1. Posted by n_krause on Thu, Apr 09, 2009, 12:55 pm PDT

As a Justice of the Peace, many of these suggestions are great but several are ridiculous unless you are a hillbilly. Cupcakes instead of a wedding cake? Music from your iPod? My iPod cost me over $300 and freezes more often than Alaska. Don't do it couples. Get prices from several bakeries and DJ's. Sometimes, school bands do fund raisers. Jazz bands compete and are usually very good. Be creative but don't make your wedding the laugh of the family. Tasteful is always a must.

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2. Posted by Jessica McGuire on Thu, Apr 09, 2009, 1:38 pm PDT

cupcakes are SUPER popular right now. done right they can be amazing!

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3. Posted by mjsalinas7 on Thu, Apr 09, 2009, 2:13 pm PDT

I agree with everything, except I suggest not skimping too much on a photographer. I was frugal as I could be except for the photographer. You want beautiful pictures and a beautiful album to remember your special day. Pictures last. Unless your friend is a professional. They can make some incredible albums these days. It also saves you the headaches of a couple of CDs of digital images that you got to make copies for everyone, develop on your own, and make your own album. Professional photographers allow wedding attendees to view photos on their web-sites and purchase right off the site. No more, passing a proof book. Also, I know everyone wants fondant cakes because they look prettier. But they taste gross and cost double or triple the price of buttercream. So you pay a lot for something you can only visually enjoy. If you don't want to do cupcakes, do buttercream frosting instead of fondant. Another trend - instead of individual placecards for guests informing them where they are to sit, just list everyone and there table number on a word document, print on pretty paper and leave out by the sign in book. Besides, there's always last minute table moves, it's easier to just edit the document and re-print.

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4. Posted by lynn on Thu, Apr 09, 2009, 3:13 pm PDT

All wonderful ideas. Weddings are getting more and more extreme when it is not needed. Your wedding day is about love and just being with CLOSE friends and family. Let's keep that guest list well below 300 people (I stood up in a wedding with that many...it was crazy) All great tips!!! Brides to be better take note of these!

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5. Posted by l_doty on Thu, Apr 09, 2009, 7:35 pm PDT

The worst thing that happened at my daughter's wedding was we did not hear the music before hand. The pianist and vocalist dragged out the music to no end. The guests were yawning and I am sitting there thinking can we get some tempo going - this is not a funeral.

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6. Posted by msgoddess36 on Fri, Apr 10, 2009, 6:37 am PDT

Very good ideas, each person's wedding should be their very own, not someone else's idea! My husband and I skipped the champagne toast, I hate champagne. We created personalized shotglasses, and everyone toasted us with a shot of Tequila (good stuff). It was very personal and very unique, everyone got tp keep their shotglass!

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7. Posted by Wayne J on Fri, Apr 10, 2009, 8:17 am PDT

Hey Goddess! Was Tom Arnold as funny as he seems on My Big Redneck Wedding?

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8. Posted by Blanche on Fri, Apr 10, 2009, 8:49 am PDT

I was married at a Peace Corps training site in Hawaii. The ceremony was in front of a waterfall at a state park. The photographers were family members and friends (we'd lined up a pair of professionals whom we had befriended while hitchhiking around the island, but there was a snafu). The flowers, leis and bouquets, were all orchids, donated by another befriended islander who had a florist relative. Table decorations in the reception hall (the dining room at our training site) were orchids gathered by our friends in the wild. Food came out of the kitchen, and was the regular evening meal. The menu was roast beef (we had to make a special request for that); the kitchen staff went out of their way to spiff it up. The cake was from a bakery in town. The dress was a simple, tailored gown made by one of the kitchen staff whom we'd befriended (not knowing till someone else told us that she was a skilled seamstress!). She refused to take any money for her work. I bought the fabric, simple but elegant, and more than enough to make a second, shorter dress that I wore for years afterward (even the long one was wearable on a fancy summer occasion). The music -- both at the ceremony and the reception -- came from tapes played on our tape recorder; no fancy sound systems. The minister was from a local church and, I believe, took no money from us. The honeymoon was, well, in Hawaii, after all. Two nights in a nice beachfront hotel on the other side of the island, paid for by his parents, who flew out to be with us at the wedding. They drove us to our honeymoon hotel, dropped us off, and went to a different hotel. We had dinners with them and they picked up the tab. Total cost to us -- cake, dress material, lunches -- under $100. Actually, its being so long ago, it was probably under $50. Rustic? Yep. Minimalist? Uh-huh. "Hillbilly"? You might say so. Memorable? Oh yeah. Would I do it the same all over again? In a flash. (Except I'd make sure to give our photographer friends the right date.) My point: weddings should be about friends getting together, supporting each other, enjoying each other's company, and celebrating a life-changing event together. Anyone who attends a wedding and turns up their noses at the couple's choices of simplicity, shouldn't be there.

