ask for a brochure or for them to send you a costing ....that way you dont visit places that you cant afford draw up a list ofthe sort of things that you both like ......
take a breath have a glass of wine
buy mags for ideas
log on to here and look through other things peole have said ...it will give you tips and ideas
Speak to some hotels, especially chains, who do deals for cheaper prices. Ramada, village, holiday inn etc all do packages as I'm sure many others do too. Keep the guest list small, do as much as possible yourself, and make a list of priorities that you want and if its near the bottom and you haven't got enough money left then you don't have it. It is about you and your partner getting married and all the rest is for fun! It will be what you make it. x x
CommentAuthorMrsH2B
Congratulations and welcome the ladies on her are so helpful you'll know what ur doing in no time. xxx
Leave for Jamaica in 2days!!!
18/06/12 I'll become a wifey...I'll marry my best friend!!!
7 days to go!!!!
Hi Congrats and welcome :D Add us as friends (we are nice i promise) and we basically all pull together to help each other out as much as poss xxxx
9th June 2012 when two worlds collide
The Crazy Cat Lady and the Transformer Man!
CommentAuthorcaralou5776
dont panic. sit down with H2B and work and write a list of what you need in order of importance. Then ring around a few places, search online for hotels in your area and other venues to get an idea of cost. There is people here who can help up until the big day and after if needed. I love this site there is always someone happy to help :-)
Can't wait to be Mrs Attew :-)
2 beautiful children
And an amazing H2B
CommentAuthorMrsHoward2B
Congratulations on your engagement, I bet you're so excited! Firstly - try not to panic about it all, enjoy the excitement of being newly engaged and being able to tell everyone rather than panicing about the future already! Then I would suggest sitting down with your H2B and having a good think about what you both really want from your wedding, maybe by making a list of "must haves" - you cant really start narrowing things down if you don't really know what kind of thing you're aiming for. Then probably the next thing is to break down your budget, do you want to spend the majority of it on the venue, or less on the venue and more on the "smaller things" Then once you have your venue budget you can start looking about. Good luck!!!
CommentAuthor00hazele
Hi,
We are on a about the same budget, im actually really enjoying looking round and making sure i get the best deals on everything!
There are some incredible deals around, ive sent you a friend req so i can send you the details of a few of the deals!
CommentAuthorclareabella
congrats hun ive managed 2 spend 3 k and keep the people down hun thats were ur money goes spend it with the people who mean the most 2 u
ooooo muchly love my mr c fletcher
CommentAuthorpennieb-MrsRiley
Congratulations on your engagement! As everyone else has said, there's no need to panic and there really is every possibility of having your wedding within budget without necessarily compromising on what you want. The bay of e is great for favours (if you even choose to have them) and keep costs down by having fewer bridesmaids/groomsmen, if any. When dress shopping, do consider using someone like Ann - I had a bit of a wobble when first considering her because I was queryong how good the quality could be at such low prices, but having viewed her facebook page I've decided that, when the time comes, I will definitely have her make my dress! Alternatively, hit dress shop sales, look for shop samples (you will get these at a lower price) or even consider high street stores. Consider silk flowers instead of fresh as they are cheaper - and keep an eye out for whether table decorations are included in the price of a venues package. When considering drinks packages, question how much you would need to actually provide before choosing a package.
There really are some great threads on here - I was a little manic at the idea of how much there was to arrange before joining this site and have found the forum invaluable, as I'm sure you will. Oh, and the people are great and are all fab at giving advice too :)
Now, finally, Mrs Riley
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world
I have the greatest husband!
CommentAuthorWren
What I did was work out roughly how many people we would be inviting, this gave us the maximum numbers for food etc. Then we had a simple registry office wedding with close family and then evening reception using a local pubs function room. they did the catering for us and all the decorating so we didnt have to get any decorations either. Cake was designed by a wedding shop and as i saw it in their catalogue, i simply took it to the local bakers and they did it at a fraction of the cost.
If you look for local businesses they they will be willing to help. and its much cheaper than paying over the odds for something they can do.
Have fun and remember not to panic. Personally I found that having lists was very helpful (after hubby found the post-it notes annoyingly all over they house lol) xx
CommentAuthorsouthern
Congratulations :)
As everyone's said, don't panic, and DO write lists - they are a godsend at keeping you organised :)
CommentAuthorFaeth
Sounds like your budget is similar to mine and I'm finding it no problem. Biggest expense will be the reception venue and food - that's taking up about £3k for me (for around 60 people) - but with a budget of £5k max, that's still leaving me £2k to play with, and I'm not finding it too hard to stick to. I got a dress for £300, a photographer for the same, I'm making my own invitations, decorations and bouquets. I've found it useful to get an idea of a theme and colours early on, and just buy bargains as you spot them in the shops.
My best advice budget-wise is to sit and think about which bits of the wedding are most important to you, and don't scrimp on those bits, and everything else you can either not bother having, or go cheap :-) Get ideas from wedding fayres, but don't get caught thinking that you absolutely *have* to have every overpriced idea they try to sell. eg. If your venue has reasonable looking chairs, why use chair covers? Do you *really* need wedding favours? Even if you decide to pay for wedding invites, do you *really* need matching place names, menus and seating plans, or could you just print/write them out yourselves? Is it essential to arrive is a posh/vintage car, or could you just get there in a smartish car owned by a relative or friend?
"Of course I'm not wedding obsessed!!"
CommentAuthorDee
hiya dont stress thats the main thing. Look at alot of places, dont take the first cheap one you find shop around because you never know were you might find a bargain. Depending on the venue the place might even do you a discount on the food and an entertainer if thats what you want.
