HELP!10,000 to 15,000 max to spend on wedding.HOW DO I DO IT?

s.cahill · 27-01-2008 02:27PM #1

Has anyone managed to have their wedding within 10,000 to 15,000? i would love my dream wedding but cant afford to do it for anymore than this amount. this price needs to include EVERYTHING!
if there is any person with advice for me on how to achieve this, i would be really greatful!
damsel in distress!

charba · 27-01-2008 07:40PM

okay well i haven't got married but there are some things that are probably a little obvious but people don't think much about them.

First and foremost:
* Don't tell the hotel its a wedding. Just book dinner for *insert number here* people and say that you want the room for the day and pay the cost of booking the room.

* Perhaps you could make the invitations yourself instead of buying them?
* Getting a friend (who's good at and enjoys) photography to take the photos. and/or leave disposable camera's on the tables and ask people to leave them somewhere when the film has all been used.
* Buy your dress in somewhere like Debenhams where they are off the rail would perhaps make a difference. (I'm not too sure about that one)
*If your having brides maids don't go for ball gowns. Cocktail dresses work equally as well.
* If you are good at baking perhaps make the wedding cake yourself? Or see if someone else want to make it for you and that can be they're wedding gift to you?
* For the flower arrangements you could do the same as the wedding cake itself.
* Instead of a live band get a dj for the day. He could have different sets for each "time" of the day. Like older music at the start when the crowd is more mature and then if its just your friends later the dj could have a different set. A dj will be much cheaper than having a band and then possibly a dj
*On the day itself get a friend to do your make-up and hair and that of the bridesmaids.

For a cheaper dream wedding you just need to get more involved and think about everything you are doing and see if there is anyway which you can limit the cost.
Like for the bouquet choose a cheaper flower?
Anyway that's just what I think but I've never been through a wedding so feel free to re advise if necessary.

Lizzykins · 28-01-2008 03:24PM

I'll second every word! My sister getting married in the summer and is making invites herself, possibly the cake,and has asked some of the family with newish nice cars to drive the wedding party on the day. Someone I knew booked a restaurant for a meal for 50 people and that didn't work out too dear. The reception will always be the expensive bit. What else you could do is have the reception at home if you had a house or in parent's house. My other sister did that back in the 90s as she was saving madly for a house. The reception was in my house and we did the food ourselves. Everyone loved it-it brought back memories of house weddings for the oldies! Cost pittance!

cookiequeen · 28-01-2008 07:00PM

I got married 2 years ago and everything amounted to well under €10,000 not including the honeymoon that is!!!
We had 70 guests. I got a designer dress in labels for less in Limerick for €650, that was my major blow out. Got shoes online.
Made our own invites but depending on how many guests it might be cheaper to get them printed.
We had a fantastic band, lady called Carmel Dempsey, she organises the rest of the band for you, so it depends on how many other instruments you have, but she also does a one man show which is brilliant aswel. Cost about 1200
Reception in Cloonacauneen Castle 5 course meal and bought our own wine and paid corkage. We had our own cake for dessert (Bought really good cake in Fother Gills in Dub and had that). Reception inc mulled wine reception when we got there, room for photos in front of a roaring fire, bar extention and sambos for the late arrivalsetc. all for about €4000.
Got bridesmaid dresses in debenhams blue cross sale for about€120 each. Groom bought a really good 3 piece suit in Galvins for men in Tullamore. Still wears it to other weddings and stuff.
One of our friends did the photography.
Wedding car and mini bus for guests to be dropped home was €250, he had personalised plated and everything. Dj was a friend but we paid him about €250. Cake as I said was fother gills cake, we're just not big into the huge cake thing. My sis is a florist and did all the flowers so they were free, but you'd be surprised how many florists courses are around, you could so learn it yourself.

