Hey ladies! I'd love to see what you have in the works for your budgets savvy under 5k weddings!! Share details, frustrations etc!!

I'm pretty much bummed about having to cut my wedding back from my orig. plans (I know I keep saying this... sorry)  So I really need inspiration or someone to commiserate with :P

Tell me your plans!

$5000.00 budget

okay so this is what everything looks like so far. i really need to thank god in heaven for bringing me to know all of these great people that are getting me tons of deals on this wedding.

venue - $1000 because i know the guy that owns it and im having the wedding in a total off season, and off day of the month, january 2nd. got it for a great deal. heres a pic.

the venue includes: a sound system that i am hooking an ipod up to so i won't be paying for a band or DJ, white table cloths so i can skip out on renting those, and kitchen and all silverware and plates for the catering.

chair covers and sashes - $559.68 these are costing me a little more than i wanted but i feel as if i can't go without them and make the place look right. i was originally going to get colored table cloths too but i skipped out on that and decided to go with the white ones they have at the venue. it will look similar to the pic below except no runner on the table.

flower girl dress - gonna get these from mygirldress.com for $26.00 WOW! you can't beat that deal.

I'm DIYing the center pieces, they will cost around $16.00 a table which comes to about $384.00 total. this is the first mock up.

tea favors or coffee favors - The favors will eaither be tea favors, $144.00 for 150 count (first picture). you can find the tea favors at foryourparty.com or hot chocolate favors, $240.00 for 150 count (second picture). you can find the hot chocolate favors at beau-coup.com both of them are fully personalized. i think i will end up going with the hot chocolate but i love the idea of something warm to drink as a favor in the winter time.

Flowers - I'm getting my flowers from manor house fowers (manorhouseflowers.com) which is going to be as cheap as I can get, i cut out as many flowers from the wedding and receptions as i could i just kept the important stuff which will come to around $340.00

the cake - is going to cost me around $450.00 for three tears because i know the woman through the high school bowling team i used to be on. the cake topper was $65.00 from etsy.com

photography - $600.00 WOW! the girl that i work with actually went to college for photography before switching her major. it was a total accidently find and the best thing that could have happened as i thought i was totally going to go over budget. here is a sample of her photography.

B-Pics - gonna diy those by having my sister take them. it shouldn't cost much because the only cost will be whatever album i buy and to print them out at kinkos.

the only major thing left is the catering, which im not expecting to be too bad because my grandma has dealt with them before for her company and shes just starting out so she should give me a good deal. my dress and bridesmaids dresses came from david's bridal. i forget what my dress cost as i bought it two years ago and the brides maids paid for their own dress. the groomsmen will pay for there own tuxes. too.

right now i have $1600.00 left in the budget. i think i might go a little over but so far i feel that ive done very well and im proud of it :D

where did you find your chair covers that cheap?

hahahahh qualitychaircovers.com, you can look in my bio and find everything.

I still have plenty of planning left to do, but here's what we've got so far:

Dress:  $44 (alterations/cleaning unknown)

Ceremony and Reception Venues:  $475 (not including $200 fully refundable deposit)

Photographer:  $850

Food (mostly DIY):  $750

I still have a lot to go but so far

Venue: The cost for our ceremony&reception was going to be $1100 so I was stressed about the $600 deposit to hold our date. Just yesterday my parents surprised me by driving up there and paying the whole amount (BEST Christmas present ever!) So that's GREAT!

Dress: My beautiful db dress (no pic yet) new w/tags for $200 w/shipping from ebay (: I do need to get it pressed/cleaned so $30-$40 more

Decorations: On Craigslist a girl agreed to let me buy some candles,lights,table cloths, sashes,a parasol, the "We Do" letters, a cute candy buffet sign, and the candy buffet jars for $145.

Invitations: I'm having the very,very talented and creative erindira design an invitation for me for $13. After uploading my invitations, rsvp cards, and reception inserts to Vistaprint it cost (with shipping) $45 :D (Invitation total $58)

Photographer: $500 (: (e-pics, bridal OR ttd session, all day wedding cov'g && dvd with all pics on it)

Caterer: Springfield style bbq (: with some DIY and a local bbq service. Including wedding cake (FREE) beverages (couple of kegs, rental margarita machine and pop) and candy. $750 at the very most.

