Paying for own Wedding?

Question

Has anyone recently paid for their own wedding? If so, how much was the total cost and how did you do it!! what are some money saving tips you have to share. I have been engaged since early 2008 and we are spending so much time saving and it seems like we are going to be saving for years before we have enough. we dont even have a set date yet. We need help! Please tell us how you did it! Thanks in advance for your help!

Answer 1

We're paying for our wedding...



Cost:



Right now (in Dallas where the average is $40,000) it looks like the total cost (without rings & honeymoon) will be $15,000.



Money Saving Tips:



Try to find a place that include the stuff you would have to rent (tables, chairs, silverware, & etc.)



Instead a sit down dinner... try a buffet or heavy hor dourves.



Cake: You can get the beautiful cake but you can save by buying the cake you will cut and have two of the layers fake... you can get a sheet cake to have cut up in the back to serve your guests.



Don't borrow! We both decided to get part time jobs to save for the wedding. You don't want to start you life together owing anymore than what you had before.



Don't get married between May & October!

Answer 2

We are not really paying for our own wedding (my parents are) but we are paying for certain things like the invitations, rings, DJ, and attendant gifts (of course, the honeymoon too, but I'm not factoring that into the cost). We're expecting to pay about $6,000 or so on our part of the wedding, my parents are paying about $15,000. However, this cost drastically depends on your guest list (we cut ours to 85 guests, so that we can have a much nicer wedding with the same budget) and your location. We live in the suburbs of NYC, where a standard catering hall costs on average $100 a head. Also, all the other services are much more expensive, like the photographer, DJ, florist, etc.

I think you should sit down and really crunch some numbers and figure out how much you can afford to spend. Then, go from there. You don't want to wait too long to get married because I'm sure you're super excited and can't wait, so I'd set a date after you figure out how many people you want to invite and what your budget is.

Hmm...money saving tips. My fiance is saving while I pay our bills, but I recently opened an ING Orange Savings Account (it's an online bank that yields about 3% per year) and randomly put in money. Most likely, you won't notice $100 a month, but if you save that amount for a year (you can set it up so it withdraws automatically from your bank account), you will have $1,236 (with 3% yield) by the end of the year, not bad for money you won't even notice missing! You can also start dumping all your change into a jar every night when you get home from work, surprisingly that accumulates pretty quickly, too.



Good luck and congratulations on your wedding!

Answer 3

First you have got to set a date. If it means getting married in 2010 so that you will have enough money so be it, that is what we are doing. If you do not set a date after a while talk of marriage will just become a burden and it will make it easy to procrastinate. You have to have a date so that you can start the countdown. When you set your date also be thinking of how much money you would like to have for your wedding. Then from there figure out a savings plan, like $200 a month or more if you can afford it. Our wedding is going to be $3000 at the most. We are only having about 60 ppl. My fiance has a $5,000 CD and he is just going to pay for the wedding with that because he has a few of them. but we still want to replace that money so we are saving up and acting like we do not even have that. We would like to have the money paid back by 2010, earlier if possible. Perhaps the two of you should open up a joint savings account. I know many couples that do this.We are completely paying for our own wedding with noone's help.

Answer 4

I haven't had my wedding yet, but since we are paying for it ourselves (wouldn't have it any other way), here is what I am doing:



Getting all my ideas together now.

Using both of our income tax returns on the wedding

Using my house tax credit (you get one if you purchased a home during certain months in 2008)

Saving what we can from our monthly salaries



We are getting married August 15, 2009. I have set a budget of $5K for the whole thing and that includes it being an out-of-town wedding.



Saving money:

Making my own save the dates, invitations, centerpieces, and bouquets.



Not eating out ever. We only did this once or twice a month before, but we have cut that out all together. Taking lunches to work ($2 a day is better than $10).



We contacted our family and friends and found out that a few of them do the line of work that's involved in the wedding, so we are saving money there. My fiance's cousins own a day spa. They are doing my hair, makeup, and the mani pedi for free as their wedding gift. I am getting a discount for all the bridemaids and mothers.



