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cannonballs posted:Expensive stuff! This is basically what made me rethink my wedding. Last year I signed up on theknot.com and started planning. From there I was able to get basic costs for dresses (most of my picks ended up in the $800 range), centerpieces/favors, and other small stuff. Then I went to bridal expos. Things started to add up quick. Decent photographers hovered around a minimum of $1500-2000 for 3-5 hours & getting access to all of the photos (400-600); the better the photographer, the less they offered in that price range. Limos ranged from $500 (car) to $1000 (hummer) for a 3hr wedding package. Most nice looking places to have the ceremony were $500-700 rental fee for an hour. Then there's catering at $7-14 a plate, DJ fee ($1000+), reception hall rental, alcohol, etc. Then there's still the engagement ring that's not paid off yet (at jewelers, layaway the past yr, was $1000, somehow only paid off $200 of it so far), and the wedding rings. It was a shock to see I was looking at $10k, when we're paying for it ourselves (in cash, no loans). I started calculating & chopped things down. I basically came to the conclusion that we would use our connections to get deals where we could. I've never been in a limo, so I left that on the list...or maybe I'll swap it for arriving/leaving in a really nice classic/rare car. I dropped all my ceremony ideas in favor of finding a nice, scenic, cheap place to have it, without decorations. I know people who do cakes & catering professionally & can give us deals. I never do anything with my hair (or makeup), so I'm keeping the whole "go to pro hairdresser" thing. And I'm putting most of the focus on the reception, which is where most of the cost is anyway (guest list hovers around 100 & can't be lessened any more than it already was..I tried). We're friends with the owner of a good sized bar, dance floor, stage, etc, so we can get a deal to rent that. We know a lot of bands and a couple DJ's, so we could go the route of a live band or two, and a DJ, and still spend less than most wedding DJ's want. We know a bartender, plan to provide our own liquor (ours would be free to everyone). All that dropped the costs by about half, which is much more affordable...I just wish I knew a good photographer who didn't charge insane rates (the ones I've seen in the $1000 range are all horrible around here).
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Feb 7, 2008 19:07
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Power Dips posted:Are there any universities near you? You could see if they have any societies for amateur photographers and invite 2 or 3, being students they'd probably do it for free to get some practice and some food Once I saw prices & how much of a difference there was between even the expensive photographers, I was planning to check for students. Looking at the pro's portfolios, I really noticed how there was only a few who were actually good at capturing the moment when it comes to people socializing. Some photographers are excellent at making still life interesting, or posing people & getting a great shot, but there's so few that I came across that managed to almost always get good the best shots of people interacting; the kinds of shots that are full of emotion to the point where you really feel it when you look at the photo. I'm beginning to think that half the pro's only got there because of word of mouth (or they were good capturing other subjects, so figured they could take great wedding photos too for quick cash) combined with people who didn't care about their portfolio, and the other half actually got there because they can actually capture the right moments with a great photo. I think I might post an ad on craigslist for a start to see if any students bite, and see what skills they've got for photographing people. I really don't want to "settle" for a crappy photographer just to save money, and I know there are talented students out there, so I'm hoping I'll get lucky. We have a community college nearby, but I'm going to skip that route & go straight for searching in the capital region since there's more colleges there & I'm more likely to find a decent student photographer there.
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Feb 8, 2008 17:59
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Siroc posted:Friends of mine are getting married at a vineyard, then I saw this thread and had a question. What are some good general ideas for wedding locations that are non-traditional (meaning not inside a religious building or courthouse). Just looking for some place like a vineyard that would be really cool, but maybe not a lot of people think of. Some places I've come across... State Parks: -usually cheap daily rental -some have beaches -option to have a spot with a pavillion -scenic -you could have both the ceremony & reception there Restaurants: -There are ones in scenic areas if you want an outdoor ceremony -Some have decorative/nice rooms where you could hold a ceremony -You can also opt to hold the reception there as well Gardens & Scenic city parks: -Some are state/city run, others may be run by a volunteer group -Most have a smaller attendance limit & rules (numbers, noise, chair use, etc) -Typically cheap, usually just request that you donate in exchange -Downfall is that it's usually still open to the public while you're there Music halls & Museums: -The buildings themselves are usually decorative inside & out -They have the space to hold a ceremony -It's as easy as calling & asking if they rent out different areas for ceremonies I was looking at a local museum (national museum of dance). They had a beautiful room where ceremonies were held, but that was just one of the location options on their property. So, choices aren't limited to the usual hotel/church/city hall. If you see any building or property (open to the public) you like, odds are good that if you call them, they'll allow you to rent the space for at least a ceremony for $XXX/hr.
