Frugal Christmas Wedding...

**peanut** · 09-04-2005, 11:21 PM

DD#1 and her fiance are going to be married Christmas Eve this year. They want all the bells and whistles on a pauper's budget. Here's what we've done so far...

~ I am making the bridal outfit. Includes dress, slip, veil and cloak. The dress is embroidered and beaded. It is a small wedding, but dd wanted a train, so it is a short sweep train. This is our wedding gift to dd#1. So far it has cost $300cdn. for supplies. That includes silver metallic embroidery thread and crystal beads (Swarovski) for bodice, hem and sleeve embroidery.

~ I am also making my own outfit from 70% off silk noile I picked up at a local fabric store.

~ there is only one bridesmaid and one groomsman. They are responsible for buying whatever they want to wear.

~ We are looking into making the wedding cake ourselves. There is a cheap cake decorating course coming up this fall. We are thinking of cutting a deal with dd#2. She takes the course and helps with the wedding, and we cut her rent payment. We have found a place that rents stuff for cakes, including cake pans.

~ The invitations were bought at Michael's 40% off and printed off on the computer. Everyone loved them.

~ Family is singing at the wedding and serving food and drinks...and handling the sound system.

~ the bride and groom picked an unusual venue which will save them $200cdn.

~ The groom's family and our family are preparing all the foods for the evening wine and cheese reception following the wedding.

~ We tallied the drinkers in the crowd and determined we can get away with a lot less liquor than recommended. Especially as we aren't having a meal too.

~ There are instructions for making boutonnieres and corsages on the internet. We are looking at buying flowers from a discount floral shop and a couple of the cousins are going to make them up the day of the wedding. There is little need for flowers because the wedding will be in a greenhouse/conservatory.

~ The groom is expensive. He wants to wear a kilt. Kilts cost $650+. To rent for the day will total $200cdn. by the time we're done. He's thinking of renting. He's also looking at tuxedos. They are $100 to rent.

~ The kids want a 'classy' reception. We found silverplate on sale at the Sally Ann and picked it up for serving food. However, I suspect the groom's mother and aunt, who will be bringing most of the food, will not bother with silverplate. Probably we'll end up with the deli tinfoil trays, much as I hate them. We're borrowing a coffee urn.

~ The kids have been setting aside money for the honeymoon and have done quite well so far managing it. The only outside monetary help they've received so far is from one grandma. And it wasn't much.

~ They drew up a budget a year ago, after announcing their engagement, and opened a wedding account at the bank for saving money. They deposited money into their account every pay period. I can not emphasize the importance of this enough!

~ I also recommend the parents set up a wedding account and deposit into it. We are very frugal. We notice even $50/mth. We did not have that account and I noticed it is a real struggle for us to help them.

~ the kids wanted a unity candle. We couldn't find anything suitable. Finally we hit a craft sale with some gorgeous candles. It was expensive. But we bought one that is actually an oil lamp. That way it lasts forever. If you're going to spend that kind of money, it's a good idea to have something that will last that the kids like. Unity candles start at $30cdn. here.

~ as soon as you attach the word 'wedding' to anything, the price soars. When going to look for flowers or to get a haircut, do not mention the word 'wedding'. DD#1 decided she wants to walk down the aisle with a non-traditional bouquet...a single rose. She is not telling the hairdresser her haircut is for her wedding. She's just going to go with her hair 'au naturel'.

That's about all I can think of. The wedding is being pulled off for a fraction of what it would normally cost for this type of wedding. The total budget is $3500, including honemoon! So anything family can do, it will.

**Englishlady** · 09-05-2005, 04:42 AM

Sounds like you have it all organized! good for you!

Dh & I had a small wedding just 32 people including ourselves

We have been Married for over 16 years now and are blissfully happy

We have never regreted having a small Wedding and have never felt we "missed out"

We have seen big flashy Weddings and quite frankly it breaks my heart to see such profligate waste

A Wedding is a public Celebration of a private love and as long as everyone is happy with the arrangements the Bride and Groom will still feel like they are King and Queen for a day

You have obviously gone to a lot of trouble to make it all work well and I am sure that you will have a fantastic Celebration.

What a fantastic start to Christmas too!

Karen

**PrairieRose** · 09-05-2005, 09:02 AM

Sounds like a FABulous frugal wedding to me. I'm sure that the day will be memorable on so many levels. Are you doing the photography or having it done? That's one place that there seems to be a lot of variable on cost. WTG on being so organized and sewing the wedding dress and such. There's a huge savings right there.

**slowtypinwoman** · 09-05-2005, 09:14 AM

When doing boutoniers use Chistmas greens as the backing. You can go into the woods and cut a branch. That should be enough for all the corsages and bouts.

**Kimberlina** · 09-05-2005, 11:20 AM

Can the groom gt a used kilt off eBay? I just found some starting at about $35.

We decorated our cake with fresh flowers (tulips) from my parents yard and from a floral supply company (I was a pastry chef at the time, so we got flowers wholesale, but I wasn't getting married near where I worked, so I had someone local make the cake.) Even if the cake decorating course doesn't work out the way you want, this is a great option, and doesn't have to be expensive. If you DO decided to do something like this, just make sure the flowers are edible/non-poisonous.

Everything sounds great- we were able to pull off a very elegant wedding with reception at a Victorian mansion pretty inexpensively. It CAN be done!

**Katybird** · 09-05-2005, 12:54 PM

Congratulations to your DD and her fiance. It sounds like it will be a beautiful wedding. You are doing a great job.

**voodidit** · 09-05-2005, 11:29 PM

I did a cheap wedding too. We had about 75 people and the whole thing, except for the cake which my parents bought cost maybe $1000. that included my dress, the buliding, food, everything.

**peanut** · 09-06-2005, 02:42 PM

Okay, so some of you have definitely done things cheaper! Let's hear about it! What have you done? I could use all the help I can get!

The fiance's grandfather is taking the wedding photos.

Yeah, we'd thought of flowers for the top of the cake and will probably go for that. DD#1 isn't too keen on the geeky bride and groom toppers. I was thinking of doing up a bunch of royal icing flowers and leaves ahead of time and just using glue to stick them onto the cake. I'm hoping dd#2 will take this over though. My hands aren't as steady as they used to be.

We were at a store the other day and a lady offered her chocolate wedding cake recipe to us. She's supposed to drop it off soon. But we haven't seen it yet. We'll see.

Edited to add: thanks for the tip on looking at e-bay for kilts! I emailed dd#1 with the link right away. I think there's stuff there that would fit her dh quite nicely...and for cheaper than the rental.