Wedding for under $700!

by Candra
(Monroe, LA, USA)

all of my DIY's

wedding color inspiration board

a few more wedding pics

Hi all! I got married on 5/4/12. We had a beautiful wedding and everyone in attendance told me how much they loved the decor and how much fun our wedding was. The first thing that I think any newly engaged couple should do is SET A BUDGET. You don't just want to start buying stuff all willy nilly and then complain later about the prices of everything. I set our budget at $1500 and promised myself that I would stick to it.

The first thing on my list was a dress, I set myself a $200 limit for this. It might sound silly to some of you, but it is VERY possible. In my quest for the dress, I literally saw hundreds of dresses for under $200. In my case, I did not want white or anything in that family so I began to search bridesmaids and prom dresses. Even if you do want white, bridesmaids and prom dress stores carry a large number of dresses in white. Most people won't do this, but I hit the jackpot at a local Salvation army store and found my dress for 15 bucks! Can you imagine how happy I was?

The next thing was the venue. We agreed that we wanted outdoor. I had remembered that his family had held their family reunion at a local golf course/park. The price was only $125, that is $50 for the pavilion rental and a $75 deposit that will be returned after the event. The park is beautiful and very well kept. Then my invites, I did fifty of them at Walmart for 29 cents apiece and bought a box of fifty invitation envelopes for $5.

This is a rundown of the prices of everything else, this way, you can see where our money went.

8 table cloths $1.29 apiece
8 table runners $1.99 apiece
8 vases $1 apiece
8 plates $1 apiece
8 bunches of silk roses $1 apiece
8 paper butterflies $2 total
5 spools of brown ribbon $1 apiece
red and cream cardstock $3.50 apiece
stickers for fans $3
glue gun and sticks $5 total
food and drinks for 50 people $100
2 disposeable cameras $10.00
tissue paper for pompoms 5 for $1 apiece
brown yarn $3
my sash(actually a shawl) $3.99
my necklace $10
earrings $1
my slippers $4
flip flops for our favors $1 apiece
cups and plates $12 total
utensils $2 total
his pants $50
his tie/shirt $20
his shoes $50
my tiara $15
my son's shirts $5 apiece
marriage license $27.50
Then there are the family members and friends that helped us, my silk flowers for my bouquet were given to me by my cousin who got married before me. My mom bought my garter. Our officiant was free (father in law). My MIL brought a dish. My best friend purchased 2 large sandwich trays and a meat and cheese tray. My cousin who is a DJ provided his services as a gift. My SIL made our cakes as a gift. We had plenty of photos taken by our guests and sent to us.

The food: I spent only $100 on food. I bought 2 big bags of large shrimp, a large package of Lil Smokie's cocktail sausages, lots of veggies for a veggie tray+ranch dip and lots of fruit for a fruit tray, both of which I cut and arranged myself. Cookies and a variety of candy (we had a small red candy buffet).

I DIYed mostly every aspect of the wedding. I used the card stock to make fans to help guests to cope with the heat. I used the tissue paper to make pompom balls to hang from the ceiling using the brown yarn. I hot glued the butterflies to my roses as part of my centerpieces. I prepared my own food which was super simple picnic style fare. I also made my own bouquet plus the handpieces that my bridesmaids carried. I used a staple gun to hang gold and cream curtains in the pavilion. They were so pretty and served as a great backdrop for the wedding.

The wedding was awesome and beautiful and we all had so much fun. The guests loved the flip flop basket, they kicked off their shoes and relaxed and enjoyed the day. I just wanted to write this article to encourage couples with a super small budget. Your wedding can be beautiful and all of your guests will love it! - Mrs.Hopkins

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Thank you
by: Suzanne

Hi Debbie

Thank you for taking the time to write and congratulations to your daughter on her engagement.

Best of luck with all of your plans and if you need any more help please get in touch.

Suz x

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OMG -THANK YOU
by: Debbie

My daughter wants to get married in March. She has been dating my future sil for 9 years. They want me to put one together for them. My husband of 27 years & Iseptic are depending on GODs help. Praying & praying and I found your blog. We only have a $700. budget. Thank you for the time you took to help someone else. Now I have a few ideas. May you and your husband be bless and have a wonderful life together. In Christ Mrs. Detrick

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