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nosillenhoj
Joined: 24 Nov 2007
Posts: 10
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 Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:08 am Post subject: Trimming Costs? - & Not Changing from Saturday Buffet Dinner |
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| We all know the #1 cost is the food/caterer. In my case, that is set in stone - - we're doing a Saturday Buffet Dinner for 150 to 175 people. I'd like to hear some other ideas on cost cutting.I'm only doing flower bouquets & boutenierres (sp?) for the Bride, Groom, BMs and GMs. No other flowers.Already have a good deal on photographer (under a grand) and a lead on a good DJ. I am in Central PA.How can I trim costs for - transporting wedding party (I really can't ask them to drive themselves)?- cake?- officiant/service site?- hair/nails/makeup for wedding day? (I'm a clutz, I can't do my own)and any other things that I need to have in/at/for the wedding...As for transportation, my fiance has a 1966 Ford Fairlane 4-door that we already have secured a relative to drive us in so there is no cost for OUR transportation, but it won't hold more than us!I may contact some local car clubs and see if anyone with classic 4-door cars would be willing to drive the party from the church to the reception (for looks) for either nothing or really dirt cheap (gas + a few bucks for a less than 5-mile drive).The reception site is included with the food so that is all settled. This is our place - we will be in the main ballroom: http://www.ddc.dla.mil/sites/ddsp/MWR/FoodandDining/SusquehannaClub/SusQ.htmNondescript outside, but inside it is beautiful :)Abbi S - you do not allow e-mail contact. Please feel free to e-mail me and I will gladly tell you exactly where in Central PA I am. Speaking generally, I am in the Harrisburg area. |
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nora
Joined: 22 Nov 2007
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 10:26 am Post subject: Trimming Costs? - & Not Changing from Saturday Buffet Dinner |
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| I didn't transport my wedding party - I think you can cut that part, have a couple of groomsmen drive the bridesmaids....you can choose have a small wedding cake then just have an additional sheet cake |
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NMG
Joined: 27 Dec 2007
Posts: 34
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| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 11:45 am Post subject: Trimming Costs? - & Not Changing from Saturday Buffet Dinner |
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| If you don't have the resources to hire a limo for the entire wedding party, I'd cut that out entirely. As for the cake, go to your local grocery store--alot of them can make beautiful cakes, at a fraction of the cost (you may sacrifice the taste though). As for the service site, you could have the ceremony at your local church or in a friend/family member's backyard. Do your own makeup/nails, and if you know a friend who his really good at styling hair, ask her to help you out. Also just ask around, you may find a 'friend of a friend' will style you for a cheaper rate. |
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Noelle
Joined: 24 Nov 2007
Posts: 36
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| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 1:03 pm Post subject: Trimming Costs? - & Not Changing from Saturday Buffet Dinner |
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| for transportation, i asked my girls' husbands to be drivers. worked out great! |
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nokiamango
Joined: 01 Nov 2007
Posts: 17
Location: UK
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| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 2:22 pm Post subject: Trimming Costs? - & Not Changing from Saturday Buffet Dinner |
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| well..we only did a limo to the church then to the reception....we made our center pieces, decorated the hall ourselves, called in every favor ever owed to us....had it on a Friday....had 300 people and still came in under 15K. |
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Nikki
Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 3:41 pm Post subject: Trimming Costs? - & Not Changing from Saturday Buffet Dinner |
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| The Cake: Order white cupcakes from the bakery. (Don't tell them it's for a wedding or they will charge you more.) Build a cake stand by cutting different sized circles from plywood and painting or covering them in paper. Use glass blocks to build the height of the cake stand. OR - - buy this stand for $40! http://www.cupcaketree.com/Enjoy your wedding! |
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NinoaIshisdfffff
Joined: 03 Nov 2007
Posts: 26
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 4:59 pm Post subject: Trimming Costs? - & Not Changing from Saturday Buffet Dinner |
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| I would rent something like a minibus over a limo, or I would rent 2 luxury cars and ask someone I knew to drive--these should both be cheaper than limos.Get your cake from a grocery store--they all make wedding cakes, and come in below the cost of a regular bakery wedding cake.I would recommend doing your own hair, and enlisting the help of a friend like a BM to do your makeup for you. Getting your nails done at those local salons that are everywhere should cost you under $25.I would forget about the programs and favors--they really aren't needed, and even at $1 each, that's $175 you'd be saving on favors alone! |
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Nikki1400
Joined: 24 Jan 2008
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 6:18 pm Post subject: Trimming Costs? - & Not Changing from Saturday Buffet Dinner |
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| Hey there!You can actually ask people to drive on the Wedding Day. I've heard of people getting ONE limo for the Bride, her parents, and bridesmaids to be transported to the Ceremony... but then the Bride and Groom leave with that limo to the Reception site. Significant others can then drive the Bridesmaids and your parents... but all that takes is a transportation plan. It can work!Another cheaper alternative is to use those black airport cars that shuttle executives to and from the airport. They are nice, and much less expensive than a limo. You can look into that for your neck of the woods. Or even a nice mini-bus, or a nice mini-van. Recruit friends - you'd be suprised who's willing to help. Just be sure to have a PLAN B.Cake - a cupcake tree is a cute alternative, and less expensive. Ask around, you may find a friend who knows someone that can make it or cut you a deal. People also work in trade, particularly in the service industries.Officiant - We're having a friend as ours... much cheaper, much more meaningful to usSite for Wedding - A county park. Small fee, lots of beautiful scenery and plenty of free parking.Reception site - I can't preach this enough - look into restaurants. But you've already booked the food/caterer, so look into fire halls, Moose Lodges, etc. They can be very reasonable in price, and some will let you use their kitchen areas... complete with warmers and fridge for storage.Hair/Nails/Makeup - I'm getting someone that is coming to the site to do hair and make-up. We're getting our nails done together, as a fun girls-time-out on the day before the Wedding. Then we're all together, and we all go from there to the Rehearsal, then the Rehearsal BBQ. If you want to know the nationwide service that I am using for the makeup and hair artist, please email me offline.I also saved a bundle by getting my invites, thank you cards, and program paper from TARGET. They are switching styles for the new season. I got 150 of each of those three (complete with RSVP cards) for $66!!! That's amazing!Look around - you'll never know where you can save a dime. Good luck!!! |
