Happy Wednesday everyone! If you didn’t notice, I changed the blog a little. What do you think?
Anyways, to get to the topic of this post, I’m very excited for my friend’s wedding. We have a little bit of a problem with her wedding though. She started planning very late, and just started looking at venues. And when I say “very late”, I mean it: they’ve been together for around 12 years, and didn’t start thinking about venues until this past week, and they want to get married by early fall.
She wants a winery wedding, and she’s called a ton of wineries, and they are all booked for 2012 AND 2013. So she doesn’t know what to do. I feel like this is insane that all the wineries are booked for the next 2 years.
Some of the wineries that she liked have space available on Fridays and Sundays, but she wants to get married on a Saturday of course. How does everyone feel about weddings on Fridays and Sundays? She doesn’t really know what to think about it. Her wedding will have around 150 people attending altogether, and she’s afraid that most people won’t be able to show up if it was on a Friday or Sunday.
So now we have to start thinking of something else. We went to a bridal show last weekend, but we skipped all of the reception venue booths, because she absolutely knew that she wanted a wedding at a winery. I feel bad now for not having her look at other venues.
I’ve never been a part of a wedding before, and I feel horrible that I know nothing. Anyone have any tips? What should I know, what should I do? Ahhh help!
Below are all very basic ideas, so if you have any ideas on specifically how we can save money, let me know! Things that we’ve thought of that we could save on:
- Having the reception and ceremony take place on a Friday or Sunday
- Making some of the decorations
- Seeing if we know anyone who could provide any services
Now here’s some picture overload of kind of how she wants the wedding to be like:
We have a shared Pinterest board so that we can all pin stuff that remind us of what she might like, and I love all of this. I’m not going to lie, I’m posting things that I would love about my wedding on this wedding board also. It’s all so pretty!
If you have any wedding planning tips or anything that you want to share, please let me know!
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Nichole says
When I was planning my wedding, I had heard the same thing about saving money if your wedding was on a Friday or Sunday. I feel like this is a myth. In my experience, every venue we looked at didn't have lower rates depending on the day or not (maybe it used to be like this, but everywhere you like to plan, it's like this "secret" is out, or something). If your friend chooses a Friday or Sunday wedding anyways, if you give enough notice to friends & family (like w/ save the dates), they will usually make sure they can come regardless! Gah, I could go on and on but I'll stop for now. I so miss planning my wedding and it's awesome you're such a good friend to even post about someone else's wedding for tips. Happy planning 🙂
Live Simply- Live We says
I have been to several Friday and Sunday weddings, and I think they are perfectly acceptable. If you get the same service for half the price, I would say do it.Tell her not to stress. Ergot engaged and married in less than six weeks! Plus, tell her it really is one day in her life. The marriage, not the wedding needs to take the center stage. It is more important to focus on life artery swerving than the day itself. I told my husband and parents that I would rather have a big life, than a big wedding.
Live Simply- Live We says
Wow, I didn't check that after I posted. iPad auto correct was a beast! It should say, I got engaged…….Focus on life after the wedding
Soccerbelle says
My daughter got married on a Friday. Because money was an issue, it was always going to be a small wedding with close family and friend (around 120 total). Because the guests that were invited wanted to be there, having it on a Friday in summer wasn't a problem. They had a great time and still had their weekend. The service started at 5:30pm, so those who wanted (or had) to work could still get their time in with only slight inconvenience. My daughter was more focused on the marriage than the wedding event and I'm very proud of her for that.
Lane R says
I would prefer to go to a Friday wedding over a Sunday one. I don't know if it would save any money you would have to talk to the winery. Love all the inspiration pics so beautiful. I wish Pinterest was around when I got married!
Emily @ evolvingPF says
If it was a wedding I was planning to attend anyway, I wouldn't care if it were on a Friday or Sunday.A note about shorter engagements (< 1 yr): My husband and I were engaged for 5 months and while it's definitely possible to plan and execute a wedding in that time, nearly every vendor we talked with tried to guilt-trip us for not contacting them further in advance. (We were like, ummmm we've only been engaged 3 weeks I think we're doing pretty well.) So you friend should probably try to prepare herself for more of the same.
stackingpennies says
I went to a Friday wedding last year – it was slightly annoying to have to take one more day off of work, but only slightly so. I mean, it is a wedding of someone whose wedding I wanted to be at. It was not a big deal.Good luck to your friend!
Stephanie says
I don't know if the Friday/Sunday thing would save money, but it might help her just GET a wedding date. If she's concerned about people being able to show up, I'd recommend a late Friday or early Sunday wedding, so people are less likely to need to take off from work in order to attend (for Friday) and won't have to worry about being out late on a work night (Sunday).Oh, and flowers: if she doesn't want anything too exotic, go through a supermarket florist instead of an actual flower shop. We got our flowers from Wegmans for less than $400. The exact same flowers at a flower shop were quoted at more than twice that!