God it sounds like we had a really cheapo wedding but it really wasn't, as the last poster said, we got really involves and it made it really personal so everyone thought it was so us they loved every minute of it.

charba · 28-01-2008 07:10PM

One other thing that I thought of today while pottering away is if you really want to have a wedding reception in a hotel perhaps you could have a buffet instead of a traditional sit down three course meal?
I was at a wedding before Christmas where this was done and it works really well. And it'll be cheaper per head I'm sure.

catyb20 · 28-01-2008 07:12PM

You can get wedding dresses (new) on ebay for really cheap http://search.ebay.ie/wedding-dresses_W0QQ_trksidZm37QQfromZR40QQfrtsZ50

and

http://clothing.search.ebay.com/wedding-dress_Wedding-Dresses_W0QQfromZR34QQsacatZ63851
the latter is where you buy the design and then send your exact measurements via email to the dress maker (who more often than not will be based in China). A friend of mine got a cocktail dress done and it fitted perfect and looked great on her.... You could get a dress, Brand new, for less than 50e

charba · 28-01-2008 07:41PM

cookiequeen wrote: »

God it sounds like we had a really cheapo wedding but it really wasn't, as the last poster said, we got really involves and it made it really personal so everyone thought it was so us they loved every minute of it.

Just as a side (sorry for going off topic) It doesn't sound like a cheapo wedding. People really should get more involved in the planning and organisation of the wedding as it really is the best way to cut costs. and think outside the box. Like the flowers for you alone probably saved a couple of hundred euro which you had to spend on something else.

mikeanywhere · 29-01-2008 10:32AM

I think a lot of the ideas have already been touched on.

Make your own invites, RSVP etc, get someone you know to make the cake, have a friend take the pics (if they are good enough)...

Once of the things we did was to have a marquee in the parents garden and that meant the numbers were reduced for the sit down but once the tables were cleared it was great for the afters with tons of room. We left to head back to the hotel around 6.30am, man were we knackered!!!!

We sourced a local caterer who did the food for us. We sourced the pots, pans etc from a hire place. The only oroblem with that was having to clean them afterwards to take back the hire place. They would accept them back dirty if you couldn't be assed but they charge you.

Tons of options available but I would in the first instance write down exactly what you want, where ie church and work around that.

I would also join a more specific wedding forum where there are brides eating and sleeping this kind of thing.

Good luck with the choice and congrats too!! :cool:

TFP · 29-01-2008 05:13PM

it can be done, I got married last year for about 8K which didn't include the honeymoon (we actually spent more on the honeymoon than the wedding)

We had 115 guests and I don't think we missed out on anything of the 'dream' wedding.

- We got married in January on a weekday, which saved about 40% of the cost of the reception.
- Wine was bought from a family friend and managed to negotiate a decent corkage rate from the hotel.
- The hotel arranged the car from the church which saved a few bob.
- The invites we simple and after pricing around ended up being very personal and relativly inexpensive.
- The brides dress was expensive (but that was alway going to be the case)
- a friend of ours sang at the church.
- The band's wedding rate was haggled right down due to the time of the year.
- the photographer was at the expensive end, but that didn't matter as we didn't want a wedding video.

Over all, we didn't miss out on anything and still managed not to spend stupid amounts of money, we are not stingy people but couldn't justify spending huge amounts of money on 'little' things that the hotel, wedding co-ordinator says you must and that everyone else does but no body cares.

fozzle · 29-01-2008 08:17PM

There's some good advice here, glad to see I'm not the only one calling in favours

OP, have you got the church booked yet? If you don't, try and book it for a weekday as everything for weddings appears to be cheaper during the week. We're doing ours on a Monday, so guests still only have to take one day off work, as they can go home Monday night if they need to.

Also, if you can book the church for late afternoon/early evening do it. That way you can have a buffet rather than a full dinner, and people have time before hand to eat their dinner at lunch time. A buffet is a hell of a lot cheaper, and there's much less waste. It's infuriating to see the waste at wedding dinners, when you consider the money that went into them, so why not just avoid it?