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Feb 10, 2008 21:37
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Do the guys need to see the dresses in order to pick their tuxedos? I thought they only needed to know the color of the bridesmaid dresses. My fiance already saw me in my wedding dress (and saved a pic to his phone), and so if he see's the bridesmaid dresses too then there's basically nothing left as a "suprise" (he hates suprises & flipped out about it). I thought all the guys were ever given were the dress colors, but he flipped when I told him that. He says they need to see the dresses so they can match the style...? I thought the only time that really mattered was if it was a theme/era wedding. But it's not. I just figured guys were getting your average everyday wedding tux with color accents that match the dress colors.
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May 6, 2008 04:45
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Is it going to be too much to handle making the bouquets (bridesmaids because they're simple/quick) the day before the wedding, and then getting up early the day of to set up for the reception? We're putting together the centerpieces too and we have to do all of the set-up the morning of the wedding. It's at a bar, and they're open the night before (don't close until 4am), so there's no way we can set up the tables/chairs/etc the night before. Add to that, the owner is in the wedding party, and there's no caterer or florist to set things up for us while we're getting dressed & married. Everything is simple enough (setup-wise) that we should be able to make the centerpieces the night before & get everything setup pretty quick the morning of. I figure it shouldn't be too difficult to get it all set up with the help of my mom, a couple bridesmaids, and a couple of the guys. The reception is going to be about 10 tables (6 seats each) and the head table. Has anyone else ever done their own setup? Edit: Also, what do you do after the "I do" & kiss if you're not doing a reciecving line (and the reception is elsewhere)? Most of the time I see that the bridesmaids/groomsmen walk out paired, but usually it's to a spot where the guests can hug/kiss them as they leave (and after that the wedding party does the formal pictures). I hate recieving lines, so where does the wedding party go when exiting down the aisle if we're skipping doing a recieving line? Do we just all exit down the aisle & walk straght to the spot where we'll be taking the formal pics? --- And now I just need to get a couple frustrations out...so everything that follows is basically a long rant. Honestly, I should have started planning further ahead of time than just 2wks ago. I kept meaning to, but also kept procrastinating. The lady we were going to have do the cake basically backed out. She said we wouldn't find anyone to do filled (between the layers) cakes in the summer. She complained that my cake would serve 400 (based on cutting guides that say 1" slice equals one serving), & I'd have insane leftovers. By her standards we should just do a single tier 14" round cake because it would serve 100 people. Then when I mentioned using styrofoam for the bottom tier (which would have been a 12" or 14"), she said it was too much trouble to buy the styrofoam & do it up. That was when she admitted she only did cakes as a hobby & that I really needed to talk to a pro because my design was out of her league. My design was basically this except with no design on the icing, and a partial flower wrap on the bottom tiers, a partial flower wrap on the top tier, and a flower accent as the topper (a florist decorates the cake with the flowers, not her). I saw her portfolio, and she had done several cakes like that, and they all looked good...the only difference was that she doesn't do fillings. So now we're going to talk to a person who does it as more than a hobby. If that doesn't work out, I'm just going to buy the equipment (pillars, plates, etc) & have my fiance's mom do it. She did pastries for a living, I've just been avoiding having her do it because he always makes a big deal out of her spinal injuries, so the last thing I'd want her to be doing is making the cake the day before and then setting it up the day of, as well as attending the wedding. Yet he keeps suggesting her & commenting about how that's all she does now anyway (sits around & bakes). Then the girl I wanted to bartend (she's awesome at it and nice, whereas the other bartenders we know are bitchy) wants to hang out as a guest instead. She's a work friend & all, but I really wanted her to bartend. Now if we have to invite her as a guest it's two extra people to feed. Yes...guests went from being looked at as "oh hey, they're friends, lets put them on the invite list" to "chopping down the list, weeding out all but the closest family & friends, everyone's turning into dollar signs." Then one of my coworkers, who I've only known a month and very rarely speak to, asks when the wedding is. I tell her it's in August, and she says "can I come". Why would someone do that? I would expect it from a friend, but not from a random coworker I barely know. Then on top of all that there was the cost of wedding shoes. Prices ranging from $80-250 for uncomfortable shoes? Screw that! I bought a pair of white boots for $60 that I know will have comfortable padding. Aside from the fact that it took the company 5 days to actually ship them out (they'll be here tuesday), my dress came in 2 days ago, and I can't go for my first fitting without my boots. To top it all off, I have a rogue bridesmaid. She recently became unreliable at work, dodges everyones calls & texts (because she thinks it'll be someone asking if she's going to be at work, or why she's not at work, or to yell at her about her excuses as to why she missed work). The girls have to order their dresses (rush cut) within the next week or two, and I don't think she has money for it (considering she's been unreliable with work & hard to contact). Plus my very best friend, who I asked to be a groomsman, had his life go in the crapper last week so now he doesn't even know if he'll be able to make it to the wedding (he lives down south), let alone afford to be in it. IdeoPhanthus fucked around with this message at 02:16 on May 15, 2008 |
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May 15, 2008 02:09
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GoreJess posted:At my friend's wedding, the bride & groom went to a small room to regroup for a minute while the wedding party handed out the birdseed to toss. Then the bride & groom did the whole "send off" running through the guests to the car waiting to take them to the reception. They didn't do a formal receiving line either, because everyone was going to be able to congratulate them at the reception. That sounds nice and all, but what about the formal pictures of the wedding party together? Our ceremony is outdoors at my uncle's house. We're doing the group photos before we leave for the reception (between the end of the ceremony & the start of the reception). I've been to several weddings, but they all did recieving lines, so they exited down the aisle to a spot for the congrats, and then after all the guests exited/congratulated, the wedding party went back to the altar area for their formal photos. If we're not doing a recieving line, but instead we're going directly to the formal photos, what do we do...exit down the aisle & loop back to the altar?
