Wedding on budget

tidzy · 24-06-2014 4:22pm #1

Hi all I am getting married in august 2016 . And on a small budget . Hoping for ballykisteen hotel . We are young couple and will be 23 wen getting married we will have Around €6500 I have quiet a small family but all will be traveling from England and my partner has a large family . We can't afford to have everyone at meal so we decided to have 80 for meal and everyone else for evening entertainment we have narrowed it down to 80 family members for meal and for evening we will have around another 80 close friends and rest of family coming is this possible ? ðŸ˜ also I'd love a band but they so expensive can anyone recommend good band cheap also be greatful for any ideas atal to make help make our day special and things can do to keep budget down

)) ðŸŽ‰

Faith · 24-06-2014 4:30pm

If your budget is €6,500, I'd say 80 is way too high a number. Even if you got a dirt cheap per-head of €40, that's €3,200 on the meal. A band will set you back at least €1,000 for a halfway decent one then, for instance. The same for a photographer or videographer, if you choose to have either.

I'd suggest scaling down the number if you have such a limited budget, or else you'll have to sacrifice an awful lot of other things.

kkcatlou · 24-06-2014 4:40pm

Good luck with the planning. I don't mean to be judgmental at all, but you are both very young and should be enjoying life in your early 20s. These are the best years of your lives, so you should be making the most of them, and not saving for a wedding. You have the rest of your lives to do serious stuff like get married, play house and make babies. Now is the time to be going to college, travelling the world, working in crap jobs, going to festivals, going out at weekends...

But if you have your heart set on it, is the big traditional set up in a hotel really what you want to do? Given your age, would you not consider something a bit more fun and easygoing, like a big BBQ or a barn dance or festival type party with a pig on a spit? You could rent out a pub and beer garden or your parents back yard?

I've been at one or two "young people" weddings in hotels, and they always felt like the couple were trying to be something they weren't (i.e. grown up!!), when it should have been more about fun and themselves.

Other ideas to save money:
- buy your dress in a charity shop or sample sale, second hand or borrow one
- get a DJ only instead of a band
- make your own decorations and flowers
- use your own cars
- have a small bridal party (one best man and bridesmaids)
- don't have a videographer
- get an online package only with photographer and pay for album when you can afford it
- don't pay for accommodation for anyone
- no day 2
- bake your own cake or get a friend to do it as the wedding present (we are doing a dessert table where we are getting lots of family to add something)

tidzy · 24-06-2014 4:43pm

Thanks faith I'm not to push on band I would like one but other things come first what kind of budget would u suggest I d need

tidzy · 24-06-2014 5:02pm

Thanks for your reply I get everything u are coming from . But we ready w have been together for 8 years now . . I am considering different ideas trying to find the pros and cons o them all thanks so much for ur helpful ideas . Really appreciate it

ShaShaBear · 24-06-2014 5:04pm

tidzy wrote: »

Thanks for your reply I get everything u are coming from . But we ready w have been together for 8 years now . . I am considering different ideas trying to find the pros and cons o them all thanks so much for ur helpful ideas . Really appreciate it

A buffet is a common choice now instead of a sit down meal!

Milly33 · 24-06-2014 5:16pm

Congratulations to ye!! And it can be done you just need to stick to the plan and don't buy into stuff like ye have to have this and that.. Ballykisteen looks loverly...

We are doing the same having a civil in the venue itself, now we are lucky we don't have to pay any extra to the venue to have it there so paying the €200 fee to register and then €225 for the register to come to us.. I looked into a few different options and they were the cheapest out of them..Make sure and check if the venue charges extra for this most do, around the €250 - €400 mark just for setting chairs up.

The bands are fecking mad prices altogether is all I have to say they keep going on about the equipement but sure there in a band anywho,ill say no more..

Explosive DJ Experience was mentioned here before I haven't seen him but his prices are quite good and he does MCing.. That or you could go to a few local gigs see if any of them have bands on and ask them would they do it..Indigo are another group that aren't badly priced.

Invites if you don't have anything planned you should keep an eye on vistaprint sometimes they have great offers A friend got a fridge magnet invite done it was great as you just pop it on the fridge don't have to worry about putting it in a save place, and they were only €10 or something like that. You could keep an eye on the free business cards too and do them out as rsvp.