DO call in favours from friends. If any of them have camera/video skills, can bake, can do flower arranging, make jewellery, or can do make-up, then ask them for their help, or ask if they would give their services as their wedding gift. People love to get involved in a friend/family member's wedding, it makes them feel appreciated, so don't be afraid to ask.

Again, if there are musicians among your family and friends, call them in. I'm hopefully having one of my best friends to sing at my wedding - saves a lot of money, and it feels a lot more personal to me.

Irregardless of who is doing your flowers, get in-season ones, it'll bring down the cost hugely.

DO look in high street stores for dresses. Don't be afraid to check charity shops too. Give yourself plenty of time and don't feel pressured into having to buy a huge big poofy white dress unless that's what you have your heart set on. Try browsing shops and the internet with an open mind on what you want, and you might be pleasantly suprised. if you're looking at high street dresses, particularly, remember, you can always alter them a bit for relatively little money - get sequins stiched on the bodice, or get a nice train from a "real" wedding dress store attached. Personally, the idea of spendin thousands of euro on a dress I'll only wear once horrifies, so I'd much rather spend less on something nice, as against spectacular, and have the money to spend on other things. That might just be because I haven't seen the right dress though

Hmmm, what else? Well what we're doing is having a meal with aunts and uncles and immediate family only, and then adjourning to the pub. Then, after our honeymoon we're going to have a party in a hotel - a bit of a buffet, and lots of silly dancing. It's saving us thousands, which means we can have the honeymoon we want, it's just a matter of deciding where your priorities are for the wedding, and cutting costs everywhere else.

Oh, and cookiequeen, that sounds like a lovely wedding! Success doesn't nessecarily mean spending a lot of money, lord knows money doesn't buy taste, it's all down to the thought you put into it, and it sounds like you put a lot in, so well done!

cookiequeen · 30-01-2008 10:20AM

Thats great advice to have family or friends do music for the wedding mass, thats what we did and it was so personal the whole lot of them were bawling up in the gallery.
We just had our 2 year anniversary on Sunday and its making me so emotional reading all the posts. I'd love to do it all over again, even some of the hellish organising!! Enjoy every minute of it guys, it'll be over before you know it and you'll be a married lady, which I must say is truly the best part of it all. I'd marry him in a sack on the cliffs of Moher if i had to.

shopaholic · 01-02-2008 10:20PM

Don't bother with favours...waste of money!

Have a look at bridesmaids dresses for your weding dress...you can order it in white or ivory.

Check out Debenhams for bridesmaids dresses...very reasonable

If you're getting married in a church talk to the ladies who do the church flowers...you might get away with buying the flowers (from the market) and a box of chocolates as a thank you.

If you want music in the church go for a single instrument...I had a flute and it was beautiful

Don't bother with music for before your meal...everyone will be talking anyway

Know anyone with a nice car who can drive you?

Get a DJ instead of a band...works out miles cheaper and just as much fun...my dance floor was full all night!

Consider getting married on a week day or out of season...hotels more likely to reduce costs

Be brutal with the guest list...no kids, no cousins etc!!!! Don't be pressureised into inviting people you don't want.

If you're doing mass booklets consider getting them done in Reids of Nassau Street. Bring in the booklet printed off on A4 paper and you can photo copy them into a5 booklet format really cheap...think you can even get a different colour cover sheet...and they're stapled. If you want to "fancy" them up have a look in the art and hobby shop at the stickers and things.

It is not necessary to spend 40k on a wedding...why put yourself into so much debt for one day...when you have your whole life to enjoy with your other half.

s.cahill · 02-02-2008 02:37PM

guys,

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! this advice has been great! very excited now that i know its possible to do at low price! i hope this has helped anyone in my situation organise their wedding day!

