Cheap wedding?

I plan on getting married sometime in June/July/August of this year. I need to get the wedding planned since my family has to drive from IL to NY. We live in the northern part of NY and will probably marry at a church or outside and have the reception outside. We are both extremely cheap but his family is so large and very close to one another that we will probably end up with about 100-120+ people including kids for his side. My side of the family and friends will be about 5-15 people. I already have a dress my mom found for me. I don't care about flowers and other decorations (rather spend it on the honeymoon). We will probably have pizza and wings for the reception. Don't have to many food places around since we live in a village. Tables and chairs will probably be provided by family members. Not sure how to keep it cheap with the amount of people that will show up. We don't want to spend more than $1,000 and that is even to much even if we had millions that would still be a lot.

Cheap wedding?
If you are not going to feed your guests a meal, plan on a time of day where they won't expect to be fed...maybe 2 in the afternoon....ceremony, cake, something to toast with and say goodbye to most and then maybe just have a small dinner with the immediate families..... Or do an 8pm wedding and party afterwards.....



If you are going to try to feed them a meal.....do a picnic style luncheon...... no booze....that will keep the price down.



Just be clear about what type of reception you are going to have .....if everyone in both families is used to the traditional afternoon, evening wedding, reception, dinner etc....it would be awkward to invite them ......Choose the wording on your invitations carefully....."You are invited to witness us exchange our vows and join us for pizza, music and fun"....



Don't expect too much cash in your envelopes.....
Reply:Weddings do not have to be a certain way. It's what you want it to be. I think small weddings are great. Do you know anyone in a band, or a local band that would play at your reception? I have heard of people using ipods for the music entertainment. If you can get by with that, then all you really need is food, my sister in law cooked her own food for her reception, it was work, but it was a lot cheaper.

Good luck and congrats!
Reply:I like your thinking!
Reply:Have a picnic lunch! Have everyone bring their own box lunches from the nearest grocery store or deli(have directions printed up) and hint that they bring their own wild flower bouquets from the grocery store, daisies or whatever, to toss about, make garlands for everyone's hair, etc. Just provide cake, champagne, and sparkling cider for those who don't or can't imbibe alcohol. Inexpensive picnic blankets on the tables or ground, beach balls, hula hoops, bottles of bubbles to blow... get the picture? A bucolic setting out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
Reply:Whew, you have a lot to do. I know, I just got married, planned to spend only $1000, ended up spending $2000.

Big things first, place, minister, clothes, decorations and food.

If you can not invite everyone, please do.

food, decorations and clothes were my biggest expense.

My cake was $100 and I only had 50 people.

If you want to do your own bouquet you can save that way,

I did mine and my mohs, and boutonnieres and only spend $45.

Congrats and good luck
Reply:I am a huge fan of cheap weddings. I think they are less phony and more focused on the marriage not the wedding. The best weddings ever have been elopments where they find a church willing to do the wedding and that has a "reception area" where there are already tables and chairs set up for a large number of people.
Reply:Remember its not about the flowers and cake its about love and happiness.Im sure your man don't care what the wedding lookes like.He just wants to be with the woman of his dreams.So you go ahead with that cheap wedding for that day and spend the rest of your life remembering it because it will be special.
Reply:I would have the wedding in the early afternoon say around 1:30 pm. Keep the wedding very informal. Have the invitations be informal so the guests know what to expect. On the reception card, I would put pizza and soft drinks following in a picnic style atmosphere. That way they will know to dress casually and have no grand expectations.
Reply:The best thing in cheap wedding is how you will entertain people . As long as you have strater , main course with two options of dish an a good drink which is cheap . It will end that day with happiness .

soft leather baby shoes