ON A TIGHT BUDGET? HAVE YOUR DREAM WEDDING OR PARTY AT HOME
Are you on a tight budget? Have you thought of hosting a wedding or party at home, garden or in a club house?
We at A-wedding Day received many requests for information about planning a home dream wedding, engagement party, shower, or a special birthday party on a budget. In today’s economy many people who thought of having their party at a hotel or a hall simply can no longer afford it. Well, all is not lost. You have alternatives.
It seems that an article on the subject will help many plan not only weddings, but other events such as engagement parties, showers, holiday parties, birthday parties and any other type of party hosted in a home, a garden, on the beach or even in a community club house.
Kelly wrote:
Dear A-wedding Day: I am planning a simple elegant ceremony followed by an at home (garden) wedding reception
I am on a rather strict budget.
I need ideas for
Inexpensive yet elegant invitations,
Reception recipes like finger foods and easy buffet items,
Inexpensive and easy to make centerpieces,
Reasonably priced wedding accessories to go with my beach theme wedding
Inexpensive and easy to make Favors
If you have other ideas that will help me to actually have my dream wedding without going over my small budget, I’ll surely appreciate them.
Thanks!
Kelly
This article is our actual response to Kelly but is intended to serve others as well. Nothing can be more personal and economical than having a wedding in a home, yours or a friend’s, a relative’s or maybe even your boss. but there may be some considerations.
You must condsider the size of the house, garden or club house when preparing your guest list. You want your guests to be comfortable and enjoy your special day. Unless you, a friend, family member or even your boss has an enormous house, garden or club house, limit the number of your guests to the number of people you’ll be able to accomodate comfortably. Though I am writing about celebratory parties in general such as Engagement, Shower, special anniversary or birthday, I’ll call it wedding because most of our visitors are interested in weddings, as is reflected in Kelly’s question.
Consider your wedding day, the day that will change your life or any other important occasion you want to celebrate. You do not want to be bogged down with various details. The people who helped you put the party together, want to enjoy it too.
So, if not for the planning, be sure to hire help for the entire length of the party. (to serve, clean etc. I found college kids who want to make a couple of bucks, are serious and eager to help.)
Now, to the details.
FLOWERS
Since a home or a club house is small in terms of space, you do not need a lot of flowers.
Go with the seasonal flowers that you can purchase in your supermarket, Costco or Sams Club.
They are fresh and beautiful.
Some supermarket even offer personalized floral arrangements at a price that is a fraction of what a florist would charge.
If you have one, use flowers from your own garden. Can you imagine more personalized flower arrangements?
If you opt for Silk or Satin flowers, check your local arts and crafts store. I know that Michaels can help with silk flowers. Silk flowers are beautiful and look natural. They will not wilt, are non-allergenic and can become a family keepsake.
INEXPENSIVE CENTERPIECE IDEAS
- Candles in Hurricane vases,
- Floating candles in glass bowls,
- A basket filled with candle or soap fruit. The fruit can later serve as favors,
- A fruit bowl
- A flower or a few flowers of different heights in a bottle, see picture.
- Get creative. Place greens and or flowers in an orange as in picture. stick a few cloves in the orange for fregrance.
- If you have children, have them create something and use it, they will feel great helping out,
- If you have a theme, create a theme related centerpiece.
- A flower vase with flowers from your garden, a local supermarket, Costco, Sam’s Club or silk flowers from a hobby store,
- A small cake or cupcakes that will eventually serve as dessert,
- You may also check online and may find some real bargains.
- Bride and groom – specific to weddings.
- hearts – can be used for weddings, engagements, anniversaries and of course Valentines Day,
- Pumpkins, cornucopia and cranberries are appropriate for any fall event,
- Snow Man – appropriate for any winter event, as are winter holidays’ items,
INVITATIONS AND STATIONERY
Create, word and print your own Invitations and stationery on your computer Ink Jet or Laser printer. Imagine the savings if you can buy complete kits that include 50 elegant invitations, 50 note cards with their envelopes at a stationery, office supply stores and best of all, online. .
Print your own Invitations and stationery on your computer Ink Jet or Laser printer. Imagine the savings if an elegant invitation and note card with their envelopes as well as 50 note cards and their envelopes, are available in stationery office stores and online.
ENTERTAINMENT
Arrange for music for the ceremony and the reception. An at-home wedding does not have the appropriate acoustics for a loud DJ or Band. If you want live music, a guitar/flute, a harpist, a harp/flute duo, or a keyboar player will do well. If you have a piano in the room it too can be played to generate your music. Otherwise, choose your favorite songs and classical pieces, and use your computer with good speakers to provide background and dancing music.
