Any tips for a wedding on a tiny budget? How cheaply can it be done?

Question

My Fiance & I have been engaged for nearly two years now and have just recently decided to get married ASAP and we don't want to spend a fortune.
We won't be inviting many people. We have a daughter who's nearly 5 and we'd really like it if it was just the 3 of us, is that possible?We thought we could just have a small do afterwards(15people or so).
I'm really not a weddingy person and haven't got a clue what I need to do or where to start, so all tips appreciated.

Answer 1

My wedding cost approx £600 and we did it with 9 days notice,
My dress was from Debenhams and our reception was at the posh Radisson Sas in Leeds,
We just cut a few corners,
Our wedding was amazing,
E-mail me and I'll tell you how we did it.

Answer 2

I can totally relate to you on this.
Here is what my husband and I did when we got married since we wanted to do everything pretty much on our own.
My husband was going to Reno, NV for a Reno league that the bowling lanes do here in the summer. Anyways when he asked me I asked him do you want a big wedding or something small. He said something small so we can do this on our own. So we talked and talked and talked some more. We decided that who ever was going to be in Reno during the league then that would be who could go to our wedding. I did send out invitations but just so people didn't get upset over not getting one. The only people that were there was:
His mom and dad, brother, brothers girlfriend & my husband sister then the people that were on his bowling team. My parents did come so I had nobody there. Even though I know that his parents were there for me too none of my family was there.
Now just a bit of advice how will you feel 2,3 maybe 5 years down the road when you look back on this day and realize that you wanted family there at least.
I would suggest maybe only doing your parents, his parents and the 3 of you. That way you can have a personal wedding and then maybe do a small little party afterwards.

My friends got married for less than $5,000 and the wedding was georgeous.

Answer 3

well what state do you live in? in MA where i live we both had to fill out a form to apply for a marriage license i think like 30 days before the event. the minister then signed the form when we got married and mailed it in. the town hall then sent the license to us. i think it was $30 or so.

as for the ceremony itself - you can go down to have a civil ceremony and i think it would just cost the fee or the service($50 maybe???)

the party after with 15 people can just be a get together at your house. buy a few of those wedding bells and hang them up. no need to buy a big gown, just get a nice dress that you can wear again somewhere.

if you want to do some flowers get some roses and take the pedals and have them spread around the table.

just a few thoughts, best wishes

Answer 4

Hi well if you are having a small wedding then its up to you how much you send. If your not having the full works then you will need the place your going to get married which is probabley for you the registry office. Im getting married this year and we went to book the date all together for the wedding it will come to around £300 and then if you want a little after do then you could hire a room and you could set up your own buffer or get someone to do it for you for likr £2-£3 a head and you could decorate the room your self it wont cost you much. and then you will need the rings. So all together i would suggest it come to around £1000. or even less. Just right down what you want and enquire before you start booking things, Thats what i have done

Answer 5

We got married on the cheap about 13 years ago ,only invite guests you want to come,go for the cheapest cars,print your own stationary or just phone your guest and invite them,have a good buffet instead of a meal,ask some one who bakes to make your cake i made all my own favours,hold the reception during the week and see if the venue will give you a special rate,hire all your dresses and do it at the registry office but buy really nice rings ,or go abroad and get it done all organised for you and you'll have a really nice holiday.

Answer 6

To satisfy your needs and wants I would first have a small wedding at the justice of the peace aka court house.
Afterward have a "wedding celebration" this could be done at a relitive or your own home with snacks and a few drinks to entertain. Your guest will still be honored that you choose to invite them to celebrate. If you took a few days (weekend) to plan this event your cost I imagine wouldnt be more than $500.00
You can incorporate wedding decoration or add favors to make the celebration feel more like a "wedding reception" without all the required extras.
Congrats to you and Good Luck!
If you would like more help on this please feel free to email me - [e-mail]
I am always up to help a soon-to-be bride with planning.
:)

Answer 7

You need a cake, a dress (though it can be informal), a groom, and someone to perform the marriage. That is all you really need, honestly.

You could get married at a courthouse and meet the rest of your guests at a restaurant later. Or, you could get married at home or in someone's backyard, and have it lightly catered. With such a small gathering, if you were to have it at home, it could be a potluck too. A destination wedding would work, but might not be in your budget.

Answer 8

Ok,well you will have to pay the fee for the wedding,you will need two witnesses which is better if it is some one you know but you could ask any one to do that.Can you invite guests back to your place after? if so that will keep the numbers down,unless you have large house/flat.Buy the food from iceland and do it yourself the night before and store it in the fridge over night.Just have finger food, and you can buy very good "cheap"wine from places like Tescos,use cheap paper plates and pastic glasses from any £ shop.Make your own invites . Good luck you Can do it very cheaply,but still have a wonderful day,all the very best.

Answer 9

I am in the planning stages for my wedding now (my first wedding, second time around planning... its a long story) but both times I have found some amazingly nice things at Goodwill... like candle holders, and arch, never been opened cake cutter and servers, cake topers, and even candy dishes for the reception... also Davids bridal has a dress sale that makes everything super cheap... also craft stores have discount on some really good looking silk flowers so I have my wedding done for about a thousand dollars... so just a couple ideas... :)

Blessings! and Congratulations!

Answer 10

Choose a small church and have the preacher do a private ceremony in which the two of you exchange vows with your daughter present (and even included in the vows). You could also choose to have a judge do this for you in his chambers. You probably can find someone to do this for around $50. Hold a potluck reception at a local park (there are usually gazebos or picnic tables) or at home.

Answer 11

I think that you will be sorry if you don't make it a real celebration. Getting married is an important rite of passage. Try to make sure that you have as nice a dress as possible. You probably know someone who would loan you her wedding dress. And you can get a flower girl dress for your daughter on Ebay very inexpensively. If you can't afford a photographer, be sure and ask someone you know who is a good amateur photographer to take pictures. You will be glad to have them in the future.
For my son's wedding, we arranged with someone who sold flowers at the farmers' market to come to their home the day before the wedding to buy flowers. That evening we had several people come to our home to make the bouquets. We learned how to do it from a book we bought at a craft sale.
We had the wedding at our home, and we traded a piece of furniture to someone who came and decorated our deck. Do some planning to make the day as festive as possible.