Flowers if you are anyway handy you can do them yourself...They aren't difficult if you have an arty touch..

Food too keep it simple most of it gets wasted..Thres courses is fine anything more can be too much.. Buffet style is great if you have manageable numbers, yours sounds good.Any more people Id say no it gets too messy

Milly33 · 24-06-2014 5:26pm

Defo don't be afraid to ask any very good friends aswell to help out, they will be more than happy too. Even if it is something you want on the day like decorations for the tables or something like that friends will be more than happy to give their gift like that rather than giving money later...

Faith · 24-06-2014 5:29pm

tidzy wrote: »

Thanks faith I'm not to push on band I would like one but other things come first what kind of budget would u suggest I d need

Decide on your budget first, then work everything into that.

A wedding can cost anywhere from €200 to €50,000+. Once you have a fixed budget, everything else will have to change to accommodate it. A small budget usually means a very small number of guests. I think €50 per head is a reasonable figure to work with, for food and drink, to begin with anyway.

Then decide what's most important to you:

Large guest numbers (I'd consider more than 50 guests large for your budget)
Band
Photographer
DJ
THE dress vs one from a charity shop/second hand etc
Suits
Bridal parties
Type of wedding (civil, church, humanist, etc)
Flowers
Cake
Venue

And so on. Decide what you must have and what you can live without, or can DIY/do very cheaply, and it'll become much clearer then.

tidzy · 24-06-2014 6:48pm

Thanks everyone for all your feed back . I no not great budget that's what we have estimate but hopefully with have bit more for extras . We are having the ceremony in our local church we have come to good arrangement wth out priest as he has none us since babies . The only problem is do do have quite a large quest list that why we keepin main meal to justc close family and then rest for just evening buffet

ABajaninCork · 24-06-2014 10:27pm

How about a pig on a spit? Nice large porker, few salads and rolls, and everyone goes home happy!

As you've got a tight budget, there's a lot of ideas mentioned already which you could work with. If you're having a bridesmaid/s why not ask them to wear their favourite party dresses? They don't have to match, you save money, and the girls will be comfortable.

You could make a button bouquet if you fancy something different.
DJ would be a much cheaper option than a band.
Make your own invitations. If you're a bit of a whizz, you could even create them on a laptop, and e-mail them round.
Have a look at the Weddings Online Buy & Sell forum. Lots of ladies selling off their wedding bits. I just saw a brand new dress for sale on there. You could pick up a bargain or two there.

Hope this helps!

Dolbert · 24-06-2014 10:54pm

OP you can absolutely do a wedding for 80 on your budget, we did it. Look out for what deals the local hotels are doing. We got the meal, wine, reception bubbly & strawberries, afters food and the wedding car for €40 a head. It was in a small country hotel and it was all perfect, a far cry from 'dirt cheap'.

We spent €1400 on the band, bought my dress online, got the bridesmaids dresses in Debenhams and very talented friends provided the church music, cake, photography and flowers as gifts. In total we spent €10k and €3k of that was on the honeymoon. It can absolutely be done, but it requires a lot of planning and budgeting.

Faith · 24-06-2014 11:01pm

Just a point that when I said 'dirt cheap', I didn't mean it in a derogatory sense, just that it was about the best price you'd get per head at a hotel

.

Dolbert · 24-06-2014 11:17pm

Oh I know, I just meant that the OP can actually get a lot of bang for her buck if she finds the right deal

893bet · 25-06-2014 12:10am

I got married there! Great hotel.

Ask for their off peak prices! (I think november, january, febuary). They are very very very competitive i have heard.

jlm29 · 25-06-2014 10:37am

Op, there's a few hotels around that have packages which include basically everything- including band and dj.. If you're not set on ballykisteen, it might be worth looking around. Langtons in Kilkenny springs to mind as somewhere that has one of those packages, but I can't swear to that- it's been a while since I looked!!

clint_silver · 25-06-2014 11:24am

You won't get 80 to afters. If it's local maybe a few will go. If it's far forget about it.
Hire an all night DJ max 500e. If you only have 6500e You don't have a 1500e budget for a half decent band any more than you do a 1500e dress.

