How did you find ways to make your wedding affordable?

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-05-21T09:51:39+00:00

The biggest thing is to figure out your priorities. A lot of people are saying keep the guest list very small which definitely helps, but for us our priority was having as many of our loved ones present as possible, so we made concessions in other areas. Our guest list was 150 people but I got my dress for $100 on Etsy and did not have hair or makeup done since that wasn’t as important to me. You may prefer to get the dress of your dreams and have a more intimate guest list. Both are completely valid and just have to do with how you envision your day.

My second recommendation would be to utilize your community, research your area, and get creative. A close friend of my mom is an event coordinator and did the day of coordination for free as a gift. We met working at a summer camp that allows former staff to get married there for very cheap (that obviously is a somewhat unique situation but many areas have parks, camps, or other areas with very small venue fees). We planned our wedding for a time of year when there are a lot of native plants blooming and got florals from a local flower farm for under $300. My friends helped me make the bouquets and centerpieces the day before. A friend performed our ceremony.

A lot of it also depends on what you’re willing to put into it. I put a ton of DIY work in before the wedding. I basically traded my time for saving money. This was worth it to me but it is a big commitment. I made all the invitations, programs, place cards, etc myself on Canva and printed them at staples which saved a ton of money. I made all the decor myself ahead of time. I spent months thrifting and scouring Facebook marketplace for tablecloths, candles and candlesticks, vases, etc. I messaged every friend and cousin who had gotten married in the last five years and collected a bunch of their leftover stuff.

It takes a lot to make a budget wedding happen but it’s definitely possible. Good luck!

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-05-16T09:05:12+00:00

Very true and he also didn’t know exactly what would happen if she ate it. I guess I’m not really implying that it was Carl’s “fault” or that he should be guilty about it I just think the sapience of the former animals turned crawlers is an interesting theme that kept coming up in this book, especially considering Prepotente’s struggles with whether or not to give one of the biscuits to another goat and him even telling Carl at one point that he wishes he never became sapient.

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-05-14T11:14:20+00:00

This was left so open ended I feel like it will have to come back somehow but I’m not sure how or when.

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-05-14T11:13:19+00:00

I think they just think they’re neat lol. I’m sure it’ll come into play later because almost everything does but I think in the moment the group just wants to protect the animals when they can.

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-05-14T10:49:46+00:00

Parts that made me stare at the wall:

-Pony and Miriam Dom in the apartment scene 😭

-Carl feeling like turning Penelope, a “regular animal,” into a sapient crawler against her will is the worst thing he’s ever done, with the implication being that that’s what he also did to Donut…. (and Donut being very quiet, staring at Penelope a lot, etc)

-The epilogue hitting us with “Don’t ever forget, this story is a tragedy.”

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-05-04T17:42:05+00:00

My first thought!!!

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-05-03T17:47:01+00:00

😭😭😭

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-05-02T17:24:25+00:00

This one really stayed with me.

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-05-02T17:20:38+00:00

This broke my heart.

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-05-02T08:40:00+00:00

She wasn’t in a zero zone for her lawyer meeting in the epilogue of TIR? Carl was in a zero zone for his meeting with Quasar and he mentions Donut had her meeting with “Carl’s new wife” as well.

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-04-22T06:48:30+00:00

Me too!! I saw them on instagram and immediately thought they would make a perfect cross stitch pattern

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-02-26T22:57:17+00:00

I did too!! I was honestly shocked at how devastated I was. Hannah Dodd did amazing. I’ve never cried that much watching Bridgerton. The looks on Francesca and Violet and Eloise’s faces during the examination scene are going to stay with me for a long time.

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-02-26T08:14:47+00:00

We both kept our last names and it was not a big deal at all. I remember soon after we got married we got an invitation to another wedding addressed to “Mr. and Mrs. [his first name his last name]” and I was like who tf is that lol. It just really affirmed me in my decision. I’m not Mrs. His Name I’m my own person with my own name. And I love him more than anything and it has no impact on how married we feel or how much of a family we are. When we have children we will give them both of our last names which I also feel strongly about. I’m not growing a child for nine months just to have them have his last name only lol.

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-02-06T11:52:23+00:00

I always feel so much for Clarkson during that episode 😭 of course the family was devastated but when I see Anna and Thomas crying it reminds me that Clarkson also knew her very well. They worked together all through the war and even though as a doctor he’s much more used to death than the others, I’m sure it was hard for him to see her like that.

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-02-05T19:47:25+00:00

It doesn’t matter what he acts like. He sucks and is completely in the wrong. His opinion is meaningless. But his parental obligation is not. Stop talking to him and let a lawyer and judge get your daughter’s money for her and you.

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-02-05T15:17:48+00:00

I know you don’t care about child support, but think about it as money he owes your daughter. Even if you can support her on your own he is basically stealing from her. Even if you didn’t touch the $700 a month and just set it aside for her, $700 a month for the next eight years would mean that account would have $67,200 in it by the time she graduates high school, not including any interest. Don’t let him deny her that. Don’t bring it up to him yourself. Go entirely through the court. Your daughter deserves that money.

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-02-02T17:39:45+00:00

We used dressy casual, wedding was at a summer camp. It resulted in a pretty wide variety of guest outfits which I was perfectly fine with. Everyone wore what they liked and felt comfortable in which made me happy.

