I am on a STRICT budget for our wedding, does anyone know where I can look at for catering, cakes, etc?

I am on a strict budget, we have a chapel and a elks lodge for the reception. Does any one know where I can look at for cakes, catering, florist, photgrapher in or around Florissant, Mo?

I am on a STRICT budget for our wedding, does anyone know where I can look at for catering, cakes, etc?
i'm having my reception at the banquet hall of my fiances fire house... i am on a budget too... and our wedding is going to look great!!!!





cakes... try grocery stores. they might not have 6 flavors of cakes and 20 fillings but most ppl are fine with white or chocolate cake and a "normal" filling of custard or fruit...


i'm saving almost $3.50 a serving by going to shop rite for my cake.


i'm also having a smaller cake and a dessert table to offer more selection.





for catering... contact your local community college or culinary school, shoot even home ec of some highschools... class project?... see if a student or class will take on the task for the cost of food plus $10 an hour to do it.





or post on craigslist for your area that you need a caterer for your wedding...





keep the menu super simple. pasta with red or cream sauce and a salad or chicken croquettes with gravy and mashed taters with green beans





browse the services section of craigslist for photographers and djs too. post that you are looking for one too and see who replies (i found a few for $300 for 6 hrs myself)





oh look on myspace for your area too... i have found photographers ads under the classified section too





for flowers... if you are handy and crafty... look at the floral dpt of your local grocery store or bjs/costco type stores. many times you can order flowers and create your own bouquets and centerpieces.


i've seen some great looking already made bouquets... i would get those and put them in pretty bowls as centerpieces.





if not i recommend afloral.com. silks are so realistic these days. i got silks from here and they are so real looking. nobody will know they aren't the real deal unless they are nose to petals in to my bouquet.





oh almost forgot ... post on craigslist under wanted... ask for left over wedding things that ppl are giving away or selling cheap...





and join your local yahoo freecycle group. i did and have rcvd lots of free wedding goodies. i got a decorative card holder/bird cage that retails for $50 for free from a recent bride who just wanted to clear her post wedding clutter...





and don't forget to yard sale and hit up walmarts craft/fabric dpt- sales!!!! and depending on when you are getting married- check the after holiday sales for goodies-


i was able to get votives for the tables $.40 each in glass holders and they are scented! we got holiday ribbon for under $2.00 a spool on clearance after christmas too
Reply:Go to the local boards at http://talk.theknot.com . The ladies there are very helpful and most of them are also on strict budgets.





If there is a Boston Market in your area, they have full service catering very cheap. Also your favorite restaurant may be able to cater. Most restaurants are more than happy to cater and are actually cheaper than wedding caterers, and you get alot more for your money.





If you have the patience, you can put together your own flowers. Costco/Sam's has inexpensive bouquets. Or ask a local community college if they have an floral design class that can put them together for you.





If at all possible, you shouldn't skimp on photography since you will have your photos long after the food is eaten and the flowers die. You can ask a community college if their art/photography class can photograph it for you or else hire a professional.





Even if you are a professional baker, you should not attempt to make your own cake. It is a project that requires a ton of experience that most people don't have (it is nothing at all like making a birthday cake) and it has to be done last minute to ensure freshness since your guests don't want to eat frozen cake. You will have so much else going on the last day before the wedding that you won't have time to bake, decorate, transport, or assemble a cake. Go to a grocery store bakery that you love.





Don't make your family and friends work at the reception. Speaking from experience, they do not get the opportunity to enjoy the wedding like everyone else does.
Reply:Food: Have family members prepare thier signature dishes. Aunt Betty always brings a green bean casserole to the potluck? Bingo, she can contribute this!





Cake? Buy or rent a small 2-3 tiered cake. Have the baker make one layer for you guys to cut and the other layer(s) out of decorated strofoam. After you guys have cut your pieces have the cake removed from view. Buy a couple sheet cakes that will be cut up in the kitchen and serve this to your guests-- no one will know!





Music? I'm sure you know someone or know someone who knows someone with either a ton of cds or an ipod full of music.





Flowers? go to sams or costco and buy bouquets of flowers (cheap!!!) tie 3-7 flowers together with pretty ribbon.





Photographer? got someone in the family with a digital camera and a good eye? they can do a scrapbook of your wedding. As my gift to my grandmother for her surpize 80th party, I did just that. I bought a ton of paper and embellishments in the theme color- purple. My aunts laid out cameras on the tables. I'd advise against this. I got stacks and stacks of useless pics. One lady there was in love with her granddaughter. So I got mutiple shots of the child!!!
Reply:check craigslist for the cake, and photography possibly even flowers. look under events


there are people on there offering their services at pretty reasonable rates
Reply:Sams Club


Costco


Walmart
Reply:photographers


http://www.specialoccasionsphotography.c...





The Charming Package $550


Four hours of coverage on your wedding day


4x6 Proofs in album


Digital Negatives after one year





Cake


walmart


krogers


try to make your own





Caterer


http://cateringtoyou.com/offsitetraditio...





Offsite Traditional Dinner Buffet


$11.75 per person
Reply:I don't know about the photographer(you could try handing out disposable cameras to the guests), but I'm getting my cake at a local grocery store. I may even get some of my flowers there.
Reply:you could try michaels, grocery stores, or for decorations...





Krause Catering %26amp; cakes; or some culinary classes offer catering [[my high school and community college offers that]]





as for photography...ask a friend or family....[[my cousin asked her friend...and he turned out to be pretty good.....]]
Reply:do you have a friend who has a knack for making pretty cakes, or making good food? have them make it as your wedding gift. as far as a florist, you're going to have to search for those.. try online, since it seems to be cheap. or try to find pretty flowers that don't cost way too much money. you could always try to grow your own. but that would take time and work. hire a freelance photographer from your area, it's cheaper than going through an agency. just make sure to check references.. and look for a small business for catering.. they'll do it because they need the money, and you will probably get a good price.
Reply:I'm going to stack sheet cakes for my cake, using dowel rods between the layers. I'm going to use a half sheet, quarter sheet, and eighth sheet.





The only bakery in my small town won't even assemble a wedding cake on site, so I'm going to buy cakes at Wal-mart. Why should I pay for specialty service when a place isn't willing to give it?





It's pretty easy to assemble stacked tiers; I've done it before. You just insert dowel rods or drinking straws (cut to the bottom layer's height) at four points where the perimeter of the smaller layer will rest and lower the cake board onto the rods. With a grocery store cake, you might have to trim the cake boards with an Exacto knife or something so that they don't show.





Edit: Okay, is the thumbs down because I'm using sheet cakes? Because people use all kinds of shapes these days; I've seen plenty of rectangle layers in wedding cakes. Usually in combination with round or square, but what's the big deal if they're not?


Is it because the cakes are coming from Wal-mart? I'm far from the first person to suggest getting cakes from Wal-mart.


Is it because I'm stacking the tiers myself? I bake and I know how easy -- and it is easy -- it is to stack tiers.


Or is this just the thumbs downer who follows me around because I once called her out on being really rude to someone?
Reply:Do you have a local SAM´s CLUB in your area? If I was having an event that needed catering, I would check there. They have food, flowers, cakes, and chafing dishes and other supplies to keep hot food hot and cold food cold.
Reply:Cakes - check out the bakeries in grocery stores. They can do really decent cakes for a good price.

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