My fiance's aunt knows a lot of people in the town we are getting married in. She is saving us a ton on the wedding cake and already has a lot of decorations (she had 4 daughters get married in the last 5 years).



My MOH used to be a pastry chef and she is making the grooms cake.



My fiance's best friend growing up own's a restaurant there and they are providing the catering at a HUGE discount.



So talk to your family and friends and find out if any of them own/work for a florist, venue, caterer, DJ, etc. and ask about a discount.



Negotiate EVERYTHING!!!

Answer 5

We paid for our own, $13,000. The smartest thing we did was set up a separate bank account for wedding expenses. That way, we always knew how much we had, how much more we needed, and weren't tempted to dip into those savings. We opened the account with a few thousand dollars of savings. After that, we put aside any money that we got in rebates, refunds, and reimbursements (including tax refunds and expense reimbursements from work, and from our medical spending accounts). I put away whatever money I saved using store loyalty cards and coupons (that adds up amazingly fast). We put in whatever cash was left in our wallets on payday. To be sure that there was some cash left, we took lunches to work every day (which we still do), joined Netflix and cut back on going out to the movies, cut back on eating out (both frequency and type of restaurants). I sold a motorcycle that I rarely rode anymore, and I worked a good-paying temporary second job for a few months, all of which went into the bank account. Within the year we were engaged, we saved the entire $13,000. We've been married for almost six months, and have kept that account open. We intend to use it for frivolous future purposes (like a big screen TV).

Answer 6

Friday weddings......Paid for my own. It was only 10K but it could have been a lot less. Reception was in the evening at a top notch golf resort that we live on, so we got a home owners discount for the room. We had appetizers, instead of full course meal so we would save money and have more time to drink. Open bar was great, plus it was discounted 50% for being Friday. Limo ride was cheaper being Friday. Cake was expensive, photographer was discounted being Friday but still pricey. All the decorations were ordered by my wife online and turned out awesome. It really did look like a hugely expensive wedding and it wasn't. Invitations were expensive but you could create those yourself.

Answer 7

Including the things people gave us as gifts, like the cake and 2 pigs we roasted, ours was about $3,500. Tips: Use your craftiness, be willing to do things yourself, accept help from people, look at craft stores for things, have the wedding at a church or somewhere simple, do it in the spring so that you can have it outside and have fresh flowers everywhere. Also the big thing for saving money: remember that it's not all about the wedding but rather about the fact that you'll be married at the end of the day.



BTW, that was for 100 guests, a full meal, a band, the fresh flowers, the dress, the lodging, etc.

Answer 8

I'm in the process of planning my wedding now... And we're paying for our own wedding as well.. We're estimating a total of $15,000 for 170 guests, food, alcohol, ceremony, dj, photographer and a few extra things. We purchased some of the small things now... Such as flower girl basket, wedding dress, gifts for the bridal party, etc... Starting this January, I am putting $150 a week away into a little savings account... That is $600 a month/$7200 a year... And my fiance will also be putting money away, but I believe he plans on putting more aside.. It definitely takes a lot out of you... You will have to cut out going out as much, dates and such, but don't let your wedding drain you... You'll get too stressed!! Good luck!!

Answer 9

My husband and I paid for our own wedding. We were married 8 weeks after becoming engaged, so we didn't have much time to actually think about things. But we spend about $6500.00 for our total wedding and reception. We had our reception at our local fire house hall and the ladies auxiliary prepared the homemade food and we only paid $8.00 per person. We didn't have the fancy decorations, our favors were homemade wrapped chocolate bars and we didn't go overboard with lavish flowers. You can do it you just have to work within your means. Our total price even included my dress and accessories. Good Luck and Congratulations!!!

Answer 10

We spent $5000 on our entire wedding.....my dress, photographer, caterer, church, reception hall, cake, etc.