:):):):):):):):)

July · 17-02-2008 07:44PM

I flippin' hate when people have weddings during the week. It saves the bride and groom money but the guests have to use up two days of their holidays to go to it! Grrr...:mad:

fozzle · 17-02-2008 09:03PM

July wrote: »

I flippin' hate when people have weddings during the week. It saves the bride and groom money but the guests have to use up two days of their holidays to go to it! Grrr...:mad:

It doesn't just save them money, it saves them lots of money. A 20% discount on a E10,000 reception is a hell of a lot of money. And if the wedding is on a Monday or Friday, then you only have to miss one day of work. I'd have no problem with any of my friends having a weekday wedding, but maybe that's 'cos I'm having one!

At the end of the day, it's the couple's day, so what suits them best shoud be what goes, well that's my opinion anyway.

17-02-2008 09:07PM

fozzle wrote: »

It doesn't just save them money, it saves them lots of money. A 20% discount on a E10,000 reception is a hell of a lot of money. And if the wedding is on a Monday or Friday, then you only have to miss one day of work. I'd have no problem with any of my friends having a weekday wedding, but maybe that's 'cos I'm having one!

At the end of the day, it's the couple's day, so what suits them best shoud be what goes, well that's my opinion anyway.

Does the 20% reduction count for guests when it come to weekday presents too?

July · 17-02-2008 09:41PM

fozzle wrote: »

And if the wedding is on a Monday or Friday, then you only have to miss one day of work. I'd have no problem with any of my friends having a weekday wedding, but maybe that's 'cos I'm having one!

Friday is the only weekday that most people won't need two days off for. If you have a few weekday weddings in a year you could have a lot of your annual leave used up with just weddings. It's annoying. But sure, as long as the bride and groom are happy...:rolleyes:

fozzle wrote: »

It doesn't just save them money, it saves them lots of money. A 20% discount on a E10,000 reception is a hell of a lot of money.

At least your calculations re money are correct!

Moonbaby wrote: »

Does the 20% reduction count for guests when it come to weekday presents too?

Ha, I like your thinking!

john1963 · 18-02-2008 09:43AM

i had a photographer that charged 500n for a disc with over 200 photos. we did our own prints. it was better than most albums i have seen

Barn Owl · 19-02-2008 10:30AM

could I ask you John where you found that photographer and would you seriously recommend him/her? Maybe I should pm you for more details...Would you mind?
Thanks a mill
Getting married next year and uninspired by alot of extortionist photographers so far!:eek:

themadchef · 20-02-2008 04:47PM

Well i think i had alot of great deals for my wedding. 2002

300 geusts 5 course meal in local hotel our @ €13.50 / head. rounded off to 3k by very nice hotelier because they all drank like suck calves on the day

. Before you say no way..... remember i live in Achill Island, and a hell of alot of people come down from the city to get married without connection to the place.
A for the pretty pic's ......but mainly B for the prices.

We bought our own wine (no corkage) i got very good wine as i deal with wine suppliers where i work. bought 10 cases got 2 more free €500

Photo and video by Thomas Coppinger in Galway €1000 for the lot (leather album).

Flowers €350 by local florist

Music €500 (i book bands for the business so i got discount)

brother works in a printers so got invites at cost price think it was 500 invites for €150

Hubby worked for mercedes dealership at the time so we got new merc for the day free

Rented dress, brides maids dresses (3) flower girl dress (2) for €500 in a shop in Wexford. (down the country, think it was Wexford)
I had been to loads of bridal shops and couldint get one to suit a size 18. So i seen the hire shop advertised in the buy and sell and took a chance. Loved the first one i put on, and it was new! Loved the fact that i could just zip up the bag and send it back too.

As a chef .... had to make my own cake.

Cant think of the rest but all in all it was very very cheap. Especially the meal. People get charged crazy amounts of money for the meal. Just think of what they make in the bar:eek:

dewsbury · 20-02-2008 10:19PM

Oh please..
Do we all really need to keep up with this Jones's and have ever more expensive weddings?

Ask your parents how much they spent .. or even your grandparents.. were there weddings really so cheap and awful?

Why are so many people obsessed in giving hundreds of their friend a free 3-course meal? Who is trying to impress who?

