Casual Wedding with Big Guest List

You control the guest list. And everyone can have a small wedding.

Come up with a budget, figure out a per head price and go from there. Ninety is still big.

Low key backyard weddings can be beautiful. But when done well, are rarely cheaper that a venue. You will need to rent everything, chairs, tables, dinnerware, tents, extra bathrooms etc. Those costs can quickly add up.

Backyard weddings (renting everything) is very expensive. FH and I were going to do a casual beach wedding for about 100 people and it ended up being double what it was to have it at a local golf course. And at the golf course mist things were included. So keep that in mind when planning.

Sometimes it helps to choose your venue (If you go a different route that back yard) then look at catering prices for that venue and see how many people you can fit into your budget based on that.

@Becklynn, that's exactly what I mean. Backyard sounds nice, but not worth the clean up on our part

@Mert, I like that idea.

Maybe we're looking for something that doesn't exist. A fun, casual, relaxed wedding with lots of people.

A great way to control drunken friends is don't offer hard alcohol. My FH and I are doing Beer and Wine only. For our 130 guest list the alcohol will be about $500

You could look into renting out a banquet hall or fire hall for the evening, if your guest list is too large for a restaurant to accommodate. Doesn't have to be a wedding-specific venue.

You can chose to do something much smaller if you wish. Sit down and figure out a budget. There have been several brides on here that have a had small weddings and they were beautiful. Look into something like a vets hall or a local restaurant that has a private room. FH has a very large family (the original guest list his mother sent me for his family was 150 people) but we've been very firm about how many people we want. Its achievable. Check out the vendor tab here on WW, hopefully it can point you in the right direction.

Oh Kaylie. Nope. People can get just as hammered on beer and wine.

You need to figure out a budget first. Then you can go from there.

My cousin had her wedding at her dads house (he has a beautiful property with tons of space). Her wedding was gorgeous. But she had a beautiful tent that covered the entire reception, had built a dance floor, and had to rent chairs, tables, linens, etc. It was definitely NOT cheaper than a venue. Beautiful? yes. Cheap? No.

Just something to think about

If you're looking for some place casual, try your local VFW or Elks club. Those places are generally cheap and allow outside catering. Also look for places that have banquet halls. There are some restaurants that are big enough to have those.

@Kaylie Challenge accepted.

We aren't religious and didn't want anything too formal. So we are getting married at our local Zoo. Right next to the giraffes. I'm excited.

Maybe think outside the box for informal locations near you

I'd probably try and find some sort of all inclusive venue to be honest. You can go as casual or as formal as you want. Since you're looking for things to be more casual, it'd probably be on the less expensive side of options at an all inclusive venue.

GoingBaldwin, I love that! I hadn't thought of this until now, but I remember as a kid, my friend's aunt got married at a movie theater. A movie theater is not my thing, but it could give me some cool ideas. Thanks!

AyEmVee, I think you're right. I'm definitely willing to spend a little extra for convenience.

As a side note, we haven't yet figured out a budget, but we are going to try to do what worked great for my FSIL. Her and her husband planned their wedding based on what THEY could afford on their own, and then happily accepted help from their parents rather than relying on it. It was a good way for them to keep costs down.

I'm not sure if this is common or not, but the restaurant where I'm having my reception rents out the entire place for weddings (not just a private room). And the rental fee is only $350--much cheaper than a traditional wedding venue. Maybe that's something you can look into. (The place could fit up to 200 people if we wanted but we're only having 90.)

Then staff, food, drinks, plates, silverware, and clean up is all included.

DeNigris, that sounds exactly like what I'm looking for. I'll have to start doing some real research! Thank you ladies for giving me a conversation to start with!