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May 15, 2008 17:50
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squirrellypoo posted:Did anyone else say no kids at their wedding? We want to word it so that it's clear that kids are not accepted, and a creche will be provided (but just saying "a creche will be provided for the under 10s" makes it sound like it's optional to cage them in there). We're doing without the kids. We basically avoided the issue by writing individual names on the rsvp cards so the recipient knows who is invited. That, and there really aren't any guests that have kids under 18, with the exception of my cousin who has a toddler, which I highly doubt he would bring. No flower girls or ring bearers here (at my wedding) either. I do have one uncle who has kids that are like 12 & 15 now or something, but because everyone else who is attending is 21 & up, I figured I'd leave them off the guest list since they'd have no one to hang out with. I know when I was their age I'd get bored fast & would rather hang out with a friend while my parents went to the wedding. There were a few friends of my parents, whom my parents wanted to invite, and a couple of them have kids 17-21. However, because I don't know the kids, and my parents are just good friends with their parents, I just left their kids names off the rsvp card. IdeoPhanthus fucked around with this message at 12:59 on Jul 9, 2008 |
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Jul 9, 2008 12:50
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Dik Hz posted:Keep in mind the ocean is very loud on the beach. A friend of mine recently got back from a beach wedding and said that he couldn't hear a single part of the ceremony. I guess you might need a mic or sound system. While that's true, there's also lake beaches, which are much quieter as far as noise from waves. As for who to contact, beaches can be owned privately...most just don't open one on their property because of the upkeep. There's a bar around here that has a fairly large beach on their property. If it's privately owned, you talk to the owner. If it's owned by the city/town you would likely inquire about it at the city/town offices. Private property usually charges a fee, whereas state/city properties are more likely to have a smaller fee or just a donation requirement. Just keep in mind that a lot of times beaches & parks that are open to the public will not close for a wedding. Usually they'll allow you to use the area for the ceremony, but tell you that they don't intend to close the place for you, so you'll have to deal with the general public going about their business swimming/strolling (unless you hold it after-hours for places that close at a certain time).
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Jul 17, 2008 02:39
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Backno posted:On the plus side the last weekend we got the following done: 1) bought my ring, 2) bought her dress, 3) did our gift registries, 4) planned most of what we are serving. We should have a location this weekn so we can give people as much notice as we can about the wedding. WEEEE 2 months to plan a wedding from start to finish You're doing better than we are. We have 1mo to go & everything is out-of-pocket (except my dress which my mom paid for with money she doesn't have). We just finally got our officiant (not the one I wanted originally though), just talked to the rental company (~$300), just got the bridesmaid dresses in, finally decided on food. We still have to talk to a florist (I ordered flowers elsewhere to do centerpieces & bridesmaid bouquets ourselves) about my bouquet & the cake, still have to see a hairstylist (~$60?), have to order his ring ($250), he still has to pay off my engagement ring ($590; doubles as the wedding ring) so I'll have a ring for the ceremony, and to top it all off....we still have to find the money to put down deposits for all of that. A photographer (would have been a goon too) was really important to me, but we may have to skip on that. DJ is going to cost us $400, $600 for the bar, cake is supplies only, venues are free, food is cheap. Bridal party is getting topaz necklaces I made as gifts (so that was cheap), favors are taken care of (containers are not). We still have around $3000 in expenses (not including photographer), with 1mo to go, and we each make around $200 a week (he can put in extra hours, I can't & my job is dependent on tips, his is hourly), and work for his other job (contract/freelance stuff) has been slow lately; then subtract for monthly bills. So we're cutting it really close in regards to both time and money. Very high stress going on around here. The only corners left to cut at this point are to skip on the rings for now, skip the hairstylist, and do my own bouquet. We could skip the bar, but after all the stress & money everyone in the wedding party has went through, we deserve to unwind & let loose with the alcohol. We got deals & freebies everywhere we could due to family, friends, and friends of family. On a side note, I never knew that "bridal" shoes were basically $80-250. That's insane. To add to it, they're all the same or similar to regular heels that you could spend $30-50 on...same uncomfortable lack of padding too. I went elsewhere, found my shoes for $50 AND they have awesome padding.