Have you factored the honeymoon in as well to that figure?

ShiftStorm · 25-06-2014 12:38pm

byrned17 wrote: »

The Station House Hotel in Kilmessan. http://www.stationhousehotel.ie/weddings/winter-weddings/ (I see their price has gone up but only by 6 euro) It was a beautiful wedding and the food was amazing and you can swap some things around in the deal if you like.

I knew that they had a winter deal and I called them in August 2010 to see if they had any winter dates for that year left. She gave me Friday 17th Dec 2010 and we thankfully managed to get an appointment with the registrar within the right amount of time. I think the hotel bill came to 3,900.

Then with the remaining 2,000 we bought our rings and stuff to wear for the bridal party:

Rings: we went to a jewellers in Powerscourt town house called Corrs to get our wedding bands (750 in total I think and mine had diamonds in it) and we bought my engagement ring in a chain jewellery store. The trick is not to mention it's an engagement ring! I got a sapphire and diamond white gold ring for 270.

Then for the bridal party: I bought my dress in Barnardos bridal. He and his two groomsmen bought their suits in Next for 120 each - much nicer than hiring them and they get to keep them! We got the bridesmaid dresses on sale in debenhams. It was approx 1,000 for all of that.

A friend of ours dj'ed, another friend made our cake, another did my flowers, another designed our invites, another decorated the church, another drove me to the church in their fancy car, another was our photographer and a group of my friends did the music both in the church and before the dj. We also had another friend playing the piano as people arrived! We have talented friends So those were their wedding presents so it saved them money too!

PM if you need any other tips!

Hi Tidzy, I posted this ^ in another thread but maybe you'll find it useful. We spent €6,000 and the hotel gave us a deal for €29.90 a head. You can definitely have a beautiful wedding on your budget

tidzy · 25-06-2014 4:19pm

clint_silver wrote: »

You won't get 80 to afters. If it's local maybe a few will go. If it's far forget about it.
Hire an all night DJ max 500e. If you only have 6500e You don't have a 1500e budget for a half decent band any more than you do a 1500e dress.

Have you factored the honeymoon in as well to that figure?

I don't mind about evening figures but that would be my estimate . . No the honeymoon isn't in that budget

pwurple · 26-06-2014 8:55am

Think the comment about the posters age is unkind. One of my brothers got married that age, lovely wedding, married years now and very happy they are indeed.

Anyway, the suggestion about swapping a band for a dj is a great one. My brother did exactly this, and it was absolutly brilliant. Wish I had done it for my own wedding. Far cheaper, suited the younger dancing guests much better as well. The dj did a fantastic job.

There are other options as well, tend to be seen more in europe and the US, but have you considered a wedding brunch / breakfast or a wedding lunch rather than the evening thing that is usually done here? I was at a wedding breakfast in the netherlands... They had their ceremony at 10am, some bellini's and champagne with lots of delicious pastries, omlettes and pancakes. The couple then did that fun thing with a 'going away' car, with their suitcases. We stuck ribbons and streamers with cans on their car, just married signs etc... And off they went to the airport.

mrsbyrne · 26-06-2014 10:41am

pwurple wrote: »

Think the comment about the posters age is unkind. One of my brothers got married that age, lovely wedding, married years now and very happy they are indeed.

Anyway, the suggestion about swapping a band for a dj is a great one. My brother did exactly this, and it was absolutly brilliant. Wish I had done it for my own wedding. Far cheaper, suited the younger dancing guests much better as well. The dj did a fantastic job.

There are other options as well, tend to be seen more in europe and the US, but have you considered a wedding brunch / breakfast or a wedding lunch rather than the evening thing that is usually done here? I was at a wedding breakfast in the netherlands... They had their ceremony at 10am, some bellini's and champagne with lots of delicious pastries, omlettes and pancakes. The couple then did that fun thing with a 'going away' car, with their suitcases. We stuck

ribbons and streamers with cans on their car, just married signs etc... And off they went to the airport.

