Longtime reader Meg is getting married this August and since she knows how ingenious and generous you all are, she wrote to me about doing a post asking for suggestions for a frugal wedding. I thought it was a great idea, and I’m sure a lot of readers can benefit from the tips.
You may remember Meg from this Thrifty Threads post from over a year ago. Since then, Meg separated from her longtime husband, moved into an apartment on her own, went back to school, got divorced, lost her beloved mother, sent her son off to Afghanistan, and met and got engaged to her new man. Meg says the greatest challenges of her life all seemed to wrap into one year. Now she’s very happy and looking forward to a brand new year and many more.
I’m thrilled for Meg. She looks so happy, she almost looks like a different person. She was pretty before, but now she’s positively glowing. And her man looks as happy as she does. Congratulations to the lucky couple!
The budget for the entire wedding is $200o and they’ve already booked the venue of a local park pavilion for the entire day for just $188. It’s in a nature preserve, so they can’t have amplified music, but Meg says her son is a guitar genius so he’ll play acoustic guitar with his friend on bongo. The preserve is on a lake, so they may dock their boat for the post-ceremony getaway.
Meg says it’s terribly hot in North Carolina in August, so the wedding will take place at 10am. She’s looking for ideas on catering, table centerpieces, and wedding favors. She sews, so she’ll probably be retro-fitting some kind of a white summer dress.
More details:
The colors are white, black, and red. The groom will be wearing a white Navy officer’s uniform. They’re trying to keep the guest list to 125, including the wedding party. Rod’s Navy buddies will hold swords over the couple after their vows.
The menu will be brunch style.
Okay readers, you’ve been brilliant in the past on everything from zucchini recipes to shower curtains, so I know you’ll have loads of tips for a frugal summer wedding. Please leave your ideas and suggestions for Meg in the Comments section. Thanks!
Hihi!
I’m not really good with these things but I’ll try to help. Here’s a gallery of possible wedding favor ideas:(http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/diy-wedding-index). I hope that it will be useful!
Congratulations Meg and Rod! I love the idea of a frugal wedding! So many weddings are about excess and overindulgence (and the food waste so horrifying). Great idea to have it in a park.
Are there local farmers markets or nearby farms for the flowers? My local farms in New Jersey have stunning flowers that time of year. Charitable donations are always nice in place of a favor. I got a seed packet at an environmental group’s fundraiser as a favor and thought that was a lovely idea.
Congratulations, you two!
My suggestion? We had some friends who threw a lovely outdoor wedding, and they used all of their (and their family’s) own reusable silverware, plates, and napkins. It was a fun mix of beautiful patterned plates and different styles of silverware and just made the evening seem more magical. They had a finger food buffet (and had several family and friends make various dishes instead of catering) so the dishes and silverware was just laid out on tables for people to grab. They had a few tables and chair set up (all borrowed from friends) and several picnic blankets, and pillows to sit on. If you are having more formal tables set up, maybe each table could have it’s own “theme” of plates and silverware from different people’s collections. That might help keep all of one person’s dishes together in one spot for easier clean-up and identification of whose is what.
Centerpieces? They can be as easy as votives in mason jars with sand or pebbles in the bottom. We personally bought a case of oranges, lemons, and limes for our wedding ($50 total, I think) and filled several hurricane vases on each table (that our wedding venue provided) with the citrus. It was WAY cheaper than flowers!
Good luck!
Congrats Meg and Rod.I got married in 1990.I would have loved an outdoor wedding.I do have a few suggestions.First of all,if you have a local VFW hall near you,you can rent tables and chairs there.You can get a discount on the center pieces usually if you tell them that all you want is something small and depending on how many tables of course.You can also go to the local college and request discounts.The students are eager to try out their newly acquired skills.You can also get discounts at most beauty shops or barber shops when you ask about bridal discounts.One last thing is the local thrift stores have beautiful things that can add sparkle and shine to your special day.You can also get a wedding cake made from the college.I hope your special day is as special as your picture is…….Dena
Centerpieces for the tables could be fresh fruit arrangements that can also be consumed by the guests or taken home and eaten later. Flowers can be from the grocery store or Aldi and tied with ribbons and carried in the crook of the arm. Food can be kept warm in crock pots, even if they can’t be plugged in, and if they are less than beautiful they can be covered with fabric that can be kept in place with some hot glue and ribbon. Borrow pitchers, punch bowls, crockpots, etc. or start looking for clear glass items that can coordinate at thrift stores and garage sales and use them. You can always sell or redonate after the big day. Remember lots of candles create lots of ambience. Use clear glass jars with ribbons around the neck, sand in the bottom and votives on top of the sand. They don’t have to match, the sides of the jar protect them from blowing out and the threat of fire is very minimal this way (although I suppose it could happen if you try hard enough.)
