Wedding under 15,000 dollars, is it possible?

Question

I was thinking at a vinyard outside for the reception, renting a tent, and doing the flowers myself. No crazy car to drive away in, so that cuts expenses a bit. Thoughts?

Answer 1

Here are some of the suggestions that I have to help with cutting costs.  I had my dream wedding and we spent around 2500. Here are some ideas to help cut corners. We had about a 100 guest show up, maybe 125, don't know the exact count. We anticipated around 200.

We cut lots of corners but it was beautiful.

Family member took our pictures.

Family friend baked both cakes for the cost of the ingredients. (Only the bottom tier of a 3 tier cake was eaten, and all but 1/4 of the grooms cake was left)

A lady at our church did our center pieces and decorations, she already had the stuff from a previous wedding and they happened to be in our colors.

We didn't serve a sit down meal, instead, we served cake, punch, grapes, cheese, dinner mints, peanuts, chocolate covered strawberries, and ice water for guests who didn't like punch. Ask around and borrow serving dishes/punch bowls.

The church let us borrow the table clothes for the tables.

We used the church greenery as a back drop.

I made the boutineers for the groom, my dad, his dad, best man, and my ring bearer.

I got mine and the maid of honor bouquets at micheals for 12.99 each, they were hand tied flowers.

I got all the party supplies from sam's and oriental trading.

Flower girl basket and pillow, I found them on clearance for 1/.2 price at the craft stores.

We printer our own invitations on my printer, I picked the invites up for 1/2 price at the craft store.

I used the craft store coupons (40%) off the purchase a kit that included the guest book, pen, cake server, and flutes for toasting.

We had the guest blow the bubbles at us and that doubled as our favors, i personalized them and hand tied ribbon in our wedding colors.

I splurged on my dress and veil, but nothing over the top. Just ask about the cost of alterations before you purchase the dress, this is one thing I wish I did. My dress was detailed and the alterations were more expensive than I thought they were going to be.

Get your friends to play the ceremony music for you, or use Cd or Ipod.

Flowers for the centerpieces and the courages if you don't have time to make them, use the grocery store florist. They are cheaper and the flowers are just as pretty as the high priced florists.

Answer 2

I think Its going to come down to your guest count.

100 or less, its probably do-able.  More than that and I'd say your in sketchy territory.

I'm doing tons of DIY but expecting 175 guests and I've got a 20k budget and tracking at 18k.

Answer 3

you can do anything you want.  Check out what it will cost you to have it at the vineyard and the cost of the tent a gown and the flowers, cake, every little thing adds up quickly.

Answer 4

my wedding is about $6000 and its going to be perfect!! well in my eyes atleast! its completely possible to have a gorgeous wedding with your budget. Venues and catering will cost the most. but negotiation is the key :-) call around and negotiate with the catering. if you are close to a local naval base, they may have tents and tables (i live in a navy town so we got lucky with that).also, pasta is the cheapest thing to have catered. we are doing an italian buffet theme and its going to cost less than $2500. if you are close to a SAM's you can buy pasta and sauces in bulk... its filling and more than likely people wont go back for seconds.we are expecting 300 people... ya i know! hope this helps

Answer 5

of course.. i had 180 at my wedding and only spent $8,000

Answer 6

Outdoor weddings can get very expensive. You'll have to rent a tent (which will cost you around 3grand) You'll have to rent tables and chairs, and dance floor. All these things add up, plus you'll probably have to pay to rent the "space." Then on top of all that you have your DJ, Catering, Cake, Flowers, photography........

If your heart is set on an outdoor wedding, if someone in your family has a room at their house to do a wedding you'll save on the "space rental" or at a local park that has a pavillion you can use instead of a tent.

To cut your catering costs find a caterer that is just starting out, sometimes their prices are a little less than the established guys. If your are crafty you might be able to do your bouquets and boutonnieres your self. Martha Stewert has great videos on her website showing you how to do it.

For you cake, have a smaller tiered cake and the rest of it be sheet cake or you could do cupcakes. Don't go over board on your centerpieces. A few candles can go along way and make a place look very elegant and classy. Ebay is a great place to buy candles if you need a lot. Skip the favors, people only throw them away anyway. A photographer is not an area to skimp on, however, check out your local colleges for photography students. They charge less (if at all) and it will give them a chance to build their portfolios.

Answer 7

Outdoor reception get very pricey.

Renting tents, china, chairs, tables, linen, silverware, dance floor etc, it's extremely expensive.

Not to count electricity hook ups, port-a potties etc.

