Broke and getting Married...

First determine how much you can save and afford for your wedding THEN determine whats most important (where you would want to splurge and things that dont matter that much to you) THEN start looking for things WITHIN that budget....goodluck

Yay...you are getting married on my birthday : ) congrats.

Let's see...I chose a city park...I got really lucky we have a beautiful one here. Looked at a couple but this one was the best. so, in saying that you can go that route. The rental fee is low.

you have alot of time to save $.... Stick around the ladies have great advice!

You could always have a backyard wedding with close family/friends and have family do the cooking and DIY a lot of the decor.

You have almost 2 years to plan and save. You can put away a lot of pennies in that time.

I would suggest at this point you start a wedding savings account. Save money until July 2013, then look at what you have and what you reasonably can expect to afford. Then you can start booking things in that budget. A lot can happen in the next 9 months, including you getting a job. Put aside what you can, when you can until then.

DH and I are having a small church ceremony and a cake and punch reception at our home. Total budget of $2,666 including e-ring, wedding rings, attire. That might not work for everyone, but it works for us.

Congrats fellow 2014 Bride...we started saving right after the engagement, kind of look at what you want for a wedding, realisticly can afford and start looking at what you can DIY, and what you want to splurge on the most and build it around that. We knew that we wanted a wedding under $10,000 so I got started doing my homework, asking questions, and praying! Ask friends and family on venues, etc. Our venue came suggested by my cousin who is a caterer, and will be catering the wedding, so use every resource you have. Need to know more, have a theme? colors? dress? how many guest? size of the WP?

What I've learned, parks are dirt cheap or free, you can do it in your back yard, small weddings at cabin places are cheap and affordable. Small beach weddings in Florida are extremely affordable.

But I would suggest starting a savings account, saving and buying small things as you go. Then booking in 2013.

What I've learned, parks are dirt cheap or free, you can do it in your back yard, small weddings at cabin places are cheap and affordable. Small beach weddings in Florida are extremely affordable.

But I would suggest starting a savings account, saving and buying small things as you go. Then booking in 2013.

If you have a church, they might have a hall to have your wedding reception in (already equiped with tables/chairs).. and you never know if fellow church members are willing to assist.

Or I agree with the backyard or park wedding. (Except you'd have to probably rent tables/chairs which could run up the cost too.)

Start a wedding savings - you'd be suprised how you can save. Recyle bottles (collect bottles from family/friends to get $ from recycling). Have garage sales, bake sales, etc. Do some fund raising for your wedding. If you're unemployed, those are great ways to network too (maybe you might land a job after meeting more people too). Then in a year figure out your budget and go from there. It's a good thing you have a lot of time to plan.

All you really need to get married is a person to marry you and a couple of witnesses. Everything else is frills, honestly. But it's two years away; lots can change in two years.

You know, I wasn't expecting much(if any!) of a response to this post and the amount of feedback I've recieved brought tears to my eyes. Thank you SO much ladies.

Celia- I know it is all frills, but I NEVER got to do the whole school dance (including prom) thing so I want one day where I can have a big fancy dress and have fun with the people I love

I WANT to have a country wedding. The barn, the wild flowers, the groom and groomsman wearing Wranglers and cowboy hats/boots instead of suits. I even told him I was going to go to Goodwill and find a dress so it didn't cost a fortune and he told me I wasn't allowed to (haha)

I have light blue and light grey for colors. thinking no more then 150 guests(close family and friends(he doesn't have much family so it won't be to large)) and I have my MOH and 2 BMs and a Jr. BM. and then a Jr.GM for him but he hasn't picked anyboody else(which is fine because we have 2 YEARS!).

Im on a tight budget also..but you have almost 2yrs that's a good thing...while looking for a job you could look for..a hall that is inexpensive and then a caterer...you have plenty of time...Good luck!

Im on a tight budget as well and am trying to diy

Make your own bouquets. It saved us about $500 or more.

DIY DIY DIY!!! I DIY'd almost everything and saved a TON! I also did fake flowers instead of real for the bouquet, that saved a lot of money, plus you can arrange them WAY ahead of time. Candle centerpieces instead of flowers. That saved a bunch! I also did a DIY photo booth, which saved us hundreds! Will let you know in a couple weeks how the guests liked it. =P

Danielle, I love the country wedding idea. 150 is still quite a lot, so what I recommend is planning a brunch wedding. Imagine: you do your ceremony outside in the morning (when it's still cool) and treat your guests to brunch buffet and bloody marys and mimosas (WAY less expensive than dinner with full bar). You enjoy cake, and hire a DJ to pay classics and oldies. Sounds so fun, and you could do it for way less than an evening affair. I recommend this to anyone on a budget, because I've seen it done so well.

Good start Danielle...now you can start to look into different resources...and dresses can be found under $1000 or less, Mine was about $700 and not altered yet, so I say look into clearance racks in different stores or online (beware) But I have heard many good things on WW from some brides finding dresses under $1000 online or in the GW. I am not sure of your colors, but OrientalTrading has a nice wedding set for country theme... Good luck and happy planning. I say use google to find inspiration or pinterest.

Is there a David's bridal in your area or go online (after you go in and try on dresses to see what really looks good on you) Watch for their $99 sale for your dress. Good thing is you have plenty of time.

Take your time and write a list of all your must haves and what you can do without. Also look at how much money you can save until your date. You can still have that barn wedding you want without spending a lot of money.