Complete wedding under 5K! HELP PLEASE!!

My budget was pretty small as well. We did an outdoor ceremony at a local park and had the reception at a fairly nice VFW hall. Very affordable for both venues. Might be something to check out! Oh and we had about 50 guests.

It's great to see so many brides happy with their lower budgets. I think you've got some great ideas here from other people. Take with your FH and decide on your priorities to figure out which advice suits you best.

I say, stick to your guns and don't let people pressure you into spending more just because you may have time to save it. My FH and I look at each budget decision and think - is this worth x amount out of our home down payment or retirement (we're older)? For some things, we've said, "Yeah, it actually is" but usually, it's not.

Also you might want to clarify what you mean by A-list and B-list. Sometimes a B-list is people you invite after people from the A-list RSVP no. Ick! I had my FH make three guest lists (1) if we can't invite these people, let's just elope, (2) I really want to share our day with these people, and (3) I feel like I have to invite these people. The last may not be relevant in your situation but this sounds better than a- and b- lists.

I say do the country clubhouse of a golf course and do some food yourself. Make your menu a pasta dish, some meatballs, a fruit and veggie platter, Hawaiian rolls with ham baked after you cover it with sauce, rolls and two more things like carrots with the green stem or asparagus wrapped in bacon and something else. Make favors cds with favorite songs and cover with stickers personalized for wedding. Take help from stores like michaels and amazon for cake cutting, unity candles, ring bearer pillows, and flow girl basket and don't spend more than 5.00 dollars for them and use a glue gun to diy them. buy runner for 20.00 dollars on amazon.

So this may sound a little bit crazy. Keeping in mind that my little sister is a go getter in every sense of the word. Her engagement was a year and a half long and now mine is the same so I'm following in her footsteps. Basically she would buy a newspaper every week and in the newspaper there was two coupons one for 40% and one for 50% off our local craft stores. My assumption is that you would have something similar. She would buy literally two things a week in order to build her dream wedding. Once every two months about she would get the bridal party together and we would have a do it yourself day. These days actually became something that all of us girls really looked forward to you as we would sit around drink mimosas and have a blast helping my sister with her wedding. She had an $8000 wedding for approximately $4200. Because she did this she was able to afford A beautiful dress and nice catering as well. I will try to find some pictures but everything you saw at her wedding was hand done from the puffballs that hung from the ceiling to the custom sewn 32 foot table runners. They even went as far as taking branches from trees in the backyard painting then dipping them in silicone turning them into centerpieces with crystals hanging off of them. Also a big thing that saved her money was instead of doing the traditional flower arrangements that cost hundreds if not thousands she she had her flowers planted at a nursery so they were ready to be hand-picked three days before the wedding and we had a big flower arrangement party the night before which turned out to be amazingly fun. It did help that we have a mutual friend who is a florist. Doing it this way takes a lot of dedication however it was one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever seen.

I kept mine in that budget. Simple intimate and unforgetable was my goal. Look into a cruise wedding of you like cruising. Its very inimate and super affordable and all inclusive.

Stick to the A list and delete the B list. If you're not convinced now, just think on it for the next year and don't add more. you have a long time before you need to worry about save the dates or invites.

Skip small items like programs, favors, and menus. those little items add up over time. search for bridal gowns on sale or a white bridesmaids dress - there are TONS of these available right now.

Most of all, because you have so much time before the wedding, just take a breather. Watch your spending and remind yourself that surprise expenses pop up during wedding planning. if you can set aside another $1,000 for emergencies do it!

If you only want to spend $5,000 then do it, but do it right!

Honestly... I'm in south Florida you probably find a venue for less than 5,000 honestly. I would drop kids unless they are nephews. Also since it's so far I would up the budget. I didn't have a budget and now I'm at 21,000$.... With a budget I feel like I would still be at 13,000-15,000... Florida can get expensive.

Cruise Ship is a great option. My wedding of 60 was only $4800. You do have to sail but everyone else can come for just the day.

We started with a buffet while I was getting ready. We had the Ceremony and then had a receptions with appetizers and open bar. My wedding was unique and people loved it.

Also try lulu's and white runway for wedding dress. Of not macy's

Fellow SF bride, food and decorations/flowers will set you over budget real quick. Restaurants get pricey too, we had a dinner for 20 at a Brio in Boca and it was over 1100.00 just for the food and drink. Drop the B list for sure!

Look at state parks on the beach, rent a pavilion, and maybe have a food truck or two cater the reception. You can still make it beautiful and unforgettable! I know that there is a really nice state park in Jupiter FL on the beach that you can have a daytime reception & ceremony at. Its a really big room with a view right in front of the water, ran by the city! Lunch catering will be cheaper too.

If your 5k includes the dress, try looking at used dresses or at DB.

Don't let anyone tell you that you should spend more money than you are comfortable with. No one knows what your finances look like and 5k is perfectly reasonable for such a small guest list.