DJ: $100

This is about as far as I've gotten... I haven't really talked to a florist yet! :\

Heres what it looks like so far:

Ceremony location- $500 and that includes the officiant fee.

Reception Location- $1,011.75 We get the entire building all to ourselves for the entire day.

Caterer- Because we booked them while they were having an Autumn/ Winter special we got $2 off each plate and they include all the linens, chair covers, plates, silverware, and cake in their price. So all we have to pay is the $ 23.95 a person for everything.

Dress- I searched every day on Craiglist until I finally found the dress! Alfred Angelo #1816 for only $100 and since the previous bride was also short I don't have to get it altered or bustled!

Invitations- $159 for 50 invitations, RSVP's and map inserts plus envelopes. I got them off of Etsy and since I was a previous customer she gave me a discount.

DJ- $400 He is a friend of a friends so he gave us a discount. He's only charging us $400 for 4 hours.

Photographer- $650 We booked her when she was just starting out so we got 6 hours of coverage, e-pics, a CD with all of our wedding and e-pics in high res, and an album full of our e-pics to use as a guest book.

Our wedding will be less formal, and more of a celebration than a formal sit down, so it gave us a little more leeway.

We're going with a vintage, celebratory feel. It's a mish-mash of...life, that is perfect for us. Formality works for others (like my future sil, who is getting married in May), but not for us. We can work with a little bit, because we feel a wedding needs it, but we're excited to be in this place, to be getting married, and we want everyone to be excited with us.

My dress: 130 (Beautiful, I bought it without trying it on, and it was such a lucky find.)

Ceremony venue: 675

Reception venue: 375 (includes tables and chairs)

Catering: 900 (This is where the celebration comes in, we're having a pizza, pasta, and salad type buffet. Kind of like, "This is a PARTY, people!" Cost includes an attendant, and set up and break down.

Centerpieces: We're using board games as the centerpieces-we have people there who are radically liberal and radically conservative, and all in between. To prevent awkward, potentially inflammatory conversations, and to keep up with the having fun, people can play games! Since between us and our friends, we already have all the games we'll need (stacks of three, of decreasing size), the centerpieces are free.

Favors: We got all our favors (mini board game style boxes full of candy), for $30 at Target.

DJ: My uncle is actually a moderately well-known San Diego DJ, and he's doing the wedding and reception for us.

Flower girl and Ringbearer: I am adding this because there were expenses on my part, we went to Disneyland at Christmas, and bought the Bride and Groom Mickey ears hats, and had Flowergirl and Ring-Bearer embroidered on the backs of them for the kids to wear down the aisle.

Linens: We might just buy them from Sam's Club, since it may be cheaper than renting them. I'm not sure, though. We're still looking into this.

No idea what it will cost to decorate the reception venue, since I have NO idea what we're going to do in there, yet. I was thinking the crystal clear balloons mixed with black balloons. It's a large room at the community center with a stage. I'll need to bring everyone in there and look around. It's not my ideal, but it's the only indoors place I can find in late July that won't have people ROASTING, and we wanted to get married in town.

Jonnie-I LOVE that flower girl dress!!!

I bought everything on sale that way I could splurge on the bigger stuff.  I bought the guest book and pen for $8.50; my dress (including alterations) for $1,000; shoes $48; flower petals for flower girl and decoration $21.26; toasting flutes $26; reception hall $325; tables/chairs free (included in reception fee); pew bows $26.50; place cards for head tables $2; photography $250 (friend/old roommate Alicia's gift to us); garter free (my mom's); hosiery free (gift card from birthday); punch bowl free (borrowing from in-laws); wedding purse free (Christmas gift); gift bags and tissue paper $11; shepherd hooks $9; flower girl dress $27; flower girl basket $3; ringbearer pillow free (FMIL is making it); card box free (in-laws are making it); cake topper $20; newsletter $25; invitations $209; thank you cards $40; disposable cameras $29; personalized napkins $47; cakes $270; cake server $22; flowers $532; music $35; manicures $156; food $500; tableware $136; hair $70; marriage license $35.50; pre-cana $100; church inventory $35; stamps $88; and fog machine rental $73.