She wants me to help plan her wedding for the spring 2010 and said that she only wants to spend $1,000 for the wedding and reception. They already have the rings, wedding cake is being done for free, location of the ceremony is free too. But, can you give me any ideas about how to plan a wedding on a tight budget such as reception, food, flowers, etc? They have about 50 people so far who will be attending.

My sister recruited family members to make the food for the reception. The only flowers were the ones carried by the bridal party, and I think a couple other small arrangements. The decorations for the reception were simple; plastic tablecloths with a simple paper center piece. A friend of the family agreed to dj for cheap.

If you need a place to hold the reception, then I would suggest someone's yard or a park, or even the same venue as the reception. It'll be hard to find a rec hall or anything you can rent for $1000, without even considering other expenses.

Thanks Hheath. What kind of food did they have at the reception and what did the paper center pieces look? I am considering a park would be nice for the spring, but I worry of the possibility of it raining.

It's been about 10 years, so I don't remember what all food was there. I do know there was bbq chicken, potatoes, baked beans, bread, and I think there were a couple casserole-type dishes.

The center pieces were just those simple paper things that you unfold and them become a round decoration. Her's were purple bells.

If you're worried about rain then make sure the park has shelter houses. You could also rent one or two of those tent roofing things. I want to call them awning, but I don't think it's the right word.

I had a pig roast... Caterers only cost about 300... Flowers bought at a nursery (petunias) and placed in home made crafted vases... still in the soil (took home to plant in my front yard for the rest of the summer).

That's pretty cool J_9 growing with your own flowers. Hheath that sounds like a lot of good tasty food. Maybe I should plan a potluck then and just create the menu of what people should bring. My friends initially opted for just the appetizers, but I think potluck will be better as people are able to eat a good meal and it will cost much less.

... so I will have to brush up on my craft-making skills. Though I am also an artist, I am by no means a good craft-maker. But, this will come in handy with creativity.

My wedding cost about 800, including the catering and the booze.

J_9 spending $800 for a wedding is a success. I don't drink alcohol or eat pork, but I don't know if my friend wants these as she completely put it in my hands to plan. What did you do about bridesmaid' gowns, wedding dress, etc?

My sister went to deb's when they had formal dresses on sale after homecoming or prom and got her dress for $3.

If you want to do wedding favors, I think just about the cheapest kind you can do is a small amount of candy in a small cello bag. Cello bags are cheap -- like the ones here: Cellophane Favor Bags - 4in. wide x 6in. long, Candy Bags, cellophane food bag, cello bag, wedding favor bag (http://sophiesfavors.com/boxes_clearbags4x6.htm)

Find all your crafty friends and put them to the task. Go to a craft store and pick their brain,they will be so helpful.

Weddings invitations you can get patterns for on line.

Get your DJ soon,as the good ones are usually booked.My son is a DJ and he has told me many times ,they will work with you on how much they interact and bring the price down.Be ready to bargain with your DJ.

Thanks Hheath. What kind of food did they have at the reception and what did the paper center pieces look? I am considering a park would be nice for the spring, but I worry of the possibility of it raining.

VFW halls often rend out their space quite cheaply and they usually have a kitchen you can use as well.
Look on craigs list for cheap halls to rent out.

J_9 spending $800 for a wedding is a success. I don't drink alcohol or eat pork, but I don't know if my friend wants these as she completely put it in my hands to plan. What did you do about bridesmaid' gowns, wedding dress, etc?

I don't know how cheap you are willing to go with the wedding (or your friend for that matter)
But you can pick up some beautiful cheap dresses from second hand stores...

Whenever I go into the second hand store near me there are always dozens of wedding dresses and formal evening dresses.
Now I know there is the issue of them being used but you can just use the dress as a base.
They can easily be added onto with some lace or beading to make it her own style very cheap!
Even (I hope this doesn't offend) hideous 80's dresses with puffy sleeves can have the sleeves removed and altered to look amazing.

For the catering hheath and J_9's suggestions were great.
You can just do cheap things like potato or pasta salads or buy roast chickens in bulk and pre-cook them.