One hint, January-March is the "slow months" for weddings. If you plan it during that time of the year, you can usually finagle a good deal with everyone. (I got my caterer at almost half off since my wedding was March 28.) Also, another hint for caterer, a lot of nice restaurants caterer business functions but are not thought of for weddings. And they would like to break into the wedding business.....if you give them the opportunity to do your wedding-they may return the favor with savings (another reason I got such a great deal for caterer)



The biggest thing.....call around. Get the prices upfront and you may have to "settle" on something here or there. I recommend one of the main things you don't settle on is the photographer. Get a photographer that you like....get one that you work well with/get along well with. (meet with all potential photographers before signing a contract to ensure you guys get along, agree on style, etc) Remember, this photographer will be capturing the only thing that will make it past that one day....he will be capturing the memories..if they have a different idea of what important memories are, then you will be unhappy, even if you did score a great deal.



Also, shop around for those decorations. I found a lot of great deals online versus going to the local craft shops. (Seriously, quite a few items I got for at least half off compared to what I should have paid...even with the shipping.)

Answer 11

5000 budgeted but now stands at about 4000 or slightly less. Doing own flowers see afloral.com for instructions.

americanfloraldistributors.com,globalrose.com,

rosesource.com, growersbox.com( lots of flowers. 650

Seal and send invites annsbridalbargains.com 65.00

dress from e-bay (china maker )JMS make sure feedback is 100% on manufacturer. less than 200 inc shipping,

tux rented,60.00

reception at local firehouse(both are volunteer firefighters) but your church probably has reception hall

Food done by family members- full dinner with Veinnese(dessert table) for 120-138 No alcohol, expected to be about 8-10.00 per person.(1104-1380)

plates,glassware,cloths,napkins,flatware etc 500

using comet poly carbonates(looks like china,glass and silver) webrestaurant.com and Sams Club

favors- wedding just before Christmas, Christmas tree ornaments from walmart.15.00

attendants paid for own outfits.

honeymoon- 3 day ski 1200

3615 for above, with decor, gifts for attendants,rentals, postage etc is expected to run 600-800 more

Answer 12

I am planning a wedding in Ohio, and the average cost of a wedding in Columbus Ohio is 22K. I am budgeting for 20K, and I am going to have to spend every cent of that 20K. I am lucky because my parents are paying for 10K of it, so I have to save up 10K on my own. Depending on where you live, you can have a nice wedding for 10K. Easy ways to save are on table decorations. I am just using hurricane globes and candles which would be set on top of mirrors. This is saving me about $3,000 because I am not using flower arrangements for the tables. I have also been putting $100 of each paycheck (bi-weekly) into a savings account. That would make you save $2400.00 in one year, if just one of you started saving. If you each put $100 of your paycheck every 2 weeks then you would have $4800 in one year. Depending on how much you want to spend on your wedding, that's not that bad!!



Good luck! If you want to use my hurricane globes when I'm done you can email me at [e-mail].

Answer 13

hi there well i had a lovely wedding and a small reception for about 3500 here is what you can do to cut costs first off the flowers only have your boquet your husbands be the only real flowers there you can get fake flowers for decorations and brides maids boquet the cake just do a multipul teared one and have flowrs put on it by yourself. seriously you will save alot of money if you do the things yourself well take care

ashley

Answer 14

While I lucked out and don't have to pay for my entire wedding on my own, my parents (who are divorced) are not made of money and therefore cannot contribute every dime either.



That being said, here is what I have been doing:



Reception Hall - you want to find a place to have your wedding that will include EVERYTHING (each and every course, dessert, champagne, booze, etc.) so that you are not stuck paying any extra fees. Reception halls are usually paid in installments. First a deposit down, then 2-3 more payments over the course of the rest of your engagement. This is nice because it gives you time to save up for each payment. Also, our place has silk floral centerpieces which I think are beautiful, so that completely cuts out any money i'd have to spend making my own. Check and see if there are any "house centerpieces" that you could use for your decorations.



