Mr. Coupondiva and I have been married for a few years, but I thought I'd write about ways to have a frugal (not cheap) but Elegant wedding. Remember, for some people who may be involved in your big day, "Cheap" has a negative connotation, whereas frugal, does not.
Location: This can eat up a huge portion if the budget. If you are a church goer, check to see if your church offers a discount to members. If you are not religious, or if the fee for your church is out of your budget, check out the parks and rec. in your Area. San Diego County Parks and Rec. has many great, inexpensive sites.
Who's going to marry you? If you do not have a judge, religious leader, or other ordained person available, check with the county assessor/recorder/clerks office who issues marriage license, to see if a marriage comissioner for a day is available. That way, anyone of your choosing can marry you. That's what we did.
Food and cake:If your budget is very small, skip the sit down fancy dinner. If your site allows you to bring in your own food, consider hitting up Costco, Vons, and Albertsons. They all have great service deli trays (cheese, meat, fruit, sandwiches)- they all take custom orders which would make a great spread for the post wedding shindig.
Skip the booze- Most sites tack on a crazy charge for serving booze and really, any kind of decent booze is going to eat up a good portion of your budget. Sparkling cider is pretty inexpensive at Costco or Smart and Final- You can get 4 glasses per bottle, maybe more if you are easy on the pour (for the toast).
If you or someone you know has a Costco membership, they have excellent sheet cakes that are pretty inexpensive and would serve 20-30, if you cut them to the approx. size of a piece of average wedding cake (2x2 in. approx).
Paper plates, disposable champagne glasses and napkins, as well as silverware can all be purchased in a myriad of colors from 99 cent or dollar stores. Check party supply stores, Costco, or Smart & Final for the best price (Sometimes they can be cheaper than 99 cent or dollar stores if you need to buy in bulk).
Flowers: Check wholesale flower shops or local floral shops for plain flowers. You can save a lot by making you own arrangements, bouquets and boutenierres. I got all of the flowers for my wedding at Dave flower box in north park. I did 4 bunches of roses (they are buy 1, get 1 free) and some greens for my flowers, the attendants and the table decor, and it was less than $40.00. We had to make the bouquets, but there are really easy to follow directions online. Just google "making a bountinerre".
If you want to do favors, skip Michaels. It's overpriced, even with coupons. Check out Oriental Trading Co.. Check out retailmenot.com beforehand to check for online coupon codes for free shipping of $$ off your order. They have GREAT cheap favors.
Your dress and his tux: Check out bridal dress shop sales. Check out JC Penney's website (They have nice, simple dresses). Check out Craigslist too. Think outside the box for your dress.
Tuxes: Mens Warehouse has a great deal on rentals: Rent 4 and the grooms tux is free!
Misc.: If your site doesn't come with tables, chairs and table clothes, consider asking friends and family to loan you their folding tables and folding chairs. Buy fabric at discount stores (wal-mart) to use as tablecloths.
Don't be afraid to ask for help! People love weddings and don't mind helping!
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