You can hire a bain marie to keep the food warm at the reception relatively cheap so you can re-heat the chicken or any other meats and keep them warm.

Decorations can be fun..
A friend of mine did a fairly low budget wedding and opten for balloons instead of flowers (I wish I had photos)
She had red and white as her theme and blew the balloons up to different sizes using helium and arranged them rising from the center of each table on ribbons.

Keep an eye out at craft stores for discount ribbon in your chosen theme color...
It comes in very handy for decorating, you can create curled ribbons the hang from the bunches of baloons, or use a LOT or curled ribbon in different shades to create interesting center pieces.

Thanks everyone. I believe the craft stores and second hand stores will become my new best friends, I have been checking their items there and srted writing out a list of what I will need, I have also been sketching out some ideas for the reception and bride. I may try even looking at the flea market.

Thanks Jane75 for the links, I agree. I think candy will be the best route, plus they won't be wasted. I was thinking of chocolate, like the hersheys kisses and have a feww wrapped somehow.

Artlady I'll also contact the VFW halls, I never thought of that. Craigslist does wonders, I was considerng later posting an add for what services and venue I need for the wedding in exchange I could offer to do some graphic and web design services free of charge they may need in return.

Shazamataz I like the idea of used dresses. My friend even said she wants a pretty white dress or gown, something she can wear again, great for bridesmaids gowns as well. Only concern my friend wears a plus size and it has been really hard finding a dress in her size without paying a lot for it. Potluck I like more than having h'orderves, so I'll have to ask her to see if she would like to do a potluck as I think the guests may like like more? True, Michaels is always having sales on ribbon and ballons can also add beauty and fun to a room and I could pick them up from a dollar store.

Definitely make sure you feed everyone, you don't want people to feel cheated when they go out of their way to bring a nice gift. And you also don't want a lot of hungry and cranky guests on your hands.. I've been a cranky hungry guest at a wedding and it's not fun.

Broach the topic of a potluck to the bride.. she might like it.. it's a cheap way to feed a lot of people.

I agree Plonak. I really love the idea of a potluck so it can feed everyone. For me, part of the reason for me going to a wedding is for the food and cake. So, yeah I will bring it to her attention again as people will be more happy with this. I wouldn't mind also help cooking some things for the guests too. Thanks.

A lot of people just donate their old dresses if they are plus sized.
Without sounding mean, they are harder to re-sell than a smaller size dress.

If you cannot find one then it would only cost a hundred dollars or so to have a smaller one taken out professionally by putting panels into the sides of the dress.
Hard to describe but this image might help a little...
http://www.bridalwave.tv/Tsarina7Jan.JPG
You can see on each side of her waist there are black panels, you can either make them contrasting like that one is, or the same color, even accentuate the feature with beading.

Might sound like too much hard work but it's a back-up plan anyway :)

Thanks Shazmataz. I agree, it has been challenging for me to find a nice affordable one in her size. I plan to take her out this week to search, but I thought of calling around first. The dress on the link you posted is very beautiful. So, I'll keep you posted. Thanks

Good luck, I hope she finds the dress she is looking for!

What did you do about bridesmaid' gowns, wedding dress, etc?

Traditionally the bridesmaids buy their own dresses. SOOOO, I chose my colors and we went shopping to find a suitable dress within the price range of the bridesmaids.

As far as my dress, it was borrowed from a very near and dear friend of mine. I couldn't have been more proud to wear her dress. I would have worn my mother's dress, but it was so old it basically fell apart when we took it out of the packaging, so instead I made my veil with my mother's tiara.

My best tips:

Netbride for dresses - find a style and they will give you a free email quote. I asked for a quote 5x (over a few months) on my dress and got a price of $300 - it was $800+ in the salon.

I had one bridesmaid and found her dress -new with tags - on eBay for $21.21 with shipping. I just searched for her size and the color I wanted (it was 1 size too big and she paid alterations) I took a chace that she wouldn't like it, but at that price, she was glad to have a nice dress that she could wear again. She told me later that was better than having to spend more on a dress she had to go out and find.

Easy centerpieces can be flower petals, tealights, or any combination.