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9. Posted by Brittany Z on Fri, Apr 10, 2009, 9:04 am PDT

a great idea is to use fake flowers. My sister made BEAUTIFUL bouqets and centerpieces with fake flowers. Saved her a fortune...and she will have her flowers forever

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10. Posted by Gina P on Fri, Apr 10, 2009, 9:14 am PDT

Just do not get married. That will save money big time. Devorice costs more than a wedding. Marraige is a three ring circus...there is the engagement ring... the wedding ring...then the suffering.

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11. Posted by Holly-Anne Waligora on Sat, Apr 11, 2009, 9:18 am PDT

Try going to naplesweddingcatering.com

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12. Posted by Wakynao on Sat, Apr 11, 2009, 8:17 pm PDT

My best friend is a professional photographer. I love his work. He didn't shoot my wedding, though; he refuses to do friend's weddings because it NEVER turns out well. Someone's always unhappy about something, and it puts a strain on the friendship. Hire the pro. Not all of them are priced stratospherically. Cupcakes are totally hicks-from-the-sticks, though.

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13. Posted by jezusisafundie on Mon, Apr 13, 2009, 8:46 am PDT

Skip the wedding video, I think most people I know who have it watched it once or twice and never again. This "tradition" is less than 30 years old and is by no means classic. The photo album is what everyone looks at. You can also try some traditional cake alternatives like the traditional French wedding cake Croquembouche. Even look at the caterers packages as some include the price of the wedding cake. FYI the freezing for a year thing never works out unless you have a professional grade freezer. Keep the topper forget about the cake. The wedding dress is a big money waste. Keep in mind once you buy it you will be spening lots on alterations so $1000 dollars for a wedding dress will be more like $2000 when said and done. Plus perserving it is silly. Just donate it (tax write-off) or taylor it to a normal dress if you can.

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14. Posted by bbyrd005 on Mon, Apr 13, 2009, 6:33 pm PDT

Our wedding had about 50 people in attendance. I did everything for the wedding myself, since I was paying for it out of my pocket and not making tons of cash. I did the flowers--I used these amazing silks from Hobby Lobby that actually looked and felt real. We got married on Feb 29, our colors were red and pink--so the clearance items from Christmas and V-Day helped with decorations. Centerpieces were rocks and candles in a swirly bowl. As far as the cupcakes go, we decided to do cupcakes for the guests, but we had a tiny cake that we cut. The cupcakes were a big hit. It was much simpler than cutting a cake, plus easier on my wallet. Sam's Club made them and they were so adorable--very neat and just the right colors. I added little heart toothpicks to them to finsih them off. Main thing--do your wedding your way. Don't let everyone else's opinion flood your thinking and style. I had fun doing it my way and I'd do it all again--that or elope on the beach!

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15. Posted by numberoneninjette on Tue, Apr 14, 2009, 7:34 am PDT

I wore - gasp - the same dress my sister had worn the year before. I was honored to do so, and it is truly the only time the two of us EVER agreed on taste in clothing. A few minor alterations and we were good to go. Wedding items are a ripoff, oh yes. The damn headpiece - basically a satin-covered headband with some seed pearls and a big piece of mosquito netting attached to it - cost over $700 originally. I mean, really.

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16. Posted by Charro on Tue, Apr 14, 2009, 2:48 pm PDT

My wife and I saved money by drugging every fourth person that walked through the door of the reception. After that they didn't care what the recption was like, and the rest of the guests were too busy taking care of the drugged guests to notice anything. My wife and I laughed at our guests. The reception lasted about 45 minutes before I released the hounds on everyone.

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17. Posted by cotennfl on Thu, Apr 16, 2009, 10:33 am PDT

Charro - sounds like my kind of reception. I'd already been thinking of putting Benedryl in the kiddies punch bowl but I can see how doping up the adults might work well, too. While anybody left standing is distracted by helping those lying prostrate on the ground, my fiance and I can go through everyone's purses, wallets, etc., steal all the money and jewelry, hit the pawn shop and hey, that'll pay for the honeymoon, right? Gosh, I'm really starting to look forward to this thing now!