This is the ideal solution for this couple. Pre lunch ceremony, buffet style reception in hotel room nicely decorated ,music playing on an iPod or DJ if he'd do it cheap, chat to everyone then away to a cheap weekend/midweek break somewhere. The guests can stay and party away to themselves if they want. Absolutely perfect.

tidzy · 26-06-2014 11:31am

Thanks everyone for ur responses really appreciate it

jelliebellie · 26-06-2014 12:28pm

definitely do your own flowers. my SIL did this and saved a fortune, i will be doing the same.

we are not having wedding cars, whoever has nicest car at the time will get it cleaned up and stick some ribbon on.

Also, i have gotten 2 bridesmaid dresses on sale in for 30each in Pamela Scott, they are beautiful and were exactly what i would have went for regardless of them being on sale. shop around and you should def be able to have a lovely day for that amount.

Sleepy · 26-06-2014 2:05pm

Off-peak is the way to go to get a deal from the hotel, we had ours in February and got it for roughly 30 a head and they allowed free corkage on the wine which you can always get a deal on when buying in bulk.

I'd really re-consider your date: there's a huge premium for summer or Christmas dates and given how variable the weather during Irish summers can be, it's not worth it imo.

See what your friends can do for you or you can do for yourself: my brother's band played the reception for us, his girlfriend did the photography, my wife did the cake, we made our own invites, decorations, candy table, origami chairs for an escort table rather than a printed place setting etc. Can any of your friends sing/play instruments? Get them to do the ceremony music rather than hiring someone.

Get the dress in a charity shop/online or, like my wife, a closing down sale. Keep the bridal party small so you're only paying for one bridesmaids dress and suit hire for the best man (or get the guys to wear suits they already own: a new shirt and tie can help them match the bridesmaids colour).

Fake flowers bought on-line are *MUCH* cheaper than a florist and you get to keep your bouquet forever (I think our entire bill for flowers, including fresh sunflowers bought from the Smithfield market the day before the wedding and doubled for the ceremony and table centre pieces, came to about €200 for a bridal party of 9).

AoifeCork · 26-06-2014 10:26pm

Ballykisteen do some fabulous off-peak deals OP... Not too far away either is the Anner Hotel in Thurles which has recently been completely refurbished and offering a serious Silver package at 32 a head,minimum of 60. I actually couldn't believe the deals they were offering at their wedding fair.

And the food and drinks manager hinted that Thursday/Off peak weddings could be haggled down in price as well so give them a shout. They are recently under new management and we honestly couldn't believe the difference in the hotel in just a couple months. No harm in giving them a shout anyway... hope this helps!

westernlass · 27-06-2014 1:56pm

Mid week weddings are a great way to keep numbers down and save a lot of money

rainbow kirby · 30-06-2014 9:11am

Ballykisteen is great value if your wedding party size suits the room they have - their smaller room upstairs is pretty much 50 max, but their main suite is large (probably well suited to 150-200) and we thought our group of 80-90 would look a bit lost in there.

kkcatlou · 30-06-2014 9:23am

westernlass wrote: »

Mid week weddings are a great way to keep numbers down and save a lot of money

But annoy a lot of your guests in the process...

When thinking about cutting down costs, think about what will have least impact on your guests. Start with stuff that will not impact the overall day too much like videographer, dress, cars, suits, etc. rather than the big stuff that will have your guests peeved or less likely to enjoy the day, like poor food, midweek, no food between ceremony and dinner, etc. Ultimately if your guests are enjoying themselves, you will have an amazing day. if your guests are hungry, thirsty, resentful over having to take multiple days off work, etc. this will trickly down to your enjoyment of the day (and the run up to the day)!

lazygal · 30-06-2014 10:13am

westernlass wrote: »

Mid week weddings are a great way to keep numbers down and save a lot of money

For the couple, but what about those who'll be expected to attend like family and close friends?

OP I think your best best is to change the date to a quieter time of year. I found a lot of the 'quirkier' venues and ideas cost a lot more than a standard package deal from a middle of the road hotel. Cut out all the frills, check out white dresses that aren't wedding dresses and don't lose sight of the fact that its only one day.