My centerpieces were "silver" trays I found at the Dollar Store, 3 tea lights and white rose petals. Search for freeze-dried flower petals online - I used them and I think I spent around $25 for enough to sprinkle over 15 tables. They're great - soft and real but they don't turn yellow and they last for weeks! The centerpiece total for each table was about $2.50 each.

Favors - forget them! If you want a cheap alternative, buy cardstock and print a poem to create bookmarks. Some ribbon at the end finishes them off - I bet you could do it all for $10 or less!

At one friend's wedding she had 1 candle (small) as a centerpiece and sprinkled candy Kisses all over to work as both centerpieces/favors for guests to eat.

Flowers - I just bought the "essentials" I wanted. Bridesmaids can carry a single flower, for example.

Shoes - mine came from Payless - $7!

A friend might like to "donate" her services to create a guestbook. I made one for my wedding shower that was a labor of love and its still a favorite memento. It was a small scrapbook -craft store- and each page was left for people to sign.

Craft stores have great print-yourself invitations now - usually $20+ a box.

Personally, I think the most beautiful weddings are the simpliest - focused on friends and family so I'm sure it will be wonderful. Good luck!

A beautiful DIY centerpiece
DIY Cheap Glamorous Centerpiece (http://www.do-it-yourself-weddings.com/cheap-glamorous-centerpiece.html)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ePPR-Y1JMaY/SlzUmRSuGDI/AAAAAAAAAF4/NIcOsX7u4XQ/s320/stone+centerpiece.jpg

branch+centerpiece+2.jpg (image) (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ePPR-Y1JMaY/SlzaREs8GrI/AAAAAAAAAHA/9PcXw10QwX0/s1600-h/branch+centerpiece+2.jpg)



Take out boxes for wedding favor boxes
Wedding Cookie Table: How To, Tips and Ideas (http://www.do-it-yourself-weddings.com/wedding-cookie-table.html)

Or
DIY Favor Boxes for Your Wedding (http://www.do-it-yourself-weddings.com/diy-favor-boxes.html)

Decorating a simple cake with flowers is always a good idea.
http://francoiseweeks.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/cake-decorated-with-pink-petals-bridal-veil-francoise-weeks1.jpg

You could always go for an origami theme:)
Origami Wedding (http://www.origami-resource-center.com/wedding.html)

Thanks guys again. I feel more at ease now planning the wedding. The invitations and wedding website I am designing for her, and I have called some of our craftier friends to assist. I like the tiara and veil idea J_9, I can see my friend would look nice with a tiara. About the brides maids dresses, I figured we will pick a nice dress of different hues of the same color. She wants green in her wedding, so I was thinking of a light green as I don't want it to be too bold. The grooms men can rent their tux.

LearningAsIGo, I think rose petals, hershey kisses, and tea lights will be very nice. I was even thinking of making a bouquet with artificial flowers and buy them and the vases either at the dollar store or Michaels. I agree, the simplest weddings can be the most beautiful and personal.

She can wear white or clear shoes. But I don't know what color shoes though for the bridesmaids, as the theme color is light green, I thought of gold or cream being the second color used as an accent. I was thinking either black shoes or another color for bridesmaids.

Firmbeliever I love origami, I used to make these when I was a kid! And I love the pict with the stones in the glass vase with the tea lights, I really like that idea. I have a notebook where I'm sketching and writing the ideas that I like most along with the cost and how to collaborate them. I don't think I would have been able to come up with so many creative ideas on my own.

Golden_Girl agrees: so when is your book coming out so I can be first in line to buy it. Thanks Boy, I should write a book! That would have given me more $$ for our wedding! Lol

p.s. my wedding shoes were orange - to honor a loved one ;) Think outside of the box - that's what I do!

Lol... I agree, thinking outside of the box will make it more unique and personal. My brother's wife chose a tangerine/mango color and it came out to look really nice and the bouquets were beautiful.

Most have said this, but I would definitely forgo the favors. I throw them away after weddings I go to. Unfortunately, the favors mean way more to the bride than they do the guests! We didn't have favors at our wedding, and I highly doubt anyone was upset over it :)

Good luck!