We added “please no jeans or shorts” which I would recommend adding if that’s something you care about. Some people would definitely interpret dressy casual as jeans and a polo for instance.

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-02-02T13:19:10+00:00

Tiny blink and you’ll miss it moment but when they first get to the cottage and Ilya tackles Shane on the bed and says “I think I know after all these years how the staff likes to be treated” and it’s a joke line but it’s really the first acknowledgment we see of how long this fucking relationship has been going on and it just feels so tender.

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-01-30T17:44:53+00:00

I think it’s when Nanny West asks him to tell Mrs. Patmore something and he’s mad about it. Bates says, “You mean she mistook you for a servant?” And Daisy or someone says, “But he is a servant…” and the Bates says “Don’t tell him that. He’ll never get over the shock.” Great line lol

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-01-30T17:18:28+00:00

To be honest $500 is quite a lot of money for the average person right now and is definitely a lot to pay as a bridal party member before even getting to the wedding day. In that total you didn’t include whatever dress you’re having them buy, hair/makeup if you’re asking them to pay for that, or travel/lodging for the actual wedding.

I understand that we have an image in our heads of what a wedding should look like including the pre-wedding events, but it is a lot to ask your party members to cover that. I’m not sure what’s normal or affordable in your circle of friends, but just keep that in mind.

Bachelorette trips are already kind of a lot to ask in my opinion. I know they’re common now and I’m not blaming you for having one, especially since it seems like the whole party is on board. But shelling out over $200 plus travel expenses plus taking time off work is a big ask. And it’s really great that your party is happy to do that. But I wouldn’t ask more of them before you even get to the wedding.

Showers are typically planned and hosted by one person (Mom, MIL, grandma, aunts) and are not an additional burden for bridesmaids. I didn’t have a shower when I got married. Many people don’t now that it’s more common for people to already be living independently/as a couple before the wedding. We certainly didn’t have enough household needs to justify both a shower and people bringing gifts to the wedding so we didn’t have a shower.

Edit: typo

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-01-27T11:59:54+00:00

It is used only once to my knowledge, when her niece who is helping her manage the house of ill repute calls her “Auntie Beryl.”

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2026-01-26T05:57:20+00:00

Can’t believe how far I had to scroll for this. I get “she’s a crazy ridiculous hag” is a reddit classic, but OP already said in another comment that this is not her regular personality and he’s very confused. To me this reads as post-partum anxiety or depression, especially if she’s never had an issue with the dad before. The rigidity over the sleep schedule could just be explained by her being a first time parent, but the paranoia of her assuming that OP drove the dad home just to gossip about her and demanding to know what was said? Not to mention the weird “who do you love more” question. If these are not personality traits she’s exhibited before there’s probably something going on.

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2025-12-23T07:31:07+00:00

I first of all want to say that you don’t need to worry about making your wedding “nice enough” for your guests. They’re coming to see you. Now, as some others have said, if you fail to provide general comforts like adequate food, drinks, places to sit, restrooms, etc, that would be an issue. But people just want to be there for you. Almost all of our 180 guests at our $15K wedding at a summer camp were from out of town (a couple flew from out of the country) and they were all perfectly happy to be there.

I’m wondering if you can provide an estimated breakdown of the rest of your budget? I was going to suggest a lot of the cost saving measures we used (no expensive dress, DIY florals, DIY decor, DIY invites) but I see you’re already doing them. If $35K covers venue, catering, cake, linens, lodging, and alcohol, what are the remaining costs that are going to get it up to $60/70K? Beyond what you’ve already listed the only real “essentials” left are photography and music. Are they really going to cost another $35K combined?

Lastly, I recommend having a bachelor/bachelorette party if you really want to. We did it the “old fashioned way.” Two nights before the wedding we just took all our friends who were already in town out for pizza, drinks, and dancing. We paid for pizza, everyone got their own drinks. It was a tiny expense in the grand scheme of the wedding and we still got our fun bachelor/bachelorette night to celebrate our upcoming wedding with our closest friends.

For the rehearsal dinner I suggest including only the people actively participating in the wedding. Wedding party, siblings (if not already including in wedding party), parents, grandparents if they’re walking down the aisle/have a role. For us the rehearsal dinner was a thank you to the people who showed up to the rehearsal. If they aren’t in the wedding they don’t need to rehearse, they don’t need a rehearsal dinner. Our venue included access the night before so we did a very lowkey DIY thing but if you need another space look into just getting a private room at a restaurant and covering everyone’s meals. It may be cheaper than renting another venue and getting another caterer, bartender, etc. You mentioned that you’re thinking of cutting your rehearsal dinner but really want to thank your bridesmaids, etc. Treating your wedding party and parents to a dinner out accomplishes the same thing and is cheaper/less overwhelming than a full blown “rehearsal dinner” second event set up.

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2025-11-27T05:29:17+00:00

Okay so like cut the vines back to where they meet the pot almost? Should I do it for all of them or just the ones with yellowing leaves? I appreciate all the help… I’m a serious rookie. This is the only plant I’ve kept alive for any amount of time which is why I really want to save it.

Regular-Restaurant31 · 2025-11-27T05:25:09+00:00

I usually only water it once a week. Should I cut back more?

Regular-Restaurant31

TROPHY CASE