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18. Posted by morganestes95 on Thu, Apr 16, 2009, 10:34 am PDT

cool

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19. Posted by Amy G on Thu, Apr 16, 2009, 10:35 am PDT

While some of these are great suggestions I do not recommend skimping on a photographer! The photographs are one of THE only things anyone will remember from the day! I cannot count how many brides who skimped on the photography and absolutely refuse to show any of the pictures to anyone because "Uncle Bob" with the camera really didn't know what he was doing!

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20. Posted by keriocity on Thu, Apr 16, 2009, 10:38 am PDT

When we got married, we went cheap on some things and spendy (very) on others. On the cheap side, we sent "announce-vitations" which had the date, time, place on them, I didn't have flowers (it didn't occur to me that I had to, and besides, who needs them on a beach in Hawaii), forgot to order a cake (there were only 9 guests, and we were having dinner that night at the hotel). On the spendy side, a week in Kauai at a resort with an ocean-view room and private beach, massage at the shore line, hair appointment and dinner for 11 ... The best things we spent money on ... the pictures.

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21. Posted by JTB on Thu, Apr 16, 2009, 10:49 am PDT

I got married at the JP, cost us $50. We had a few family and friends present. Got my dress at JC Penney's on sale for $60 (my mom paid for it). My mom and I went to the grocery store the morning of my wedding day and picked out some flowers. She fashioned a bouquet from them, and it looked beautiful! We had a receptiion the following weekend. The wedding cake was around $100, and it was three tier. We had it done by a lady who made cakes full time out of her home. Family and friends took pictures. My in-laws paid for a karaoke DJ (talk about Redneck.. LOL) which was around $200. The reception was held in a building that was used by the War Veteran's group that my great-grandfather was a member of, so we got a discounted rate. My mom (bless her heart) prepared all the food, it was buffet style. Everything was near perfect, and I have some great memories from it. It CAN be done cheap, and right. It just depends on your frame of mind!

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22. Posted by stfbym on Thu, Apr 16, 2009, 10:59 am PDT

I am a professional master floral designer, and wedding coordinator for over 20 years and quite a few of your articles are way off base. What you are talking about cost wise is very east coast. Alot of brides today do want beautiful arrangements. The average take for any florist is 3-5% as the reception will be the biggest cost they will have. DJ's average 650.00 for the 1st 4hours, where do you get your figures from? Photographers start at 1200.00 up to 5000.00, 90% of brides chose 1200.00 photographers and get beautiful photos for their day. A cake DOES NOT cost 10.00 and up per slice!!! Please!! the average cost is 10-15 cents per slice, where did you get that from. The average cake to feed 150-200 people runs between 500-700. If you are looking to buy a cake that is specialized you will pay upwards of 1000, or more, this is only a 4% take in the wedding industry. As for dresses, you can find beautiful wedding dress on line for as little as 250.00. I tell all of my brides when you shop for your gown, ask to see gowns that have been worn in shows, they always discount up to 30% due to it will need to be cleaned, is torn, or missing beading. If you're going to watch shows such as "say yes to the dress" you will top price, if you can afford it fine 85% of brides DO NOT fall in that range. As for jewelry there is beautiful faux jewelry you can get where it's very hard to tell the difference, the average bride today is on a very tight budget and is looking for quality,, class and affordability and wonderful memories.

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23. Posted by sweet_fairyprincess on Thu, Apr 16, 2009, 11:00 am PDT

We saved a TON of money by ordering our cake through the bakery department instead of the wedding department of our favorite bakery. We basically bought 5 cakes, in different sizes and had my aunt place them on five different level cake holders, so it had a cascading effect, and placed a pretty ribbon around the bottom of each cake. It was delicious and beautiful. Don't skimp on your dress or your photographer. It's just not worth it. We had a date of one of my bridesmaids, who didn't know too many people, video tape the toasts.

