Can't afford food, need to figure out reception time

If do an early, non-meal time wedding and the cake is paid for outside of the budget, you just need to make sure every person has a place to sit for the ceremony and reception. Do a cake and punch reception (or donuts, bagels, and coffee). Good luck, Angela!

Don't serve food. Do cake and punch or like PP said just do a small dinner with immediate family.

I'm a real person. I have a real budget. But 600 bucks if it's for everything just won't work. Math is not on your side here. If the 600 was only for cake and punch maybe. Maybe. But for flowers and food too? It just won't work. I'm sorry.

Everyone on here is a real person...with a real budget.

No one is horrified, we are trying to help you out with the information you gave us.

Ok, I am sorry to hear about your grandmother and your FH's father. I understand why you want to keep your date. I would suggest a 2pm ceremony time. It's a non-meal time. If you are able to budget for these light finger foods and you have a cake and beverages, then that is sufficient for that time of day. Have everything wrapped up by 4:30. Good luck!

I agree move it to 130 and do cake and punch. Cut the other snack ideas. If the cake is already paid for outside of $600 that gives you plenty of money.

Hi Angela,

is there any way you could skip inviting aunts/uncles/cousins and just take your parents and grandparents out to a fabulous dinner afterwards? It really sounds like you wanted a more intimate affair and are stressing yourself out trying to figure out how to host 80 people. My best advice is cut the list, and really wow your immediate family with a dinner at a realy nice place, get like 3 pretty floral centerpieces, and call it a night! You can celebrate with the other folks afterwards.

I don't understand exactly what you're asking. You say your budget is $600, but then you say that the cake and flowers are paid for already?

So what, exactly, do you need to buy with that $600? Marriage license fee? Invites? Attire? Rings? Just food and soda?

And I agree that you do not need to be inviting all your aunts/uncles/cousins.

You can do a brunch. I second the bagels and coffee/juice idea. You can have different spreads for the bagels- flavored cream cheeses, jams, even bacon or cold cuts or chicken salad. eggs and hashbrowns should be cheap as well. that along with a fruit platter should fill up guests enough to mingle for a while and then serve the cake.

You should go to Walmart instead and do party trays. I planned a change of command ceremony (military) for that many and it was under $400 to include drinks.

This was supposed to be a family reunion type thing for people to see his dad one last time. A chance for my family to get together outside of the funerals. It can't be a long reception, people are seniors.

I do know how to say no.

The water is bottled water. We will have a punch bowl. The pastor is marrying us for free. He is a family friend. A family member paid for the cake.

This ceremony and having family together is important. I am not asking people to help me feed people, I am asking to help us figure out a time frame to put on the handwritten invitations.

There is seating and tables for everyone. No one is stuffy and if they are, they aren't on the guest list.

Lmao I know this is a joke. Open water and soda bar bahahahaaa and $600! You win for jokes today!

ETA: if this is for real, I honestly like the prior suggestion of a morning wedding with coffee, bagels and donuts.

I'm just confused about what the $600 is for. Also, why can't you cut the guest list down to immediate family?

If all you want is timing help, why even include all the budget info? Why not just say "I'm having a cake and punch reception, we're inviting about 80 people, what time do you think the ceremony should start?"

You can't post all this info about the budget and what you're serving and how freaked out about it you are, and then expect everyone to just ignore what you've posted.

Elope.

A bride and groom should not be responsible for a family reunion as their wedding. If you're choosing to treat your wedding that way, you're willingly putting all this stress on yourself.

As far as time... Do a morning or early afternoon time and non-meal time. We can't give you any more advice from that because we don't know your timeline of the day and location of where you'll be. Just keep it to non-meal time and early in the day so you can get away with cake and punch.

You still need to pay for a marriage license even if the pastor is doing it for free. If someone else is paying for the cake and flowers, use some of the money to "splurge" on champagne and other drinks (besides just water and soda), and small hors d'oeuvres.

So the 600 is not for the cake? Since a family member paid for it.

And like 3/4 of your post was about the money. And now you are mad that we are talking about the money.

Do a morning wedding.

For your timing question, I think either morning or early afternoon (1ish) would be a great start time. I agree with either cake and punch only or a coffee, donuts, bagels type of thing.

It is not your job to host a family reunion if you can't afford it. No one is bashing, we are being realistic.

Yes it would be nice to have everyone together outside of funerals. But if your budget doesn't allow for that, and no one is offering to give you money to help, you have to work with what you have.

You aren't required to throw a family reunion just because people want to turn your wedding into one.

ETA: If that is truly what you want and not because your FH keeps inviting people, then do either cake and punch or the breakfast thing.

Depends on how long your ceremony is. Be ready to serve cake and punch between 2 and 3, don't expect people to stay super long, and choose your ceremony time accordingly. Maybe 1pm? You could do sunset pictures after everyone leaves!