In need of help!?

i swear there should be a wedding planning for dummy's book! anyways, we recently got engaged, we decided some things already but still thinking about where to start. we decided to get married august 9th of next year, we're both extremely busy and we have a toddler to take care of so it'll give us enough time to plan carefully. We both agree on the fact that the ceremony will take place at a park, which part we have no clue. the main color is GREEN, not olive green but green like the crayon. and the other color to accentuate it will be a lavender/lilac. we also know our flower will mainly be the purple and white cala lily. Now where do i start and how can i do an affordable wedding for 80-95 people. all ideas are welcomed and appreciated, as we would like to have a beautiful wedding but we don't want to go broke either or start of in a huge debt.

In need of help!?
Well there actually is a Wedding Planning for Dummies book among others.


http://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Planning-D...





I'd get myself a good wedding planner to keep track of things I had purchased.


http://www.amazon.com/Emily-Posts-Weddin...





I would look at all the caterers in town and price a menu that you have in mind with all of them to see what can give you the most bang for your buck. And parks are usually a little less expensive to rent but not all of them will allow themselves to be rented so check the ones in town, see if they have room for that many people to witness the ceremony and think about close venues for the reception. You could get a student to take the photos which should reduce costs and go from there. Good luck.





Forgot about the calla lilies, I love this site


http://www.flowers.pacificcallas.com/ind...
Reply:There is a Wedding planning for Dummies book. Really, just get a wedding planner book that has everything broken down by months. You have the date, you need the location. Start scouting!!!!





Try Bridal Bargains as well for tips on saving money.





www.theknot.com


www.weddingchannel.com


www.weddingsolutions.com





CONGRATS!!!!
Reply:Heehee! I just bought "The Complete Idiot's Guide to The Perfect Wedding".





One suggestion: Can you arrange your own flowers? Callas usually end up in pretty simple arrangements. Get flowers wholesale. A few suggestions





http://www.flowerbud.com/flower-market/g...





http://www.thousandcolors.com/home.php?x...
Reply:Actually there IS a wedding for dummies book! -


http://www.amazon.com/Weddings-Dummies-M...


Congrats on getting engaged!


Plan the ceremony as you see fit, that's not where the costs come in...


For the reception, best thing to do is have a buffet - it's cheaper and you get a big bang for your buck. Keeping it simple with something like Baron of beef, turkey or ham; variety of salads; hot mixed veg; some sort of potato dish; buns, cheeses, pickles; variety of dainties. The way you dress things up - elegantly or simplified - can depend upon how everything is presented and decorated.


The reception is your biggest expense - a dj doesn't cost that much these days, if you are planning a dance.


Otherwise, just don't spend thousands of dollars on a cake, or much on decorating... just keep those simple and wonderful.


I love your colours, too.


Good luck!
Reply:try theknot.com or weddingchannel.com or weddingsolutions.com also try amazon.com and search for a wedding planning book congrats! and good luck
Reply:The books you need are not wedding oriented books, but etiquette oriented ones. Start by reading every word Emily Post and Miss Manners have ever written about weddings.


If you let the "wedding industry" and its minions advise you, then every little tacky friviloty becomes a bridal "must have" item.





No, you won't treasure those custom toasting glasses and custom cake servers and custom ring cushions for years to come. You will be heartily sick of them by the end of year two unless you have servants to deal with displaying or storing the damned expensive nuisances.





Another good start is to warn everyone that it is going to be very very small wedding. It is better to have ppl get an invitation they didn't expect that to NOT get one they DID expect.





Also, make detailed list of what expenses, tasks, responsibilities you expect groomsmen, bridesmaids, etc to shoulder. Let those you wish to honor with a place in the wedding party review these before they commit. The last minute "Well I thought YOU were going to pay for ..." fights are easier to prevent than to patch up.





OK, that's it. Congrats and good luck.
Reply:Hi and congratulations! I am thinking about writing such a book! Anyway....your questions.





The first place to start is a BUDGET. The problem that I see with many brides (not on this site, but on another one that I post on...) is that they work in reverse. They have all sorts of ideas, buy things, invite lots of people.....then they wonder how they are going to pay for it and they are freaking out at the last minute!