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24. Posted by stfbym on Thu, Apr 16, 2009, 11:01 am PDT

I am a professional master floral designer, and wedding coordinator for over 20 years and quite a few of your articles are way off base. What you are talking about cost wise is very east coast. Alot of brides today do want beautiful arrangements. The average take for any florist is 3-5% as the reception will be the biggest cost they will have. DJ's average 650.00 for the 1st 4hours, where do you get your figures from? Photographers start at 1200.00 up to 5000.00, 90% of brides chose 1200.00 photographers and get beautiful photos for their day. A cake DOES NOT cost 10.00 and up per slice!!! Please!! the average cost is 10-15 cents per slice, where did you get that from. The average cake to feed 150-200 people runs between 500-700. If you are looking to buy a cake that is specialized you will pay upwards of 1000, or more, this is only a 4% take in the wedding industry. As for dresses, you can find beautiful wedding dress on line for as little as 250.00. I tell all of my brides when you shop for your gown, ask to see gowns that have been worn in shows, they always discount up to 30% due to it will need to be cleaned, is torn, or missing beading. If you're going to watch shows such as "say yes to the dress" you will top price, if you can afford it fine 85% of brides DO NOT fall in that range. As for jewelry there is beautiful faux jewelry you can get where it's very hard to tell the difference, the average bride today is on a very tight budget and is looking for quality,, class and affordability and wonderful memories.

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25. Posted by Samantha G on Thu, Apr 16, 2009, 11:09 am PDT

JTB - How in the heck do you forget to order your wedding cake?!?

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26. Posted by rosnurse on Thu, Apr 16, 2009, 11:14 am PDT

This is for JTB.....YOU HAD A WHITE TRASH WEDDING! There's nothing wrong with that.....but seriously, call a duck a duck!

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27. Posted by brittbrat1423 on Thu, Apr 16, 2009, 11:15 am PDT

Take a lesson from a former Restaurant Assn. Manager.....collect costs from various restaurants near your event (does not necessarily have to be the most expensive. Some of the smaller restaurants do an incredible job with the food and are VERY reasonable. I worked for the Association in Maryland however they are State Wide and a tremendous source for parties of any size and type and they have al of the great restaurants as members. You can also do a "taste test" free. Go for it and good luck.!!!!!!!!!

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28. Posted by kate.wagner@ymail.com on Thu, Apr 16, 2009, 11:15 am PDT

I've been really lucky with my wedding planning and how we've saved money! Our rings are heirlooms- his grandmothers (she's still alive and i'm so honored!) and his great-uncle's. My dress was bought at the Running of the Brides at Filene's basement. I'll have to spend a little to have it altered, but it was originally a $1000 dress, I got it for $250 and it's my dream dress! The reception hall was having a special- 1/2 off the room fee if you booked within 2 weeks of touring...got it for only $400! It's a gorgeous old building, downtown in a big city- great deal there! Plus we can provide alcohol- another huge money saver and we're having a signature appletini cocktail! My sister is a baker- she's making our cake as a present. My mother-in-law to be's best friend is a photographer...more free stuff. We had her do our engagement pictures just to make sure we liked her style and they were perfect. My veil is my mothers- I'm having it made into my own. I didn't want my bridesmaids to spend a fortune either, especially while I was getting all the deals - so i had the bridesmaids buy their dresses from jcpenney.com- they only had to spend $80, and their shoes were all buy one, get one 1/2 off from an outlet mall. The flowers will be made by the florist my mom has at work...he's incorporating a lot of green so the colors will pop, and since it is a fall wedding, we have apples going into other centerpieces. I bought save the dates, but designed them myself on a postcard website. Only $.65/piece, including postage. I'm now on a mission- getting everything i can for the lowest price. We're having over 200 guests, and not spending more than $12,000- honeymoon included. I'm pretty proud, I must say :)

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29. Posted by themrslynn on Thu, Apr 16, 2009, 11:20 am PDT

The largest expense we were glad to incur at our wedding last year was flying the best man from Hawaii. We spent time at state parks and springs and saved TONS of money that we used to remodel our kitchen. My sister was really happy to do the cake, my iPod worked just fine for the music because mostly, everyone was just happy to be together. We used our wedding as an excuse to see family members we hadn't seen forever. We had a very cheap wedding in financial terms, but a very rich wedding experience-wise. Value doesn't necessarily cost money - but it is also one of the only times the couple will get to 'splurge

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30. Posted by Pipe971 on Thu, Apr 16, 2009, 11:26 am PDT

Everyone says to not go cheap on the photographer, come on! You get the pictures, you look at the pictures, you put the pictures away, get seperated/divorced, pull said pictures back out, drink, spill and then burn pictures. To me sounds like a BIG waste of money.

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