Brittany Dawn says
That last picture was my hair inspiration for my wedding too!
Jenna Hughes says
i like the new layout! a lot cleaner! I love weddings, but i haven't been to one in almost a decade !http://underthefluorescents.blogspot.com/
sarah@totalbassetcas says
I've been to both. Sundays are nice if it's a holiday weekend- otherwise it isn't worth it. Fridays are nice too but a little annoying to take off work but it is nice to still have the entire weekend to rest up.
shoppingtosaving says
My friend planned her wedding in 2 MONTHS. It was a big wedding too but they did it! She just has to be open about everything OR she needs to change her date. Saturdays are the best, and the most convenient for guests, I wouldn't do it on a Sunday for sure.
Sarah says
A winery wedding would be such a blast! I had a friend get married on a Friday night and it was fine, but then again, it was a small wedding. I'm not a fan of Sunday weddings, but that's just me. I'm sure since it's still a weekend she could pull it off.
CultOfMoney.com says
From a guys perspective, I have never had a problem attending a local wedding on a Friday or Sunday. If you will have some out of town guests, Friday weddings in the later afternoon or even are probably best for those working. It gives them the morning to travel time to freshen-up prior to the activities. Are the prices really that different compared to other days? I never say much of a difference (though that was some time ago now…)
Renee says
I would do a Friday wedding. I only say this because I assume there will be drinking (because of the venue) and people would have time to recover from a hangover and wouldn't have to worry about leaving early to get back to work the next day. Also, an off day would ensure that just those who truly care come instead of someone viewing it as a free party for them and their plus one. 🙂
All Glam Things says
Gosh!! STUNNING Pictures! Incredible!!XO,Yelenaglamthings.com
Casual Chic says
what a lovely pics:)
Newlyweds on a Budge says
my friend had her wedding on friday, july 3. it was a long weekend and most people had the day off anyway. why doesn't she try and do a long weekend friday or sunday>? (think labor day weekend?). i don't see anything wrong with a wedding on a sundsy though. just do like an afternoon thing, and make sure dancing is over around 10ish and it's all good. friday night may be harder if it's far away and people will have to drive
Lizzy says
Friday or Sunday weddings are usually less expensive. My sister got married on a Friday, and it was nice to be able to relax the next day and not feel rushed to get home.
April says
My wedding will be Friday this fall. I think everyone loves an excuse to start the weekend early. I think if she wants a night wedding, Friday would be better and if she didn't mind a brunch wedding (not sure how that works with the wine though…) a Sunday wedding would be better. If you try for a Sunday evening wedding… everyone will be looking at their watches and thinking about work the next day. But I would say, she should give plenty of notice for the Friday wedding. Oh, and I saved $1,000 by having my wedding on Friday.I've done a lot of research to find vendors that have what I want but are less expensive than the bigger names. My florist works out of her house and I absolutely love her. I would say, the absolute first thing she needs to do is set a budget and then stick to it. It will help shape everything for the wedding. All of the details are just that, details. She can have a totally amazing wedding, and stick to the $10,000 budget if she doesn't get too wrapped up in the details.It's also good to have friends and people you know help. But… from my experience and from the experience of my friends… they might not always be able to help when you need it. I think its great if you want to have someone bake the wedding cake or whatnot. But then the bride can't get angry if it's not 100% what she pictured. Its the thought and love that the friend or family put into it that made it special. If she wants it perfect, she should go to professionals. (I hope I don't sound negative saying this… I'm just trying to be realistic). So budget first, stick to it second, prioritize whats important comes third and venue probably comes fourth. Try looking at wineries that may not have weddings normally. Smaller ones perhaps? She could also have the winery wedding, and only provide small appetizers to go with it instead of a sit down meal. I think that's perfectly acceptable and would cut down on costs a TON. Planning a wedding can be super stressful and really fun all at the same time. She'll probably feel every emotion while planning and until you plan your own… you don't get it. I know I didn't get it until now. It sounds like your friend is lucky though, to have a friend like you wanting to help!
Christine says
1. I got married on a Sunday, it was awesome. We had 200 people there. BUT, almost our entire guest list was in-town guests. 2. She MUST set a budget before she does anything else! Seriously, it will easily spin out of control if you don't have an idea of what you're spending where.3. Getting people you know to do stuff for free is only good if they're actually really good at that thing. Seriously, don't get her weirdo cousin who has a nice camera but knows nothing about photography to shoot the wedding just because it's cheap. 4. Pick "splurge" items. We splurged on our photographer, but didn't give two craps about some of the other stuff.Just my two cents. 😉
Christine says
Oh, and my reception venue was SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper for the Sunday slot. 🙂 And if she's doing Sunday, she should be prepared for a day wedding. Which, honestly, I wasn't sure about at first but I ended up absolutely loving it in the end. Ok, I'm really done now.
