Why not try making them yourself? ...
Bouquet:
http://video.about.com/weddings/Make...ng-Bouquet.htm
Cake:
Congratulations and all the best for your big day!
Puddy
I could do your wedding flowers and/or cake at a fraction of the cost you'd pay a florist. But I'm a bit far away from Basel.
Hello all!
I and hubby planned to get married in London (where i am from) but since we both live here now we were thinking its probably better to get married here so we can oversee most of what will go on in the wedding.
....only one problem- everything seams to be way over our London budget for a 400 guest wedding. even if we've cut down the guest list to 150 because it will be here in Switzerland!
Anyone know of where to get venues/ Cakes/ decorations cheep? (or at least cheaper lol)
any tips what so ever would be appreciated.
I've already got my dress two weeks ago . so were more thinking about venues, cake, decorations etc. can you have a wedding for 150people under 20,000 francs? or is this just wishful thinking?
What We've sorted:
Bride and Grooms Dresses
Photographers
All IV's and RSPV's etc.
If you want a wedding at a sensible price, do it in London. This will also go down better with your friends and family whom will otherwise need a hotel and return air ticket.
After a church service the natives here tend to have everyone around for a simple wine & cheese reception, but then another small reception for family and close friends.
Otherwise look at the magazines for ideas... and prices!
what month are you aiming for, that will say a lot for what venue.
Noticed that the rings were not on your list. After we checked out the prices in Switzerland had ours hand-made and original design in Greece
You have missed off the flowers from your list, as someone else mentioned, do you need a DJ, as music is another cost I seem to recall once reading up on licences for music and I believe at a wedding it is not needed, but could be wrong. Have heard that musicians can work out expensive in Switzerland for a wedding
Also as someone else mentioned, are you expecting your guests to have the added cost of flights tickets, transport and hotels, if they have to travel from UK. You will of course need to find them somewhere close to the venue to stay
Decorations - have you tried ebay or Ricardo.
Cake - do you know anyone who could make it for you, maybe their present to you or you could pay for ingredients & their time.
Most important thing is you and your partner are there & a couple of witnesses. Whatever happens the day itself it is rare that the couple themselves actually enjoy it. Many people who had large weddings later said they would with hindsight have preferred a smaller one
Good luck & hope all goes well - can be a very trying time.
Ours cost about 2k, including rings, but we only had 10 guests, and had the reception at home!
Tom
In Switzerland? If so, was it 30 years ago?
We are doing ours in Belgium to keep cost down. venue here wa 6k without anything.
Place in Belgium 10 times nicer (and in my home village) 600 euros deco and waiters included (not food and drinks and flowers obviously. )
This is where
Must say I feel so sad that nowadays couples put themselves under so much stress and strain with expensive weddings - the worst possible game of 'keep up with the Jones'. I've known couples ready to divorce by the time the wedding comes around just because the financial and 'detail' stress is so great. Is this really what it is all about. I really blame the Specialist and Celebrities press for putting the pressure on and pushing young people into getting into huge debt just for the wedding day - no way to make a good start, is it (and not what a marriage is all about).
Granny O.
Someone I know well was telling me this week about their daughters wedding dress and the cost etc.
I could not believe it when he told me that she got her dress from China!!!!
It cost £65.00 and that included veil etc
He has seen it and said it is lovely - Amazing
She bought it online.....
Eloping. Wife's suggestion.
There is somewhere in between surely? Keep it to close family and close friends - max 90. There are many simple Parish/Communal rooms available in CH for a very cheap rent - which can be fairly cheaply but tastefully decorated for a very low budget - caterers called in from simple but good restaurants. If you get married in Summer - just ask here for flowers from people's gardens - natural flowers can look so much more beautiful. For my daughters' weddings (at THEIR request) - I bought some tumblers covered with mother of pearl, filled them half way with sand- stuck a lovely candle in middle- decorated with lots of white flowers from our garden and topped with white quartz gravel - cost less than £50 for 20 tables. Very happy to help with flowers if you get married in Summer- ask friends, family, neighbours and EF'ers. With a bit of imagination, you really can do wonders - big vases of wild daisies actually look wonderful for a wedding. Then you just need a couple of professional bouquets to add the final professional touch. Make your wedding your very own - not a Celeb poor copy- much more fun and won't break the bank (and possibly your relationship). How many grooms walked away at the last minute due to the huge pressure from bride and her mother! Shame.