A good wedding is consists of a good couple, some fun people, sincere feelings and a generally positive attitude.

A marriage is not about a wedding... the following 50 years is the relevant bit.

dollydishmop · 22-02-2008 10:10AM

Have to agree with Dewsbury here...and I have to say the title of this post always makes me laugh whenever I see it.

All we're doing is throwing a big party for our friends...oh, and we just happen to be going to a registry office in the morning for a small, initmate ceremony.
My mother is doing a big buffet....its what she does for a living.
Her business partner is doing a cake for free.
A friend of mine is a photographer, and offered to bring his camera with him.
The reception venue has a full licenced bar, and is sorting out a bar extension for us, as well as providing bar staff.
The rest of it is pretty DIY, which has the added bonus of giving us 100% control over everything.
I'm making it my mission to be the lowest budget wedding I possibly can.

All in, its looking like coming in at well under €2k. No loans, no credit card payments, all paid for up front.
Don't see the point in blowing ridiculously large amounts of money on what is effectively, if you break it down to basics, a party.
As long as we have our friends and family around us, I couldn't care a fig about all the 'trimmings'.

JG1 · 22-02-2008 06:41PM

Dollydishmop - that is pretty impressive but you have to bear in mind that a lot of folk don't have relatives who do catering for a living. You are absolutely right about it being a big party. We went looking at venues yesterday and the biggest cost is the food. We are trying to do it on a budget and it is getting very frustrating dealing with hotels who have a list of do and donts. One place had a date that suited but because it was a weekend and their minimum is 120 and we are having 90 we would have to pay €35 a head for the 30 that weren't invited! Joke shop.

It is hard to get venues who will do a buffet for less than a hundred and give you a degree of flexibility.

themadchef · 22-02-2008 10:56PM

JG1 wrote: »

Dollydishmop - that is pretty impressive but you have to bear in mind that a lot of folk don't have relatives who do catering for a living. You are absolutely right about it being a big party. We went looking at venues yesterday and the biggest cost is the food. We are trying to do it on a budget and it is getting very frustrating dealing with hotels who have a list of do and donts. One place had a date that suited but because it was a weekend and their minimum is 120 and we are having 90 we would have to pay €35 a head for the 30 that weren't invited! Joke shop.

It is hard to get venues who will do a buffet for less than a hundred and give you a degree of flexibility.

A buffet €35 euro a head...:eek: Mother of God the prices being charged in the city are mental. Would love to post up the country equvilant but dont want to make you cry

i think debt of €15k + for a wedding thats over in a day......will put anyone on a rocky road to start their married lfe togeather.

IanCurtis · 23-02-2008 03:17AM

dollydishmop wrote: »

All in, its looking like coming in at well under €2k. No loans, no credit card payments, all paid for up front.
Don't see the point in blowing ridiculously large amounts of money on what is effectively, if you break it down to basics, a party.
As long as we have our friends and family around us, I couldn't care a fig about all the 'trimmings'.

That is the most refreshing thing I've read in a long time, someone has some sense!

I'd rather spend the money on a nice long 3 week holiday

Ballyman · 19-03-2008 12:16PM

People spending €30K on a piss up with a bit of dinner are deranged.

I know a couple who took out a loan, a fcuking loan, to get married. I ask you, a fcuking loan?????? And they had two doves released outside the church afterwards that cost them €350. LOL

And what do you have to show for it the following day? A pain in your head, a photo album that will be put in the loft for evermore and a dress that will never again be worn. For €30K. Clowns.

Seriously, where do these people come from?

This and this say it all really.

4eyes · 19-03-2008 02:59PM

Hiya,

great advice so far! It's helping me to so thanks for posting.

diyweddings.ie is an excellent site! Their link to wedding invites is great. i am getting 50 invites for €20! you order their kits and type and print yourself.

