Bride to be needing help!

Littleone_2

Hello all, so I'm not getting married until spring 2009 but already my head is pickled with the enormity of everything that will need done :eek: , that is why I am looking around now for ideas on how to save a few pennies.

So far Ive decided im going to get a m&s cake and try and get anything that I can online cheaper however I am stuck for any recommendations on websites for bridesmaid dresses/jewellery/favours/bridal party gifts and of course honeymoon! We are hoping to go somewhere different and not the classic honeymoon, shortlists are botswana/tanzania/zambia/guatemala or cape verde and we are trying to do it as cheap as poss so if anyone knows of any travel company links that would be fantastic!

I got my wedding dress on ebay for £95 and well chuffed and hope to continue saving money with everything else. Any help would be really appreciated.

Cheers!

lostcrusader

Best Wishes for your Big Day.

I have a friend who sells Bridal wear to retail outlets. who put such a large mark up on items it is frightening.
I would be willing to ask him if he sells direct to individuals.

If so I will message you if that is any help to you.

Regards

lostcrusader

black-saturn

I've got most of the contents of my favour bags and the bags themselves from ebay really cheap.

tentickles666

wow 2009!

in theory then you have more than enough time to shop around and make sure you get the best of the bargains!

remember just because your wedding sisnt cost much doesnt mean it will be cheap! you can still get first class items for bargain prices!

doolally_2

Good luck a weddings alot to organise- have you thought of making you own invites? (you know you get all these kits these days) thats what my friend my doing, also another friend when she booked her disco for her wedding didn't tell the dj it was a wedding she just said it was a party (bit checky really) but the dj's prices were approx an extra £100 for a wedding rather than a normal party but you weren't getting anything extra, when he got there he said 'you didn't tell me it was a wedding' she replied ' no the wedding was earlier, this is a party!' it's worth noting that if you put 'wedding' in the sentance the price just goes up.!!

flis21

I got my Bridesmaid dresses from America. What we did was took the bridesmaids out to a few bridal shops. They tried on a few dresses and decided which styles they wanted. Then found the same dresses in America for half the price they are in UK!!

Had to pay a little bit in import tax, but it did work out a lot cheaper.

Also I made all my own stationery (invites, orders of service, thank you cards etc.) which worked out a lot cheaper. Still bought really nice thick card and it looked pretty professional.

And made my own favours, I had the sugared almond things, bought the circular netting, little dishes, ribbons and fabric flowers from ebay and got the sugared almonds cheap from a local shop.

My sister had a cake made by a local bakery and just told them it was for a party, which saved her a fortune. But that is only good if you don't want a traditional wedding cake.

Anyway, good luck with it all. I am almost envious. Spent over 2 years planning my wedding and loved every minute of the day when it came. Remember to relax and enjoy it!

Eccle_2

We got bridesmaids' dresses from Monsoon. They were lovely, think they were about £80 and more the sort of thing you might wear again than some of the traditional ones. Definitely worth a look round the high street.

We made our own stationary, but it did take a long time and I wasn't totally happy with it. If you do it, stick with a nice simple design.

Favours we didn't bother with. Personally, I don't get them for the most part, the majority of guests don't understand them and won't miss them, so I wouldn't bother.

Another suggestion - if you can find a florist that works from home they're cheaper as they don't have the overheads. Ours also did arrangements to go onto our M&S cake and made sure it was set up ok for us on the day (we hired a stand for it for about £10).

Katmc2k

how about venezuala or costa rica for honeymoon? saw some decent priced packages going there this year, just make sure u look at tripadvisor for reviews of the hotel, i think some are what we would call 2* and u might want a wee bit more luxury on your honeymoon.

Becles

doolally wrote: »

also another friend when she booked her disco for her wedding didn't tell the dj it was a wedding she just said it was a party (bit checky really) but the dj's prices were approx an extra £100 for a wedding rather than a normal party but you weren't getting anything extra,

Be very careful doing this. We charge extra for a wedding disco as we put a lot more effort goes into planning a wedding disco compared to a party.

Someone did this to us, and hubby turned up and set up his equipment. The happy couple came through for a quick word before the guests arrived and discovered that hubby did not have the track they wanted as a first dance, which led to disappointment for them.

Had we known in advance it was a wedding, hubby would have made sure he found this out and bought the music ready.

vickitoria100

Littleone wrote: »

I dont have the time to go through all the existing threads therefore any help would be really appreciated.

you have until Spring 2009! and how can you expect many of us to have the time when you can't be bothered?! :rolleyes:

you'll never get as much invaluble information as you will in the original wedding tips thread so i suggest you read that. search within it for different subjects to narrow it down.

Littleone_2

Im sorry if anyone was aggravated by the fact that I dont have a lot of time on my hands to go through existing threads, that is why I am starting planning now as I have personal circumstances at home. I dont expect everyone who reads this to leave a comment but to those who have helped thank you so much.