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Jul 17, 2008 05:42
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When do most people go & pick up their gown from the shop? My bridesmaids are going for their second fitting Monday, and while we're there I was going to schedule a time to pick up my gown...but I don't know how close to the wedding (Aug 16th) I should pick it up. I don't really have anywhere "out of the way" to store it. It's strapless (and heavy), and I haven't noticed any loops for hanging it up.
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Jul 24, 2008 21:44
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ellabella posted:We got married on a Saturday, I picked up my dress in the afternoon the day before. I would really suggest that if I were you. They'll also usually steam it for you,etc. Good advice, lol. We're going to get the whole wedding party together (really) early the morning of to set up the reception site; we're putting all the flower arrangements together the day before so there's less setup time the day of. Maybe after reception setup we'll go to a quick breakfast...then at 11am I have hair, and 1:30 is the ceremony. I wasn't sure if they steamed it or not. I just found out the guys have to pick up their tux's 2 days before, so I guess that solves the "when do I pick it up" issue for my dress. It's good to know most people pick it up around that time anyway. 
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Jul 25, 2008 23:11
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do what now posted:I'm a huge fan of The Knot - my wedding planner is one of their founding consultants - but I stayed far, far away from the forums. Everybody on there seemed pretty unstable. I never really noticed they had forums until recently. I never cared to look. I will have to agree with everyone else that they're an excellent site for keeping track of things though. I didn't really use their budgeter too much since it's too involved, but their checklist & guestlist trackers came in really handy. Plus I loved looking at the pictures to get ideas for things. Their dress section is really lacking though. It came in handy as a reference list of designers, but the selection of dresses listed on theknot was pretty dismal. I used brides.com to look through wedding dresses (and there are alot on there), and for bridesmaid dresses I pretty much had to just look up each designer's website.
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Aug 7, 2008 19:46
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Gravitee posted:Also NINE DAYS aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!! Yea, ours is quickly plummeting into a mess. I'm basically paying for the whole wedding myself (thanks to a procrastinating fiance who didn't put any money away/towards costs since we set the date). We had to drop yet another cost (bar credit for wedding party; $500 credit, 18 people, wouldn't go very far anyway) just to afford the more important things. We did manage to get last minute limos for transport to the reception ($315 plus tip, two 8 person limos). I had to put the rings on my card because they're the only wedding expense that can be paid with a credit card. I now have to do my own cake flowers too because his mom waited until the last second to talk with a florist & find out the cost ($235 for a topper with tiny partial wrap, and one partial wrap for bottom layer). Oh, and half the wedding party is either flat broke or not coming to the bachelor/ette party...so any hope of something exciting & different (as in, not staying local) went out the window. To add to that, the 10-day forecast is showing rain for us on the 16th. I usually don't trust the weather until the day beforehand, but if it does rain, that ruins ceremony pictures & adds $150 to costs because we'd have to rent a tent. And to top it all off... ...our officiant had a heart attack today. If he can't do it (and he survives, I don't know how bad it was), then he'll appoint someone to take his place. But still...that's crappy for both his family & our wedding.
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Aug 7, 2008 22:28
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nwin posted:We were expecting a small wedding of probably not much more than 100 people, but with no one responding and it's already a week past being due, I'm getting a bit concerned. We had to contact about half the people on our list (30 or so) because they didn't send back the rsvp cards. Most of the responses we got were... "Oh I forgot!" "I lost your address" "When's the deadline again?" (it's on the bottom of the card) "I don't remember getting an invite...oh, here it is." "Oh, I was supposed to return that?" The people we had the most trouble with were my mom's family. Most waited until the very last second, and the remainder had to rsvp (after the deadline) over the phone because otherwise we would never have gotten a response. We also had some close friends who didn't return them. It seems to be that the people you know best are the ones who won't return them because they automatically think you'll know they're coming...or they overlook the rsvp card & only pay attention to the invite itself. And some people assume that because they got an invite, that means they have a seat, regardless of whether or not they go. Some people won't mail them back until the deadline, and some not until a few days past. I say give it 1wk after the deadline, then write a list of those who didn't rsvp. Wait another week & if you still don't hear from them, contact them yourself. And if that fails, count them out. We had a couple stragglers that didn't get back to us until a week or so after we called them, but for the most part, everyone that didn't get back to us by 1-2wks after the deadline was someone who wasn't planning to go.
