Any good ideas for a dirt cheap wedding?

Question

I plan on getting married soon but I am stumped on what to do because we are broke and not really into going to the courthouse.

Answer 1

i would get married on the beach, buy a $100 dress...have all your brides maids buy their own dresses, get simple flowers, and have everyone bring a dish!

Answer 2

Do you have a nice backyard or living room available to you? Some of the nicest weddings I've attended have been intimate affairs in someone's home.

Many parks - both city and state - have areas that may be rented for a nominal fee, and often include a picnic area for a small reception.

Some churches will allow couples to use the church hall for a reception and either charge a small separate fee or include it in the rate for using the church for the ceremony.

If you don't have a lot of money, self-cater or have a couple trusted friends or family members help out with food. My beloved and I fed nearly a hundred people to the bursting point on a very tight budget by doing the food ourselves. My father did his potato salad and fruit tarts, I made a big green salad and a fruit salad, then we had sandwich makings, nuts, pickles, and candies that we set out. Nobody went home hungry, and it wasn't that much extra work.

Cut back on all the extras. Keep flowers and decorations to a minimum and don't be afraid to check unusual sources for decorative items. Scour thrift stores, dollar stores, and garage sales for small items that will make things pretty without breaking the budget. Every thrift store and garage sale in the world is bursting with baskets and glass vases that can be turned into something pretty for a wedding.

Keep the guest list intimate. If you invite less people, you can have the wedding in a smaller site, you don't have to get as many invitations, you can get by with less food, and there's not as much clean up at the end of the day.

Some friends of mine had a lovely wedding in a state park. They had no attendants. The only flowers were a small bouquet of wildflowers carried by the bride. The wedding gown was a family heirloom on the bride's side that had been in the family since the 1930's. The groom wore a peasant shirt and nice white slacks rather than a tux. About twenty or so good friends stood together under an oak tree and watched the ceremony which lasted perhaps five minutes in all. Then we went over to the picnic tables and had a lovely, informal meal provided by the bride and groom.

No ribbons, no crepe paper, no lights, no fuss. It was simply lovely and very in keeping with the couple. I doubt it cost more than a couple hundred dollars to put the entire thing together, but it was one of the sweetest and most right weddings I've ever seen. Why? Because the couple in question were so much in love, and because they were doing it exactly the way that was right for them.

Best of luck to you and your intended. I hope you find something useful in all this.

Answer 3

Congratulations on your engagement :) The cheapest way to get married is at a registry office - there are some nice ones and some not so nice ones - take your time and look around! After that, a church wedding can be quite cheap - the basic wedding is only about £350... but then you need to think about the organist, flowers, bell-ringers, etc, which will all add to the cost. Do you have any friends who play classical music? My friend plays flute and played for me as my wedding present, which was beautiful and also saved me around £300 on music! My wedding dress was off the rail in the january sale - so it was only £200. My friend who got married the following week bought hers from ebay and had it altered by a professional seamstress, so hers only cost £120 all in. Again, I made my own bouquet, which saved a LOT of money. I'm very very lucky that I have a lot of craft-y friends. To do this on the cheap, you WILL need to ask for help. Then you have the reception - it depends where you are and what you want from it. A river cruise? Your local pub? A friend with a very large garden? (Consider buying a marquee on ebay rather than hiring - this will save SHEDLOADS of money AND you can resell it afterwards! But you will need help to put it up). When you make enquiries for prices for venue hire for the reception, etc, do NOT tell them it's for a wedding, as that will push the price up FAR more than you can imagine. Get the quote for "a party" or for "a family celebration". Good luck :)

Answer 4

You might not be really into the whole courthouse thing, but it might be the best OPTIONS. If you do decide to go that route, invite the immediate family to attend with you (parents and grandparents), and then have a 'cake and punch' reception afterwards for the rest of your family and friends. Get a family member of friend with a large house or yard to help with a spot for the reception. You might also throw in a few sandwich or snack trays from a grocer like safeway or albertsons.

Another alternative is to have a family member perform the ceremony. MY wife and I looked into who would perform the ceremony. The list of county registered "ministers" was very limited, and their fee was $300-500! We found out that most counties allow for a family member to be ordained for a day with a 1 day licence, that only costs about $50. My grandfather performed the ceremony, and it was great.

Depending on where you are, you might also consider driving out to a nice park, or national forest. You probably wont have to pay anything if you have the wedding out in the woods. Just make sure to check with the rangers first, and scope out a site well in advance.

Congratulations, and Best of Luck to you!

Answer 5

Think Small...Dont get the invitation list to big..