You and your husband-to-be should sit down and say..."here is what we are spending on our wedding" and STICK TO IT! If you know of others that plan to contribute, then add that in, but don't expect your parents or his parents to contribute. That is the other thing I read...."well, I thought the grooms parents were supposed to pay for this/that....." No.





Once you have a budget, then go on from there. The smaller the wedding, the less you need to spend. It already sounds like you have a small wedding in mind...so that is good.





You choice of a venue (park) sounds nice. Check with the local city/town office to see about reserving it and what the costs will be. Also inquire about their policy on weddings. Can you bring in rental chairs, etc? Don't just assume you can. I love a park, I really do....but sometimes it's more of a headache than going to a small hotel because you will need to put someone "in charge" of set up (chairs, tablecloths, centerpieces, etc.). Then you need to bring in the food (if you are having a reception) ...I'm assuming you are....Someone will need to set out the food and clean up. You may want to check out a small hotel to cost compare. Of course, the easiest thing would be to have it at a park at a "non-food" time (i.e., not during the lunch [11-1] or dinner time [5-7]) and then have your ceremony and serve some "light fare" i.e., finger sandwiches, cheese and crackers, cake, punch, and soda. This would work out good, say for a 2 p.m. wedding.





One more thing....if people genuinely want to help....let them. Some brides have someone that will make the cake - let them; help with centerpieces? - let them. Take all the help you can get...don't try to do it all yourself!





I hope I have given you some ideas. Good luck!
Reply:first off all, take a deep breath, and relax. Wedding planning is stressful, but it doesn't have to push you over the edge. The best thing to do its to relax and enjoy every moment of it, because it goes so quickly.


When I was planning my wedding, I found this website that was a life saver! http://www.theknot.com


Amazing website that offers tools that help you plan, keep track of important information, and also offers boards where you can chat with other happily engaged women. So helpful!


I planned my wedding, and made friends, all from one website!


Check it out... oh, and it's free!


Good luck, and Congratulations
Reply:You can probably do much of this yourself. Like the flowers for instance.





If you'd like some help take a look at this website:





http://www.weddingflowers-diy.com
Reply:I did my wedding for a guest list of 130 (only 90 showed up) for around $3-4,000. So expect about 75% of your guests to actually show. (even if they rsvp, people wont show and vice versa.)


We did our wedding on the 18th of August (this year) and a good idea is to look for flowers that are in during that season. (it will look better and be cheaper)


Calla lillies are really expensive. Roses are your best bet. They are about 50 cents each. I dont know how crafty you are, but doing all your own decorations and food will really save you. What we did was go to costco and order food trays and buy all the potatoe salad, chips, ect. I made ice-tea at home and used the facilities water for drinking. I asked a close aunt to pick up the cake and set up the food area. (so no caterer). I bought the roses bulk at costco (about 14.99 for 2 dozen) and then made my own bouquets and boutenieres. Its really easy once you start and you feel so much better about creating it yourself. For decorations I went to good-will and bought canning jars and then put a single piece of ribbon around each neck, put some flowers (from my grandparents flower field) into them with a couple sprigs of wheat. It looked beautiful. Oh, i also bought my own camera for around $300, then asked a friend of mine from college photography classes to do them. I showed her the angles and ideas I had. That way, I get the images for free and my own camera. I bought a wedding planner from a local bookstore because I also had no clue and it informed me on everything that i needed to have done, and when. Here are my photos.





http://www.flickr.com/photos/22893850@N0...





(sneaky idea, i bought the ceremony flowers, showed in the images, and then returned them to fred meyer the next day; unharmed)








NOW, for the second part, what i did and what i would do now are totally different. My wedding was beautiful, granted, but it is a huge waste of money. I would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend going much smaller. Only inviting your immediate family and grandparents. (like 20 tops) Purchasing a nice dress, getting married someplace special in front of only those guests. Then taking them out to a nice restaurant and going crazy on the spending of that meal. That way you can afford a really nice honeymoon. TRUST ME. I had to have it my way and go bigger than what was necessary. If i could do it again, i would never have had spent that money the way I did.



super nanny