- 1,417
- 10
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2010
You had NO choice.
Wedding planning and budgetting (married NT'ers welcome)
- Thread in 'General' Thread starter Started by jerome in the house,
- Start date
You had NO choice.
- 39,318
- 19,714
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2009
So after 10 years with my girl, we decided to tie the knot, i know this should eb the last place to talk about this, but im sure there are some married dudes on here that went thru the ropes of planning, We decided we were gonna go small, city hall then a family dinner, however this thing has turned into a full blown wedding....i have no clue how, but i went from a 5k budget to a 13k one, just wondering who here has gone thru the florist, photographer, venue, DJ hunting before?...maybe someone has any hookups...lol. I would love to hear your experiences so that i dont feel like +@+! for overshooting my budget by 8 grand!!...tell me how ya budget, how much did ya spend on the important things, like the ones i just mentioned, etc.
ill post some pics of the planning and wedding when it get here, we are scheduled for july 9th.
ill post some pics of the planning and wedding when it get here, we are scheduled for july 9th.
- 39,318
- 19,714
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2009
no choice for what?....getting married?..
her pops was applying pressure, but it wasnt when he wanted but when we were ready.
- 1,981
- 109
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2009
If you guys have been together for 10 years why get married now
general johnson
Banned
- 4,624
- 13
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2009
How old are you?
- 39,318
- 19,714
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2009
I'm 28
so you think there is no point in marriage after so long?...I take it you are still too young to understand that when you reach the right age, you want to do things the right way, make the ultimate comittment to the woman that has taken all of your #+#$ for years....I understad where you are coming from though....I thought the same thing and that's probably why it took me so long to seal the deal.
so you think there is no point in marriage after so long?...I take it you are still too young to understand that when you reach the right age, you want to do things the right way, make the ultimate comittment to the woman that has taken all of your #+#$ for years....I understad where you are coming from though....I thought the same thing and that's probably why it took me so long to seal the deal.
general johnson
Banned
- 4,624
- 13
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2009
My advice is leave all the planning to your fiancé and her mother.
You just show up and tie the knot. Your input on this won't really matter anyway.
Congrats and good luck.
You just show up and tie the knot. Your input on this won't really matter anyway.
Congrats and good luck.
- 39,318
- 19,714
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2009
thanx Gen Johnson, I feel everything is going the complete opposite, so far its been me and my moms doing most of the planning...her parents havent really step forward to do much...not that i expected much from them to be honest..and she doesnt make enough money to go out planning on her own, so i have to kinda cosign everything anyways...but i do want to give my bride-to-be the best day of her life.
- 17,144
- 1,167
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2005
Where are you two getting married at?
- 1,352
- 10
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2005
I know that you can cut the cost of floral arrangements by saying it's for an event and not specifying it's for a wedding. A friend tried that, and it worked. She saved over $1,000.
As far as a photographer is concerned, you could find your local art school and ask for their best photography student. A lot of them are decent enough to pull off wedding photography. A friend also did that, and paid the kid $250 for the night. Pictures came out amazing. Always ask to see their portfolio if you go down that route though because you don't want any surprises. I know everyone wants awesome photos of the night, but there's no guarantee that you'll get great photos from an expensive photographer. Just do your research.
As far as a photographer is concerned, you could find your local art school and ask for their best photography student. A lot of them are decent enough to pull off wedding photography. A friend also did that, and paid the kid $250 for the night. Pictures came out amazing. Always ask to see their portfolio if you go down that route though because you don't want any surprises. I know everyone wants awesome photos of the night, but there's no guarantee that you'll get great photos from an expensive photographer. Just do your research.
- 39,318
- 19,714
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2009
Frankiy's and Johnny's in the BX....porque?
- 18,904
- 1,184
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2004
you was askin for a hook up, knowwing where you live is important.
