How can I have a nice/inexpensive wedding for 200 guests for under $5,000 w/o having to stress?

Question

I'm in Richmond, Va & Looking at May dates. Family has offered their home for our use but I worry about rain and the cost of tents. I am really hoping to spend LESS than $5,000 if possible b/c FH and I will be paying for this ourselves.

Okay...I need to add that I am doing a lot myself, the relative who offered their home to us does the balloon decorations for weddings...saving there, FH has 11 aunts who can all cook and we were thinking of having them help w/ dishes (like a bbq), and the bridal party will help me make the fans/programs/favors-they are a cute keepsake & the bridal party loves them, time consuming but cost effective. Please keep the "it's impossible" remarks to yourself, I know that we can do this, I was asking for opinions on what may help or ways that others have made this possible. THANKS!

As for alcohol ... only beer and since our families are not big on wine I was thinking of making a pink punch that has alcohol in it for the ladies...plus that will match our colors. (blush pink & celadon)

As for alcohol ... only beer and since our families are not big on wine I was thinking of making a pink punch that has alcohol in it for the ladies...plus that will match our colors. (blush pink & celadon)

*Does not include DJ(relative is doing this) & mom is buying dress...so the basics are the rentals/decor/food.

Answer 1

Don't listen to the people who say it can't possibly be done. You can definitely have a wedding for that many people for $5000 or maybe a little less, but forget about it being stress free. While you are doing the right thing by making a lot of the stuff yourself and enlisting the help of family and friends, the only thing that would really eliminate the stress of planning a wedding would be a fat budget and a wedding planner that had only you as a client. Even then, unforseen problems arise. You can, however, reduce the amount of stress you will be under by giving yourself plenty of time. Honestly, May might be pushing it a little. Although, since you are planning on having it at a family member's home, that may not be as much of an issue. However, when planning a wedding on a budget, taking your time and doing your research is key. You're going to spend tons of time online and with catalogs laid out in front of you and with fabric swatches covering your lap and honestly, that's half the fun. You are right about one thing. Tents are expensive. The full size ones can run around $3000 to rent. Catering will probably be your biggest expense, so if you can enlist more help from family and friends it will save a bunch. You have to remember also, if you do this over a long period of time, you're going to end up buying little things along the way that you don't notice very much and won't even factor into your budget like candy for favors or votives for centerpieces, etc. I'm in a very similar boat. My wedding is next June, our budget began at around $5000 (we figured out a way to add a little more) and we're inviting more than 200 people, although we're pretty sure a lot of them won't be able to come. Just to give you an idea, I started planning in December and I'm just now starting to get really deep into the planning process. Basically, the most important things to remember are: stay organized, do your research, read your contracts, and have fun. If you can be really dilligent about those four things, the rest will most likely fall into place.

One thing, really look around the home you're planning on having the wedding and make sure the schematics will really work before you get in too deep and its too late to book somewhere else. Check out this article for some advice on what to consider before throwing a wedding at home:
http://www.theknot.com/ch_article.html?Object=A40603121934&keywordID=162&keywordType=2&parentID=527

For some pretty good money saving tips check out:
http://www.fireyourweddingplanner.com/overture/
http://www.theknot.com/default.shtml

Answer 2

How about the church hall of the church where you are planning the ceremony? Or, home weddings are great, but 200 is probably too many people for that. (could be done though, at the right time of year to put up a large tent and do it outdoors).Consider a very small private ceremony and a large reception. Have the reception at a time of day that will not require serving a full meal, and just do hors d'ouvres. Or even better, do a cake and punch reception and save the fortune that you would spend on alcohol. You could do a champagne punch and a non-alcoholic one. Check venues like VFW halls and community centers. Don't hire caterers and florists, do it yourself with help from friends and family.You can get beautiful flowers in local flower markets and grocers and make wonderful hand-tied bouquets for a fraction of what a florist will charge you. If you have a talented photographer in the group, get him or her to do your photos and put disposable wedding cameras out for the guests to snap shots as well. Hire a DJ, or get a musical ensemble from a local college or university. They have very talented players for a very reasonable price and you will get beautiful music. Do your own invitations on your computer and save a bundle. If you don't already have your wedding gown, shop sales, resale shops and ebay. I've seen gowns that once cost thousands of dollars, that were worn one time, hanging in resale shops for under $100.00.The less beading the better on a second-hand gown. If it has any, be sure it is sewn on and not glued, or you cannot get it cleaned. have fun with it, it will be great and save the money for the honeymoon or a down payment on a home! Congratulations and happy wedding!!!

Answer 3

anything is possible with a little creativity and elbow grease!! Most churches have a "fellowship hall" (multipurpose room) that is inexpensive to use if you marry in their church. Have the florist and friends decorate it. You can do just Cake and Punch if you choose a ceremony time of either 2 pm or after 7pm. People don't necessarily expect a big meal at those times. Just say "Cake reception following ceremony". If you have it mid afternoon near any Bars you could then go, with whomever wants to go, to the Bar during happy hour and dance the night away. Every one who goes will pay for their own food and/or beverages if they think its a spontaneous plan!! (shhhhh.....just keep it between you and your bridal party beforehand.) You could also do the family home (pray it doesn't rain) and have plan B room ready if you need. But have it pot luck style. With either all your guests bringing food or just selected friends and family. If you have it outdoors it really cuts down on decorating costs. If you belong to a church (or one of your family members) you may be able to "borrow" chairs and tables. I know my church does that all the time. People borrow them for parties and weddings all the time. You could even have a sit on the ground on old quilts, like an old fashioned picnic, reception. Basically if you have willing helpers and a creative mind you can create a nice memorable wedding. Best wishes......

