Broke and getting Married...

I like Stacy's idea of a brunch - that sounds like a really lovely event. The more simple you keep things, the less you will spend. For a brunch, you really just need mimosas, bloody marys, champagne, tea, coffee and soda. People don't really expect to knock back three Jack and Cokes at eleven in the morning. For food, you could have a buffet with egg casserole, yummy baked goods, sausages, cut-up fruit, and even fried chicken.

Where I see brides go overboard is on frills - the dress, decor, etc, then a few months out from the wedding day they see their money vanishing and they flip out. So then they start taking away things that the guests would enjoy (food, an open bar, a tent for shade, chairs for the ceremony, etc.). That always strikes me as less than gracious. So I would first point your budget towards things that will make your day enjoyable for everyone, like food and beverage, and then fill things out from there.

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For a gown, try sample sales - mine was $389 and normally retails for $1200. Also consider a bridesmaids gown in white, the $99 sale at David's, nontraditional bridal retailers like Ann Taylor and the Limited, or looking for an evening gown in white (shop during prom season in the spring for the most variety). I would STRENUOUSLY advise against getting a knockoff gown from LightintheBox or another Chinese site, as the quality is universally poor and you have no recourse if the dress never arrives at all.

For decor, Dollar Tree is your best friend. Stock up on vases, favors (which you can also skip, btw), and craft supplies from there. And don't buy more supplies than you need: one, you'll waste money, and two...I still have piles of leftover wedding stuff a year and a half later!

For decor you can also look at garage sales. If you don't need to have everything all matchy you can find some great deals there. Do you have any friends who have or soon will be getting married? Check with them for things that they bought that they no longer need. We are using my brother's card box, and one of my friends has a ton of those marble things that you use in vases that he is planning to sell to me dirt cheap.

Look for coupons both online and in the paper. Hobby Lobby and Michaels (if you have them in your area) are always putting coupons out there. Also look for sales. Hobby Lobby regularly does up to 50% off bridal stuff (got a great deal on my headpiece). If you find something you like that a splurge, check and see if you can find something similar elsewhere.

Start a change jar. Every night empty all your change into it and DON'T TOUCH IT. You'd be amazed at how much you can save this way.

My colors are light blue and light grey.

I would do a brunch and just have no full bar except 98% of my friends either work in a bar or spend 99.9% of their time at the bar. (lol My FH works in a bar).

I LOVE grage-saling, I LOVE thrift stores.

I was actually previously engaged(way younger and stupid!) and found THAT dress for $330(There is a seriously great bridal store near me that my friend used and I plan on using so I am not TO worried about the dress! ) The change jar doesn't work... we always end up taking the money out (dang us!) and we CAN'T do a backyard wedding because we live in an apartment and nobody we know actually has a backyard.

I would really advise you to do some research on the cost of things & set a realistic budget. You have plenty of time to do price comparisons and start saving money! If you are on a very tight budget, 150 guests is a lot and would get very expensive very quick. My husband has a very large family, so we had to trim the guest list quite a bit. We chose to invite only close friends and family, as in those that we are in contact with on a regular basis. The family & friends that did not get invited understood, and no feelings were hurt. We invited 70 and ended up with 60 in attendance. Also, be realistic about what you can do yourself. Don't be afraid to negotiate the price of things either. My decorator knew I had a budget, and gave me a lot of freebies to help me create my dream wedding and not break the bank. I used a mixture of real and fake flowers. Price your flowers, I found that some of the real flowers were cheaper than the fake.

I think the ladies have given you some really good ideas. But I would like to encourage you to rethink that 150 guests. The more guest the more money... and the guest list always seems to grow!

I look back at the 115 people we invited and really could have done without about 25% of them to be honest. REALLY think about who you want to spend one of your favorite days with. If you haven't seen these people in 2 - 3 years, let them congratulate you on FB. A bride here on WW once suggested that I consider only the people I would wouldn't mind treating/taking out to lunch or dinner. That made a lot of sense to me.

