Planning A Wedding With A $10,000 Budget

Our big way we cut money was on food. Food trucks are all the rage here so we opted to have one of the most well known ones cater our wedding. Everyone we have told has been really excited about it.

My daughter was just married on a tight budget, we saved a TON of money on flowers by buying bulk from Sams Club! It is not a task for the faint of heart lol but was well worth it!! Stick to 3 types of flowers and make your own bouquets & centerpieces and you will save a bundle!! You order online and have them delivered to your home, we loved them!

Since you do live in South Florida a Cruise Ship is an option. My wedding for 60 was around $3500 that included wedding and 1.5 hour reception with open bar. Bride and Groom has to sail on the cruise is the only rule. Many cruise lines will allow non sailing guests to board just for the wedding. Each one has a different limit.

As a few have said before...check community centers, park locations, and maybe Gun Clubs. If it's not too hot, you could go with a tent in a location. I am having a dessert reception (self/family provided mostly), evening wedding, at a community center and we have a $5000 budget. We aren't in FL, but I am sure you can find your wedding doable for 10K if you open your mind to unlikely locations.

You don't really have a date set if you don't yet have a venue booked. You have a preferred date.

Have you done a venue search here on WW? You can enter location, capacity, budget and get a list.

Where in South Florida are you located? $10k budget is doable as long as you are flexible. The most expensive part of the reception is the bar so get creative with that. the two major things that need to be figure out is location and food (this will take up 40-60% of your budget). Everything else will fall into place.

My friend got married at a community center in Ft. Lauderdale back in May. It's was a BEAUTIFUL wedding.

Are you really dead-set on July 5th? The holiday weekend in peak wedding season will likely be very expensive.

- Get married on a Friday or Sunday. Some venues might give you a discount if you get married between November and March.

- Try brunch, or an apps/dessert afternoon wedding; a buffet will be less expensive than a plated meal

- Find your dress at a place like DB or AA, or check Etsy

- Have people RSVP online and have a wedding website, so you only have to send out a 1 piece invitation in 1 envelope

- Buy flowers from a supermarket and arrange them yourself (you can also buy vases from Goodwill for centerpieces)

As far as venue goes, check some inconventional websites too. My venue is an old schoolhouse that I never would have found. It's owned by the city and NEVER came up under venue searches, although they hold weddings there all the time. Look at a few county websites and check their facilities. Mine ending up costing $500 and the rental is Friday through Sunday!!

Just and idea- I'm not from Florida, but usually you can save a lot by getting married in a garden. It's usually more affordable and t's already decorated.

Here's what some of my friends and family have done (some of these were already suggested):

Get a small cake to cut and just serve the guest from a sheet cake. Or have a smaller cake with a desert table. Put bags/boxes on desert table to double as a take home favor. You can also get a cake from the market.

Get flowers from the local market on the day of the wedding

have wedding during off season

have wedding on Friday or Sunday

serve comfort food or have earlier reception and serve lunch

use alternative centerpieces or opt for candles instead of flowers

have bridesmaids carry something other than flower bouquets or nothing at all Ex: corsages are more affordable.

use post cards for your "save the dates" (save on postage) and have guest RSVP online.

Congrats on your engagment..

Just a few thoughts come to mind. Are you dead set on july 5? The reason I asked is because my cousin got married a few years back and she always complains about her anniversary and how much more expensive traveling can be during that time. Also what I realized for my wedding is vista print was great for invites. However you do have to work the site the right way to see the discounts. I had pic save the dates they were beautiful but i felt later I could have done with out. We also ordered yard signs from vista print. The larger sign is better than the smaller ones but that too we didnt really need. The best investments in my opinion are to hire a cordinator. Try to get someone with a teamto help out for the different areas needed . Like to help girls and guys and someone to work with the venue cordinator that way all your details will be worked into the ceremony & reception just the way you vision.

A wedding is definitely doable on your budget, however everyone has a different idea of what a 'beautiful' wedding is. My biggest piece of advice is to prioritize.

FI and I have a 12K budget, good food, an open bar and a comfortable reception venue were our absolute biggest priorities. To make our budget work we are keeping our guest list small (guaranteed venue 65 guests).

I agree with the others. FH and I have a 10k budget for about 100 guests, but right now, as the numbers stand, it's going to cost us roughly $8500, so I feel pretty relaxed about things at this point. We live in an entirely different area though.

Since you're in FL, and it is a big tourist spot, take that into consideration and avoid venues in tourist "hot spots" if you can help it. They're going to charge WAY more. Cruises are another option, and often have inclusive packages. Gardens are great because you shouldn't need flowers beyond your wedding party flowers. Having an earlier wedding that serves lunch, or heavy appetizers, or even a dessert-only reception are ways to cut costs as well.

For us, good food, a fun atmosphere for our guests and us to enjoy, and a beautiful ceremony were important, so we focused on the venue's food and bar packages, entertainment, and I'm DIYing flowers & decor for the ceremony out of the Natural Touch flowers & saving a ton!

Try Miami springs country club that's where I'm having mines

My budget is $10,000 we are saving money by have the wedding on our ranch but can you have the wedding in someone yard or a community center if not book the venue first then work of of that

I'm getting married at Killian Palms Country club and they provide everything, food, cake, DJ and reception for 4 hours , the basic package starts at $50 per person.

I am getting married in south florida. My budget is $10,000 guest list range from 100-120. I was thinking its cost effective to have the wedding and reception in a hotel. Any advice?? Wedding will be in early September.

I hope your wedding turned out great, but I wanted to know how was your photographer and DJ through Affordable Affairs? I am looking at booking them this summer.

You can email me directly at ************@*****.***

I know of beautiful and unique places is South Florida (Miami) that will accommodate to this budget, not just hotels. For instance: Doral Club Country Club www.doralpark.org Ask for Ana, she's such pleasure to work with. If you need more ideas, feel free to email me privately ******************@*****.***