Do you mind if I talk about some wedding stuff?

wink568 · December 2011

I don't know what area you live in, but it sounds like you could have a beautiful Saturday afternoon reception easily within your budget.

Congrats on the engagement!

JoEsther · December 2011

Mortomo:
8daysaweek:
Do you mind if I ask what kind of budget you are working with?
One of the things we did that helped our budget a lot was serving sangria, wine and beer instead of a full bar. I love sangria and it's so easy to make a huge batch in advance and the sangria was actually our cheapest alcohol option (it was around $2 a glass).
I think bridesmaids dresses in white are a great way to find an a killer dress for much less than a bridal gown.
And if you choose venues that are naturally pretty, you might spend a bit more on rental fees but you'll make up for it on decorating savings. We used a restaurant so our rental fee included all the dishes, glasses, silverware, etc. we needed and tables, chairs, tablecloths and cloth napkins. The restaurant is gorgeous already and it only cost $900 to rent for the entire day.

I don't know what our exact budget is yet. I'm trying to see about what things might cost and see if it's even possible. $5k will probably be our budget, but that's just a number I pulled out of the air knowing what our savings are and future spending will be. I can't imagine it being less than $5k.
My dress will be simple and inexpensive and probably won't even be white. We probably won't have attendants either.
My goal: Have a simple but elegant party with good food that everyone will enjoy. Also, I don't want to have it at my house (not enough room plus I don't want the stress of having to host).

I went to David's Bridal and bought a champagne colored bridesmaid dress for less than $100. I loved it (and still do, in photos) and by virtue of the fact that it's a "bridesmaid" dress, it cost way less than the white "bridal" version would have. I look horrible in white/ivory, so I much preferred a color (plus, it was my second marriage/wedding, so it felt right to me) that was pale enough but still pretty.

DakotaDangerDog · December 2011

I would definitely suggest avoiding weekday weddings, especially if you are having people who need to drive 2+ hours to get there.

BowiesInSpace · December 2011

My friend had a Saturday luncheon wedding. It was beautiful. She was married at her family church and then the reception was held at a park next door. I remember the food was delicious. She did everything, including dress etc. for under $5K. I'd say there were about 75-100 people that were invited.

Mortomo · December 2011

Sorry...I had to step away to do some cleaning. Thanks for the ideas (and the congrats). I plan on running some of these ideas past my FI to see what he thinks.

I like the idea of it being on a Saturday because Sept 1 is our dating anniversary and it's also a Saturday and September is when we want to get married. I'm leaning toward a Saturday afternoon brunch-y type of wedding.

GreenMonkey1 · December 2011

A good friend of mine had a lovely wedding at a beautiful venue (local art museum) and then champagne/punch and cake afterwards. There was no dancing or formal dinner, but a lovely ceremony and time to celebrate with the couple. The important part was that they got married.

Advice if you don't have a full meal - don't plan the reception at a meal time (lunch or dinner) and not tell people there will only be light appetizers. A friend of mine did this (I was in the wedding and even the bridal party didn't know there wouldn't be food) and it was not good. Everyone was leaving early because they were starved. The friend who did the cake and punch reception planned it to end before the dinner hour and clearly stated on the invitation "Cake and punch reception to follow".

oodakay · December 2011

I got married on a Saturday @ 10am, had a big reception with dancing and all that and was done by 5pm, so you would probably be done earlier if you didn't want to do all the hoopla. Most reception halls I spoke with were much cheaper on Saturday morning/afternoon and didn't have a minimum guest requirement. It was awesome, the sun was shining during our reception, we were able to relax and have dinner afterward just the two of us, and we weren't completely exhausted from everything.

Do you mind if I talk about some wedding stuff?

Re: Do you mind if I talk about some wedding stuff?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards