DISQUS

Jeremy Latham · 1 year ago

Do online invitations. They are cheaper and better for the environment. For a select group of folks who don't use the web, make a printable invitation and take it to your local Kinko's or Staples. I'm sure they will have some appropriate paper.

Julie · 1 year ago

Buzz,

Making Memories with Scrapbooking. Hastings & Willingdon in Burnaby. You can make your own invitations. They even have a sample book you can browse, if you are lacking the creative touch.

bz · 1 year ago

I like that.

Wonder if i could get it past the Mrs-to-be? you know how girls are.. .

Gregg Gordon · 1 year ago

We did the budget wedding too, but had many people say it was the best they have attended. We printed our own invites at home using the specially made stationery at Staples. Doing so allowed us to use the same design I made to make labels for the wine (you brew'd) and for CD labels and covers. We used CDs of our wedding music as the combination take home gift/place markers, each couple had a CD with our design and info on the front with their names on the bottom of the label placed at their designated table so they knew where to sit.

Angella · 1 year ago

We made our own invites. Printed the deets on vellum, and had Kinko's cut them (under $10! for the cutting!). Tied the vellum to a pretty blue paper with ribbon. Simple, easy, cute.

We spent about $8000, honeymoon included, and were married in Burnaby. You can do it!

Amie · 1 year ago

I'm with you Buzz on investing on your marriage, not the wedding. My second wedding had a budget of $5000 and we came in under! Nothing fancy....nuptials on the beach, the whole party of 35 walked along the boardwalk and had a wonderful meal at a restaurant will watching the sunset.

I bought my dress for under $500 by ordering a new bridesmaid dress in ivory (I was going for simple). And can I suggest Hong's Nursery in Surrey for the flowers? They came out gorgeous. And yes to Making Memories with Scrapbooking! I have seen them make them for clients....just gorgeous work!

Good Luck with the wedding planning!

Jennifer · 1 year ago

Another good option is the Paper Ya on Granville Island...now, I don't know if they can do printing, but they had amazing paper to purchase. We did all of our invites for under $200...and don't bother with reply cards (so old-school). I think a phone number and an e-mail address do the trick!

The Flower Factory on Main Street does spectacular flowers for reasonable prices...we stuck to flowers only for bouquets etc., and did a lot of candles everywhere else. It looked classic and made everything glow in the photos.

We spent under $9,000 and our wedding was memorable for the great toasts, hilarious antics of our guests and quiet moments between me and my hubby. I wouldn't have changed a thing!

Jeffery Simpson · 1 year ago

We're trying to do a budget wedding too. Our venue, the Heritage Hall on Main Street, is a bargin, Lydia's dress is going to be around $500. I'll probably buy a suit, not a tux, but then I'll have a suit I can reuse which will be the same with Lydia's dress.

I agree with you, the big budget weddings that leave the bride and groom in debt run contrary to the historical point of weddings. In the past they were to celebrate the start of two people's new lives and the gifts given were to help set them up for their lives together. Held at a relatives house they were a community celebration, and mostly potluck and thus put no fiscal hardship on the young couple.

These days they seem to be just a showy way to demonstrate how cool/rich someone is. Being neither cool nor rich I'm feeling okay with skipping that.

Marsie · 1 year ago

Hi,

I saw these posts and thought I'd reply. I recently launched an online bridal gown consignment store which is free to buyers and sellers. The idea is along the lines of craigslist, but custom tailored to brides. It's www.smartbride.net. We're just gathering gowns at this point, so it's really ground-level, but hopefully it'll develop into something helpful for the community.

:-)

Cathy · 1 year ago

For brand new gowns, maybe check out sample gowns/sample sales, or there are some REALLY nice consignment stores around (there is a nice store in Langley on the one way of Fraser Highway called Treat Bridal: www.treatbridal.com. Or, depending on how simple the gown she could buy a beautiful dress in white 'off the rack.' Your wife is welcome to have my gown but it is circa 1998 LOL. I don't even think my daughters would wear it. I spent around 800 dollars back in tha day but I wished I would have rented or bought consignment. I don't even love it anymore. My sisters gown is in a heap on the floor of her closet. My youngest sister is getting married in January 2009. She is BUDGET/BARGAIN queen. Maybe you both could chat with her. She got her gown off the rack at Champagne and Lace in Abbotsford. Good deals there too, they had a rack starting at $299 dollars and there were some very nice choices. She chose one that was around the 800 dollar mark too. Heck she could always consign it away after she wears the gown...! That way you are getting some of the $$ back.

As for invitations...do you have a friend that is graphic designer?! Maybe they could help. My sister (the one getting married) ordered hers online. They are really nice, and inexpensive but not personalized with a photo or anything. They ordered their through: www.weddingpaperdivas.com

Best of luck to you both! Exciting times, and fun to challenge yourselves with a low budget, but one that can be done most fabulously with some creativity!

Cheers, and congrats!

Cathy

nel peach · 1 year ago

MEMORIES :-) Heritage hall on Main...Gord's daughter got married there ...20 plus years ago , awesome place ...we did a Hotel Vancouver Social suite event , Ground Hog day , 1985 , dinner to follow in the ball room next door and invite of the guests to the Panorama Roof for a dance and more libations for 72 guests (total $ 5000.00 and within our budget of the day ) ....wedding suit, wedding dress to be worn at lots of parties to follow , including our 20 th here in Salmon Arm ...same body weight for both , even if things did shift a bit , ha, ha . Gord and I met at the Panaroma Roof, Jan . 2001....as I said MEMORIES ....I am clear , I do not have any advise ...but thanks for listening to our story ...Nel.

Rebecca · 1 year ago

We got our invitations from Blue Skies and Daisies and were soooo happy with them. It is based in Vancouver and run by two of the most wonderful women ever. They were great to work so easy going and friendly. They are very talented artists and really listened to what we wanted. They have great stuff. You could go for a postcard sort of invite and that would be less expensive.

May · 1 year ago

Hey Buzz,
for dress try this http://www.champagneandlace.com/brides.html . many of my clients were happy with the prices... and about flowers, if you are interested i can email you my packages..it starts from $190... let me know

May Tahmasebi
Sunflower Florist
1359 Richards Street,
Vancouver, BC
604-676-7677

Visit us at
http://www.sunflowerflorist.ca/

Heather · 4 months ago

http://www.actionliquidators.com/

I got my dress here for $170 brand new. Nothing I tried on was more than $600 (the big-name brands), and they had hundreds and hundreds of dresses in my size. They buy out other bridal salons that go out of business, so everything is SUPER cheap. Some are display models and may have some scuffs, but they steam clean for free. HIGHLY recommended!

Don't be thrown off by the way the store looks from the outside -- it's very nice inside. They have tuxes starting at $100 as well.

buzz · 4 months ago

The one on Nanaimo near 2nd? A friend was a lounge singer and used to go there all the time for gowns Great shop!

Andy · 3 months ago

I love this show! I ended up getting a new wedding dress - but I am selling it on www.SmartBrideBoutique.ca to get back about 50% of what I paid.

It's a Canadian classifieds site for Brides, and so far I've sold all my centerpieces and a bunch of other little stuff. I'm saving up for a mini honeymoon on our first anniversary!