cheap wedding ideas for summer weddings
On the heels of one of the most extravagant wedding weekends ever, there is something to be said about marrying the one you love in a very private, intimate, small setting – like it is just for and about the two of you. Not every bride has the budget to throw a fairytale wedding, but she definitely wants the marriage of her dreams. My husband and I married at City Hall, New York City in January 2010. And while it was small in grandeur, it was big in romance. Not only was the sentiment meaningful, but the ceremony itself cost $25! My husband loves joking about our extravagant, opulent wedding but in seriousness is most very appreciative of his thrifty, modern wife.City Hall weddings are simple and lovely – even celebrities have taken advantage of their chic convenience – Keira Knightley, Matt Damon, Kristen Bell even Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio! While saving for a few very glamorous nights at the Plaza Hotel, a European getaway, and a deposit for an apartment– we knew City Hall was the best option for us.
With my eye on saving for what I felt were much more important things, here are some great small wedding hacks I learned along the way. 1. Limit (really, limit) your guest list. People really stress over their guest list—worrying about offending distant friends or family members by leaving them out. If you're paying for the wedding, invite who you can afford. This reduces costs dramatically. People understand the high costs of weddings (not just for the bride and groom, but guests too), so the people you can't invite will forgive you and you can celebrate with them later.2. Don't Google "honeymoon" when looking up honeymoons. Everything goes up drastically in price when you mention the word "wedding" or "honeymoon." The same goes for cake, photographers, and flowers. A great trick is to book these things is using the term celebration or party and be sure not to use the word "wedding."3. Think brilliantly when it comes to the gown. Don't lose all financial sense the second you step into a dress shop.
Do you care about beautiful wedding bands, lasting photographs, a destination wedding with sand under your feet, a string quartet? Choose your expensive item or two, allow yourself to splurge (within reason) on those and keep the rest simple.
diy christmas decor for living roomWe were really into an experience and wanted to celebrate the first few days as a married couple at the Plaza Hotel in a fancy suite and save for a summer vacation in France.
bedroom decorating ideas for black furnitureThe rest just simply was not as important to us and so we took our own pictures, took regular cabs around the city and had a lovely lunch at the Boathouse as our version of a reception.5. Do your own hair or make up. As women, we have spent a good portion of our lives getting to know how and what looks good on us.
If you're particular about your hair, have that done by a professional and do the rest yourself to save a fortune. If Kate Middleton can do her own wedding makeup, so can we! 6. Ditch unnecessary extras. Wedding favors, a wedding video, and even save the dates can really add up and at the end of the day are neither essential nor memorable. How often will you or anyone else remember your save the date cards/magnets/key chains?7. Be flexible on the day of week. Those who really love and care about you will have no trouble coming to a wedding on a Friday or Sunday! I have been to a few Friday weddings in recent months—it made zero difference. Plus, the savings can be significant.8. Take advantage of a Honeyfund. Many couples in 2014 already live together and don't need pots and pans, or even utensils. A collection of cash from your guests will give your honeymoon or future together a special and lasting boost!9. Be open to venues. Some beautiful outdoor settings in the right seasons require very little decoration – such as a winery or anywhere near the water.
Or does a friend or family member have a scenic property you can borrow? Remember what the day is really about. A wedding is a union of two people in love. It is not about impressed guests, excessive decorations, and a big jazz band. Kim K's last wedding showed us that lavish celebrations doesn't mean you'll have a lasting marriage. Live in the moment, be truly present on your big day, and remember that love, in itself, is the most exquisite part.And hey, if City Hall (and a label-less dress) is good enough for Carrie & Big, a simple celebration can be good enough for you! MORE ON BRIDAL BLISS: A Bride's Worst Nightmare Realized: 'I Lost My Wedding Dress' Till Debt Do Us Part The Most Gorgeous Celebrity Wedding Gowns This is What a Custom Chanel Bridal Gown Looks LikeWhat do you do when 8 couples have baller weddings for under $5,000 (one even maxed out at $500!)? You ask them to teach you their ways. Here are a few little tricks and tips they swear by…
Have a free reception in a national park. Couple Tera and Mike applied for a free permit and had their ceremony in the middle of the mountains in Mount Baker in Snoqualmie National Forest, WA. Set up corn hole! Or Bocci…or beer pong. Games are a cheap gift that keeps on giving (especially as people get drunker). Look for a liquor store that lets you return unopened booze. In certain states, you can return unopened alcohol to Sam’s Club and Costco. Do a little research and see if you can get hooked up. Go all out on Baby’s Breath. Anna Beth of the Hello, Anna Beth blog remembers her moment of floral truth: “I want babies breath,” I told Jennie Ann. “Ok, and what else?” she responded. “So that is what I got. Lots of babies breath. When in doubt: Etsy! You can buy rings, stationary, vintage favors, and just about everything else without getting completely sucked into the wedding industry wormhole. Get creative with paper flowers.
They are perfect for bookworm weddings, they don’t need water, and guests can tear off a petal and jot down numbers of potential hook-ups. Hire music students to play the ceremony. Contact the music department at local colleges or universities to see if their students play events. They cost less than professional musicians and will bring some life to the party. Ask a friend to make a cake instead of giving a gift. Or ask several cousins to bake a simple two-layer cake and frost it with white frosting; then decorate with flowers and call it a day. Visit estate sales for your seating. “Our ceremony seating was church pews that a church had thrown out and donated,” says Anna Beth. DIY a door menu. Paint a door with chalkboard paint and write out table numbers and the events of the day. If you’re feeling super sentimental, you can put it back on its hinges somewhere in the house. Make a sawdust runner for practically nothing. “I dyed sawdust, dried it in the sun for days and bagged it up.
On the day of, with the help of my daughter Delilah, we busted it out in a little over an hour with a stencil I handmade,” bride Leigh Ann told Green Wedding Shoes. Get paper tablecloths for an outdoor wedding. Classic checkered tablecloths are great for an outdoorsy, BBQ-inpired reception. And you won’t care if you spill beer all over the table. Turn your books into centerpieces. Stack a few books in the center of a table, leaving the top book open. Scatter an air plant or two on top of the pages. All you do is win. “My plates were all thrifted,” says Anna Beth. “We ended up paying about $100 for all of the china.” Use curtains as table runners. “Our table runners were made of cut-up curtains from Ikea, and the tables were purposely left bare as we loved the look of the wood,” bride Sarah told Wedding Chicks. Get cheap snacks that everyone loves. “Our friends worked shifts at the cotton candy and popcorn machines,” bride Kristi told Boho Weddings.