How old is your son? We used a lot of 60's adult contempory music of that time, pop music from the 50's, 60's and on up. We used some funk and even alternative. We used Motown and just a wide variety. We had songs like Safety Dance and the Bunny Hop so people could be silly if they wanted to be.
Frugal Ideas for a Beautiful but Inexpensive Wedding!
by StAnn 46 Replies latest jw friends
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StAnn
Ashley is 27. He's already said he's thinking about some Motown. I've told him that we HAVE to do the chicken dance but I don't know the safety dance.
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FlyingHighNow
This is the Saftey Dance. Look at the Glee episode version of the Saftey Dance on youtube as well. They break out into the Saftey Dance at the Mall.
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FlyingHighNow
This is what the cast of the show Glee did with The Saftey Dance: you'll love it.
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lola28
Well they can't have it all! With their budgent they really, really can't afford to have so many guests! why not pick out 50 close friends and family members and take them out to a nice sit down dinner? Even at 30 a plate they would be under budget and could use the money to take a nice small vacation or save it for a rainy day.
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kitten whiskers
It can be done! You just have to be creative and plan and work hard!
Find a dress...cheap! I stumbled on my silk wedding gown for 60-70 percent off because the store was closing. There are dresses all over the place! Check consignment stores, craigslist, ebay. Check your local classifieds. I bet you find a good buy on a dress that was never worn!
Bridesmaids buy their own dresses. I have seen where the bride picks the color and the bridesmaids pick their own dresses in that color! Everyone is happy and the dress is something the bridesmaids would wear again!
The groomsmen pay for their rental/suits also. My husbands cousin had the guys all get black suits (same price as a tux rental and they had a suit to keep) at Mens Wearhouse.
The rental hall sounds fabulous! For decorations, hit the after christmas or even pre-christmas sales for the white lights to decorate with. You will also find many wedding themed items on clearance at Michael's and Hobby Lobby and JoAnn's right after June! They need to move the wedding merchandise and you get to hit the sales because you have a year to plan!
Pick up some flower seed packages on sale at the end of season or when you find them cheap! If you look on ebay, they used to sell little packages wrapped in white tulle and tied with a ribbon and a poem as favors to hand out/place at the table settings. They are sweet. People will have something to take home and use and remember the couple every year it blooms.Buy the tulle on sale or with a coupon from the store when they have coupons for half off of an item/single cutting of material.
I remember one large wedding, one friend was put in charge of the kitchen and she organized to have several women use their ovens to cook turkeys! They cooked them and then they were able to serve turkey to all guests! If you have enough friends with freezer space, you could possible pick these up on sale at Thanksgiving/Christmas time. Each lady could get/be given a turkey to store and then cook! They served it picked apart and deboned. You could place one full turkey in the center and surround it with hot plates warming the pieced turkeys. That might look pretty.
With all that you could prepare ahead of time, it might be worth it to buy a freezer. You could make and freeze things that only need to be reheated or thawed at the reception kitchen. Desserts or cookies are an easy freeze. Hire or beg some of your friends to work the kitchen and work on this aspect of the dinner during the wedding. You will of course owe them big. So think about that first! What favor will call you in for? Hee hee!
Do you have friends with gorgeous bushes that they would sacrifice the flowers off of for decorations? Lilacs, snowballs, hydrangeas are all gorgeous! Don't go crazy on the flowers! I mean, don't spend an enormous amount of your budget at the florist! The grocery has pretty roses and other flowers and filler pretty cheap comparitively. You could always buy the flowers the day before and cut and wrap with ribbon just before heading down the aisle. A friend who is helping the bridesmaids get ready could wrap the flowers and tie with a bow just before the wedding.
You've got a long time to plan. That will help a lot! Keep watching for sales at stores and you are sure to find some amazing things! You can do it on that budget! It will be beautiful...just keep track of your spending and what is important to the couple. Cut corners in some areas so you can splurge on what means the most. Enjoy!
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babygirl30
1. Wedding dress = ebay (custom dress from China $170)
2. Suits = the groomsmen can all wear a black suit
3. Dresses = Target has very 'cute' satin dresses for $30 and under
4. Flowers = grocery store floral dept or a farmers market
5. Photographer = check your local college, craigslist (under events), or art school for a photography 'student'...they will work for FREE or a discounted rate
6. Catering = check local college 'culinary' dept to see what they can offer, or else open it up to a pot luck...