Those punch bowls mentioned above, fill them with ice and put things that have to stay chilled on top. You could even tint the ice with some food coloring so that as it melts it stays cute.
An older metal bird cage with the rounded top could be used for people to drop wedding envelopes into. Suspend it from a tree branch with ribbon. Put a pretty blanket or table cloth close by and let people put their gifts in boxes there.
Make your own invitations on the computer. Also address them using a computer database and a script font and save time, money and patience.
Plain helium baloons in bunches with ribbons and weights can be used for color throughout the venue. An aisle can be made from unbleached white muslin and the couple’s names and date can be painted at one end and that can later be cut off and framed or made into a pillow. Create “shade” by getting creative with fabric that you tie to posts put into the ground.
Most importantly, remember to enjoy and that the best part of the day is getting to marry the person you love. Hope some of these ideas help.
Since this a second wedding for Meg (Congratulations!!) she probably has all of the “housekeeping” items she needs, and could ask for the guests to bring a brunch dish in lieu of a gift. Her friends will know she is frugal and on a budget and will be happy to participate. This idea may sound crass, but I attended a wedding and reception where the bride and groom did this, and we had a great time enjoying everyone’s home cooked food!
I like decorating tabletops, buffets, and mantels with winding swaths of fabric. I buy half priced straight dresses and long skirts at Goodwill for about $2.50 each and cut/sew them. The easiest way I have found: buy a long (below the knee or longer) straight(ish) dress or skirt and sew the bottom hems together. At the other end, cut off arms, necklines, waistbands,etc. Open the side seams. You have long piece of fabric that only needs to be hemmed along the sides and the new ends. Twist, drape, and even knot to your heart’s content! Mix and match a variety of red and black fabrics. If the skirt or dress is lined, you get a second “runner” free! These can be reused for other events, or later sewn into other items.
Congrats Meg! I kept my wedding very cheap and think it turned out great! I made my own wedding
favors. I cut out squares of red scrapbook paper (which is thicker than regular paper) I used a stamper with “‘Live well, laugh often, love much” on it. I stamped red paper with silver ink then wrote Jenn and Bill 2005 with silver pen and added a silver border. I put magnets on the back and placed the finished magnet gift above each guests dinner plate. Flowers: I went to a how to class “free” at a floral shop and made my own bouquets. The bridesmaids bouquets doubled as center pieces on the head table. We had vases waiting on the table after the ceremony. I decorated the guest tables with candles and red rose pedals. You need only about 2 roses per table that way and it looks beautiful with the candles. You can hunt thrift stores and garage sales for different clear candle holders. The random sizes paired together as a center pieces looks almost high end so how needs to know it’s cheap and cheerful.
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My son and his new wife used small glass canning jars for drinks. There were old thrift store teacups for the candleson the tables. She remade her mother’s wedding dress, which was spectacular, and all the flowers were handmade from material. The top of the wedding cake was from her mom and dad’s wedding cake. It was both economical and environmentally friendly wedding and a lot of fun.
Wow, these are some fantastic ideas! Thank you, readers! Keep them coming!
I love the idea of draping fabric for shade. It would serve the function of an umbrella, but could be prettier and more interesting. I picture white cotton or muslin draped loosely between two poles or sticks. I also love the centerpiece idea of fresh citrus, or sprinkling rose petals on the tables. Red petals on white tableclothes would be beautiful. I also love the idea of seed packets as favors, and have also received a mini tree in a pot before, which was really nice at an outdoor wedding.
White summer dresses are one of my favorite things, and I’ll bet you could find one at a thrift store between April and June, especially if you know how to sew and could alter it.
