Wedding budgeting

A web release today had me thinking of my own wedding. My parents both had well-paying jobs, but they also made it clear that they planned to retire sometime within the next 7000 years, so I would have to cut down on expenses. Instead of a wedding dress off the rack that cost several thousand dollars, my dress was hand-made. I found a seamstress that would sew it for about $110, and I got to pick the fabrics. In other words, I designed my own wedding dress by deviating from the pattern in certain areas. This led to one of the strongest memories I have about my wedding, which occurred on the day of my wedding. I had been sewing sequins and beads on the sleeves, but hadn't finished. My dad sat on my couch, all day long, right up until it was time to get dressed, and sewed sequins on. I remember the way the light was shining through the window, an afternoon yellow glow that I haven't seen since I moved out of that state. My dad who learned to sew in the Air Force, sat and sewed the sequins on for his little girl, while everyone else, including bridesmaids, guests, ushers, and a cat intent on destroying the gown with every flutter, were crowding around a one bedroom apartment.

We had our cake made at a grocery store. Frankly, it tasted the same as if we'd gotten it at a bakery, and because the whole town was a college town, there really wasn't a bakery to speak of anyway. It had turned out very beautiful, and for the cake topper, they used flowers that were the same as my bouquet.

The bridesmaid dresses were picked out on short notice. We didn't think about how much time we'd need to plan before the wedding, and we left ourselves too short on time. The rings were the same way but worse. We ended up going to J.C. Penney's and getting a few $7 rings that they had in our sizes. We planned to replace them later when we had more money. Good thing too. They didn't make it through the weekend before my finger was green. My husband has gargantuan hands that look like they belong on the statue of David. (Although instead of David, I always tell him it's more like Frankenstein.) It was hard to find a size that fit.

For his suit, we managed to find a PERFECT one. It was a rental at a costume store. His best man rented one also, and we were thrilled, but he was the only male wearing a tux. See, even though he was the best man, he was terrified of giving a toast, and absolutely refused. So, another friend gave the toast. But he had replaced another member of the wedding party at the last minute when the guy left us in a lurch by joining the Navy. (He made sure the night before he left that he would fail his drug test. Nice.)

The way we saved the most money is on the location. We had a spot on campus picked out that we loved. The balcony was gorgeous. But to use it, you had to rent the building, as if for a meeting. This was not cheap. But then, the woman filled us in that any of the grounds are free for use, and do not cost. So, we decided that we would have our wedding right in FRONT of the building. lol This way, we got to use the beautiful balcony in the pictures, but we didn't have to pay for it. The location was also right by some old shade trees, with a pond and lots of geese walking past. So picturesque.

We also found a good deal on our photographer. The whole package of every shot he took was only a couple hundred. We got a few shots where somebody had their eyes closed, but it was nice because we didn't have to choose which ones we could afford. My favorite photo is one where my husband is sitting on a bench, right by the pond, which has carved into it, "Better here than home with my wife." HaHa, honey. If we hadn't gone this route, we certainly would have used wedding cameras . This way, all the guests could take their own pictures, also giving us a wide variety of shots.

These are all great ways to have a nice wedding on a very low budget. Some I would not do again, like the rings. Some I would not change for the world.