Planning a wedding for aug 15th of next year, trying to figure out what to do for a photographer, we dont want to spend like 2500 for one but we will pay 1000 anybody know of some good photographers around in altoona area? and do the bridesmaids buy their own dresses? and how much do you think we'd be spending to have a wedding with about 100-120 people....any ideas for center pieces? alll new to this any help would be soo nice Wow! Welcome to the wonderful world of wedding planning! It's exciting, exhiliarting, frustrating, stressful and exhausting all at the same time! Be prepared for things to cost more than you thought, but weddings don't have to break the bank! My fiancee' have a very small budget, and we're still going to have a nice little wedding with around 90 guests.....here's my advice:
Get this book: Bridal Bargains 8th Edition...I call it my Bridal Bible, it's SO helpful! You can get it on Amazon.com or rent it at your local library, it's a GREAT place to start!
No, the bridesmaids don't have to buy their own dresses. But, sometimes they do. The tradition is usually this: either YOU buy their dresses for them, OR you buy them a nice gift..one or the other, if you have more money, you can do both! BM dresses are really expensive these days, but you can find a lot of great reasonably priced ones on Ebay, from respected power sellers, so you, or your BM's aren't paying $200 for a dress they'll only wear once! Just be careful about what you buy and on Ebay, do your research and make sure the seller has 98% feedback or better, that way, you're protected through PayPal if they turn out to be shady. Most are not, though. You can also purchase lots of favors and silk flowers (if you don't want fresh ones) on Ebay for really cheap!
Photography and Food will take up most of your budget, seriously, like about 30%-70% of it... it's astounding!
Be preared to your research and SHOP around!
Good photographers are hard to come by, but they're out there...most photog's START at around $800-$1,200. and each package offers different things! Photographers can cost as much as $6,000 alone, but that's astronomical to me and totally not worth it! I don't know where you live, but if you're in Southern California, E-Wed is a good place!
My best advice about photographers is if it's possible, choose one that will give you ALL-DAY coverage (this usually costs more, but it's well worth it, that way you're not rushing yourself or your families through things).....also, pick a photographer who gives you the option of purchasing your negatives, this way, YOU can own your wedding photos (with a copywright release from the photographer, of course) and print them out WHEN and WHERE you please, most photographers don't do this, but some do......oh and be sure YOU get to choose the prints in your package...a lot of photographers choose them for you, and make sure the photos will be available online in a password protected environment so your guests can purchase the photos of their choice after the wedding if they'd like!
The Food.....dinners are more expensive than lunches....a sit down meal of ANY kind is usaually more expensive than buffets...however, a catered lunch is usually your best best where you have a restraunt cater it and set it up yourself! We're going with Bucca di Beppo or Mangiano's! Sit down dinners are incredibly expensive and alcahol adds to it! A cash bar isn't always kosher, but it's cheaper for you.
You also want to consider a DJ, or other form of entertainment, I'm not what those start at...but if you'll be in a smaller venue and have an IPod of CD Player, you can always assign someone to be your volunteer DJ for you....some people are cool with this, some are not, it's up to you! DJ's usually start at around $300--$2,000, depending on what they offer, set up and how long they stay. Some wedding packages, the ones that are all-inclusive, include this in their package...it's worth checking out!
Most wedding places/venues will try and nickel and dime you death, the wedding industry is a billion dollar one and over paying makes no sense to me!
A wedding with 100-120 guests, everything included, will probably cost you someowhere around $6,000 AT LEAST.....if not upwards of $8,000-$20,000...depending on how elaborate and fancy you want your wedding to be!
The wierdest things about weddings is that they include really minscule things you'd never think about until you start actually planning it.....
The Internet and Ebay have been absolutely indisposable to me! I could not be planning my wedding with out it!
Things to consider in your budget are: wedding rings, dresses, tuxes, shoes, accessories (viel, jewerly), bride/groom gifts to each other, mother-of-the bride/groom gifts, bridesmaid gifts.....flowers, photographers, food, entertainment (Dj's, etc.), favors, invitations, stamps to mail them all, transportation, cake, chair covers and linens (table cloths), decorations, venue fees (to rent a hall or banquet room or reception hall) , minister's donation/fee, marriage license, bachelor/bachorlette parties, and I'm sure a few more things that have slipped my mind!
My best advice is to try and include your family and friends! Get your best friends and family involved if you can. They're usually more than willing to help in any way they can...just remember it's YOUR wedding, and it's YOUR decisions...most people will respect that, I've found!
Try and get someone to make the cake for you, that'll save a lot of money! Or, at the very least, get a cake from a local grocery store, they're just as nice and a lot less expensive than specialty bakeries! Also, get married at a church you, or a friend, belong to so it costs less. Or you can try a park or something similar. If you get married before 4pm, you technically don't HAVE to feed your guests, but it's a nice gesture, esepcially if they're traveling from out of town!
If you do have guests traveling from out of town for your wedding, call local hotels and motels and ask about group rates. Usually, you can book a LOT (literally, a set # of rooms) for your wedding date and surrounding days and then each guest calls 30 days in advanced to pay for it themselves!
