Carnival themed for 65 on a budget

Confused: How many guests are you having for your wedding?

Sounds like you need a smaller venue if you have 65 guests.

Most people dont don’t want to play games at a wedding.

Search carnival themed wedding on Pinterest. Lots of great ideas for decor, games, cute lemonade stands and food ideas. Happy planning!

View Quoted Comment I'm saying 65 because half if his family and haven't said they were going or not. It at a recreation center we are having the ceremony and mocktail hour upstairs and reception downstairs.

View Quoted Comment Thanks. I've been looking on there and found a few things but then things get overwhelming lol.

View Quoted Comment At least 65... some of his family and friends have responded yet and his mom keeps inviting her friends.

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Invitations shouldn’t have been sent yet, it’s too early to get an accurate guest count. You should have made a guest list, and locked it down already, this is what helps you set a budget.

His mom shouldn’t be inviting anyone without your and FH say so, if you are paying.

View Quoted Comment I'm not sending invites I just call and or messaged them to get an idea

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Why no invitations?? Again calling this early to get a yes or no is not going to else to accurate numbers. Most can’t rsvp this early for an October wedding. Our wedding is in September and I’m not sending invites or trying to get numbers till August.

Like PP said check Pinterest to get ideas, then narrow down exactly what your vision is.

First, you need a budget and a set guest list. The guest list is the total number of people you are inviting, this is the number of people you plan your event for (once you receive RSVPs then you can adjust your catering numbers, etc. but, you always plan for your max guest list).

Next up find a catering (sound like you already have a venue). Perhaps get a couple of food trucks to come to the venue and serve fair food. Or look into having different stations like sliders, corn dogs, pizza, etc. It would also be fun to have a popcorn bar, cotton candy machine and/or funnel cakes available.

Pinterest has lots of decor ideas. Depending on the feel/atmosphere you want you can either go full on circus (though this may be reminiscent of a children's birthday party) or go for smaller simple touches to give that feel without being so over the top. I'd limit the games, perhaps have corn hole, ring toss, etc. but, nothing else. You should also have music and a place for dancing. If your budget allows it may be fun to hire an entertainer to engage the crowd during cocktail hour.

View Quoted Comment I've already have my venue, I set my budget, and I'm getting my mom to cater it, my max guest list is 100 people that's including the people who I actual his mom keeps inviting people he hasn't seen in years. I don't know if people having a plus one or anything..

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You really need to figure out if you are giving people plus ones or not. This has the potential to double your head count. How do you plan to order enough chairs, tables, plates, utensils, etc. without having accurate numbers? Your FH also needs to discuss with his mom and stop her from inviting more people unless she is paying for them.

It is never advised to self-cater (or have your mom cater) your wedding. There is too much to potentially go wrong. How does your mom intend to keep hot food hot and cold food cold? What will you do if someone becomes ill from the food? How will you ensure food is not cross-contaminated and remains allergen free? Who will serve the food and replenish trays? Not only that but, your mom should be able to relax and enjoy your special day not spending it cooking. Self-catering is time-consuming and hard work. If you search the forums here you will find many discussions talking about the perils of it. I believe one poster missed the ceremony of her close relative because she was too busy preparing food for them, it would be a shame if your mother missed this special moment because she was too busy cooking. There are lots of affordable catering options (some cheaper then self-catering once you factor in all of the costs) including BBQ, tacos, Italian, etc.

I think there are situations where self-catering is ok, but for a carnival theme I can’t imagine how you’d do it! When I think carnival I think corn dogs and pizza, with maybe funnel cakes, popcorn, cotton candy as snacks. You’d definitely need a caterer with a full staff and specialized equipment to do these things. If you are self-catering (which as a PP said, comes with its disadvantages) I’d suggest seeing what your family CAN confidently and comfortably make, and then choose your theme from there.

First, I would sit down with your mom and tell her that she can't keep inviting people. Re-group and reaffirm how many guests (and plus ones) are on the guest list. From there look for a caterer. Self catering is a bad idea. It is a lot of work, and there are food safety risks that need to be considered. If your mom caters she will spend the entire day working on the food and not being with you (or all of the guests she has invited). Food trucks would be fun with your theme!

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A dry self catered wedding......let the comments begin!

Self catering for any amount of people is a poor choice. Please re-think this.

Dry-wedding and self-catering is a HUGE NO! You really need to think of better options. First you need to make sure you are serving your guests properly and that wouldn't be at a self-catered wedding. You are taking chances of people getting sick etc. Also not having any type of alcohol typically people will not stick around for long.