Getting Married.... Frugally... Is it Possible?

[maat55]

I am getting married in a few months and I need all your help. I really need to do this as frugally as possible with out eloping. I am planning a smaller wedding with about 150 guest. My Fiance and I are paying for EVERYTHING so any helpful ideas are welcome.

Thank you!

Misty

I had one of my daughters get married last july and we spent around 5000, but the wedding looked like it cost 10,000 or more. We rented and picked up our own table and chairs for the reception. We bought table settings at hobbly lobby and many other wedding products their. We had my step mother prepare the food and we rented those stailess steel serving trays with fuel heaters underneath.

I'll try to get my wife to give you more details later.

[MelC]

Also thinking about a frugal wedding

I am recently engaged and also dont want to break the bank getting married. We just bought a lovely house together and thinking about spending even 5K on a wedding is a bit unsetteling. It just seems like such a strange way to start a marriage- in debt! We'd most likely have to charge everything and I just recently paid off all my credit cards from living on a student budget. My car is recently paid off... I only have my home and school loans as debt. I dont want more!

I am divorced with a 6 year old and my fiance has never been married. So hes more into the wedding idea than I am- if for no other reason than he feels like he has to have a wedding for his mom and family.

I would really like running away to Vegas, just the two of us and getting married there. Hes coming around to this idea.

Another reason its so hard for us is because his family is scattered all over the place: England, Israel, and South Africa. If we get married here, where would we have it? Who would drive all these people around? Its so stressful to think about it! We are about an hour and half from the nearest airport, there is a local hotel that brings people straight from the airport to the hotel and its a really nice one too (Dover Downs Speedway for you race fans out there). But then we're looking at 60 dollars a plate. I just cant justify spending that kind of money on one night!!! I could probably do this on 4K but to me, thats a lot of money!

Am I the only one who feels this way?? Its supposed to be something Ive always dreamed about but its more of a nightmare than a dream! If someone else paid for it, sure then I might be a little more excited

[disneysteve]

I had a full church wedding with 5 attendants each, 3 little ones, an open bar, catered meal for 325 guests plus a honeymoon for a week and we spent a little less than $9000 - $2600 of that was supper, so $6400 on all the rest.

How the heck did you do a catered meal for 325 people with an open bar for $2,600?? That's only $8 per person.

[luddybell]

Yeah thats what throws me too Steve... Every caterer I have priced even for small "tid bit" appetizers is going to cost me at least $13.00 a head...

I am seriously thinking of recruiting some Aunt's and such for the "wedding kitchen crew"

[disneysteve]

Yeah thats what throws me too Steve... Every caterer I have priced even for small "tid bit" appetizers is going to cost me at least $13.00 a head...

Our daughter's Bat Mitzvah is in September. We are paying $61/person and that doesn't include alcohol, and that is for a buffet, not a sit-down meal.

[luddybell]

Yeah the buffett thing is running me about $55 a head so I figure I can go to Costco buy food and let all the ladies that arent in the wedding party cook them and serve them and probably save a ton of money.

[cptacek]

Yep, it only cost me $8 a person for the meal. A roast hog, stuffing, green beans, bread, and tea. The open bar was more, though.

I knew a guy that wasn't a "professional caterer" but did catering for the school banquets sometimes, and him and his family did it all.

[sweeps]

Definitely depends on where in the country the reception is happening. Went to a small town wedding where the reception included Buddig meats and Butternut bread for sandwiches, and a gigantic bowl of potato chips.

[PrincessPerky]

How the heck did you do a catered meal for 325 people with an open bar for $2,600?? That's only $8 per person.

My wedding wasn't that long ago, and I recall the prices were between 6$ a head and 12 depending on the entree (I don't which ones we picked..can't even remember what we ate, but it was good.)

I think the area matters a whole lot. I was married in a pretty small town.

Though the open bar was a good deal more (I don't know how much, we didn't pay for it)

[luddybell]

Ok as far as things go... I have already purchased my dress and my flowers ( bought these from ebay). I really need help with: church decorations/reception decorations, reception food, favors and so ... really everything BUT the dress and flowers.

[sweeps]

You could make a charitable donation in lieu of wedding favors. (Tax deductible too!)

[cptacek]

Why do you need wedding favors? In all the weddings I've ever been to that had them, they ended up in the trash a few days later. We didn't have any, and no one complained.

If you decide to have wedding favors, that is up to you, and you can find some that are either easy to make or not very expensive. But you don't have to have them.

Question everything. Even if it is on the "bride's checklist" of things to get done, you don't have to do it.

[disneysteve]

Why do you need wedding favors? In all the weddings I've ever been to that had them, they ended up in the trash a few days later. We didn't have any, and no one complained.

I agree that you don't need them. I don't agree that they all end up in the trash. We've been to numerous weddings where the favors were edible - personalized M&Ms, molded chocolates, etc. Another wedding we went to last year had favors of very nice sets of glass coasters. We use those regularly.

So no, you don't have to have favors, but if you do, it is possible to do something that people will use, or at least enjoy eating.

[cptacek]

I guess we had M&Ms on every table in plastic champagne glasses. Would those be considered favors?

[disneysteve]

I guess we had M&Ms on every table in plastic champagne glasses. Would those be considered favors?

Yep. That's the kind I'm talking about.