CATERED PARTY
If you want your wedding, party or event catered at great savings, check if there is a culinary school in your area. If so, contact them to see if you can get a local culinary class to cater your wedding reception as a class project. Some culinary schools will provide food, others will provide only the service. If you plan on a catered event, you may need to buy or rent tables and chairs as well as table cloths, napkins, dishes, flatware and drinkware, serving plates, serving bowls, serving utensils, a chafing dish, a tea pot, coffee urn, sugar bowl and creamer.
SELF CATERED PARTY
You’ll probably be very busy just before the wedding so if you have access to Costco or Sam’s Club, you’ll find lots of Prepared Foods, cold cuts, cheses, dips, salads and just about anything you need for perfect finger foods and desserts for your wedding reception or party.
Additionally if you buy wines or other alcoholic beverages, either one accepts return of any un-opened bottles, providing it is done in a timely manner. That is within a week or two from purchase date.
If you plan on a self serve that is very casual you should have buffet style serving tables, you may be able to do away with the guest tables and you may choose high quality disposable napkins, plates, flatware and drinkware, but unless you have or can borrow, you may still need to buy or rent the serving tables with table cloths, the, serving plates, the serving bowls, the serving utensils, the tea and coffee urns, the sugar bowl and the creamer.
SOME FOOD IDEAS:
Be sure that your food presentation is clean looking and attractive.
Also be sure you have plenty of each item.
Following is a list of items that are inexpensive, easy to prepare or just display and easy to clean after.
Finger Foods
- Cheese and crackers,
- Fruits and nuts,
- Relish trays,
- Antipasto tray including: marinated peppers, artichoke hearts, olives etc…
- Vegetables and dips,
- Salads such as green, pasta, potato, coleslaw etc…
- A variety of sliced cured meats for make your own sandwiches,
- Various breads and rolls
- Condiments: catsup, mayonaise, mustard, salt and pepper,
- Chicken wings
- Chicken breasts also go a long way and are often on sale at our local supermarkets. They freeze well before and after they are cooked, so you can buy them at anytime and have them ready for chicken nuggets etc….
Beverages:
- cold non alcoholic drinks,
- Hot drinks – Tea, coffee, decaf and to go with them – sugar, cream and lemon,
- desserts including baked goods.
- Alcoholic drinks of your choice. If yours is a wedding reception, don’t forget the champagne.
Ethnic foods
Mexican food is also easy and inexpensive!!
- Refried Beans,
- rice
- tortillas
- Salsa
- Avocado dip
- Tacos
- Burritos
- 7 layer taco dip
Middle Eastern Humus and pita (Chickpeas dip with pocket bread)
Italian Mini Pizzas
Chinese egg rolls are also inexpensive, easy to heat and serve and most everyone likes them, Sushi.
WEDDING CAKE IDEAS:
You can have a single layer frosted cake decorated with flowers as in picture. You can have a cupcake tower topped with a single layer wedding cake. Your guests will enjoy the cupcakes and you will have a wedding cake to cut a slice to serve each other and freeze the rest for your first anniversary. The wedding cake cupcake tower has become quite popular. If you plan on a bakery wedding cake but want to save money here too, Ask your baker to frost 2 Styrofoam circles or rectangles if you plan on a sheet cake, and decorate them as if they were actual cake layers and have only the top layer be a real cake.
Do not serve the wedding cake to your guests. Instead, have a sheet cake or cupcakes to serve all your guests so you may freeze the wedding cake top for your first anniversary.
WHERE NOT TO SAVE
There are a few wedding needs on which you should consider applicability and quality over price.
Do not try to save, but get the best photographer as you’ll not be able to re-do your wedding for pictures.
Get the best and most appropriate wedding accessories, whether you want to coordinate for a theme wedding, a color or anything else. Your wedding accessories will become your treasured wedding keepsakes and family heirlooms.
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Nily Glaser the founder of the A-wedding Day Magazine, is a published author who presented workshops for wedding professionals all over the USA. She is the author of the almost 400 page downloadable, personalized, printable Wedding Planning Guide – book. It contains information, tips, ideas, worksheets that include details to be used when interviewing vendors and checklist Using it, you won’t forget any detail. Yes, for a limited time, you can login, download and print what you need, FREE, with no strings attached. To get it Click Here
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