$5000 wedding budget

That is great about the tent, tables, and chairs! Glad you found something in your budget. Make sure you still pay your old friend photographer.

I would skip guest favors, you could rent speakers to play music. Don't spend too much money on your dress. Cut excess decor, maybe DIY your flowers unless you have elaborate plans--then definitely they are worth the money. Skip save the dates.

I've got the same budget. We're having the ceremony at home and then taking our 14 guests out to dinner & drinks. 2k on the dinner, 1.3k on the photographer and everything else is bits & bobs.

If you're having a casual backyard affair, you might want to think about getting a dress that isn't from an actual bridal store. Waaaaay cheaper.

Wine, beer and signature drinks for alcohol. Although the photographers a friend, still make sure to have proper paperwork, like previous comments said.

Flowers, you can do fake- you don't have to worry about them wilting, and it could save 1,000 depending on your area. Also agree with Italian and BBQ for catering.

Definitely save the dates and favors!

We did a backyard wedding for 6k for ~75.

Research research catering companies in your area.

Less is more for decor, take advantage of the natural surroundings.

We went with quality > quantity in photography and only did a very small package.

I chose to do real flowers as our splurge in the decor area... I loved that detail. Shop around for prices, be flexible on type of flowers.

Smaller wedding party is always cheaper.

We did very simple invites from visa print.

We skipped favors.

Enjoy the wedding planning process!

-Budget shop with attire and maybe get cheaper wedding bands for now that you can replace with permanent ones later.

-Scrap the floral besides a few small items like your bouquet. As your wedding is outside, use the décor you have.

-Make your own invites and keep them simple. Have people rsvp online with a call-in option in order to avoid costs of extra postage.

-buy the alcohol yourself wholesale (maybe Costco where you can return unused bottles) and just hire a bartender for the day.

Flowers from Sam's club or Costco can be great savings. They do loose or pre-arranged packages.

small 6" cake for cutting. Cupcakes or sheet cake for serving.

look at Etsy for invites. Buy .PDF design and print yourself or at copy shop. Embellish if you choose. Easy to do w/ smaller # of invites.

Here's how it works. $500 will usually cover an officiant and a wedding license, and that makes you just as married as anyone else. So, once you've spent that $500, for each item, ask yourself, "Will this really add to my or my guests' enjoyment?" I'd put all decorations-- centerpieces, table runners, table cloths, aisle runners, chair covers or bows firmly in the 'no, I didn't enjoy a wedding one whit more because of those' category. Skip STDs, welcome bags, favors, a photo booth, personalized *anything*, including toasting flutes and cake cutters. Skip the special cake stand-- you can keep it simple and still enjoy your family and friends.

We are doing a beach wedding and reception following for a guest list of 30 people. It will be under $5000. A few things to look for:

1. Buy a dress off the rack. You don't have to spend thousands or even several hundred to find a perfect dress.

2. Look for somewhere that doesn't have a fee to use their facility. We found a place that the use of the facility is included in the banquet charge. There is a $1500 food and beverage min and it's $38/person for a buffet. We are adding a consumption bar and cheese platters for cocktail hour.

3. SHOP like mad for a good photographer who is reasonable. I found an excellent one for 8 hours at $650. Bonus if they have a 2nd shooter! (My brother happens to be a professional photographer and has worked out a deal with who I hired for him to be the 2nd shooter)

4. Remember that you do not have to have every awesome little thing you find on Pinterest! I keep finding things and then realize that I don't really NEED it.

Keep things simple! No one is going to remember every detail about your centerpiece or if the ceiling was covered in tulle!

Greetingsisland.com has some nice invites that you can customize and download for free! Print & cut at home or at staples for a lot less than buying them outright.