How plan a wedding when there is no savings to do so.

Thats what we have been doing. its been going alright. we have asked a couple members of our familes to help out with payments but so far so good!

If you want an honest suggestion- cut the budget to well below $5k. If you have no savings now, what makes you think that will change in the next year? If you're paycheck to paycheck now- what are you doing to change that? Make cuts where you can- but the important thing about the wedding is marrying your FH. It's not about a dress, or flowers or food. It's about a relationship, and celebrating that. A huge party isn't neccessary.

Consider picking up a second job for a while to get some savings, or really look at what you can cut from your budget- and ask if those cuts are really worth it.

You can do it! Weddings don't have to be overly expensive to be beautiful. I'm doing the exact same thing with a 5 thousand dollar budget. Me and my FH are taking one thing at a time and in a month we should have our first deposit for the wedding/reception venue. The most important thing is that your marrying your love and that it is the most memorable time of your lives! Everything will fall in place, just start saving!

Also RESEARCH! There are a lot of venues that cost little to nothing. Lean on the WW ladies here...we are google queens. A beautiful wedding doesn't have to cost 5 thousand. Also look at your household budget to see what you can cut. Don't eat out and hunker down to sqeeze every penny towards the wedding. If you need any help finding things around you...I can help--if you want, just pm me.

I live pay check to pay check (i am a nanny) and I am having a wedding with over 100 guests and reception with free alcohol for WAY under 5k!! My parents arent paying for anything so guess what?! It's just me and FS to foot the bill...

FIRST, I went to David's Bridal and found my dream dress ($850)... THEN I went on Craigslist and found my dream dress again! ($240) hehe

I also found my flutes, bubbles, flower girl basket, ring pillow, and guestbook all for &40!! Found my invitations for $20!! All I have to do with them is find the wording I like and print them. I am going to Micheal's for silk flowers for all our bouquets/decorations ect...

Found his wedding band on overstock and my engagement custom made through diamond nexus lab NOONE will EVER know... except you guys cause I just told you! (All I cared about was that my band was real, which it is!)

I went to some Goodwill stores around here for vases for centerpieces and the Dollar Tree for ribbon and such... cont'd

Just gotta shop around!! There are GREAT deals out there!

You can do it! Just start saving for the deposits that you have to put down to book you venue and stuff. That will be the hardest! Then make sure you shop around for the best deals that you can find! Do a lot of DIY projects and keep your guestlist low! It is very do able! Just make sure you stay in your budget and do not go over!

Oh and I would start by finding a cheap venue. Search around at all kinds of places. Firehalls, parks, in your back yard, etc....they are all usually pretty inexpensive and if you do a lot of work yourself you can make it look beautiful!

We're saving as we go but we have a pretty good amount of disposable income (pretty much all my income since he was supporting me through school). Remember that you don't have to pay for everything upfront, so you give yourself a bit of time to get the money together to make your payments.

However you don't want to be struggling or late on your payments so I would suggest either cut the budget, guest list, or postpone the wedding date by a couple of months. Give yourself a good base of money for initial deposits and sit down with FS and work out how much you can afford to put aside every month to make those payments later on. It's worked for us so far :-)

Yup we are doing the same thing. Pay as you go. I would have loved to save more but we didn't so its working. You can do it.Don't go overboard keep it simple but,beautiful! Goodluck.

It is possible... we are doing it and saving money by doing the following...

* holding the ceremony and reception at Todd's mom's house

* having family members sing and play music for different parts of the wedding

* Making cupcakes ourselves

* making the STD's, invites, RSVP's, and programs ourselves

* having a home cooked buffet versus a caterer

We will have our entire wedding for 4-5k... and we might be cheaper then that!

Me and my FH are living paycheck to paycheck. I made a budget of 5K for our wedding and I have it all planned and payed for for under 4K. I am doing all the food myself, I made my bouquet, boutonnières the works. I went to get my dress when a bridal shop had a dress sale. My dress and slip veil all cost me around $500. I have started picking stuff up as I can this includes the flowers, table arrangements ect... It can be done and remember as long as you are happy and do what you can then there are no problems. If you want any other advice feel free to ask I will help you any way I can.

I agree with Brian, I would change your date and you can find things really cheap. I can offer you a dress I have from db never worn, pics are on my profile

What are your wedding colors? Are they flexible for change?

I am living paycheck to paycheck, so here's what I have done...

I have a mom and dad that I trust with all of my money. I give them X amount of money from my check, and my mom deposits it in an account she has made for me and DH for our renewal. I'm really big with the phrase "out of site, out of mind" when it comes to money, because while I'm not financially irresponsible (My bills get paid, and on time too...), but if I know I have extra, I'll spend it and not give it a second thought (although I don't waste it on crap).

When I need a check issued for something, she writes the check and balances the checkbook. If I need DIY supplies, she goes shopping with me and my planner so that we can all split up and catch the best deals.

If you have a trusted family member that could help you do something like this, it might help.

I also suggest checking places like ebay and Craig's List for bargians, and keep an eye on the craft store circulars for coupons and sales.

And in case you haven't guessed....DIY will save your wedding budget

I took a second job for a few hours a week babysitting. Even $50 extra a week is a huge help. I have been putting it back till I have enough for my deposits then booking. I wanted to book everything first to get my date. Then each week when i get my extra check I plan on depositing it and send out a check for that amount to a venue towards the end balance. Plus thrift stores are great. I got a beautiful veil for 5.

I have planned my entire wedding on a 3k budget & I know it's going to be amazing. First off, don't choose to have your wedding in a place that is well known. For example, I live in Jackson, TN which is between Memphis & Nashville, which are very well known places in Tennessee. My wedding/reception venue is in downtown Jackson & is very beautiful if I do say so myself. The building cost $800 for the entire day, tables, chairs, & set-up included. It would've only been $700 if my wedding wasn't on a Sunday, because they are usually closed on Sundays. Secondly, this is your day & if your happy with it, that's all that matters. I've chosen to use paper plates, plastic cups, plastic silverware, & plastic tableclothes which only cost me about $50 total & it's not because my wedding is small. We're going to have about 100 guest & I bought all the dinnerware for about $50. I bought the tableclothes from this website: http://www.linentablecloth.com/ (cont.)

I also suggest being honest with your vendors. A lot of vendors offer installment plans. =)

(cont.) As far as food goes, FH doesn't eat much of anything besides chicken & pizza. I don't know one person coming to the wedding that doesn't like pizza, so pizza it is. We love Pizza Hut, so we asked & we can get large pizzas with up to 2 toppings for only $7.50 each. Let's say 4 people to a pizza at 100 guest, that's 24 pizzas & only $180. We're also having salad, but that will only cost about $20 at our local Sam's Club. Ok, so now all the food is covered for $200 plus tax. We're not serving alcohol because we live in the south & our family can get a little crazy, so we're buying a bunch of 2 liters at about $1 a piece. Everything can be done on a budget. If you want more tips, pm me, I'd be happy to help. I'm studying to be a wedding planner as well. Good luck!