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nova_queen_281963
Joined: 21 Jan 2008
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 7:36 pm Post subject: Trimming Costs? - & Not Changing from Saturday Buffet Dinner |
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| Why can't you ask the wedding party to transport themselves? My brother did that for his wedding and no one complained. There was a driver for the bride and groom and then each couple (MOH and best man, then four bridesmaids with their ushers) drove in separate cars in a line behind them. I would love to know where in Central PA you are... I live in Central PA also... I may be able to offer better info if I know whether you're in my area or not. |
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nillvulfils
Joined: 19 Nov 2007
Posts: 5
Location: United Arab Emirates
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| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:55 pm Post subject: Trimming Costs? - & Not Changing from Saturday Buffet Dinner |
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Ok excuse the length of this answer but trust me its worth it!!I saved soooo much on flowers by simply buying a lily tree that had 4 flowers already in bloom on it for mine & my girls hair, once in the hair, we sprayed them with hairspray to keep them from drooping. Then I bought two baby white rose bunches from the supermarket (they were $10 each & had about 20 baby roses per bunch!! bargain!) With these roses I just used greenery from a garden (shhh they never knew!) & created a simple yet stunning bouquet for myself & smaller matching ones for my girls using ribbon (to match the girls dresses) wrapped around the bottom of the stems to keep them in place. We also used the same roses for the mens suits by using a small leaf at the back of the rose wrapped in ribbon & pinned on the suits with a little safety pin...again sprayed with hairspray to keep them from browning.We only hired one car for transportation. My groom & his men drove themselves there in a friends car (nice car lol that had a white ribbon across the front) & after the ceremony my husband & I left in the car we hired for the best cheapest price (after calling about 30 hire car places but it payed in the end to hunt around we saved hundreds!) & the bridal party followed in my friends car.For our cake, we didnt bother with the traditional wedding cake, instead we bought the most delicious chocolate mud cake from a bakery...again saving us hundreds. To feed 120 people this cake only cost us $80 & there was none left at the end of the night it was so good!! We just used some of the left over roses for a cake centerpiece with the stems chooped off.For the location, we hired a local park near the beach. Instead of costing us a couple of hundred for a site fee it only cost us $100, some parks dont even charge a fee. Call your local council to find out.For hair & makeup if you dont have a friend to help you, ask around the local hairdresses to see if their trainee will do it at a reasonable price...but do have a trial first haha!!!!We hired a fair few things like chairs & a red carpet & it worked out cost effective but for table centerpieces, we had fish (bought cheap $2 bowls from the $2 shop fish were like $1 each) on the larger tables & small lily pot plants on the smaller tables...they dont have to match.You can cut the costs of jewellry for yourself & your girls by buying on ebay or at one of those cheap places, you'll really only wear it once ;o)Man i wont go on any further, I'd be amazed if you read all this!! Good luck & have a fabulous day  ) |
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Nikki1400
Joined: 24 Jan 2008
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 10:13 pm Post subject: Trimming Costs? - & Not Changing from Saturday Buffet Dinner |
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| http://www.marsh.net/instore/bakery/cakeguide.html#Anchor-Wedding-49575You can get a cake from Marsh, they are really pretty and under $200 for a 3 tier. Do you want to get married in a church? I'm not a regular church goer but spent about a month looking through all the churches websites through yahoos phone book and calling to find out which of them allowed to chapel to be rented for a ceremony. A lot of them will tell you that if you join you can use the church for free (a small donation is expected to the church though). Or you can rent some white chairs and have a pretty outdoor wedding in someone backyard or a park (contact the parks department for permit). You can find an officiant in you area here.http://pennsylvania.localweddingofficiants.com/Do you have a beauty college near you? You can get everything done there for really inexpensive. My wedding invites can from Wal-Mart, they were $15 for 40 and they are really pretty. I also got my guest book & pen, cake topper, flower girl basket, and ring bearer pillow there. Very inexpensive and people would never guess. I'm unsure about what to do for the wedding party transport. I was thinking of just having the groomsmen drive them, but then they will have to rely on them for a ride back. I would like to just rent one limo that is large enough to hold the whole party instead of getting two seperate for the men and women but it's still going to be pricey. |
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norakelly29yahoocom
Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 11:32 pm Post subject: Trimming Costs? - & Not Changing from Saturday Buffet Dinner |
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| Transportation - have a limo only pick up and deliver you Bridal party (less expensive then you think)Cake - Have a two tier basic cake and use flowers for decorationOfficiant - Ask a close family friend to marry you (free ordain that is legal on website)Hair/Nails/Makeup - Contact a local cosmotology school who has students that need models (they are better than you think because each person specializes in a certain area)You can go buy flowers at Costco or go online and find a wholesale flower website that sells to the public ($140 for 200 flowers) roses included |
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