Wedding on a Budget

So we’ve successfully met with two different photographers and they are both good but different.

Candidate #1 is full of energy. She specializes in staged photography.

Candidate #2 is laid back. She seems to be better with candid photography.

Who to choose?  We can keep looking but we don’t to end up with no photographer either. Hmmm…too bad I can’t afford to have both. Of course, if I could afford it then I would just hire a super duper photographer that can do both.  My thought is to hire the one that does candids for the day of the wedding. Then we can also do a portrait session later because we don’t have a big wedding party. It’s just us.

What to do?

It has finally been decided.  The wedding will be on Sunday, May 9, 2010. And yes, it happens to also be mother’s day.

We thought about making it Friday instead but if folks are in town for a friday wedding then most likely they can’t make it home for Mother’s day so we’ll just do Sunday.  Brian will graduate on Saturday and then married on Sunday.

Brings back memories of my graduation. I had the closing on my house, moved from my apartment and graduate with my master all in one week. A house full of family and friends with not everything unpacked. It was busy and exciting!

I know that May 2010 will be super busy also but will be great! YAY!

So Brian and I were bad customers yesterday. We were suppose to go up to see another wedding venue. It was all scheduled and we had a plan. Then all the wrenches started flying. He had to go into work so I pushed the appointment back a few hours. Perfect, not at problem.

Then we found a house we wanted to make an offer on Friday but needed to get a pre-qual letter from a lender. Well, we found a really nice consultant that was willing to work on a Sat to help us. Well, that also meant we were sitting in his office when we were suppose to be at the venue. Oooops.

I’m debating on if I should call her and ask her for another appointment. We really weren’t that excited about the location or the building based on the pictures online. *sigh* House is more important so no worries but I do feel bad for being a bad customer.

So I did something I didn’t think I would do.  I was planning on not looking at dresses for a little while because unlike a venue I don’t need to book it a year in advance. That and I’d like to lose a little weight. I could always make alterations, sure….but the more extensive the alteration the more I have to pay.

Well after talking to one of my best friends about dresses I was online just looking.  I found some  I really liked as I did before when I browsed online. This time I saw one that was really nice. Keep in mind, I have not gone in to try on any dresses yet so I don’t know what looks good on me. So the dress was nice in the picture.  It was on super duper clearance  and they had my size. hmmmm. A $600.00 dress for $50. You really can’t beat that. 

After about an hour, I bit the bullet. I ordered a wedding dress. Note: I said “a” wedding dress, not “my” wedding dress. I’ve wasted more money than that on other stuff so if it doesn’t work out, its okay. There is no return option so its mine whether I like it or not. Hopefully it works great and that a lot less than I had budgeted! Fingers crossed.

So I knew I wanted to print my own invitations. I wanted something simple for my simple wedding. I woke up one morning watching TV and saw an ad for Big Lots. They got a shipment of Martha Stuart Wedding Collections. Each piece was only $2.00. Hmmmm….I better go check this out.

I arrive and quickly go toward the stationary section. Hoping they have something I will like. I see only one Invitation box left. And it was one of the few designs they had that I even liked!. Its called the eyelet cut. It was perfect and for $20 for a box of 40 invitations, it was even more perfect. I was able to get matching, note cards, RSVP cards, thank you cards, place cards, favor boxes, guest book, and a signing frame. All stationary….DONE. Now I can still use my creative style to print something nice on it and truly make it mine. yay! So I suppose Big Lots played a big role in saving the day too!

So we’ve seriously considered doing a Vegas package. Seriously!

All inclusive. You just have to show up in your wedding dress and tux. We seriously felt this would be the cheapest way to go since they have packages starting at $500. Well, then I start truly researching. They have a photographer for you and you and your guest are not allowed to take any pictures so you are stuck with the 20-50 they take. Thats it!

You only get up to 15 guest to attend ceremony. Which is okay since we knew not everyone will fly out there. But the cost only included cake reception, no food, no drink. Then you add in taking folks to dinner, hotel cost, meals while we are there. We have to fly mom out too.

So we aren’t really saving too much money.  So we decide to research all inclusive venues in Ga.

I didn’t know there was so much that went into finding the right photographer for your wedding. I also didn’t realize how much they cost!  It’s crazy on a budget. But I have to admit that these folks have a talented skill and I suppose they should be well rewarded.

Things we’ve come up with to ask a photographer:

• Do you do any other photography other than weddings?
• What is your style or expertise? (formal, candids, artistic, etc)
• Do you have wedding packages?
• Do you sign over copyright releases for all photos?
• Do we have to get prints made through you?
• Do you create wedding albums?
• If so, do these albums have to be committed to when we sign or can we decided after the wedding and we see the pictures?
• Do you do engagement photos?
• Do you do pre-wedding/bridal sessions?
• Do you do “Trash the Dress” shoots?
• What type of editing/enhancements do you do to the photos before delivery?

And the list keeps growing.

Ever since our announcement of our engagement, the most frequently asked question has been, “When is the big day?”

We don’t know yet. It will be a 2010 date.  We were looking at May and now March is also in consideration. It would be nice to do a May wedding on the same weekend that Brian graduates. It would be the ultimate life changing weekend!  But May is also a quirky time for 1) family that works at a company that in the past has had mandatory attendance in May and 2) it might conflict with friends that work in academia as the Spring semester comes to an end. Our guest list is so small that a few missing people makes a big difference.

So why March instead of April or June? Its too hot in June. I don’t want both my guest and I baking in the heat. April isn’t so bad. But rumor has it that March is a month that few couples consider for a wedding so obtaining venues and vendors is much easier and possibly cheaper.

We know that we need to set a date soon and we really can’t do too much planning without a date in mind since the first thing a photographer asks you is, when is it so I can see if I’m even available before wasting everyone’s time.

We are starting this blog so that we can keep up with what each other are doing as far as the wedding planning goes. To be honest, so Brian knows what I’m up to.

Also its for family, friends and strangers to give us feedback.

For those of you that are don’t know us, please take a look at the About page.