Look into town parks that let you rent a gazebo space and have picnic tables already in the area. We did that for my sister's wedding - 150 people came in at just under $7k. My mom and I made all of the food for the reception a month in advance and had family friends keep it in their freezer until the wedding. They just heated it up in their oven and brought it over to the reception. You could also look into any caterer that will drop of chaffing dishes and do a buffet that way. We bought scrapbook paper in her colors and a flower paper punch and fishing line and made flower garlands that we strung around the gazebo for the reception. Centerpieces were plastic buckets in her colors with grass that we grew in them and then stuck fake flowers in the tops. And we made the bridesmaids bouquets the night before with the help of our aunts. We had a photography student and a family friend photograph the wedding. I would recommend hiring a DJ if you want people dancing - a professional will know how to keep the events moving and get people dancing. We used an Ipod playlist and a sound system we owned and it kept overheating in the summer sun - so just be aware of that.

Yes, doing everything yourself can make you a little crazy, so the one thing I would suggest is making sure that you have someone other than your mother being the point person at your venue the day of to make sure everything is getting done so your mom can relax and enjoy the day with you.

I love the idea of having your ceremony in a park, that would be free and gorgeous. Might be unpredictable with other visitors, weather, etc., however. Would you consider having a courthouse wedding and then a reception with food, family, and friends afterward? Totally hear you on the budget piece! It's not just "save more money," you have a firm idea in mind for what you can afford and want to spend, and that is awesome. I wish there was more attention paid to how important budget conversations are between partners planning a wedding, but no one makes a rom-com about that :-p Stick to your budget and have a wonderful time!

Boca for less than 5k with 40 people will be tough. Look at elaborate retirement communities that have golf course. They typically will rent space in their facilities. If you know someone that lives there they may have more insight on locations. But even for venue alone maybe pushing it in that part of Florida

We're getting married at Maggiano's in Scottsdale, AZ. Not sure if they have those in Florida, but the price is around $40 per person for dinner, only about $25 if you wanted to do a lunch reception instead and the restaurant is very nice. One option Florida does have is 94th Aero Squadron, those are also very nice for similar prices, a friend of mine is having her wedding reception at the one in San Diego. I think you can definitely plan your wedding for $5,000 if you are careful and there are lots of good suggestions on here about a small bridal party, etc.

Go to the vendors tab on here and search for Beach Promises...Sara & Mike are awesome and so are their prices. They are located in Naples. We are having 40 guest and are well under 5k.....and yes our guest are being properly hosted.

My wedding budget is around 5000 also, and it was definitely hard finding a venue. My suggestion is to check out state parks! They usually have great reception buildings and beautiful scenery for an outdoor wedding. We live in GA, but that is the route we are going! They even provide chairs and tables!

For catering, we are looking into smaller restaurants - specifically BBQ and they quoted us at less than $1000 for full service (we have 80 people though) so that's something to consider.

I don't know about what's near you, but there are a lot of bridal consignment shops here, and even David's Bridal has a ton of sales for a dress on the cheaper side that will still look beautiful.

The one thing I can't help with is photography - ours is a family friend. My stepmom is an artist and is trading her a piece of artwork for her services.

If possible, do a dry wedding. We are having alcohol, but our family has a brewery, so beer is provided.

Lastly, decor. If you're at a state park, you may not need many decorations. We only really need some for the reception - so just centerpieces and such, and to save money you can do those yourself. Enlist some friends or your bridesmaids and it will be a lot easier.

Honestly, a beautiful wedding is totally doable for $5000. You just have to decide what's important to you, and what you can pass up. I'm not doing cutsey 'will you be my bridesmaid' things, and neither is my FH.

Good luck! Sorry for the long post!

There are lots of comments so someone may have already suggested this but you can do an earlier ceremony. 1 or 2 and serve a late lunch it's much cheaper than a dinner. My budget is $3,500 for 80ppl so we decided on a 1pm ceremony at family friends property and a sandwich bar/buffet with pasta salad, fruit, and veggies. Not a popular choice but you can also do a weekday ceremony that'll cut venue cost or an "off season" wedding in late fall or winter. Hope this helps!

We're trying to keep our budget at $7500. Our venue is $2600 for a Sunday wedding in December, and we're catering Mexican food (FH is Mexican, and Mexican food is delicious) that includes a taco bar, arroz con pollo, and fajita steak along with chips, salsa and sopapillas for $14 a person. My step dad has a liquor license (he is a bar owner) and may be providing alcohol. (Unpopular opinion, but we're still debating on having alcohol at all.) That has us at about $4,500. We still need decorations, and vendors. My dress wasn't included in the budget because it will be a gift from my mother.

My point is, you can do it! Have your wedding at a local park, and rent a tent for the reception. Do a church ceremony and park reception. Go to the JOP and have a nice dinner afterwards. It can be done Wedding Wire has a venues tab that has been super helpful. That's how I found my venue! Off season weddings will always be cheaper, and saturdays will always be more expensive. Use more greenery in the foral arrangements. Stick with a more rustic simple theme. Skip wedding favors. Just make sure to feed your guests, and provide alcohol, as most people on WW would suggest (and don't self-cater or use "friendors") and have a great time!

Hope this helps

I don't know what your second hand stores are like by you, but I found my dress, brand new for $75 at a goodwill here in Wi. I am spending another $25 on adding to it to make it unique for me. It's an option to keep budget low!

Skip the whole plated, buffet type style catering companies. Food does not need to be your biggest expense. Ended up being one of my cheapest. Im doing a local food truck! I think photography is where it gets you. Finding the absolute perfect match was difficult. My advice. Find an intern through one of the companies you find and fall in love with. Loved a certain photographer and found out he had an intern. She was way more negotiable because of it, though her work is pretty much similar to the companys headliner! Good luck!