- 39,318
- 19,714
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2009
im a member over at POTN.com so i made a thread asking for help as far as photography goes and many photogs stepped forward, but i fell for this one dude, his blog was awesome, he cut me a pretty good deal, for the quality work im getting....im a photographer myself, so this is probably one of the most important things. I agree and understand what you are saying about the flowers, you drop the word "wedding" and it changes everything, i was just conversating with my co-worker how the wedding industry rapes brides/grooms with overpriced quotes...just because its somewhat accepted by society that if you plan on getting married, you are gonna spend $$$$....we are still shopping for a florist, what we havent really gotten is a DJ and the limo though...
im in New York...
- 8,148
- 104
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2008
Congrats Fam! Imma need to step up my game and Tie the knot after being wit my girl for 7 Years!
- 2,236
- 115
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2009
pics of your future wife?
- 39,318
- 19,714
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2009
lmfao....
what you are trying to do there...i see it.
- 5,111
- 60
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2006
There is not a lot for you to save. Try different wedding planners to compare prices before you decided to pay.
- 443
- 10
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2003
I have nothing to contribute, but congrats!
- 96
- 10
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2003
Honestly, a limo doesn't seem that important to me. The budget for my wedding last year was 13k and my wife came through with flying colors. Our venue for the wedding + reception was only 8k with food, wine, and beer included. We were married on the beach of Lake Tahoe in Nevada. Our DJ was pretty cool because he played whatever music we wanted. We gave him a list of all the songs we wanted to hear and he mixed them beautifully. The main thing with your DJ is to make sure he has run weddings before, that way you know he has mic skills and won't fumble with simple things like "Presenting Mr. and Mrs. so-and-so"
The most important thing for me was the photographer. We had an amazing photographer thru a friend of ours. He is a professional photographer who has taken pictures for movies and magazines. If you go to www.jdweddingphoto.com We are actually the first picture that pops up and some of our photos are in Gallery 3 of the website. The picture of us sitting on the pier at sunset is one of my favorite pictures ever. He gave us a great deal because he is the brother-in-law of one of our friends.
The cake we got at safeway for $200. There's a picture of it in that gallery too if you want to look. It was bomb too. The top layer was carrot cake (my favorite) so I made sure to have a slice.
Main thing I'll say is make sure you enjoy the day. Don't sweat the small stuff. There will be like 8 things that go wrong, but don't stress about it. Me and my best man actually got pulled over on the way to a wedding. He was speeding like a maniac. We played it cool, chatted with the cop and he saw we were on our way to my wedding (I had the ring in my lap) and he let us off the hook. Good thing too because this dummy was going about 20 mph over the speed limit.
If you worry about everything going off perfect, you'll miss out on all the fun.
The most important thing for me was the photographer. We had an amazing photographer thru a friend of ours. He is a professional photographer who has taken pictures for movies and magazines. If you go to www.jdweddingphoto.com We are actually the first picture that pops up and some of our photos are in Gallery 3 of the website. The picture of us sitting on the pier at sunset is one of my favorite pictures ever. He gave us a great deal because he is the brother-in-law of one of our friends.
The cake we got at safeway for $200. There's a picture of it in that gallery too if you want to look. It was bomb too. The top layer was carrot cake (my favorite) so I made sure to have a slice.
Main thing I'll say is make sure you enjoy the day. Don't sweat the small stuff. There will be like 8 things that go wrong, but don't stress about it. Me and my best man actually got pulled over on the way to a wedding. He was speeding like a maniac. We played it cool, chatted with the cop and he saw we were on our way to my wedding (I had the ring in my lap) and he let us off the hook. Good thing too because this dummy was going about 20 mph over the speed limit.
If you worry about everything going off perfect, you'll miss out on all the fun.
- 3,340
- 12
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2005
Why are you getting married again?