Hobby Lobby has what they call "Real Touch" flowers, I purchased these at 50% off for some of my centerpieces. Also, check with your grocery store bakery about the cakes. At the recommendation of my planner I got my cakes at a local grocery store. I was able to do a cake tasting before putting a deposit down. My cakes were stunning and ended up costing me 1/3 of the price of a gourmet bakery! I made my bouquet myself. I talked to the florist at my local Kroger's, found out what day the floral truck made deliveries. Luckily for me it was the day before my wedding! My sister-in-law were able to get fresh flowers right off the truck for cheap! I got 4 dozen roses and 2 huge packs of hydrangeas for $60! The floral tape was very cheap at Michael's and I ended up with a stunning bouquet for much less than what a florist would have charged! My point being there are tons of ways to cut costs if you allow yourself enough time to plan and really do your research and price things. Good luck!

Well, 150 is more like my LIMIT, not neccessarily inviting that many.

"EDubbdWife" --- I couldn't agree more!

I agree with EdubbWife on the guest list thing, b/c I revised my list over and over I cannot count but will revise again! But good avice!

You would be amazed at what you can come up with...2 years to plan is great and when you start working...it will be that much more to add to your wedding budget!

Danielle, if your guest list is made up of bartenders, that's a good thing! You can easily have your wedding at an off-peak time like Sunday afternoon since that's when they'll be off work.

I plan on having mine on a Thursday. Plus, the bar they work at is open on Sunday's so that wouldn't work anyway ^.^ lol

Just like the other ladies, I would prioritize. FH and I started saving as soon as he proposed. We have our paychecks direct deposited. We started a Savings Account that we have money going straight from payroll into that account. We are depositing $525 from each of our bi-weekly check into that account. Surely, your amount will reflect what you can afford to save.

Over the course of 2 years, we will be saving and paying for things "wedding-only" from that account. That will also take care of our 2 month expenses post wedding as well as the HM with some extra for wiggle room. Not everyone can stick to that but we are and have been doing so for about a month.

Good Luck.

I am shoping a lot at thrift stores. I found a flowergirl basket for 50 cents and my favors are wine glasses that I am decorating for a quarter at goodwil. Just a thought. They also have used dresses (unless you are completely against that). Asking people you know to do favors also helps. Good luck!

Congratulations on your engagement.

As someone who thinks financially, I recommend that you build up an emergency savings account before you do any type of saving for a wedding.

As Celia said, all you need is an officiant and a couple of witnesses. I understand your desire to have the big event, but I encourage you to make sure that you have a personal financial buffer before you have a wedding that will cost money.

There are many things you can do, without spending a lot of money. You can even find dresses that are very inexpensive. There are consignment shops, bridal gown sales where sample gowns are sold at a fraction of the price with proceeds going to charity, etc.

Welcome to the club girl, But you will be fine, just plan ahead and be budget friendly. Just make sure your dress is exactly what you want cause you hv to look at those picture for ever.

I am not working either just my hubby,but I am planning and paying for things from 2010, thank god i did that. and now I am almost done.

And dont be afraid to ask for help. ladies here love to pay it forward.

Trudie tells it straight - the gang here will tell you if you can't afford something. It's a blessing.

We are also living paycheck to paycheck and planning a wedding. You have to determine what is most inportant to you and you can skimp on other things and also cut out some things completely. I am starting my planning right now even though i have two years. I found my dress now so that way i can pay it off in the next few months. I am doing the same thing with my DJ and Photographer. Paying over time is ALOT better than paying everything at once.

I have to agree with all the girls when they say DIY! We're both in the military so we have a lot of cheap items near us.... Theres a website we use called bookoo its wonderful!! But I would look on Craigslist and freecycle.... And pinterest!! We're also very low on money so were having it in my mothers backyard.... There are so many cute ideas.... Were thinking about a pig roast for dinner well best of luck and congrats!