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Aug 8, 2008 08:31
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Well, our day came & went. Things went well, everything looked nice, and the total cost (not including my $1k dress because my mom paid for that) was around $2500 or so. Highlights of the day... 1. Tables were 1.5hrs late to arrive 2. I rushed through making centerpieces while the florist did the cake 3. Was on schedule even with my hair appt., but when I went to pick up the bridesmaids, they weren't anywhere near ready. We left their place like 10min before the ceremony was supposed to start. 4. My fiance was running later than us, so we all rushed to the ceremony ahead of him since it'd take us longer to get dressed. 5. Sunny up to the house. Stormed on way to ceremony. Sunny for ceremony. 6. Wasted another 30min waiting for the officiant & my fiance to cut the chit chat so we could all start walking down the aisle. Ceremony actually started 45min late. 7. Had limos for 1hr, and it's a 30min drive to reception, and the ceremony ended 25min into the limo reservation time. So we did a really quick set of pictures. 8. Right after getting in the house it started storming really bad out (it was a passing storm, as in blue sky around that set of storm clouds), so they backed it up to the door. 9. Sunny again on the drive to reception and the rest of the day. 10. Saw a very bright & fully complete double-rainbow at reception 11. Excellent food, good drinks, decent music 12. Had too strong of a bouquet-throwing arm 13. Bridesmaid's girlfriend's eye bled for quite a while from that (sorry!) 14. Had lots of fun playing darts afterward 15. Said "screw the toast" and "who cares about first dances" 16. The 4 of us who were left (and not working) at the end of the night had fun with karaoke We've got a ton of pictures and video. I'll probably post some up once I get through them all.
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Aug 17, 2008 17:38
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Optimus_Rhyme posted:How did you keep it so cheap? Does that include the bands and food etc? My fiancee and I are planning stuff and we're trying to keep it cheap. We pulled alot of strings & had friends and family who had the right hook-ups. We had the date marked for a year prior...but people kept procrastinating on putting away money and calling/booking things. So we actually did everything from dresses/tuxes, to favors, to choosing/booking places within the 3 months prior to the date. I will say this, right now is the time to buy wedding stuff. The main wedding season is winding down, so alot of stores put their wedding items on sharp clearance to clear out their stock. You can find things for dirt cheap. If you have the hook-ups, you can do things last-minute for cheap. If you don't, then just make sure you have plenty of time to shop around & find the best deals. I went to local bridal shows a year in advance, and all those business cards & brochures came in very handy for knowing what the local options were for different things and pricing. Plus you'll come home with samples of stuff, info, and sometimes decent prizes from raffles (most are legitimate, but you will run into a few "sit through our seminar & get a free crappy cruise" things). The dress was the most expensive thing, which was nice that we didn't have to pay for it. If you're paying for it yourself & want to save money, there's always that "running of the brides" thing. Though I was never able to find info on the date for that. ------ Wedding Shower: Did a jack & jill at my parents place. It was BYOB, BBQ, and we all had fun drinking, playing games, and chatting. Any money we got went towards wedding costs. Bachelor/ette Party: Did another co-ed deal. We had a house party. We could have had a large limo (12 or 14 person I think) for $175 for the first 3hrs & $45 each additional hour, but no one had money to split the cost & still be able to drink while out barhopping, so we settled for a house party; drinking games, music, and movies. Had alot of fun. Ceremony: Freebie. Used my uncle's scenic yard. He also built an "arch" for us as a gift. Flowers: $210 ($60 of that was the overnight shipping), plus $10 for tape, wire, & corsage pins. Bought Dozens of roses and carnations, plus filler greens, and a few other flowers through freshroses. They arrived Thursday, we arranged them Friday (except centerpieces which got done at the site the morning of), and transported Saturday morning. We used the flowers to make all the bouquets, boutonnieres, and centerpieces. And even then we still had quite a few left over. My bouquet & two others went in vases on the head table as decor. The third girl's bouquet got used for the tossing. Cake: Freebie. My fiance's mom was a pastry chef for many years, and once worked at a high end Inn that did weddings, so she had experience making wedding makes. We just had to buy the pillars & seperator plates. She also brought in a florist to do cake flowers as our wedding gift. Reception: Freebie. We know the owner of the building, are friends with the manager, and he was also our best man. He let us use it free of charge for 4hrs. Seating: $1 per chair (x56), $9 per round table (x5, seats 10), and $8 per rectangle table (x2 for seating the wedding party). We used my dad's truck to transport the seats from the ceremony to the reception. Decor/Favors/Vases: $2 per vase (x8), $8 per 40yd roll (x2) of 1ft wide tulle. The favor boxes were on clearance (now is the time for wedding items clearance) at walmart for $5 for a 50pk, which is normally $18. The ribbon used on each box (because I didn't like the included silver ribbon) was $2 a roll. Each person got a faceted or cab gemstone (peridot, sapphire, amethyst, or moonstone) inside a glass vial in those boxes; $40 total for the stones, $8 for a 50pk of vials w/corks. Plus $46 (after shipping) for 20 disposables (only needed 10 though) that had 800 speed fuji film in them. They took excellent photos, and we