Possible... hmm epending of your area. Midweat, maybe, NE, no way

Good luck

Answer 8

Sure. We had our wedding 2 weeks ago-there were 140 guests for a seated dinner/evening reception in Wisconsin and our total came in under 15k.

It will definitely require extra planning and a LOT of DIY. But, if you look at the DIY as an opportunity to really personalize your wedding, then it doesn't seem like a chore: it then feels  like a privilege. Do your homework, and look into more atypical reception sites-historical sites or museums, gardens, etc. can sometimes be found for a great price. Careful with outdoor receptions: the rental needs for pulling those off usually make them costlier than ones indoors.

Good luck!

Answer 9

It is definitely possible, but that depends, of course, on the number of people.  My suggestion, visit one of those wedding consultants in your area that offer a FREE one-hour consultation and discuss your budget with them. You might find it could be cheaper to hire a planner and let them work within your budget.

All the best!

Answer 10

You can serve great food while cutting back on costs by having a morning brunch, just cake and punch in the midafternoon, or just hors d'oeuvres and cake in the late evening, rather than a full lunch or dinner. Alcohol is also a big expense, so only serving wine and beer, or cutting it out altogether except for a champagne toast, will be much less costly than an open bar.

Do some research on the cost of renting the vineyard, tent, china, chairs, tables, linens, and setting up catering. Hopefully they will have bathroom and kitchen facilities available, but you'll need to check.

Answer 11

yes because I"m going it on $5000

Answer 12

$15,000?! Umm yeah, it's absolutely possible. I am nuts about always cutting costs so I am doing a lot myself and even though we are renting a stretch Cadillac Escallade as our 'splurge', we aren't even spending $5,000.

Answer 13

I understand completely where you're coming from, except my budget is about $4000-$6000.  Though it is definately hard, you can do it.  You can make your invitations (colored cardstock, engagement photo, print on vellum, attach the 3 together with a bow), your bouquets (dried flowers or silk flowers), and make your centerpieces (vase with flowers, rocks, candles, potpurri, etc.).  However, I bet you could have it all done professionally and still come in under budget.  Just go shopping for prices, decide which is the best based on quality and go from there.  Just remember to save some money for the honeymoon!  Good luck!

Answer 14

Remember that the money spent on the wedding could go to something that will outlast the ceremony.  Have a simple service and then spend money on the reception.  Best of luck.

Answer 15

I'm getting married at a vineyard, and also doing the flowers centerpieces and decorating myself, and ours is going to be under $10,000 your biggest cost will be catering

the vineyard is only charging us $400 for 4 hours to rent the pavilion that has the electric hook-ups, they also do catering so that includes all the silverware, plates, linens, etc. bartender is only $75

Answer 16

during peak season, on a saturday night in the chicago area...my wedding only cost $11K including invitations, rings, vendors, open bar, etc., so yes, it's possible!  and we were able to have all the bells and whistles too!  call in favors, talk to people you know in the business...it helps a lot!  i personally would advise against doing the flowers yourself unless you're going to do artificial.  otherwise they won't look as healthy being done ahead of time.  you have more important things to worry about the morning of your wedding than flower arranging!  but that's me (i wanted to do my own flowers to, and then decided not to for that reason).  flowers don't have to be a huge expense either.  i spent $500 on mine.  if a tent is what you want to do (and outside in a vineyard sounds beautiful!) then go for it!  but if you're just doing it to save money...all you have to do is hunt for what you want and let the vendors know what you can pay.  call in people you know,.  a friend of ours does invitation printing, and he got us our invites at cost...saved us almost $1000!!  also, since winter is the slow time, look for deals there.  i'm not saying to have the wedding in the winter, but some companies will have winter prices that are good for your wedding (whenever it is) if you book by a certain date.  we got a limobus that seats 40 for $200 because we booked during their winter special.  anything you plan on doing on your own...take full advantage of those michael's coupons when shoopping!  50% off one item each week adds up...especially when you ask friends and family to save them for you!  best of luck to you!  feel free to email me as i have TONS of wedding money saving tips!

Answer 17

Yes, it is possible. My guess is that the majority of your wedding expenses will go toward renting the vineyards. My cousin had to pay $4,000 just to rent a garden, so you may want to consider the price of having it there...

My wedding will not cost but $5,000 because we are having it at a newly built red barn that is used for entertaining and this will be there first wedding, so they are giving us a big break on the price.

Answer 18

It's possible to do one under 15k. We're trying to do one for 8-10k.

I think what you're planning is great and you'll probably be able to do that within your budget.

Doing things yourself saves a lot of money. Good luck!

Answer 19

yes it is possible. you just need the guest count down..