No, it was a month ago!
Tom
Did that the first time around, while on vacation in the US, between my friends wedding on Saturday, and my sister's the following Friday, so we got a free reception, and presents too! (we did ask my sister first)
Tom
That's what we did years ago...to Las Vegas. I was ready for the drive-thru including Tom Jones in the back seat but my soon-to-be-husband drew the line at the drive-thru. Had a blast though. I can highly recommend the bloodies at the Bellagio.
The priest beforehand said that we were just before another wedding and they would be setting up flower displays and ribbons on each bench and if we would mind chipping in.
We had our cake made by a patisserie and not a wedding cake shop. The cake was twice as big and half the price - and wasn't a fruit cake. They did simple piping and we used fancy ribbon and fresh flowers instead of icing flowers (yuk imo) as decoration.
It's normal to have your dress made in China - unless it's a 'one off' - mine was 'made to order' - but made in China - sample at the bridal boutique, measured size, imported and then a family friend made the minor adjustments...
Are you having a church wedding or a registry only wedding ?
I think the best advise is to have it in the UK. Your money is better spent there...
We did a pretty good job on our wedding budget. Had an amount in mind and managed to stick to it.
My dress wasn't strictly a wedding gown which worked out fine because I couldn't find anything "bridey" that would suit me, so I found a beautiful evening gown which I loved (and have worn to a posh "do" since then - you can't do that with a bridal gown!) and it was a fraction of the price of a wedding dress.
Many details of our wedding were arranged through people we know so we got "mates rates". Most of these mates came to the wedding so it felt like a bit of a team effort with everyone involved in some way.
The nice thing is that we've been able to return the favour with those friends for their weddings / other gatherings since then.
Hello and Congratulations!
Getting married in CH is pricey,and as recommended, you may get better value in the UK. It may also be less expensive for your guests to have it in the UK than to fly of to CH. I went to my cousin's gorgeous wedding in Morges at the "portes des Iris" It is a beautiful venue with the outside facade covered in rambling roses and they have everything on site.. There is even a (Protestant) church in walking distance if you want the religious ceremony. I imagine that the whole thing doesn't come cheap!
I also attended a wedding in France not far from the Swiss border, so very close to Geneva. They did the civil service ceremony in CH, then we all went over the birder to Chartreux-Pomier. Was very beautiful. I know they hired everything themselves and got in caterers, but perhaps it is more in house now.
Great photographers (Geneva based and speak English) are Marc&Julie Grundman. They are both very talented and take beautiful shots and can really play with the light! Photography.Grundman.ch they were guests at our wedding
in Cape Town and took better shots than our hired professional photographer! We were lucky that everyone flew put to CT for ours. Getting married in a foreign country is a lot more organisation, but if it's a great destination, people will go the distance and make a holiday of it!
There are smaller wedding venues in the village that I live in, in Champéry, Valais,at 2 of the local restaurants (Mitchells, which is an Irish Swedish bar/ restaurant; and Le vieux chalet, which is more Swiss traditional). Both can help you organise your day. It's a very pretty village and has great skiing for winter wedding; and great biking, walking etc for summer. I also heard that a hotel in Les Crosets (on the slopes) also does weddings, but I doubt for 150 people.
First you have your budget breakdown and then go from there. Get help if you can delegating certain things (mothers and bridesmaid can be very useful!) because of the distance, I hired a wedding planner. I pretty much had to choose and organise everything, (invitations, info on where to stay and go for visitors etc. choosing menu, wines, type of music, decor, order of service, organising timing for the day etc. take ages to do properly) but on the day I didn't have to worry about anything. You and your future husband really and truly want to enjoy your wedding day as it is a lot of work for one day. We loved our wedding and it was great fun! Beautiful but brilliant craic with the Irish spirit and South Frican wine and food. Everyone enjoyed themselves. It's a celebration so enjoy it. Leave the stress to someone else, if you can.
All the very best of luck.
Ours cost about CHF 170.
Tom
!!!! Hi Can you give me some details about the cottage it sounds like a perfect weeding. Im planning on doing mine at the end of Feb first weeks of March. Any suggestions?
***** Can someone help me picking a nice venue for a wedding in Feb/March with a little budget for 40 people? Thanks!