got alot of funny pics and some really good serious ones too; all from guests using them. If you do disposables, always remember that guests are not only (usually) drinking, but are also rarely good photographers, so get something with high speed film to compensate for the movement. Most disposables come with something like 200 or 300 speed film. Something with 800 speed film makes it worth the expense of getting them developed. Attendant Gifts: Around $8 each (x3) when you add up supplies, stones. I bought sterling settings for faceted stones & made necklaces for my bridesmaids. Guestbook: Almost freebie. Got an idea from a website for a custom deal. I came up with my own questions, slightly different design/layout, and printed them out. And now we'll cut them out, have them laminated, and put them into a nice day planner. We laid out pens of different colors, and colored pencils, for people to use. Got alot of funny & interesting responses & drawings. Photographer: Couldn't afford a pro, but we have alot of photographer friends who take good pictures. So we let the one not in the wedding party use our camera (it's high end & high quality pics) for the ceremony & most of the reception. He snapped all the right pictures & still had fun with us all day/night. Plus at the reception the groomsmen with photo skills & excellent cameras took alot of pics. We also got a wedding gift from walmart since the checkout lady only scanned the top envelope of developed pictures in our stack. Food: Had a buffet with alot of options. My fiance made four pans of ziti, and family brought alot of stuff, plus my cousin knew someone with a buffet hot-plate table thing that we were able to borrow. She also brought a ton of finger foods and desserts. Alot of people offered to bring food way back, so we accepted. Bar: Around $250 for alcohol, and $80 for two tanks of soda. We ran a tab for the wedding party (including our photographer) & it totalled out to almost $250 by the end of the night. All other guests got free soda & water (plus the bartender discounted alcoholic drinks). Beauty: $35 for hair (and $25 for the test styling 2wks prior), $4 for nails. Went to the best salon around too, and my hair turned out awesome. For my nails I went to Sally's, bought a 4 sided buffer, and used it to smooth and shine my nails. Limo: $315, plus $40 tip. We got two 8 person limos for 1hr. Garter: I bought one at Frederick's for myself to wear & keep after; $14. I bought a $2 one at Walmart to toss. Just pulled off their bow, added my own using leftover blue ribbon from favor boxes, added some pearl beads (freshwater/cheap, not the expensive real-deal) to it that I had (to give it weight to fly better), and it was good to go. Shoes: $50 for boots (reception), $35 for sandals (ceremony); I get a discount through the place too. I could have saved money by just going with the sandals, but I bought the boots first, and then realized I'd sink into the ground at the ceremony. So I bought sandals & swapped after the ceremony. Officiant: $50. We had a couple judges that were friends of the family, so it was easy to find one. He asked for a donation of whatever you could afford to give. DJ: $200. Another guy we know well. He does karaoke every weekend and has done weddings and events before. Tux: $125. I think my dad paid for my fiance's as a gift though...from what I remember. Rings: $36 for his, $600 balance on my engagement ring. We used my engagement ring for it, and we bought him a sterling 6mm band to use for the time being since we were short on time & cash. We'll buy his permenant band at a later date when we have the cash. Random expenses: Then you have the stuff like plates, napkins, eating utensils, and any last minute things you forgot. Things like table cloths (plastic, so they were cheap), push pins for decor, and whatnot. Then you've got wedding invites & thank you cards. ------ You can certainly do alot of things on the cheap, but you have to be willing to make the time to do things yourself & make sure you have reliable helpers. We worked Friday night until 12am, then I was up until 3am finishing things that still had to be done, and was up by 7am to shower & go help transport things & setup the reception site. We had 8 people helping Saturday morning, tables were 1.5hrs late, but we got there at 9am (tables arrived at 9:30) and were done by 11:30; the people there at 8am spent 1hr moving the tables/chairs owned by the bar to make room for our rentals. I spent probably 1hr myself cutting flowers & tossing together each centerpiece, while my mom transported food, my dad did the tulle, my fiance did random tasks, his mom set up the cake, the florist decorated the cake, and my bridesmaids were setting up cameras/favors/etc (I wrote instructions for layout plus seating charts the day before). I left at 11am for my hair appointment, they were out by 11:30 (someone held them up by wanting to have a random conversation), but it took them a little over an hour to get ready...so we were late to the ceremony. We would have been pretty much on time if it weren't for that person (the boss of one of them) keeping them from leaving the reception setup on time. IdeoPhanthus fucked around with this message at 07:50 on Aug 18, 2008 |
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Aug 18, 2008 07:40
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A few pictures of our day...  Click here for the full 704x528 image.  Click here for the full 671x528 image.  He messed up the ivy leaves by just shoving it in the pocket, so it doesn't look quite right (how it's supposed to look) in the pic. I don't have any nice pics of the guys wearing the boutineers since my mom forgot to grab them for the ceremony (so they're not wearing them in those pics), and they removed their coats before most of the reception pics. Don't really have any decent pics of bouquets either. I left them at the reception, and was going to grab them the next day, but the building was locked & the boss had (still has) our key. 