Answer 4

What makes a wedding special, is the two people getting married, and the sharing of that moment with friends, and family, not the decorations, not the fancy meal. So you get your friends and family together and have a large BBQ, and beer bash. Instead of a band get a DJ. Number one stop worrying about everything being perfect, what is usually remembered the fondest, in time, is the fun, the mistakes, and the outtakes. The proliferation of cell phones with cameras, should give you allot of photo opportunities. Talk to some local churches, car dealers, etc to see if they have some large open tents you can use, or rent cheap. Simplify, adapt and be creative, that is the key

Answer 5

Its do-able, but not easy. I got married in a suburb of Pittsburgh, the cost of living is comparable to Richmond. The major expenses I had included:
Flowers (about $500 for me, 5 bm, 7 boutineers, 4 small corsages for mothers and grandmothers)
Food (we had a buffet, ended up being about $22 a plate, we estimated 200 guests and actually had more, so that ended up being almost 5 grand...but we chose to have a lot on our buffet...so thats a huge expense. Have just a dessert or appetizer and you'll save a ton!)
Gown (mine cost $700 and was originally about 3 grand, so you can find deals if you look)
Decorations (we lucked out, the church let us use random decorations, so we only had to find some for the reception...these can vary A LOT)
You'll also have to pay for a church if you use it, a minister or someone you marry you, the groom's tux or suit, and if you do the tent, you'll have to pay for that, chairs and tables, lights, etc.

Your best bet is to shart bargain shopping...check online, ask family and friends what they can use that you can borrow. Good luck

Answer 6

Do most of the work yourself, and utilize friends for things like music and decorations. You can make and freeze hors doerves (sp?) ahead of time, and if you want to serve a meal, do buffet style sandwhiches with fancy breads, salads, and fruit trays. Choose your time of day and day of the week carefully--a late morning wedding can be followed by sandwhich style lunch buffet, an afternoon wedding can be followed by a simple reception rather than a full dinner, and weekday weddings, even Fridays, are cheaper for photographers, etc., than weekends. The weather is always a concern with an outdoor wedding, and tents can run into the thousands, depending on size. Are you opposed to a church wedding? If not, there's nothing wrong with going traditional, and churches seldomly charge anything other than a clean-up fee. My son and his fiance got married in the DC area, and they rented an old southern mansion in a park in Rockdale, and it was drop-dead gorgeous, and unbelievably inexpensive since it was publicly owned. Does Richmond have something like that? Check the local newspaper under the wedding announcement section and see where other couples are having their ceremonies. Good luck!

By the way, after reading other responses, it's nonsense that you can't do this for $5000. Both of my sons had gorgeous formals weddings, and both did it for about $5000. The one that I mentioned above had friends in their church make the salads and chicken salad and such for the reception. The other son was married in our backyard (which had a spectacular view, so it was a dream spot, we were lucky). I made a full sit down dinner myself--baked chicken cordon bleu that I got from a wholesaler for $2.50 a piece and utilized all my neighbors ovens, rice pilaf, several salads and fruit and veggie trays that I bought from Fresh Choice, and wine and champagne from Costco. Bought champagne glasses for 50cents each from Salvation Army, and sold them on ebay when I was done. Flowers from Safeway and decorations from Michael's. Rented candelabra, chairs, tables, elegant china and crystal, and wedding arch. Had friends play music (violin, keyboard, and trumpet) and friends do DJ and photography at cost. Hired my mexican housekeeper and her friends to serve for $12 an hour. You've got a year--go out there and make friends!

Answer 7

Well you can actually do that. It depends where you are going to get married and who is marrying you. Take that into consideration of costs. And Also instead of having a very expensive sit down dinner or lunch thing. You can do a very nice buffet type of dinner or lunch wedding. Like a dinner appetizer thing works well and a champagne punch in a huge big bowl topped with strawberries works well. Hey I mean do you really want to get everyone drunk at your wedding? Make it elegant but simple and you will prob save some of that 5 grand towards your honeymoon! Good luck!

Answer 8

I am now discovering just how expensive weddings are (planning my own.)

Catering is a HUGE expense - probably the biggest expense I've found, but if you have family and friends who cook well and have a "famous dish" maybe you could ask several people to make their specialty for the reception (maybe instead of giving a gift). That could save you thousands of dollars right there.

Maybe a local school would rent their auditorium for less money than a "wedding site" - possibly a community center.

Answer 9

If you figure on only $3000. for the reception, that comes to only about $15 per person-you probably won't be able to find a reception venue for that price....and that only leaves $2000. for invitations, dress, tux/suit, cake, dj/band, license, officiant, etc....You can throw a wedding for $5000., but probably not one for that many people.


How about a breakfast reception? That should be alot cheaper! You could get married at 9 or 10, immediately followed by a nice breakfast at 11...serve only champagne and mimosas instead of a regular bar...

Answer 10

You will need to cut the guest list down about half because just feeding that many people can cost you a couple thousand. With that budget you can have a very nice, sweet and intimate wedding with just close family and friends. Congratulations and Good luck!