Doing a wedding on the cheap: update post 50

[insiderart]

Quote:
Well the coop is full! *slams door!*

How rude!

I'm telling Jenn! *storms off to go tattle-tale on insiderart..*

You totally made me laugh out loud. Good thing the family is used to me laughing at the computer!

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
There's a post 41 now but it still doesn't make any real sense...

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
I think that you and I are sharing the tent in the backyard.

 

[NancyDz]

Quote:
There's a post 41 now but it still doesn't make any real sense...

she meant post 31

 

[redhen]

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I think that you and I are sharing the tent in the backyard.

Okay!

I'll bring the smores..

I hope you dont snore..

 

[insiderart]

Quote:
I think that you and I are sharing the tent in the backyard.

Okay!

I'll bring the smores..

I hope you dont snore..

Can I get s'mores from the coop?

 

[Camelot Farms]

Smores from the coop is a visual that I could have lived without....*grin*

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Okay!

I'll bring the smores..

I hope you dont snore..

Can I get s'mores from the coop?

Well..ask Jody..You slammed the door in my face.. *huff*

 

[kezabel]

My parents are kinda the same, I've been with my F for 12 years now(i call him my hubby) we got engaged last september and were planning on having a small wedding either at home or at a reception center (only 35 people) I started looking around at prices for hiring tables chairs cutlery and all the decorations to have it in our backyard and to hire all these things is more expensive than going to wedding place, I told my parents this and he said to me that its not like we not long met and fell in love, you have been together for ages why don't you just elope and then have a party.... well so much for my little dream of having a nice special day just for us, no lets go and stand in line at the marriage registry office and wait our turn grrrr They haven't offered anything either towards our little ceremony I was so heart broken I've put of the wedding till we can afford it on our own, I guess another 5 years won't matter

 

[JennsPeeps]

Quote:
Kezabel, DF and I talked for a long time about what we wanted and decided that a BBQ where we got married was perfect. We're putting on the entire wedding with about 85 guests (70 adults, 15 kids) for about $1000 (about $1190 AUS). I was a professional event planner for 6+ years in a previous job, so know how to break down a major event into manageable pieces.

Our solutions:

*Put on a big BBQ where your friends cook the food you've provided. You will be so surprised and humbled by how much your friends will do for you.

*Entrust friends with good resources and creativity to decorate the venue you've selected. Tell them to go for it and don't worry about it: they'll do something lovely for you.

*Cut out the expensive things: catering & alcohol. People charge a lot for weddings because they can. Avoid telling service providers that you're planning a wedding if you can. Alcohol is pricey - skip it.

*Instead of getting a big wedding cake and paying $300, we bought 8 round cakes from a grocery store for $120. They are all to be decorated the same way and the store baker knows they're for a wedding.

*Involve your friends and family, don't put them to work. People will ask what they can do to help. Keep a list of the things you need to have done and assign people to do those things. I'm happy to email you my list of items. If you give 20 people each 1 thing to do, nobody will be overwhelmed by it. Delegate, delegate, delegate. Keep track of whom you've asked to do what.

*Think about your friends' talents and passions. We asked the amateur photographer to take pictures, the thrift store junkies to decorate, the religious friend to officiate, the foodie friends to bring side dishes, the gardener friends to provide flowers, the artist friend to make the signs, the paper-loving friend to make our invitations (it was her wedding gift to us), the out-of-town friends to monitor the beverages, our musical friend to put together a mix CD for the party, our neighbors who borrow our trailer all the time to use it to transport the big items to the venue, and the chicken lady to pick up our cakes (hey Dena!). In addition, friends are hosting our out-of-town guests, knitting me a shawl, and taking care of us in general. We've had 2 work parties to assemble wedding favors and shish kebabs, and I fed them dinner each time.

*Put together a menu of things that are easy to cook and will sustain easilly for long periods. We decided to assemble shish kebabs and freeze them in my folks' freezer. We'll pick up rolls on the morning of the wedding and have asked 6 friends to each bring a side dish that will serve 15-20. You could also have a big pot luck.

*Watch the food sales and purchase what's on sale. I bought 5 8.5-pound pork loins for $1.69/lb and asked the butcher to slice them for me. When he foudn out they were for our wedding, and that we were going to make them into shish kebabs, he trimmed and cubed all 45 pounds for me. It took him 15 minutes but would have taken me 45. I wrote his store manager a nice letter singing the butcher's praises. I bought the produce at local produce stands, so nearly everything is sourced locally.

*Edit your guest list to include only the people who matter most. That friend from high school whose wedding you just went to out of obligation won't be heart-broken if you don't invite her. We cut off the list based on one criteria: if you haven't been to our house recently, you didn't get invited (co-workers were exempted from this rule).

*Figure out a budget, stick to it, and pay cash for all expenditures.

Not one married person I've spoken to, other than my parents, has denounced our cheapy wedding. In fact, most have said that if they'd had their druthers, they would have done what we're doing and spent far less than they did. Many have said that they regret how much they spent, and the long-term debt it generated. Many people have shared stories of heartfelt weddings on beaches, in private homes, as potlucks, where the emphasis was on the exchanging of vows surrounded by loved ones, and not on conspicuous consumption. Most of those stories start with "the best wedding we ever went to was...".

Our weddng will be as much a celebration of our love for each other as it is a honoring our friends for the roles they play in our lives.

Here's a rough idea of our budget:
$75 - picnic area rental
$200 - shish kebabs: pork, vegetables (pineapples, peppers, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, yellow squash), skewers, bags, marinade
$120 - 8 8"-round wedding cakes
$30 - paper products: plates, utensils, cups, napkins
$75 - my dress and shoes (purchased at factory outlet stores)
$100 - DF's ring (titanium)
$120 - my gold band (used my grandmother's engagement ring)
$20 - water cooler for making massive batches of lemonade
$30 - lemonade concentrate
$25 - postage for invitations & thank-you cards
$15 - thank-you cards
$60 - wedding favors: homemade (by DF and me) jams for each family in attendance
$100 - thank-you gifts for photographer & officiant

That's actually less than $1,000. Maybe we can afford to sneak some wine into the picnic area...