Invitations and all their accesories will run you more than you think...you can print your own or skip them all together and do the e-invites that are becoming more and more popular as they cost less and use less paper! But, for me, actual invitations were important and the best website for very nicely priced and affordable invitations is Anne's Bridal Bargains....also, a great website for favors is: EFavor Mart and FlowerFactory.com.....you can also order flowers whole sale and make your own boquets and center peices, which is often MUCH cheaper than paying a florist for arranged flowers. It's more work, but the savings doing it yourself can really add up!
As for your dress, SHOP AROUND! Get a TYPE of dress you like and search, search, search! A lot of local tailors who specialize in bridal tailoring will give a flat rate on tailoring your dress..instead of a per-sleeve or per side fee. The Internet is the best place to search for wedding dresses and you can find them for a lot less than in the stores! I personally would NOT go to David's Bridal, in my opinion, they're not very personal and don't have a great selection!
There's a lot of things you DON'T need in a wedding and you can have your groom and his men RENT their attire; it saves A LOT of money, and honestly, you could even rent your own dress if you wanted to, but I personally wasn't up for that!
Your guests don't need 5 favors, so purchase one or two favors for them at whole sale cost....the web is the best place to do this!
My best advice is pick ONE thing that's really important to you and focus on that!
A great wedding website, which also offers a free personalized wedding website of your own is MyWedding.com
And the MOST important advice of all is this: plan your marriage more...it's exciting planning a wedding and it's a very happy, wonderful time! But, at the end of that very special day, what you're left with are the memories of it and your new husband.
You'll have a wedding for a day and a marriage for an entire lifetime, so don't forget that! Don't get too caught up in the wedding part of it, but also, don't feel guilty about being happy and excited, you should be! Learn to compromise now, there's a reason you plan a wedding before you get married, trust me!
Try not to get too stressed out and ENJOY it!!! I know this is long, but I hope I've helped! I'm planning a wedding myself, my own, for next March 2009!
Best of luck to you, and CONGRATULATIONS!!!
-Sarah :) On a photographer, I would simply start with the yellow pages, and call them. If they have websites, check them out. Make certain you're comparing apples to apples here when comparing prices--make sure you're comparing similar hours, prints, packages, etc.
On the bridesmaids dresses, yes, they buy their own dresses, shoes, accessories, etc. Keep that in mind along with their financial situations when choosing a bridesmaids dress for them. One thing you can do is choose a color, and let them pick a dress that is that particular color that flatters them, and that they feel is affordable.
The rest of your question...you can spend anywhere from $10 a person, up to whatever per person. I mean that. What you should do is sit down with your fiance, your parents, and his parents, and find out how much money you'll have for the wedding. Say if you and your fiance figure you 2 can put in $10,000, your parents will chip in $3000, and his parents will throw in $2000, you've got $15000 in your total wedding budget. You'll spend at least 1/2 of that on your reception and food. Don't go around individually pricing stuff--that's how you let a budget run away with you, and quickly. It's very easy to do with a wedding too. Figure out the total amount you have to spend, and then break it apart into photography, floral, food, etc.
Good luck to you in your planning! There are photographers (like ours) who will do just a digital copy of all your photos (so you can make up a book with the photos you like - and for a much better price at most photo shops or online) Just make sure they offer you the full resolution photos. Just ring around and find out some prices.
Yes, bridesmaids usually buy their own dresses - however sometimes when the bride and groom have a bit of money to spend (and if you make them wear a specific dress that they do not chose themselves) it is nice to buy the dresses for them.
A nice wedding (in my opinion) for 100-120 guests would cost anywhere between $10,000 and $30,000. It all depends on what you want and how much you can get it for!
Floral arrangements are always the nicest center pieces, however they can be pricey. Ask for more greenery to keep the prices down and it will still look lovely. Photographer:
Do a Search online http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=al... and if you like their portfolios, call them and talk about price. If you let them know you are on a budget and they charge more, they might recommend someone in that price range.
Bridesmaids:
In most cases they buy their own dress.
Wedding Cost:
What type of wedding is it? You can really drive the cost yourself. Look around for a weddingbudget worksheet and lay everything out. With the worksheet you will be able to see where the big expenses are. I believe the average in the US is about $20,000, but you can do a very nice wedding for much less.
Center Pieces:
This too will be driven by the type of wedding and where you hold the reception. This may also be driven by the colors you decide to go with. I'm in the Harrisburg-area (about 2 hours from Altoona). I don't know if the photographer I am using will go that far or not, but I am very happy with her. She did my engagement photos and we've booked her for our wedding.
What I love is that she does the photos and just gives you a CD and release. So we have to pay for printing, but I think it saves us in the long run because we don't have to pay for an album or package with tons of pictures we don't need.
You don't allow e-mail so if you would like her information, as well as a link to my engagement photos to see some work, please e-mail me. Check out the PERFECT place for your centerpieces...Go to GOOGLE and type in.....
hotcakesbyjen
I think you'll be happy you did. No harm in looking is there?
Much luck to you. Where is altoona? I'm new at this as well.. My wedding party is double yours so you can imagine our worry.. We have a BIG family.. |
