No Wedding Planner, Doing it on my own

It's totally possible to plan a wedding without a wedding planner, most people here on the forums don't have wedding planners.

My best advice is to consider ALL your options for a ceremony and reception. You will almost definitely not save any money by doing it at your ranch once you factor in the cost of renting everything - tables, chairs, bathrooms, dishes, glasses, cutlery, decor...hiring a bartender and catering staff. It can be done but its certainly not he easiest or cheapest route.

Good luck and happy planning!

You can do it in your own ... but I doubt your going to save money ... rentals are super pricey as is catering ... btw your gonna need to rent every thing ... silverware , place settings glasses , linens , table chairs , probably an arbor and a ton of random thing you don't realise . .. and a tent ... I say why not make it gardening these lots of pretty flowers ...

I did it on my own and saved money. I negotiate very well. I shop discounted or used items only. Including my dress. Just have to be dedicated =)

I think most people here aren't using a full service planner.

However, backyard weddings rarely save money. You'll have to rent tents, heaters or fans, a dance floor, tables, chairs, bathrooms, have a plan for electricity and parking, etc.

Thank ladies I really Appreciate the answers... now i am confident that i can do it on my own, I have always been crafty also my younger sisters so maybe i can get some help from them i really dont have friends/girlfriends so most are my fiances friends/co workers and my family and his but he helps a lot so ill get him to help out on the decor.. i kinda just have to figure out the how to get people to do stuff meaning once we are pronounce husban and wife do i turn around and say ok time to eat lol that stuff that still have to figure out, my only friend in this is my soon to be 13 years old daughter she is my sweetheart she said she would be my wedding planner and in charge of directing the wedding lol she said she will be watching the wedding planner movie lol

Feel free to bounce your ideas off of us! But you should know, we will tell you the truth and probably not sugar-coat it

I was thinking of doing maybe a buffet line... i said i would do most of the dessert (not all) but i also dont want to stress out so much i have somewhat of cooking and baking skills ... also i thought about buying the fancy plates that sams sales... would it be to ratchet? lol

I could have used my parents' property (with a gorgeous view of mountains and water), but several considerations made us choose a different venue. The main issue was the bathroom situation - there was only one bathroom on the lower level. I did not want 100 people tramping upstairs (which is the only carpeted part of the house) to the second bathroom. Another issue was the amount of work, time, and cost to bring everything in from tables and chairs to linens, silverware, and china to the waitstaff and bartender. The final major issue was parking - there was no place for more than five cars to park at my parents' house (even though they own 8 acres). If you decide to do a backyard wedding, I would recommend finding a caterer that will handle all the rentals and staffing for you.

Like this i thought about getting

Most of the people on here are doing their wedding planning alone. My aunt has been a wedding planner for 25 years and she's switched to wedding planning part time and working in the travel industry part time because she said a lot of brides are only looking for day of or month of coordinators.

I agree with other PPs. You may not be saving much money by using your own backyard. FH and I considered this. We were going to use a family member's backyard and it was so much work to coordinate all the different vendors: caterers, a bar tables/chairs/dance floor. plates/utensils, decorations, florals, etc. Then we realized we'd need to do something for electricity, stock the restrooms with supplies, have a water supply for washing dishes and drinking.

Our current venue gave us two weeks to lock in our date and during that two weeks, we guestimated how much we would spend on rentals and alllll the vendors and it was a huge jump from what we were quoted at our venue.

Just something to think about. Wedding planning has been a lot of fun for me and I firmly believe it's because our venue has most things included.

You absolutely need a caterer and a bartender - no making the food yourself. It's dangerous, unappetizing, the honestly just super stressful on you and whoever would be helping you.

The majority of your budget will probably go to food and alcohol and that's just fine- that's what people want and remember at a wedding!

And this plates

Thanks @ leelee i really dont mind that i am open to any help.. like i said i really have no idea of what im doing and really i have no friends to get opinions or help from

My wedding is tomorrow. Some advice? Hire a wedding coordinator. I seriously wish I did. Totally overwhelmed the last 2 weeks.

It's possible to do it without a planner, but at home weddings are often more expensive than venues. I would avoid disposable plates and flatware. It's your wedding.

True @Leelee... yes i dont plan on doing the food i am planing on buying but to kinda make it more of a buffet line.. as far as drinks i thought about filling up the big metal tubs of alcohol and other drinks.. we are getting our cake make and some other desserts like donuts which is my fiances favorites so i wanted to add that in lol

Metal tubs of alcohol? How are you going to stop bugs from getting in there?

@A.L i didnt think about that.. ill have to figure something out!

@kate yes that was my idea of putting them in ice...

Please don't have self-serve alcohol. If something happens (like a guest gets into a car accident on the way home), you could be liable (depending on your state's laws).