My November wedding.My final preparations for the big day,mse style.

shelovestobuystuff

I can,t believe I have just over 4 months,NOW 2 WEEKS!!!, to go till my wedding day.I seem to have been planning for ages and thinking its too soon to book,buy anything,wait till nearer the time.Now it is nearer the time and time is going much quicker it seems.
I want to use this thread to keep my final stage plans in order and have a record of my MSE inspired wedding.The last 4 months is where everyhting will happen for me,paperwork,final payments,the last big push for funds via ebay and bootsales to pay for rest of the wedding.
So far the venue is paid and we have a deposit paid to the string emsemble.Loads more to do in the final few months:eek:

Heres my wedding planner/budget/to do list so far
My wedding budget started at £7k and I have shaved it already to get it down to £6k,hope to end up closer to £5k now as I cant be sure of getting the income from ebay I was getting when we decided to take the plunge and get wed.
The biggest thing,the venue is all paid for already.

my wedding budget
287 all fees and paperwork -DONE-(£65 sent with paperwork to registrar,£250 to celebrant,£20 humanist assooc membership)
240-rings-ordered and paid,collect on 24th october
3500( 500 security deposit which we get back)venue PAID in full
700 catering for pre dinner canapes and a 5 course meal for 11 people £330 deposit paid £330 balance paid+£50 corkage
wedding cake-a gift from future MIL,baked herself
flowers-a gift from future MIL
480 music-string trio for 2 hours for ceremoney and after £70 deposit paid £330 balance paid
accordianist for 2nd night party £150(will play into the wee small hours)
30 for eco/wish lanterns and sparklers-ordered lanterns £17.99from play
325 photographer-£50 deposit paid,balance now paid in full
21 invitations,placecards etc
450 my outfit ordered in July,deposit paid /fitting 25th Sept/final fitting on 23rd october
97 wedding lingerie gok wan pants and waist cincher,m&s moulded cup strapless bra
22 my wedding shoes purple pumps from barratts on the high street
100 2 bridesmaids outfits
300 groom and my sons outfits
29 wedding insurance-paid ages ago
Hair and make-up,£90 for me,£35 for niece,£35 for my mum,£20 for OH,s mum(hair only) and DD £20 for hair only.£200.
just under my 6000 budget but will try to cut back as much as possible wherever I can,cheaper photographer would cut that cost by half,saving around £300.If I can get away with a standard size dress rather than made or measure I will save another £50,will see if we can save anything on the mens outfits as therse have not been chosen yet so the £300 is just a guide.

roxalana

Well done for everything you have done so far.

Tigerlilley1980

Wow, well done so far! Will enjoy reading all your planning! We are quite close in wedding dates, ours is the 5th December! Tiger x

rinroo

Well done you do seem very organised!

I am abit like you, feeling as if its too soon to by anything or 'do' anything lol

Cant wait to see how the final months plan out for you!

shelovestobuystuff

We were thinking of buying an M&S cake,infact we had basically decided we would get the celebration cake in white with silver ribbon with our names and wedding date iced on top,all for £28,then MIL totally surprised us yesterday with her 2nd attempt at the perfect carrot cake and thats now what we are going for,it was the best we have ever tasted.MIL is doing it as a gift and making a carrot cake,chocolate cake and victoria sponge so we will have everyones favourites.I asked what size cake pans she used so that I could start looking for cake plates for displayand was told not to bother as she is doing that too.I tried to find out what they,future MIl and SIL are planning for the cake display but they are keeping tight lipped.So that is another thing which I wont find out until the day,the cake display and my flowers.
SIl is making my wedding jewellery too and I am so gratefull that the family are so keen to do things for us and contribute like this to our big day.I would never have asked but they offered and I accepted gratefully.I have to say it does make you realise you are loved when people put so much effort into helping make the day perfect.

shelovestobuystuff

Photographer dilemma,
to go for the expensive one or a cheaper one.I must be an old meany because although I absolutely love the photographer I picked and am totally confident we will get great photos from him I just cringe when I think about the cost.This is my first choice photographer, www.justinscobie.co.uk we need to pay a £300 deposit,£300 balance and thats just for 2 hours shoot time,the actual dics,dvd or photos would be chosen afterwards and may cost anything up to another £500.He is an amazing photographer though and has given me this reduced time package and is letting us choose products after the wedding so we can afford him.
OR
these guys are good and affordable.For what we would pay justin in a deposit alone we can get these photographers for 3-4 hours and they will take hundreds of photos. 6 dvd copies(we would give them to family) of all the best tidied up/edited images they take as high rel j.pegs to have made into photos as we like.They can do us a little album too if we like. www.sandyfeaphotography.co.uk

what should I do?Pay £600-1100 for justin or go for the other ones?I do like the other ones too and there are lots of very good pictures in their portfolio.The style is very different though and I am struggling with deciding between the expensive photographer and the budget one.I cant decide if it matters that much to justify possibly as much as an extra £900.

What do you think?

ncv2

IMHO the photographer is very important. Other then the rings pictures will be the only thing left of the day. I think if you can swing it get the one you really like.

GL

mrshaigh2b1987

wow uv got plenty done and seem really organised! I look 4ward to reading thru ur planning x

svjenni

To me the photos aren't that important - You will almost certainly get 2 or 3 really good pics that can go on mantlepieces/ windowsills etc. Are you really going to look at them a lot? every single one?

If you can say that you would get them out each year and reminice and are that sort of person then go for it, otherwise I wouldn't bother

I'm paying £250 for 4 hours and a uncopyrighted cd of the ones we like the most, that plus the guest ones will be more than enough for us!

Violetta_2

Would you loose anything if you cancelled the photographer you have already booked and are the others available at that time?

mgardner

I did have an expensive professional photographer at my wedding, over 45 years ago
but now find that the ones I really value are the guest ones. The professional ones seem so stiff and dated now and I never look at them, whereas the candid guest ones raise so many happy memories of family and friends sadly no longer here. Did Grandad reallty take out his teeth and put them by his plate, did Auntie Eileen really show her knickers in an vigorous rock and roll. OMG by baby brother now 58 in short pants.
If I had to do it again I would have saved the money.