I think you might be optimistic expecting 80 people to turn up to the afters of a wedding myself. I rarely go to afters only events myself, its not worth the hassle to attend if its any distance away and you never usually get to speak to the bride and groom.

Sam Kade · 30-06-2014 10:32am

23 is way too young to be getting married, take my advice and

RUN

Toots · 30-06-2014 10:51am

Sam kade the OP is not asking for your opinion on whether she's too young to be getting married. If you've nothing helpful to add, please don't bother posting.

30-06-2014 10:57am

893bet wrote: »

I got married there! Great hotel.

Ask for their off peak prices! (I think november, january, febuary). They are very very very competitive i have heard.

Also, go for a midweek. Mightn't suit guests, but it's YOUR day.
Another option would to have a small wedding, immediate family (siblings and partners - NO nieces/nephews) only and a big buffet style party that evening for everyone. Not everyone likes going to the expense of going to a full wedding, clothes, work commitments etc, so this might suit. If evening party was set for 7pm, it'd suit many and be more casual regarding clothes.

kkcatlou · 30-06-2014 11:05am

Deleted User wrote: »

Also, go for a midweek. Mightn't suit guests, but it's YOUR day.
Another option would to have a small wedding, immediate family (siblings and partners - NO nieces/nephews) only and a big buffet style party that evening for everyone. Not everyone likes going to the expense of going to a full wedding, clothes, work commitments etc, so this might suit. If evening party was set for 7pm, it'd suit many and be more casual regarding clothes.

It's YOUR day that is enhanced by the people there. Wouldn't be much of a party with just 2 people?
Also, for midweek wedding, I wouldn't expect anyone (or very few) to come to the after party. It might be different for a younger couple (such as the OP) as at that age, you're probably more able to party mid week or less likely to have a proper job, but for the 30+s the thought of going to a wedding in the middle of the week and having to get up for work the next morning is not something you look forward to.

As you say though, it's a way to cut down numbers, just don't be offended when people you really want there can't come because they can't get the time off work!

Dublinstiofán · 30-06-2014 11:54am

I can get you a Dublin band 5 piece band who will travel to Limerick and play 2 hours for
€1000. They also have an excellent DJ they can provide for a little extra

I can get you a two piece band for €400 for 2 hours
Or a one man band for €300
I can get you a professional video service for €1150 (full day 3 DVDs or USB's)

If you want contact details for these people let me know

jimmii · 30-06-2014 12:05pm

Congrats on your wedding! We're getting married in August and just having a small wedding with a similar sort of budget. There is no reason why you can't still have an amazing wedding! We're just having the things we want and not having all the stuff you are meant to have just because its a wedding as long as people (especially yourselves) enjoy the day then that is the important thing. We booked a Tuesday you can get some much better prices then. For music we got an unreal guy from Cork for €500 we seen him playing a gig in Dublin and as soon as we heard him we were like that is our guy! No need to pay crazy amounts for some random wedding band that will just play a few covers there are lots of non-wedding bands out there who are just as good and will cost a hell of a lot less. We opted for a buffet you get a lot more for your money and it gives people the chance to get something they actually want to eat instead of having to have goats cheese because its the only veggie option!

YellowFeather · 30-06-2014 12:39pm

Congrats OP - sure you'll have an amazing day no matter what. One thing I'd say is not to be worrying about having all the fancy smancy stuff if it's 'cause you think other people will be expecting it.

I was at a wedding a while ago where the afters were in a function room that had been rented out. We had buffet style food and were stuffing ourselves on cocktail sausages all night. There was a dj who had us all hopping on the dance floor and it was just a brilliant night.