Wedding gown - these are usually paid in installments too. Check out bridal stores that have "off the rack" dresses...which are gowns already made and set at a MUCH cheaper price than one that you have to order from scratch. All you have to pay besides the basic fee is any alterations you might want. Many places have beautiful "off the rack" gowns. Also, check out any bridal stores that have what they call "Sample sales" because those gowns usually go for very little. You can find beautiful gowns that way too...just be sure to check for any rips or stains before you purchase, as these types of sales are usually final and cannot be refunded in any way, shape or form.



Flowers - again, I am going to suggest the silk floral arrangments. Most of my friends that got married spent a good $6-$7,000 on flowers alone. That to me is ridiculous. Check online for silk floral arrangements for your bouquets. In pictures, you will never be able to tell the difference. And, they don't die on you at the end of the night ;)



As far as other money saving tips, the best thing I can suggest in your daily lives are these: bring your lunch to work, don't eat dinner out as often, cut out buying cocktails out at bars, make your own coffee at home as opposed to going to Starbucks every day, and keep shoes/clothes as long as you can without having to always keep buying new things. Believe me, these are simple, but HUGE money saver tips!! Believe me...I've been engaged for a year now and we've saved about $4,000 by cutting these out for a simple 12 months. Now we can pay for our photographer!



As far as coming up with the money to pay for things...depending on your finances, you and your fiancee can open up a credit card together that has a plan with the first 15 months interest free. If you are disciplined enough, you can charge what you need to for the wedding, and then write out a budget to pay it off on time before the 15 months are up. To make this work, you really need to sit down and come up with a budget on how you are going to pay it off though. This credit card plan simply buys you extra time to pay off expenses, so if you choose this route, do it cautiously so that you don't get hit with any back interest.



Feel free to e-mail me if you have any other detailed questions. Would love to help! Overall though, don't spend anymore money than you can absolutely afford to! While you want to have a nice wedding, don't feel that you have to spend 50k on a mere 24 hours of your lifetime. There are ways to do it for MUCH LESS! Good luck!

Answer 15

we spent 3 grand... the best advice i can give you is.... dont assume that there isnt anything cheaper than what you have priced... keep calling... and calling.... different places.... and ask your aunts or cousins for recommindations of ppl... my photos are gonna be 250.... thats because i asked around.. and looked at her work... and talked to ppl who she has took pictures for... i got a great deal on it..... my wedding cake is 85 dollars! this lady has been doin cakes for over 40 years.... my cake is 4 teirs with a snowflake design.... feeds 110 guests..... my groomscake is only 25 dollars..... im not sure howmany it feeds.... and it will have a western design.... and 2 teirs



my wedding dress is the most exspensive thing i bought.... it was 700 dollars from davids bridal....



flowers.. im using poinsettias.. b/c they are my favorite winter flower.... and u have to use fake ones cus real ones leak a milky fluid... they were 20 dollars for mine and the girls ( got them on sale at hobby lobby)





my favors i got 12 for 1 dollar ( on sale at hobby lobby) they are clear ornaments and i tied ribbon on the top to hang them...and gold glitter in the bottom of them.... something cheap easy and if they throw them away im out only by about 5 dollars....



my bridesmaids dresses...came from sears... i wanted them to get something they could wear again...and both of my girls are wearing their dresses 4 and 5 days after the wedding for christmas parties...

and they only cost 30 dollars!





jewlery.... pearls.... they already had those...so free..loll



hair... they are gonna leave their hair natural....



my wedding is december 20th...and my colors are Crimson and gold





thats all i can think of right now..



but juss look around!!

Answer 16

Well, we haven't gotten married yet (it'll be our second for both of us), but for us we've seen our estimates under $5000 for a simple wedding and reception. It doesn't include the dress and honeymoon. Hope that helps in some way :)

Answer 17

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Answer 18

I didn't pay for my own, but I kept up with the spreadsheet what was spent it was about $10,000 wedding. And I swear I tried to get the cheapest stuff possible.