hi all. I just needed somewhere to post and get all the things off my chest that i need to -good and bad.
So i got engaged on the 25th December 2009, but untill 24th august 2010 we hadn't set a date as money is tight and so we were just prepared to go with the flow, but then my gran and dad agreed to help us out and give us £2000 towards it. My mum also said she would help and so we decided to have our wedding on the 1st August 2011.
We have booked our reception, church, dress, photography, car and cake so far but that is it and i am really starting to panic now.

My gran and dads money is being used up in the reception, my mum bought my dress ( i got a free £100 accessory voucher with it) got £50 off the car and photography, and thanks to a competition at the open day at my reception i won £250 off my cake, so that only cost me £50.

Unfortunately at the moment my downs are alot more than my ups, and that i need some help with.My mum had promised to get the 4 bridesmaids dresses (she decided i would have my 2 sisters and OH's 2 daughters for granted) and so they were told without me having any imput, so i didn't complain, but now when i ask her its just yeah yeah ill get them.I go into Glasgow with her and still she doesnt buy them just says ill go look else where tomorrow (without me) and now has disappeared off on holiday.On top of that my MIL 2 be has said she would get our cake, but since we won the cake, she then agreed to get the car.The price is £300 but then she said she would only pay 250, now its only £200 she will pay, i'm scared by the wedding it will be £0!I still havent sorted out entertainment (as my mum said she would and has yet again let me down ) or the flowers/suits/rings.... the list is endless.
Some of the problem is that we dont have much money and we are not having the wedding where we stay but an hours drive from us in Kilmarnock ( where my parents stay) what with work etc. it isn't easy to be able to get down to do alot of the things, thus why i was greatfull of my mum taking some of it on.Now i wish i hadn't bothered as all it is is a hassle.
My gran is the only person helping me, letting me talk things through and giving me helpfull suggestions (except for people on here)so is getting my invites done for me, but they will not be sent out in time to get responses about who wants to stay at the hotel on the night as the list for that needs to be in by April.
Their is so many other problems(but i will stop before i make you all fall asleep) i am having at the minute ie. our wedding savings needing to be used for car repaires, and overtime money my oh was ment to receive, but hasn't, also my OH spending savings on his model railway hobby, that this full wedding is just turning into an event that i don't want any more.
I mean i didn't want a big wedding in the first place, but my OH did as his first had been really small (his ex wifes family never even came to it - they lived nearby so it wasn't due to distance) and yet i am now left planning a wedding that seems to be out of hand and i am getting no help in planning it.
I just want to hide my head under a pillow untill the 2nd August

Chin up chick.
I have a similar thing of people (MIL2B) telling me they'll pay for this and that and then when it comes to actually parting with the cash 'forgetting' their offer.
I also didn't want a big wedding but that same person keeps telling us we HAVE to have things.
After shelling out for a hotel room that I didn't really want and not being reimbursed for it, I am now only booking what WE have the money for. I have prioritised what I / we really want and if we 'need' these other things then someone else will have to organise (and pay for) those themselves.
I have the added stress of H2B losing his job on Friday so like you, money is a bit tighter than we're used to.

Reading back through maybe you could try this.
With Mum and MIL2b, write them a list / note 'confirming' what they have offered to pay for.
Give them written notes / photo's of what you would like and make sure they know that it is their job to organise and pay for that as they know what their budget is.
With the things you have still to find / pay for. Write us ladies a list / pictures of what you are looking for and what your approx budget per item is and see what we can come up with. There are some great bargains to be had if only you know where to look.

i have no idea lalabunny, i got a letter through about 4-8 weeks ago ( cant remember exactly when but after christmas) giving me the reduced price list and a list of the rooms they have, and asked me to let them know by april what rooms we wished booked. I guess it is so they can release the rest of them to the general public, so now i am having to ask my family if they wish to stay or not by phone.
I think i am so stressed by this as i usually have everything organized, nice and neat and all seen to,but this to me is a mess! I have nothing organized, i really need the BM dresses so i can organize ribbon colours for the cake and car etc

My MIL is in england, so we hardly speak at all.The car has been booked (picture is in my photo's) so all i need to try and do is make sure she pays for it come the 1st July (i just hate asking for money)

As for my mum that is tricker as she has been the same my whole life ( at 5 i used to say she didn't love me as she was always to busy with herself - i thought she had changed for the wedding when she came through for me on my dress - i should have known better).
I sent her pictures of my flowers, and she knows i want the black dresses out of a large department store.(nearly slipped up and said it lol). I cant find the dresses on their online site and since i have 4 bridesmaids, that are vastly different on size, i just want them bought so i know i have 4 and i dont need to dress hunt, but if i text/phone her she ignores me.
As for a list of things i want/need.I guess the main things would be :-
suit - OH refuses to say what he is looking for and says when i push him he will wear the outfit the joker wears in batman. grrr
kilts - for my 2 sons and his son. ( i think i know where i will get these)
flowers - i know what
rings - only have about 200-250£ ( i dont want one but again "i must have one" grrr)
invites - my gran agreed to get these over and above the money she is giving me
entertainment - i have no idea what so ever. I dont have alot of money what so ever to spend on it £150?
tiara/veil/shoes/underskirt. Again i have next to nothing.
Any other bits and pieces i cant think of.

I think if i push it hard i may have around £1500 to spend on everything i still need.(to include £450 for church/ marriage fees and to get OH divorce papers translated and certified) so i guess £1050. One bad thing about it? i wont have this money till about the 28th june, which is a few days more than a month before the wedding :S

i think you are right mzeden.Andy will never go with a cheap suit, ill need to try they places for rings ( i had only been looking at the catalogue based shop beginning with A). I had been thinking of that as entertainment , but it will take alot of organizing and i am not sure about their speaker systems etc - another job on my list - lol

Again thank you - so much easier to deal with than having it all on your chest