I would definitely enlist friends to help, especially in certain areas. For example, a friend who loves to bake could bake the wedding cake. It doesn’t have to be a fancy or traditional one, but you can give some guidance and then see what they come up with. And some good friends of mine asked me to address their wedding invitations and write the placecards because they said I have such nice handwriting. I was honored and happy to be part of their special day. I would definitely recommend asking a friend to take care of that task.
Meg, I hope you can use some of these ideas, and readers, feel free to keep sharing your thoughts.
I really love & appreciate all of these ideas and since I’m creative, by nature, it has set my wheels spinning with inspiration; especially after a tough weekend!
I think I failed to mention, the toughest part of planning our wedding date is because we each have three kids; three daughters, three sons–ages 18-23! They are spread out, in college, Army, internships, etc, so that really has been my biggest stressor; trying to include all of them. I am resolved now, to whoever is in town on that date.
I already have a white summer dress that I will retro-fit w/something special that my sister-in-law found for $6.99 at Goodwill! She also picked up a $9.99 two pc. wedding ladies suit, that I will use to make ringbearer pillows, dog leashes & collars, for our Basett Hound & Jack Russell, who are our ring bearers!
The same, said sis-in-law, is making a small bride & groom cake; the rest will be petit-fours.
The heat here by 11 AM will be unbearable in August, so that’s why the early morning time between 10-11 am.
My neighbor is an excellent photographer & will be doing our pictures & video. His work is amazing! That’s their gift to us, and his wife is helping with food prep & anything I need.
I think we have narrowed our guest list down to 75 people, which will include only close family & friends & military contacts. Also, we are considering (a suggestion from our neighbors) that we get married, right out on the lawn here, by the beautiful lake where we live. That way, in addition to some live music, we can have amplified music. We will have to rent tables, chairs, etc.
The food will be by my family & friends. I have really struggled with this concept, but as one reader posted, most of our friends/family know us already and won’t find it offensive. For those who have to travel a distance, I have thought of asking for them to bring beverages(easy to transport) or flowers (for them to take as wedding favors), instead of wedding gifts, as we really don’t need anything, but their company to share our special day.
Invitations will be “homemade” by scrapbook & home computer. I didn’t pick out attendants dresses & am more concerned about what our girls pick out & what it will add to our costs! They are all so beautiful and if we pull this off, I can’t wait to share all of the pictures with everyone! But….I am VERY nervous about what Rod’s brothers & their wives are going to think! They are from New York & Cuban/Italian!!! Not sure what they will think about our Southern Hospitality! lol Plus, they mostly speak Spanish, which I do not! This is worrying me, a little…
Your wedding plans sound lovely! Can you get the brothers and their wives to contribute to music ideas for the party after? Or something else special for them as a group?
I think your wedding sounds like it will be lovely. Congratulations!! I hope we get to see some pics!
I created centerpieces for my best friend’s wedding using bulk-ordered yellow roses from a grocery store. It was so much less expensive than going through a florist. We tied lavender tulle around the containers (her colors were lavender and yellow). With any leftover flowers, you could pull off the petals and scatter them around the cake, tables, or dry the petals (or whole flower heads) and glue them in a shadowbox frame with a wedding pic for a keepsake.
You don’t happen to have a lot of canning or Mason jars do you? Those could make unique flower containers. Or you could borrow various containers from friends.
Favors suggestion – homebaked goodies (especially something “Southern” if you’ve got out of towners) and/or a charitable donation (perhaps inexpensive care packages for soldiers – since you have a child in the Army-can use coupons to get items,etc.), herbs in pots, flower seeds, local item, etc.
“Guestbook” idea – Fedex Kinkos out here (Ohio) sells a “wedding poster” which contains a photograph of your choice and room for guests to sign. Later on, you could get it framed. I’ve also found another version of this idea – at BB& Beyond, a matted picture frame with room for guests to sign. Could be a bit pricey though – starts at $50 with room for 75 signatures, they have bigger sizes – but perhaps if you have one of their coupons and if someone gives you a gift card or they go on sale… just thinking out loud. 😉 You could also just get a picture of the two of you blown up and matte it so that the guests can sign the matte border.