Find a local park or someplace that is public.. Call and find out if there is a fee to use the facilities and if able to have a private wedding there but dont want to shut it down to the public.. Let them know that you want to get married there but it will be a small wedding..

or find a local church or facitlity that is pretty cheap.. Remember.. No matter what it looks like now you will have it decorated up.. So the setting will be changed..

Look on orientaltrading.com for items.. They are really reasonable on prices..

for invitations.. print them your self..

for a reception.. you dont have to have the big private thing.. You could all go to like a local bar and grill and have a good night.. or do a back yard one..

Just b/c there isnt alot of $$$ doesnt mean you cant make it look elegant and nice.. There is alot that you can find bargin wise..

Here are some links to sites where I got some amazing deals..You just have to look around and look for the best deal.. Craigslist is a good place to find left overs from others weddings.. And you can get them really cheap.. You can also find dresses on her dirt cheap too.. I got my dress off of ebay for $21... My invitations from My Expression... 100 for $9..


Good luck...

Answer 6

1. Get married in an "off" month such as Jan, Feb, Mar, or Nov.
2. Get married on an "off" day (i.e. anything but Saturday)
3. Rent your gown or find it at a discount shop other than a Bridal Boutique
4. Use the Dollar Store for as many decorations, favors, etc. as possible
5. Make your own invitations
6. Use a relative's home for the reception site
7. Keep it small, as tempting as it is to make it HUGE and include everyone
8. Don't get a bridal bouquet and a toss bouquet. Just toss one flower from your bouquet
9. Look for bridesmaids dresses in the post-Prom sales
10. Look into meal options. Buffets are typically cheaper, but you may do an early morning ceremony with a brunch afterwards instead of a traditional dinner.

Answer 7

DRESS: check local retail stores for prom or homecoming dresses. This time of the year they should be on clearance.

CEREMONY: Choose a park, beach or friends backyard for something simple and beautiful. Contact the local courthouse for a list of people who can perform the ceremony.

RECEPTION: Think casual and cozy. Invite only your closes friends and family to keep it small and intimate. Recruit friends and family to have a big cooking day the day before your wedding and have a homemade buffet. Find a friend who has a great stereo system to play CDs or MP3's for background music.

FLOWERS: Go simple with a single red rose or a bouquet of in-season flowers like daisys or hydrangeas. Use lots of greens in the bouquet as filler which is cheaper than the blooms for something more natural.

ATTENDANTS: Cut down on the people you ask to be bridesmaids and groomsmen. Pick one person each to stand up for you to keep things simple. Remember, the more attendants you have the higher the cost per person (thank you gifts, flowers, etc.)

CAKE: Check local grocery stores that have bakeries for a simple cake. My local Super Wal-Mart offers tiered wedding cakes. Or go with something non-traditional like pies, cupcakes, chocolates and cheesecake homemade by the excellent cooks in the family.

HONEYMOON: A weekend away at a beautiful bed and breakfast can be romantic and inexpensive. Or forego the rest of the wedding and just plan a fabulous honeymoon instead. :)

Hope this helps
~Pam

Answer 8

Pick a beautiful public location, like a beach, lake, park, rose garden, town square, gazebo, something like that in your area. Those should be free to use and are much prettier than a courthouse. You can still have a JP or other officiant perform the ceremony. Have a simple outdoor cookour, or have family members prepare foods for an inexpensive reception. best wishes!

Answer 9

Check the local VoTech school, many of them will make your flowers & cake for costs, no labor included.
Make your own centerpieces (simple vases & flowers are fine) My centerpieces ended up costing less than $4 each.
Have the reception at someone's house. (the only downfall here is renting tables & chairs)
Have a buffet style dinner w/ finger foods (meat & cheese trays, veggie tray etc.)
Sheet cake is cheaper than tier cake
Real flowers are actually cheaper than fake (i've checked) make sure to pick flowers that are in season and common (rare will be expensive)
make your own invitations
have a friend take the pictures
see if you have any relatives or friends that have DJ equipment or just have a large stereo playing music and have a friend do the announcements
Skip the transportation from the church to the receptiona and have the best man drive you.

hope all this helps!!

Answer 10

Can you afford to take a road trip to Vegas? That is the best place to get married for cheap. They have all sorts of fun little chapels there that are usually about $60, which includes someone to preside over the ceremony, wedding music, flowers, and sometimes champagne afterwards and a picture. It's kind of cheesy, but it's so much fun!

Answer 11

If you are religious, try the Pastor's study. You can take your closest friends and family and it's still a bit nicer than the courthouse. Or try having it in someone's backyard on a nice day. Watch Bridezillas on WE, ironically you can get some good ideas because the people are regular people doing it an everyday budget.