Melissa Blake says
This is my first time visiting your blog, but I love your header! And the color of those bridesmaid's dresses are wonderful!
hklover86 says
In my opinion she should do what she has to and not worry about what others think. It's THEIR wedding. Those people who truly care will find a way to get there. I'm sure that there will be some people who cannot go but thats the way it goes.
Audrey says
I wouldn't mind having a wedding on those days. Cut costs! And those who do care about the couple enough will find a way to show up to the wedding. My friend is actually getting married on a Tuesday, well that Monday is a holiday but I am still going to take some time off and go. Shouldn't sweat the guests, as long as you have a beautiful wedding at the perfect venue with those who care about you.
GLAMOURMOES says
Lovely inspiration pictures! To bad that all the wineries are fully booked!I'm only 23 and I would love to marry ones, but I thinks it's a big difference between marrying in the Netherlands and countries outside Europe
Holly says
That's too bad that all the wineries are booked. I'm sure they are very popular choices. I think Friday weddings are becoming more popular due to people's schedules and budgets. Also, DIYing as much as possible will help with the budget. We did not want to spend much so we splurged on the venue and food and in return I made everything that I could including the invites, decorations, boutineers, signage, etc.
Debbie says
One of my sons got married on a Friday and another is getting married on a Tuesday. People will come to the wedding if they can. Sunday would seem to be a good option because it is still a weekend day. Maybe they could have a late morning wedding and a lunch to follow. They can really make that $10,000 stretch (I think that is a huge amount of money to spend on a one day thing but hey, I did my wedding and both my sons weddings for much less, like thousands of dollars less. Some of the ways we cut costs were having the bridesmaids bouquets made with silk flowers and real greenery (no one could tell the difference)and I made the buttoniers with silk flowers and slik greenery. We bought all of the silk flowers and supplies to make the above with half off coupons at various craft stores. Friends and family decorated the reception hall and it was gorgeous! Friends also helped us out with the cooking for the reception and everything was delicious. My oldest son made a playlist on his ipod of the songs the bride and groom wanted for dancing and that worked out really well. The bride's dress was her mother's that my mother altered to fit her and took off the puffy 80's sleeves and Butt Bow and made it into a spaghetti strapped dress that fit her like a glove. Her jewelry consisted her grandmother's pearl necklace and the same 2 sets of pearl earrings that I wore when I got married and gave to her before their wedding. A friend videotaped the wedding and the photographer was just building her portfolio so she took the wedding pictures for half the price any other photographers charged and the pictures were just as good if not better.
Lena says
I've been to a few weddings on Friday, and it was great! I think it all depends on how big she wants her wedding. But I'm pretty sure, everyone who really cares, we'll be there!
Lori says
those inspiration pictures are GORGEOUS. i got married on a friday and almost everybody showed up, which is NOT what we were expecting, haha! can't wait to see what she chooses : )http://penelopeblue.blogspot.com/
Emily says
I love your blog! Now following for sure!! :]thewideowrldofe.blogspot.com
Tabitha Mahoney says
I used to work in the wedding business. So as far as Friday/Sunday goes, for venues they're usually way cheaper. Just an example our venue was half on Friday/Sunday of what it was on Saturday. Also there are a ton of do it your self things like invitations/save the date, where the main cost will be postage. Using a free wedding website you can alleviate RSVP postage. Costco sells flowers for way cheap, so if you know someone who can/will do the flowers for you then you can save on flower costs. Also find a photography major online and they'll do your photos cheap. Same thing for reception entertainment there are tons of bands that would love the job for pretty cheap. Hope it helps. Tab
Michelle P says
Wow thanks everyone for such great ideas! I'll have to tell her about these (this is why sometimes I wish my blog wasn't private from my friends, because then I would just show her the post).
Curve Model Manageme says
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Ivana says
Wedding planning can be so stressful! I´m planning my own and I can totally understand your friend´s worries!xx IvanaThis is the last week to enter my "Perfect nail polish" event on Facebook! Check it out hereStop by sometimes 🙂Macarons and Pearls
Kimberley says
Last year I got married and we planned it in less than three months. I had a budget of 12K and was able to stay within that budget. The one area that really saved us money was we had our wedding and reception at the same place. We only paid $80 a head for adults and $30 for children. We were able to negotiate the per person price from $110 down to $80 because we got rid of the salad before the sit down dinner. The table decorations were included along with the cake. This was the most expensive part of the wedding and yet everybody loved the food and the venue. And we did have it on a Saturday too! Good luck to your friend and her wedding!!
movetoeurope says
We're going to a Friday wedding next week. It starts at 4pm but since I start work early, I can still go to work, get ready there & finish at 2:30pm. I don't mind going to Friday weddings which I think is better than a Sunday one. Good luck to your friend! P.S. Our wedding was on Thursday but it didn't matter as we had a destination wedding 😉