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Aug 19, 2008 18:30
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Adri posted:My father's secretary has offered to help me the best way that she can, but I know I can't rely on her for every little detail. Do you know who your maid of honor is going to be yet? If you do, that is another option for going places with you & whatnot. That's basically what they're there for anyway...to go with you dress shopping, fittings, help plan parties, and most of the time they're able to help you stay organized, help you find & visit venues, help doing invites and a variety of other small things. But regardless, if you're looking for someone to window shop dresses/venues with you, bringing the maid of honor is a good option. TinuvielDancing posted:His family is in Kenya and the UK, my friends and family are scattered across the US, and we are married in Atlanta. Is seven months enough notice for sending out invites and giving people time to make travel plans? Send out "save the date" cards in a situation like that. Generally the actual (formal) invites go out 1-2mo in advance. But if you have guests scattered all over the place, you can send out save the date cards 6mo+ advance. That gives people the chance to mark the day & start making travel plans. And then once you're closer to the date, you can send out the formal invites to everyone.
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Aug 21, 2008 05:26
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oxsnard posted:But WHAT THE gently caress DOES IDEAL BRILLIANT MEAN? Ideal cut means that it is the modern round cut used for the past 50 years. All of their diamonds are so called brilliant. It's like going into a chain restaurant and everything on the menu is described as “delicious.” That's probably a poor analogy. Brilliant as a description isn't like putting "delicious" in front of everything on a menu at a restaurant. If you ask for a brilliant cut diamond, you're going to get the modern day (58 facet) round cut. If you asked for a brilliant emerald cut, you'd be getting puzzling looks and be asked what you're talking about because those are two different cuts. Brilliant is part of the name of the modern day round cut (Round Brilliant), and only refers to the round cut; ideal is typically tossed in there just to say that it's the ideal cut to go for or that it's a well cut/proportioned round brillian.
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Sep 4, 2008 01:10
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Schroedinger posted:BUT, if you are not seeing vast improvement closer to the actual wedding date, you should find a pair of shorter heels or cute flats to substitute in case of emergency (or maybe just wear the wedges you were planning on wearing). Just an added note, but if you're going to switch heel heights, you need to do it prior to your first fitting. Otherwise once they alter the dress it's going to be too short/long for the shoes you swapped in. This isn't an issue if your dress isn't floor length, but if it is and you switch to different heel heights you'll have to go back & have the dress altered again. If you're not a heel wearer, then you're definitely going to need to break in the shoes prior to the wedding, because at that point it's both an issue of learning to walk and being comfortable. People who already know how to walk in heels can tolerate walking in an unbroken pair. Wedding Dresses Some of these points were already covered, but I figured I'd give my input. Brides.com is a good place to start looking at dresses. 1. Figure out what shape/style(s) best suits your figure; A-line, emporer, princess, etc. Some people have a figure that looks good in a variety of dress shapes, while others are limited. Then take a look at the different necklines out there & figure out what you like. 2. Look online & in magazines. Get an idea of what's out there; designers, looks, etc. If a particular designer or style (or even a style that mimicks an era) catches your eye, write it down. If you see some dresses you really like, write down the designer & model number, and print out the picture. If you get the chance, go to a trunk show. This is where designers show off their new designs and sell samples (you can get them cheaper than in a store). You usually have to sign up to get on the list, because they tend to limit the number of people. So if you want to go, check with your favorite designer (website, vendor, or otherwise) to find out when the next trunk show (with open spots) is, and get yourself on the list. 3. Start shopping around. If you had certain designers that you really liked, go to their websites & see if a store near you carries that line. This helps you narrow down your search so that you aren't wasting time at a store that has nothing eyecatching to you. Write down the stores you want to visit, their hours, and then make your window shopping an all day affair. 4. Bring your MOH. Maybe bring your mother (or whoever your closest family member is), and definitely make sure one of the people who comes along can be objective and give you their honest opinion. Too many people and you're bound to make a decision based on what they want, not what you want (and usually if this happens you'll realize it & start the second guessing after you've already paid on it). All you need is you, someone for support/tears (oh you're so beautiful in that dress), and someone who will make sure you at least look at some other dresses even after you claim you've found the one you want. 5. If you don't like the sales lady (and you don't see a different person around that you might like better), leave. The worst thing ever with wedding dress shopping is having a pushy/rude sales lady. You want someone who you like, and who can help you in your search. Not someone who ignores your opinion in favor of their own. 6. Keep in mind most samples in stores are size 10, with several 8's and 12's. Anything smaller or larger is going to be a rare sight. So when you shop, don't avoid trying a dress on just because it's not your size; if you can get into it, you can at least get an idea of how it looks. If it's too big they can chip-clip it in the back so you can get a better idea of the look on you. Also keep in mind that some designers run smaller, and some run true-to-size (or close to it). Most times you'll need a larger size than what you wear. I found that Maggie Sottero dresses seem to be one of the few that run true to size; I wear size 6, and the dress had to be ordered in size 5/6 and it fit perfect. I never