Fall Weddings - Part 2

One of the first things that my husband and I decided on when planning our fall wedding was that we would stay within our small budget. Invitations were the first item that I wanted to take care of, and we opted for a medium-sized guest list. We have a lot of church family, and we didn't want to leave anyone out. In order to save money, we decided to create our own invitations, rather than spend money ordering them. I went to a local office supply store and found some autumn patterned stationery. I designed the wording on my parents' computer, and we printed them out. They were beautiful, and they cost us next to nothing!


When we figured out how many guests we were planning for, we started looking into food options. When reflecting on autumn and the splendor that it beholds, we considered the bounty in harvest time. A cornucopia of foods was our final decision. Again, we were sticking to a small budget, so we took a trip to our local Sam's Club. We spent less than one hundred dollars on food for our wedding. No kidding. We bought whole chunks of deli meats and cheeses. We took them to a friend of ours who owned a local restaurant at the time, and he sliced them for us. My mother and some of the ladies from our church rolled them and placed them onto disposable platters that we had purchased. We then asked our friends and family to consider making a dish to pass, and we ended up with a fabulous buffet feast.

Our decorations followed suit with the seasonal bounty theme. Gourds, pumpkins, candles in autumn spice scents. Vines. We brought nature into the rooms. Why pay a fortune when you can find inspiration in your back yard or along the roadside?

We didn't need to spend a fortune in order to have fun, either. We looked at who we knew and chose our photographer and our d.j. from that list. We were blessed by both with very reasonable pricing. Another lady that we knew from church blessed us with our wedding cake. It was her gift to us for our big day. Think about who you know. They are usually more than happy to contribute to your celebration and will give you lower prices than those who are in their business for the money.

These are a few more tips for planning a fall wedding on a budget. I hope that you've found some useful pointers!

Below are some fabulous table setting finds that are available on Etsy.com. To see the designer's shop, please click on the photograph. It will take you directly there.


Left - Right: Cotton Bird Designs, Mary Wibis, Beadz2Pleaz

Left - Right: April Hiler Designs, Tim Wilson Glass Art, Sunshine And Ravioli

Left - Right: Chester and Donkey, mooshoopork, flores del sol