i don't know what i'm doing how to plan a wedding

Hi Diane. Welcome to WW. You will find a lot of information on here.

1.) please change your picture to one that we can all recognize as yours so we get to know you.

2.) Do you have $2,000 total but you've already booked the place? Give us a little more info.

Welcome diane! Yes, give us a little more info. Total left to spend. Amount of guests. Amount of people in the bridal party etc.

We are also working with a small $2000 budget, were able to find a location for both ceremony & reception in the same place for $250, I got my dress for $200 still need alterations, My friends helping us with the invites then we'll order from Vistaprint. Centerpieces will be very simple as well as decorations.

If you have the location the rest will fall into place, How many people are you looking to have? catering/food can be the next highest expense.. start looking there, then you'll know what you have left to work with

Same here.. i have no parents to help me decide. all my folks are outside the country. my friends are all out of state. but they will try to attend the wedding. so planning is so hard especially where you're not gifted (creative). and budget is short. i got my save the date photo magnet in vistaprint.. after tons of canvassing other vendors. invitations from ann's bridal.

I also don't know much about wedding planning. I have found the checklists on this site helpful and the book "Bridal Bargains" by Denise and Alan Fields. It explains a lot and has great tips.

Christian C--we got ours from Ann's Bridal Bargain as well. They were so inexpensive and very good quality. We're really happy with them :-)

Yes it depends how many guest are you having, and what is more important to you on your day, there's a lot of ideas in here, and keep your budget low on things that DYI, I got my invitations myself and planning to print them on my own and just add some of my personal details, like ribbon and a charm.. Also Oriental Trading has a lot of cute stuff that you can easily do yourself. good luck

My friend just had a gorgeous wedding on a very limited budget. She had little to no budget for centerpieces so she had parents, aunts, etc... donate vases for the day, put some rocks and a candle in them (they were beautiful and super cheap). She did origami flowers for her bouquets (very cool and also inexpensive). There are many ways to save on invites like DIY sites or DIY packs of invites from craft stores. If you want a cake: get a nice single tier for the cake cutting pictures and sheet cake to be served to your guests (MUCH more affordable). There are tons of used wedding dress websites and stores (or consider renting your dress). Serving buffet style usually gets you more food for less or consider doing an appetizers only reception with fun things like a baked potato bar... Good Luck!

Diane, please give us more details. This is a great site for you to get help and ideas. If you are crafty or have creative friends I highly suggest DIY projects. Candles are always an inexpensive and elegant way to decorate.

Definitely send a line through your families for any unused silk flowers, lights, etc, especially if anyone has recently married. My stepfamily has had an average of one wedding a year for 8 years straight, and they're already piling together a LOT of decorations I don't have to pay for now!

The best advice when talking with vendors and venues is to be sweet, be open to opinions (a lot of vendors are used to dealing with real %$@*#es so they can be a leetle strict at first) and just explain that you just want a special day without overdoing it. With the right attitude, vendors will appreciate your kindness and give you great deals!

Also check out your local conservation board. Many cities and towns have absolutely beautiful lodges and locations that need the income from weddings to keep things going. This means lower fees and much more flexibility for you!

P.S. I also read that places like the Chicago Art Museum (responding to questions about the wedding scene from "The Vow") are totally okay with impromptu weddings as long as they're very, very small: think Mom, Dad, your hubby and his parents, 2 witnesses and the officiant. The event draws more attention to the businesses that rely on interested tourists, and with all that artwork already there, why pay for decorations?

I have booked a place but don't know how to go about and get cheap flowers and don't know if it will look bad if i don't have people walking down i just want something small fast and cheap but have fun with family and friends

I have booked a place but don't know how to go about and get cheap flowers and don't know if it will look bad if i don't have people walking down i just want something small fast and cheap but have fun with family and friends

How many guests?

are you planning on feeding them?

is the wedding day, night, morning?

do you have colors? if so what?

Welcome to weddingwire. I love your profile pic. That puppy is adorable. If i read it correctly it sounds like you don't have other people in the bridal party and that is fine. On a tight budget that makes it a lot easier. No gifts needed or additional bouquets. You can buy silk flowers for yourself at a hobby store and make your own bouquet. A lot of ladies on here have done that and they have come out beautiful.

Are you getting married and having your reception in the same location? That makes decorating easier. How many people is the biggest factor in keeping your budget. As a florist I will say that you can easily work with a florist for fresh flowers as a bouquet over silk, if you so chose.

You could do simple hors d'oeuvres and a signature drink/beverage to keep the costs down.

Do you want to use real flowers or fake? If you don't LOVE flowers, you really don't need to have any flowers at all---there are lots of creative an inexpensive alternatives.

Having a theme and colours is a good idea.

Centerpeices can be done inexpensivly. There are lots of beautiful things to do with mason jars. My cousin used old books draped with fake strings of pearls and paper doilies under them. Baby's Breath is a very inexpensive flower that looks great.

My budget is also $2,000 I booked our venue in a park its free.I have budgeted my dress for $100 our reception is the most expensive $1185.and I am going to have to find a family friend to do pictures.We are budgeting for 60 people

DON'T buy your dress online!!! There are a million reasons not to and you will get what you pay for...crap. I'm not sure why a "pro planner" would even bring that up...yikes! Hobby Lobby has great sales for floral. I have 14 people in my wedding party plus parents and my FH and myself. I made all of our flowers for under $75 including ribbon, floral tape and pins...everything. I bought flowers from Hobby Lobby and looked at garage sales, I found one where the lady used to do wedding flowers and was getting to old so she was selling all her stuff. I LOVE Vista Print and The Dollar Tree. But before all of this you need to find out how many guests you'll have. And I'm still unclear is $2,000 your whole budget or is that after your venue?