Another website which is the best ever is houseofbrides.ie. it has milions of dresses to choose from. a friend of mine (who told me about the site) saw a dress she liked, found it in a dublin dress shop, tried it on to check for sizes etc.. then bought it!! all the dresses are discounted. she saved €3000!! As its an american website the exchange rate it unreal at the moment!! remember US sizes are different, one smaller i think but check with someone who knows!

Another friend of mine used the smithfield flower market for church and centre peices flowers. they were beautiful! the morning of her wedding she got her sister to buy the flowers she wanted (and had spotted weeks before) and arrange. very cheap, allthough you would need someone you can depend on and trust for that.

hope it all goes well, thanks again for all the replys to this post, it's very helpful!

foxy06 · 24-03-2008 04:45PM

Got my dress and shoes in Barnardos in Dun laoghaire for 400
Going to the local pub thats serves great food and renting their function room. 40 peeople at 30 Euro a head for 3 courses
making my own bouquet
suits were expensive at 650 but that was for 5 adults and 2 kids
Dj was 350 but father in law is getting that as a present
relations are driving me to the church
neighbour is photographer
rings were 200
wine and a round of drinks for dayguests 500
food for late guests 500
its coming to less than 4000 so far but havent organised an organist or bridesmaid dress yet. Wedding is in May so really should get the finger out!

nhughes100 · 10-04-2008 01:59PM

Dont invite second cousins and friends sisters in laws etc that u havent seen in years and wont see again just because their friend had you to their wedding that u didnt even want to go in the first place.

Dont go mad on presents, I know couples who bought gifts for everyone who attended as well as all the wedding party, this I can't figure out, you're getting the suit/dress for the day, put up in the hotel and u want a gift as well??

I've another friend who is currently up to 40k+ on spending so far.

What goes on in weddings these days drives me mad. Keeping up with the Jones' and money can't buy class. Elegant & simple are much more classy. If you plan it like a military operation then your stress will go through the roof esp over things u have no control over - Weather for example.

the GALL · 10-04-2008 02:35PM

We got married two years ago. The wife set up a spread sheet on the lap top with everything we wanted from dress (obviously) to paying for in law's night in hotel.
Anyway when the list was completed and it was pretty long we started to get figures, (most of these were ball park) we could see where we needed to cut back and over spend. we must have gone to every wedding fair in the south east, we haggled for everything(except her dress)two cars for the price of one etc etc and I think we done alright

All in there was
two cars,
flowers
string quartet
80 odd guests
fifty odd bottles of wine (haggle on the corkage)
champagne for the toast
gifts for in laws
gift for best man and bridesmaid
the hotel was paid for the night for in laws, Bm and Bm
4 course meal
photographer dont skimp on this you'll only get married once (hopefully)
DJ
we got married on a thursday and saved 20% All of our guests came down from dublin on a thursday morn and stayed the night nobody gave out about takeing two days off work (remember there friends and family and friends and family do stuff for each other)
We honeymooned in Malta, when booking your honeymoon see if you can get one of them 2 for 1 deals going.
Draw up a wedding list dont make it too big and ask your brides maid and best man to drop the hint about cash for present

It all came to about €10,000 which I was surprised with. I also found that when we made our decisions it didn't feel like too much of a hit if we put down as much of a deposit as we could when we made our booking. which was great because when we were checking out of the hotel they owed us money:D:D... I think it was about €400
Some of my wife's friends have used her method when setting up there wedding (re:spread sheet) and they think it's a great idea. Anyway best of look for your big day.
If your getting married around the south east and need some of the services I used don't be shy p.m me and ill send on what I have.

Rej · 13-04-2008 10:07PM

My money saving advice is to get married abroad!!
Im getting married in France this summer, and am spending about 14k on wedding & honeymoon. We are getting married on a Saturday, and are making a weekend out of it..
Our guests have to pay 60euro a head for 2 nights accommodation, but are fed and watered from the friday evening until the Sunday breakfast, all inclusive.
Cant go wrong with that!

HELP!10,000 to 15,000 max to spend on wedding.HOW DO I DO IT?

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