- 28
- 10
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2004
Im in the same boat...getting married aug 14th and im doing most of the planning since she is in grad school and working full time. before you know it everything adds up with a quickness and by the time you realize it you just doubled your budget. as far as budgeting we are trying to focus the money on the important things.
music is important so we're paying more for a DJ than we wanted to but we knew we were getting someone that was professional and would do a good job (recommended by a friend).
flowers can be really expensive so we are making our own. there are a few places online that sell flowers in bulk and are way cheaper than going to a florist (check out costco instore or online).
as far as photography we got lucky. i have a good friend who does wedding photography (he did our engagement photos too but these arent always necessary, just nice to have). if you want i will pm you his contact info. he lives in NYC and maybe be able to hook you up a bit...although he doesnt come cheap.
as far as venue we got a really good deal at a restaurant here in DC that included private banquet upstairs, full open bar, wedding cake. we did a lot of research so try to find something thats all inclusive or gives you the best bang for your buck.
if you guys are going to do save-the-dates (although it may be a little late for that since your wedding is coming in july) try www.magnetstreet.com. they usually have stackable coupons, usually 30% off plus free shipping. we arent devoting too much money toward invitations. we figure they are just pieces of paper and people will look at them once maybe twice then eventually throw them away, so we will prob get those online somewhere too. party city usually has a good selection and they always offer 30% off...
anyway hope this helps a bit...good luck with everything
music is important so we're paying more for a DJ than we wanted to but we knew we were getting someone that was professional and would do a good job (recommended by a friend).
flowers can be really expensive so we are making our own. there are a few places online that sell flowers in bulk and are way cheaper than going to a florist (check out costco instore or online).
as far as photography we got lucky. i have a good friend who does wedding photography (he did our engagement photos too but these arent always necessary, just nice to have). if you want i will pm you his contact info. he lives in NYC and maybe be able to hook you up a bit...although he doesnt come cheap.
as far as venue we got a really good deal at a restaurant here in DC that included private banquet upstairs, full open bar, wedding cake. we did a lot of research so try to find something thats all inclusive or gives you the best bang for your buck.
if you guys are going to do save-the-dates (although it may be a little late for that since your wedding is coming in july) try www.magnetstreet.com. they usually have stackable coupons, usually 30% off plus free shipping. we arent devoting too much money toward invitations. we figure they are just pieces of paper and people will look at them once maybe twice then eventually throw them away, so we will prob get those online somewhere too. party city usually has a good selection and they always offer 30% off...
anyway hope this helps a bit...good luck with everything
- 39,318
- 19,714
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2009
what kind of question is that bro?...
- 39,318
- 19,714
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2009
well so far our reception is costing us 7k, 100 guests, cake and linens, valet parking, two rooms and a garden, not to mention the food ive heard is one of the best in NYC.
the photographer im paying him 1400 for all day coverage 14 hours + he also has an assistant...i know how expensive and important photography is, so this is the best steal ive gotten so far....only thing is im not getting any prints or albums, which is no problem since i can handle all that myself.
flowers so far are about 1500, 10-12 centerpieces, bridal bouquet, 3 bridesmaids and 3 buttonaires.
My DJ budget is 1400 hopefully ill find one with this budget, one that comes with lighting....
I didnt want a limo at first, i wanted to rent a range and drive myself, but then i realized we are gonna be in the city on a friday afternoon, traffic is the last thing i wanna deal with...so a limo is a must, i just dont want to spend over 500$
our ceremony will be held at the conservatory garden in central park, its gonna cost me 500$ for the permit, this place is simply breath taking....
im i overpaying??..what do you married people think?
btw i checked out your gallery, your wife is very pretty, lucky guy!...i wanted to do a khaki suit myself, with a navy blue military style tie, but i think ima go with a shade of grey....still undecided....very nice pictures, how much did you spend on your wedding favors??
- 39,318
- 19,714
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2009
- 96
- 10
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2003
Our favors were pretty cheap. I think each frame was about $1 and the pictures I printed at my store. 80 cents for 4 wallets. I loved them though.
EDIT: thanks for the complement on my wife too. She is beautiful. A natural beauty at that. Never wears makeup on a day to day basis, and makes me laugh. Known her for 13 years. Knew she was going to be my wife someday...
EDIT: thanks for the complement on my wife too. She is beautiful. A natural beauty at that. Never wears makeup on a day to day basis, and makes me laugh. Known her for 13 years. Knew she was going to be my wife someday...
Similar threads