To be honest, I never even thought about the fact that the afters wasn't in a hotel until reading this thread. Your guests should be happy to be there and see the two of you married and that's the main thing!! After that, it's your day, so budget your money for the things that are important to you two!

tidzy · 22-08-2014 11:20am

Thank you every one for your kind words and help it is very much appreciated .
For those of u who keep havin something to say about my age keep out of it please yes I will be 23 wen I get married I have been with my partner for 8 years now he's my love and my best friend and what ever happens in my life from now on I would want him by my side every step of the way . So why would I be running . Yes I no we're young but age is just a number . My mum got married when she was 18 and pregnant and 35 years on they are still both happy married and as much in love as they were . So please stop with the comments . There's no need for them " I'm a young girl just looking for help from you kind people "

LUZ · 24-08-2014 2:46am

i think most guests at a wedding remember the band and how much they rocked the place, the dress and how good the bride looked and all youre left with at the end of the day are the photos, so those are the things worth spending your budget on!

heres a link to some really nice wedding dresses for 500 and under,http://www.rocknrollbride.com/2014/08/30-unique-wedding-dresses-you-wont-believe-are-under-500/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Official+Facebook+Page

monsoon have lovely dresses and would suit a younger bride too. you can make loads of things like hairpieces/flower crowns/buttonholes as accessories.
i got an m+s cake and decorated it myself €75 roughly and i got flowers from o connell street and made my own bouquets, cost me €60 for lilies and gerberas for me and 3 bridesmaids, i think gypsophilia bunches looks fab and theyre only pennies. got bridesmaids dresses in the sale at debenhams but theres loads of options online.
check out these guys for cool floral dresses http://www.littlewingsfactory.com/

pooch90 · 24-08-2014 3:18am

January sales worth keeping an eye on too, especially for BM dresses.
'Like' loads of bridal shops on FB so you know when they have their sample sales.

WeddingChicks website have loads of printable wedding invite packages for free. I did our invites and RSVPs through them, cost me about €6 for white card, got a cheap guillotine in Lidl and frilled the edges, fancy envelopes from eBay. Hand deliver as many as possible as stamps cost plenty(also email them if appropriate).

I made my button bouquet but actually worked out quite pricey with good quality wire, flowers would have been cheaper. Not to mention the (wo)man hours. But love it and will have it forever.
Etsy is a godsend for jewellery etc and for little personalised bits.

River Island has nice mens' suits.

We did blackboard instead of table plans/ceremony booklets.

Lots of good bands around Tipp too-Johnny B& The Boogie Men are one that come to mind, they wanted €1200 but may be open to offers. Speak to local pubs that get bands in and ask for recommendations.

Best of Luck!

Ms.Tea · 24-08-2014 9:07am

LUZ can I ask how you sorted out the cake through m&s - did you have to go up north to get it? I am eager to do this & €75 sounds great! Thanks!

LUZ · 24-08-2014 3:34pm

it was ten years ago now, so prices have probably changed a bit! i went to m+s in jervis and got the cakes off the shelf there, i had 3 layers, (couldve done with more but it wasnt top of the list) its fruit cake so I wouldntve been too worried about the sell by date! lol, im sorry i cant remember how long before the wedding i got it, prob the week before. i decorated it with pink ribbon, flowers and butterflys.

LUZ · 24-08-2014 3:38pm

just checked online and 3 tiers comes to 74£ now so still pretty good.
http://www.marksandspencer.com/traditional-wedding-cake/p/ds458689

Milly33 · 24-08-2014 5:03pm

Never mind those commenting about age don't be silly people.... People can make some harsh comments but don't pay attention it is a lot easier to type one that say something to face. Back from a cousins wedding there and while it was a fancy hotel they made a lot of there pieces all using recycled material really and id say it saved them a pretty penny, looked fab aswell and I think people appreciate it more when they know the effort.. All the centre pieces, seating plan, and they used there own cars it was great...

You should make a list of all the things you would like and then think of how you can do them on budget.. What you could borrow for the day rather than buy things, stuff like that.. Even the amount of things that you do buy that just end up sitting there after a wedding is mad...

If you are looking for any bits we are getting married in 2015 and I will have lots of tea light holders and bits and pieces that I would be more than happy to pass on for not that much..

One thing id defo say after going to weddings is to make sure to let the guest know what times things are happening at, after the church or ceremony and have something for them to do in between. Defiantly think that sometimes bands are not the best way to go, it is great to have them but some places it doesn't suit really and you would have just as much fun with a good DJ..Have some other form of entertainment instead of the band like a get to know everyone at the party game, or something that gets all the guest together..

