What is the least amount of money I can spend on a wedding with 35-45 guests?

Question

I am getting married in August 2007 and we have only 5 months to save money and get this thing done. We have a beautiful gazebo in our backyard and we plan to have the wedding there. We would then like to have the reception also in the backyard, since we have a large concrete patio to put tables and chairs. But when it comes to food, decorations, music, etc, does anyone have any suggestions on how would be the best way to budget these? We are not getting any help from our families financially so we are in this alone in that respect. Please help??

Answer 1

A wedding doesn't have to be expensive. You can do this a couple of different ways. Food: call a couple of local restaurants & see if they can give you a deal on some trays of their appetizers. You don't have to give your guests a full meal, as long as you don't have a lunch/dinnertime ceremony. Shoot for something more like 2 or 3 pm and you can get away with finger/snack foods. Then go to your local grocery and order a couple of veggie trays to go with them. Shouldn't cost too much.

Music---use a CD player. Make a mix CD (or a few) of the music you'd like played at the reception. Put an attendant in charge of the music.

Decorations---Don't have to be fancy. In fact, since you're doing it outdoors, a bunch of decorations would just detract from the setting. I'd suggest decorating the table that the wedding cake is on (which you can get from Publix, by the way, for much less than a specialty cake shop), and maybe adding just a few wedding themed accents around the yard. Does not need to be elaborate.

If you can't afford a photographer, try this---get a bunch of throwaway cameras and put them on each table. Ask the guests to take pictures. You'll get some stupid ones (at least one person will take a photo of his crotch), and you'll get some poor, blurry ones. But you'll probably also get some really, really nice ones, as well.

Remember-a wedding is about the joining of two people, not about how much money you can sqaunder!

Answer 2

Get decorations from a party store (including plates, napkins, flatware, etc.) - $200

For food, you're lookin' at about $400 - you can just do appetizers and such, finger foods, serve buffet style

IF you have a friend marry you, he can be "ordained" by the Universal Life Church, online, and then register with the county so then you are spending like $20 for a minister, otherwise you're looking at $200

Dress $500

Tux is usually free with the rental of the groomsmens tuxes.

For music, depends on what you want? If you want to hook your iPod up to some nice speakers and have a friend DJ, $0 - if you want a DJ or a string quartet, $1000, a local band might do it for $50... your options are endless here.

so, not including music, you can probably do it for $1000-$1500! Less, if you tried hard enough...

Answer 3

Plan on spending about 20.00 per person. You could have local large grocery chain (Giant Eagle, Safeway, Ralphs) do fried chicken thighs, legs and chicken breast-about 100 pieces should be adequate, do cheese, vegetable platters for around $350.00 that should feed everyone. Buy some crackers, potato salad (very filling). You will need drinks (water, sodas, beer-if you plan on boozing it a little). As for decorations, decorate your yard with in bloom flowers (pansys in planters around the deck), these are inexpensive early spring. Music, you really need to hire a deejay (three hours min). Call it a day. Congrats on your upcoming marriage.

Answer 4

i only spent $1000.00 for my wedding - dress included! my dress was $50(yes, it was brand spankin new!), food was about $400 (cake included), decorations about $200 (including the favors), and i even bought the bride's maids' dresses and the groom's mens' clothes for $150, and the justice of the peace for $200.. the trick is just knowing what you want and STICKING TO IT! i learned that from my sister in law who changed her mind more than she changed underwear! she changed her colors like 10 times, she couldnt decide on ANY favors, she kept going to so many bridal bazaars and found so many "neat and cute" things for her wedding... another thing that helped me was my sister had gotten married before me so she still had left over decorations that i was able to use; like the carpet thing you walk on when you walk down the aisle, ribbons and bows, etc... i have never been to a wedding where people run out of cake - so i decided that i wasnt gonna spend $300 on a half eaten cake.. i took my a$$ to albertson's and got the biggest sheet of cake and had a picture put on it of me and my now hubby's first date, i added a bunch of fake flowers and it only cost 50 bucks! it was all gone!! for the food, we had a buffet type of dinner.. a couple of trays of this and few trays of that and people get their own food, serve their own portions so nothing is wasted.. we ordered food from a "hole in the wall" spot where you know the food is GOOD and the prices are cheap :) as for the music, that was a gift from the best man who had his little DJ apprentice do the whole thing... for the groom's men, i just bought them all the same button up tops and asked them to wear the same bottoms... for the bride's maids, i had them wear white spaghetti strap tops with matching bottoms i bought them.. for my favors, go to the dollar store or to the swap meats... just know your theme/colors before you start buying stuff!

Answer 5

figure on from 10 to 12 dollars ahead for caters,djs are about 150 to 200$ =4hrs,decos.about 100$ gl

Answer 6

Figure about $20. per person for an inexpensive wedding at home.

Answer 7

food - do trays and a BBQ
decor - hit up craft and dollar stores and make everything yourself
music - make a mix cd

Answer 8

i have trouble with tis too

Answer 9

ELOPE!