Planning a wedding...

**MagicMan** · 09-08-2008, 08:51 AM

The plan is t get married next August or so. May as well get a head start on the rip off fest!

Here's the list of things that need to be taken care of. Am I forgetting anything?
Feel free to offer tips, tricks & places to have/get certain things. The plan is to get married on a beach (Not sure which one yet) in NJ.

-Wedding spot
-Reception
-Cake
-Flowers
-Photographer (One of her family members should be able to cover this)
-Music (I prefer live band over DJ, but what's the $ difference?)
-Music playlist

**Tide** · 09-08-2008, 08:57 AM

Run.

Run like the wind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**third_shift|studios** · 09-08-2008, 08:59 AM

this will literally consume you the next year then:
shower announcement
invitations
outdoor seating
wedding officient or priest
reception seating arrangements-that's a joy to do
gifts for those who attended
a gift box of some sort
setting up reception hall-most will charge you or you can do it the day of
alcohol arrangments
Where will out-of-towner's stay
What will you do when your/her mom/dad don't agree on your plans [that's a fun one]
Wedding Shower, location, meal
Wedding dress/bridal party attire
your tux/groomsmen attire
Gifts for your bridal party/groomsmen, your parents
something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.
Wedding Recetption After party?
day-after fair well party?
bacholer/bacholerette parties.

**GTP231** · 09-08-2008, 09:00 AM

You're actually marrying that chick?!

**third_shift|studios** · 09-08-2008, 09:03 AM

we had a band and a DJ as well as an out door wedding. We had the DJ's do the music for the processional/recessional. Once we scooted, the band entertained the family through dinner while the DJ set up inside the new location. After an hour, DJ went live and the reception moved on. it was about $1500 for all of that.

**KahanaReef** · 09-08-2008, 10:10 AM

Honestly, as a woman this may be unusual...

But I chose to skip all the big wedding crap. I decided that two weeks in Kahana Maui and a down payment on a house was a better choice. Weddings are expensive.

Just having a few friends, getting married barefoot on the beach at sunset was great.

Wishing you all the best!

**Y2KArcticSS** · 09-08-2008, 10:15 AM

Make sure you invite lots of rich people, to pay you back in wedding card money for your expenses

Me and the wife went the small wedding route, spent probably 400 total, and came out with over 1000, not counting the value of non-money gifts.

**ls1blackbeauty98** · 09-08-2008, 10:20 AM

wow.

**Y2KArcticSS** · 09-08-2008, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by ls1blackbeauty98

wow.

Wasn't planned that way, but it worked out fantastically. My wife was pregnant at the time, so we just skipped the baby shower and bought everything ourselves. See, I'm not a totally greedy bastard

**98formy** · 09-08-2008, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by KahanaReef

Honestly, as a woman this may be unusual...

But I chose to skip all the big wedding crap. I decided that two weeks in Kahana Maui and a down payment on a house was a better choice. Weddings are expensive.

Just having a few friends, getting married barefoot on the beach at sunset was great.

Wishing you all the best!

Thanks almost exactly what I am doing. Married in Vegas, honeymoon somewhere, just not sure where yet, and have a reception back home when we get back. The money saved went to the house.

**third_shift|studios** · 09-08-2008, 11:35 AM

Originally Posted by KahanaReef

Honestly, as a woman this may be unusual...

But I chose to skip all the big wedding crap. I decided that two weeks in Kahana Maui and a down payment on a house was a better choice. Weddings are expensive.

Just having a few friends, getting married barefoot on the beach at sunset was great.

Wishing you all the best!

Our families hooked us up and paid $20k for our wedding. yes, i would have prefered the romantic escape, but our families weren't feelin that vibe. Oh well, we also made like $9k in cash gifts=house.

**michaelinchains** · 09-08-2008, 11:38 AM

yeah wifey & i didnt want to start our marriage off more in debt by having a big wedding so we went to the courthouse w/ family/friends & got hitched,then had a nice reception later

**00 formula** · 09-08-2008, 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by 98formy

Thanks almost exactly what I am doing. Married in Vegas, honeymoon somewhere, just not sure where yet, and have a reception back home when we get back. The money saved went to the house.

Such a better idea, we had a medium size wedding ~80 people and looking back on it I wish we would've done something like immediate family and few friends on a destination.

The people that were the ones that wanted us to do a bigger wedding are also the ones that didn't do anything to help with the wedding (basically her entire family).

**DrMilhouse** · 09-08-2008, 12:08 PM

My wife and I have a great relationship. We've been together for almost 14 years. We got married 7 years ago. We're as happy today as the day when we first met.

The least happiest part of our whole relationship was the wedding planning.

It's cool that you have some excitement about the whole thing. Chicks dig that I guess. For me, it was more like "it's your day hun, it's what ever you want".

Big weddings are over rated, lots of gifts are nice, but paying for it, dealing with the hassle, etc.

If you're doing something expensive like getting married somewhere other than being near your home, pay attention to the expenses created for others.

A good friend asked me to be his best man at a wedding in Mexico, I couldn't afford to go, he couldn't afford to pay for me to be there. I looked like the bad guy on that for a few months.

By the way, that's a cute little list you started. TSS got you a little deeper on the list, but that's still leaving stuff out I'm sure and I have no idea what to add to the list off hand, but there's a lot more... a whole lot more that will come up between now and your wedding.

We got married in August too, the 18th.

**third_shift|studios** · 09-08-2008, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by DrMilhouse

By the way, that's a cute little list you started. TSS got you a little deeper on the list, but that's still leaving stuff out I'm sure and I have no idea what to add to the list off hand, but there's a lot more... a whole lot more that will come up between now and your wedding.

true dat, i laughed when i saw his

i was like you bro, i stayed the hell out of the decesion making. only thing i worried about was the photographer and the invitations. sounds gay, but i'm the "visual" guy and those are the things i was most concerned about. I let my mom/michlle/her mom battle abotu the rest. Too many cheifs in our wedding.

**KahanaReef** · 09-08-2008, 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by 98formy

Thanks almost exactly what I am doing. Married in Vegas, honeymoon somewhere, just not sure where yet, and have a reception back home when we get back. The money saved went to the house.

Guess I should point out that Maui was my second marriage. But, the first one, I did what you did. Vegas wedding. Party with friends and had money for a house.

Originally Posted by third_shift|studios

Our families hooked us up and paid $20k for our wedding. yes, i would have prefered the romantic escape, but our families weren't feelin that vibe. Oh well, we also made like $9k in cash gifts=house.

Hey, if the families wanted to hook you up...you can't beat that! Sounds like you made out good

Me, guess I was never one of those little girls that dreamed of that perfect wedding. I was too busy putting together hot wheels tracks and racing BMX with my brother and his friends LOL!

Nothing wrong with a big wedding if you can afford it and have always dreamed of one. Nothing at all

**Nhra Firebird** · 09-08-2008, 02:43 PM

I told my gf if we get married we are going to the justice of peace... She got mad and said she wanted her dad to give her away, and i told her i am sure he would drop her off at the door.