Minera · 26-08-2014 8:11pm

My fiance brother got married at 22 in 2006 and he had the wedding reception in a friends back garden (ok it was huge and no neighbours) all the family members brought something to the table it was like a huge buffet all he had to do was rent a basic marquee! chairs and tables were borrowed out by the local community centre and music was a hi Fi system and c d's cake was made by a friend and wedding decor was all handmade it was very simple but it was defiantly one of the best weddings I was ever at it was byob which ment the bar never closed and when all the eating was done a huge bonfire was lit and all the guests were given sparklers ...... check out pintrest for ideas. I loved it anyway of course that idea is weather dependant but he was lucky . 6500 is quite a limited budget for 80 people especially if you want a chapel wedding by the time you are done paying the priest, Sacriston, marriage licence and pre marriage course it's taken about 700 out of your budget! If you want a wedding with indoor venue and music wait a year or so and save like mad myself and oh are aiming at 1000 a month for 18 months and it's tough but we're getting there

littlemisshobo · 30-08-2014 2:02pm

OP, first off congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding! Im getting married next Sept and have been doing lots of research on prices. One of the best deals Ive found so far is Langtons in Kilkenny or the Killishin Hotel in Portlaoise (which is only about an hour from Limerick). I did find hotels in Limerick a little pricier than around the country, but the one you have mentioned looks like a great deal. Castleoaks is lovely too, out in Castleconnell.

I got my wedding dress for 75euro custom made and delivered from China and it is amazing!! I can send you info if you would like. I also saw a beautiful wedding dress on the sale rack in meonsoon, so have a route around shops in The Crescent or in Debenhams in town, or TK Maxx.

You can do the music yourself on a laptop or ipod and set it up to play after the meal, or if youve a friend who loves music then download a DJ Mixing programme and give him a list of songs to mix for you.

why not ask bridesmaids to get flowers in the market the day before and wrap pretty ribbon around them to save floer costs. The hotel provide flowers on tbe tables. As for the Church ask your priest if he has suggestions there as the ladies in the parish might pitch in with flowers from their gardens.

Weddingsonline and Rollercoaster forums often have new brides selling things from their wedding so you could get a bargain.

as for the age comments; my eldest brother married at 23 and is now a father of 3 lovely kids, 17 years later... its about who you marry not how old you are

littlemisshobo · 30-08-2014 2:09pm

Oh another great money saver is doing your own invitations. You can download free templates and just fill in your own info... and you can find other great diy stuff, I figure we've loads of time now so we can do stuff during the year.

Check out wedding chicks website and try googling DIY Wedding stuff too

Sherlof3 · 08-09-2014 1:52pm

As a young bride these, comments about age are so frustrating to hear. As much as people think they are being helpful, it's nearly impossible to come across as incredibly patronising.

Life experience is, of course, extremely valuable and we would be foolish not to pay heed to specific recommendations. But at the same time each person is so different, despite my age I could offer advice to each of you in some area of your lives that I have more experience in, but do I? No, because that's your life to live!

I already am five years more advanced in my career than other my age, am an extremely motivated high achiever. I have applied the same principals to my relationship, including SWOT analysis!

Tidzy the best of luck with your plans, never mind the naysayers!

maria_mc · 08-09-2014 4:03pm

jimmii wrote: »

For music we got an unreal guy from Cork for €500 we seen him playing a gig in Dublin and as soon as we heard him we were like that is our guy! No need to pay crazy amounts for some random wedding band that will just play a few covers there are lots of non-wedding bands out there who are just as good and will cost a hell of a lot less.

Any chance you would like to share the name of this guy?!?

aisc · 31-01-2015 6:37pm

Dublinstiofán wrote: »

I can get you a Dublin band 5 piece band who will travel to Limerick and play 2 hours for
€1000. They also have an excellent DJ they can provide for a little extra

I can get you a two piece band for €400 for 2 hours
Or a one man band for €300
I can get you a professional video service for €1150 (full day 3 DVDs or USB's)

If you want contact details for these people let me know

Hi

Just wondering if these prices for a band and dj are still available, trying to find music for April 30th 2016 in Kildare, on a tight budget.

Thanks

Wedding on budget

Comments