150 guest with a tight budget

Do you know what your catering company will charge? Did I miss that? If you are looking for venues, check schools in your area (private colleges, private schools). Make certain they allow alcohol. In some states, you can get a special one day permit for events where nothing is sold. Stick with beer and wine, stock up on wine at Trader Joes or Costco. Agree with PP, keep wedding party small (just MOH, Best Man) to save on gifts, etc. For music, consider using a play list, seeing if you can go without DJ or band. For photography, keep the hours down. Do a first look, family shots, wedding party and ceremony. Keep to two hours. You may still have to cut guest list down.

I'm also working on a tight budget. Food is gonna be the most expensive part, and most (if not, all) venues or caterers price per person. So I agree that cutting the guest list will help cut cost.

You can do that in south Florida with a park/VFW/church fellowship hall/KC hall and Olive Garden/BBQ level catering. Careful, some of these venues may have rules about alcohol. Photography will be extremely challenging and all I can suggest is cut it ceremony, pictures during cocktail hour, first dance imeediately, cut cake immediately, and that's it. You might be able to find someone who has an inexpensive package for fewer hours, but it is still just a big expense. If you could get down to 70 or so, and would do a brunch wedding I think that is doable in the off season at some of the hotels (I just wet to one). I suggest you start putting together several likely scenarios and running numbers on each possibility. Avoid outside venues with no interior space attached. You don't have the budget for a full rain plan and we get a ton of rain and incredible heat and humidity. You need a venue that can fit everyone for both ceremony and reception inside.

Cut it to 20. It's easier than you think; start with your parents and siblings and their SO's.

That'll probably do it, and no one will mind....

I would definitely start with cutting the guest list. 10k for 150 I don't think you can pull that off especially in your area and with open bar, good food and a good photographer. You will probably meet your budget just in that. When is your wedding? I didn't see it unless I missed it.

I would suggest doing a taco bar or something similar for your food if you want to do dinner. OR you could do an afternoon wedding and have snacks and no meal..that's a HUGE money saver. Look into airbnb and check the box that says suitable for events. That might be your cheapest venue option.

Oh and stick to 3 types of beer and a red and white wine for your bar

I think it's going to be difficult to stick to that budget with so many guests. I'm only doing 60 or so people and our budget had to be increased to 10,000. Not saying it's impossible, but it will be difficult. Definitely look into less expensive venue spaces. I'd also recommend no hard liquor. Maybe cupcakes instead of a wedding cake? You could skip flowers. That's a really tight budget still though. I mean, for catering alone for that many people you're looking at probably 4-5k. Good luck!!

Our budget is $4000 with 20 guests. We were very blessed to find a venue that only cost us $200 in Austin Texas which, we receive a full refund of our deposit the day of the wedding, the place is worth way more and will be virtually free if we didn't decide to donate to the chapel. Shopping around and thinking out of the box can help too! Good luck.

Cut the guest list down

No byob!!

It depends on your area but that seems like a difficult budget to work with.

Cut the guest list. You don't need to have 150 guests if you cant afford a wedding with that many. Extended relatives and people you dont see more than once a year dont need to be invited to your wedding. Get it down to 50-75 people and it will be easier to accomplish.

ETA: My wedding is in fort Lauderdale and I really dont think this is possible. Even if you get married at a park you need to pay fees and for chairs. Food and drinks will run you over $100 a person. My wedding is at a park and reception is at a restaurant and it will cost 4k just for those things and I only have 30 guests. You wont find a good photographer for under $1000. Flowers can be DYI but will still be hundreds.

I think the previous posters have given you the raw truth. You may have to adjust your vision of a medium/large wedding (100 or 150 is not a small affair). There probably are ways to make $10K work for 100 guests, but you will be cutting amenities all over the place. You'll be looking for the cheapest casseroles and meals available, you'll have little decor, your venue will not be elegant, an open bar will be almost impossible, you'll have to rent plates and glassware, and even linen costs will frustrate you. You'll be tempted to DIY your music and you'll be looking for friends/family members who aren't half bad with a camera. Perhaps the worst thing you might consider is self-catering.

On the other hand, you could take all (or a portion) of that money and host 20 - 30 people beautifully. You can find a private room in a restaurant, host a fantastic meal with an open bar, and still have your gown, your flowers, your wedding cake, and professional photography.

We're having about 100 people and our venue(ceremony, reception, food, open bar) is costing us about 15k.

Cut your guest list.

You can have a REALLY nice opulent affair for 50 guests under 10K.

Or you can have a mediocre stressful one for 150.

The easiest solution is cut the guest list. Small weddings are warm and wonderful- they still feel like weddings- and they still are wonderful and feel like great parties.- It does not HAVE to be a huge affair to still feel nice.

It all depends where you live. I'm fortunate that I live in the state ranked as the cheapest place to get married. Catering and alcohol alone is going to cost me $4,000 for 150 people. So, it's possible if you keep things simple and live in an affordable area, but if you don't, you're gonna have to cut some guests.

ETA: just saw OP lives in Florida. Def. not affordable. Cut your guest list. I know it's really hard, but as pp said, you can either have a nice, small wedding or a mediocre large wedding.

I'm doing my wedding for 80 guests at 3,000 dollars but I'm in Mississippi. I'm not having any flowers except bouquets, my bridesmaids offered to buy their own dress, we are doing hair and makeup ourselves, the reception venue was free because I volunteer at the horse rescue we are having it at and the landowner is providing alcohol/drinks as a wedding present. All decorations, dress, and everything was bought on sale and/or second-hand. So depending on where you live 10,000 may be a feasible budget if you are realistic. However I wouldn't know how to handle 150+ people even if I

had the budget. I'd cut the list down and really consider what it important to you before you start anymore planning. Find a venue you love that's in your budget first and use their guest limit to help you narrow if you need to.

I ended up going when the a hotel as my venue. The catering and some decorations were part of the cost. I used their preferred vendors and my expenses are less than another venue where I had to pay everything.

Use the app here to get venue and vendor contacts. It may take some time but in the long run you can save. You only have to do your homework.

If you choose a nice, outdoor venue, you may be able to axe decor/flowers almost entirely.

I agree on cutting the guest list. We had about 100 people and we used a food truck for catering (fortunately, a killer one with great food) and we supplied the beer and wine for the bar via keg and bottles. After paying the food bill, bar set-up charged by the venue, bar staff, corkage and tap fees, we managed to stick right around $4K just for food and beverage, which IMO is a killer deal. It would easily have been $6K for half as many more guests.

You could always consider a nice brunch wedding if your budget is that tight and you want more guests. You could do mimosas and a brunch-style buffet for a lot cheaper than an evening reception. It could also mean less DJ/band expense. Venue rent may be cheaper for that, too.

Consider a Sunday wedding. We had 100 guests with a $12,000 budget and saved a ton with a Sunday wedding.