trust the chest sizes on formed bodices though. I tried on my dress in a 10 & the chest fit nearly perfect. I tried on a 7 (different dress) from the same designer (to try & determine what size I needed to order), and the chest on that was like 2 cup sizes too big. 7. When you first walk in, just browse. Get a feel for the place & the people while you & your crew look through the dresses on your own. Once you're sure you feel comfortable with the place, go talk to a sales person. This is where your printouts & notes come in handy. Show them the pictures of dresses you liked, and why you liked them, and/or tell them what designers you liked. For example, when I went I printed out 6 dresses I loved & wanted to try on if I found them. When I showed them to a sales person I said I was looking for those dresses & similar, and that my requirements for a dress were: corset, beadwork, sweetheart or v neck (but would consider others), and floor length (prefer ballgown & similar). It makes it easier to search when you've got a couple deadset requirements, and then a couple flexible requirements. I started off by just asking where the Maggie Sottero & Demetrios racks were because I really liked those designers, but if they didn't carry many, or carried most of the ones I didn't like, I moved on to just giving them my requirements & seeing what was available from other designers that fit those. If budget is an issue, mention it to the sales person. My budget was nothing over $1000, and the stores I was shopping in really didn't carry anything over $1000. Some stores discount the price if you buy one of the sample dresses. 8. Everything looks different on you than it does in the bag. If you're browsing through dresses in bags, then pick out a few key features to look for. This makes your browsing go a little quicker. I was dead set on corset and sweetheart neckline (and those are easy to see when browsing). We went through the racks and anytime someone found one fitting that description, I came over to take a closer look & either nix it, or mark it as something I might want to try on. Something might look pretty bland (flat) or odd in the bag, but once you pull it out & try it on you may find that it blows you away. 9. If you see a dress on a manequin that you like, and that's the only sample, don't be afraid to ask them to take it off so you can try it on. 10. Most people say not to buy the first dress you try on. However, there are certainly situations where this doesn't apply; times when you just "know" that it's the one. I looked through thousands of dresses online, and then went to stores and looked at every dress they had. There was one dress of the 6 I printed out that I absolutely loved, but I was open to other ones because I didn't expect to find it. Wouldn't you know, the third store we entered had several dresses on display as you walked in, and there it was. Right before you enter the section with the racks, there was one dress on display that caught my eye. I fell in love right away, but I decided to look through all the racks first. Then I had my MOH ask if that dress was the same one on my printout, and it was. Tried it on, loved it even more, bought it. Bridesmaid Dresses This is the fun part of dress shopping. Wedding dress shopping can be fun, but usually not so much comedy because you try to keep the group smaller. With bridesmaid dress shopping, it's more like a fun girls day out. 1. Get together yourself, your MOH, and all of your bridesmaids, and set a date to go shopping. Prior to the date, bounce ideas off your MOH. Look up dresses online, and mainly shop for a designer that has alot of styles that fit what you're envisioning. Use the help of your MOH in determining what designer has a decent selection, and if everyone is a similar figure, you can try selecting a few dresses to look for at the stores. I told my MOH that I would consider almost anything as long as it wasn't taffeta and was available in some shade of blue. But I did have one designer (Jasmine) that I liked more than others & wanted to focus on first. 2. Find out what stores carry those designers & lines, check out their hours, and write down the ones you want to visit. 3. Get everyone together, and carpool to the stores. Bring money for lunch/dinner, and deposits in case you find & decide on dresses. 4. Have everyone try on a variety of dresses. It's even easier if you settle on a designer and/or material. Then you can have everyone in the same color, but each wearing the dress shape/style that suits them best. Or you can do the same dress in different shades of the wedding colors; if you're blues, each girl could be a different shade of blue, etc. Or if you're the cruel type of bride, you can just put them all in the same dress, same color, and tell them too bad if they don't look good in it. Either way, just watching some girls squeeze into dresses they don't work well with, or seeing that someone wore mismatched socks, or poses goofy for pictures....it leads to a lot of laughs. Even more-so when one of the girls is more of a tom-boy. I have one picture where one girl looks like a midget and the other looks like a giant, standing next to each other in two different dresses....worst part is they're the same size. 5. The opinion of you & your MOH (assuming she's someone you're close with and honestly trust) should matter the most. The MOH should be there to help you decide, without being too pushy or too much of a softy either. If you start letting the bridesmaids run you over with their opinions, then things could get messy quick. If you & your MOH don't have a good eye for style, then you should at least read up so that everyone can trust you two to put them in dresses that work well. 6. Do not forget the camera. You'll want it for taking pictures of everyone in each dress, as well as for capturing the candid moments. It comes in very handy when you can pull up the pictures at any point & compare to dresses they're trying on at the moment, especially when you're at a different store. Also helps if you decide to just window shop that day, and then go home & compare pictures (and photoshop the dresses to the proper colors if need be) before deciding what to go with. 7. If the place you bought your dress from carries bridesmaid dresses, ask if they offer a discount if the girls buy theirs there too. The place I bought my dress from gave a 10% discount to bridesmaids if the bridal party (bride & bridesmaids) bought from them.
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Sep 13, 2008 22:11
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