My name is Mel, I'm a florist and event stylist, owner of MellowFlowers&Events that specializes Middle to low budget weddings.
I will tell you a short story on how I started. During our engagement last Jan 2013, me and my husband Josh have decided not to spend too much on our wedding day. instead of spending much, we decided to finish our house monthly amortization to ensure that after marriage, we go straight directly to our own home and not live with our parents. We were both on our late twenties and do not have that much.We want a simple wedding elegant but frugal.
Our goal is to have wedding that is warm, personal, simple and fun. A not very cheap wedding but not crazily expensive! I very much sympathize on every bride on a budget, I adore frugal brides, I feel you and I am here to help you :) Way back 2013, our budget for our wedding was only P70,000 to 80,000 for 100 guests and I don't want to exceed more than that. I have inquired almost all wedding planners out there and 90% of them refused to offer their service to us because "we can't afford them" too bad.. for us, it was like a heartache while wooing the girl of your dreams.If you feel helpless, well don't be because you are not alone. I am here to help you.
Here are some tips that I will share to you on how you can save much and have a (not cheap) but a frugal wedding day.
Venue
If you're not picky, you can have your wedding outdoor, in a garden or exclusive clubhouses and restaurants. Clubhouses do not have corkage on outside foods and wine so you can splurge on it. Outdoor wedding is less expensive compared to renting an air conditioned ballroom hall. If your wedding starts 4PM onward go for outdoor (if not rainy season). If its a Christian or a Civil wedding, you can also have your wedding reception and ceremony at the same place. You can also look for a private place like a Farm owned by a family friend or a beautiful rest house for rent with big garden area for your ceremony and reception.
Decoration
Flowers are really expensive, a dozen of local grown roses would cost P150-200/doz, orchids would range from P180-300/doz. So again, I would advise you to look for a beautiful location such as a hotel with good interior (offers Tiffany chairs, big hanging chandeliers, nice wall lighting, carpeted flooring) or garden with many flowering plants so that you won't have to spend much on flowers and decor. Table Centerpieces: No one notices this stuff. you don't need crazy, extravagant centerpieces! less is more and simplicity is elegance. Mothers and bridesmaids doesn't necessarily need to carry their own bouquet a corsage or a wristlet will do.
Makeup
You don't need to pay for your bridesmaids hair and make up, you can actually ask them to bring their own makeup and help each other. You can also ask friend to assist them on your wedding day. Flower girls do not need make-up, you can ask their parents to take care of it. Limit your bridesmaids and flower girls to 3 or less, you do not need them to be many. Most of the time in a Filipino culture, brides maids and kids always arrive late during make-up sessions, kids have tantrums, they run and play here and there inside the hotel room. They are the #1 stressor on your wedding day. If you have too many entourage, you need to get a bigger room, you need to get a bigger car for their transportation and you need to allot budget for their lunch/breakfast too! That's an added cost.
Food and beverages
Serving family style is actually the most expensive option, followed by regular table service. Go for buffet style, it's much less expensive and people can get what they want. Instead of an expensive cake, go for fondant looking cake, keep it less than 3 layers. Bad food is just bad, and it's not a nice experience for your guests. You should be prepared to spend the most money here. So not SUPER cheap, but again, we wanted the food to be good. You can budget P250-400/head for a decent food to be served that's 2 meat dish and 1 noodle or veggie dish. Skip on alcohol! you don't want them to be wasted and encounter accidents due to driving with the influence of alcohol after your wedding.
Dress
There are so many ways to get a beautiful dress without spending more than P5,000 on your wedding dress alone. I got mine at P1,800 and my hubby's tuxedo at P2,000 at
www.aliexpress.com. For us both that's P3,800 for our outfits. Sellers here offer free shipping to the Philippines, you have to order ahead at least 60 days before your wedding. I will tell you a secret: Some of the bridal shops buy from this website, they modify the design a bit and sell it 3 times higher from its original price! You just have to be extra careful because there a bogus sellers online. If you don't want to take time and risk, you can also opt to rent a 2nd user gown ranging P1,500-3,000 at Forever Yours Bridal Gallery located in quirino st, Davao City.
Make your own invitations
With a quality printer and special paper, you can make very nice invitations of your own.I have found a website with free downloadable invitation template, you can download them here >>
FREE WEDDING TEMPLATES
Skip on Loans
We were both 29 when we got married, we were very practical on budgeting and planning. After our marriage, we also got the key to our new house. We talked and planned everything and started saving. We scheduled our wedding right after we are done paying the equity of our house. We decided to spend less on our wedding day and prioritize our house and our future plans together. Your wedding day is only the 1st day of your life together, think about your life after the wedding. Of course you don't want to spend the whole year paying your debts because you overspent right? Getting married is not only about the bride, its about both of you, its TEAMWORK. Make sure you do not spend beyond you can't afford, do not make bad decisions like making a big cash loan which you will be paying for 3 long years with high interest. Its painstaking! instead of enjoying your togetherness after marriage, you will be stuck on working hard just to pay your debt that you spent for only 1 day!
Avoid guest list bloat!
In order to have a fun & memorable wedding, all you need is
good people (only invite those who are important to both of you)
, good food and good music. None of these have to be crazy expensive!
Lastly, don't pressure yourself to be skinny, if you have curves and bulges, LOVE it! If you want to wear tube, get that Tube! Its your day!
A great Personality with bulges and curves is what makes a woman beautiful.
PS: My hubby is a Music Teacher. He play and teaches Piano, Violin, Guitar and Drums. If you want to know more about his services please visit his blog athttp://pianolessonsdavao.blogspot.com/
Love lots!!
Mellow 
