Planning alone. Ready to elope.

Truthfully, $30pp is a very low price for catering. Many of us pay well over $100pp for food. I don't know that you will find a lower price than $30 unless you have a drop-off BBQ or Italian buffet from a restaurant (maybe check into that). From what I can see, your biggest issue is going to be all the rentals you need for a backyard wedding + a tent which is a massive expense. Rentals add up quickly and an all-inclusive venue can actually be cheaper than a backyard wedding.

Hi Sara. My parents also passed before I got married, and I planned 90% of the wedding by myself, so believe me - I kinda know what you're dealing with.

Emily mentioned BBQ - that's a great option. That's what I used (although I'm from Texas and BBQ weddings are common here). Fajitas is another option, or a taco bar. I believe you can find $30, but you'll want to look at restaurants rather than catering companies. Just ask if they set up and take down. You might need to pay a server, but it'll be worth it. A cake and punch reception is also a nice idea, especially if it's at someone's house and your guest list is beyond control.

I also did not use china - I used fancy plastic from smartyhadaparty.com. I went to another wedding recently that also had fancy plastic, so it's not as uncommon as it might have been.

Since you're doing this alone, make a calendar/timeline - a paper one. Then check off when you've done what. Try to get things done early. My engagement was almost 8 months, and I didn't ever feel rushed.

Good luck!

Just be sure that if you use non china plates you don't use linen table cloths. Looked odd at a wedding last weekend we attended. Hell they had white castle sliders there. LOL Rentals are a total headache from what I hear. My venue was all inclusive, and made it very easy for me, one of the reasons I picked it. I still only paid about $30 a person in St. Louis MO area.

@Nikki it sounds like he's doing a lot! Where are you ordering your invites?

@E-Tex I looked at smartyhadaparty! Was everything actually decent quality? I'm trying to recheck plastic vs. renting. Then, if I do catering drop off, then guests can toss their plates. Clean up was one of the reasons I wanted catering.

And, @Susan if we do plastic, I was going to look at buying bulk fabric (so thinner cotton instead of the heavy linens). Do you think that would look okay together?

And as for slimming down the list, I wrote out a long list of our rules, but before posting it...I realized it was pointless. We really can't cut anyone else. Out of our 95, I only expect around 65-70. I also broke down and made an A and B list.

Since the wedding is a trip for most of our family/friends, I expect a high no rate. I just hope I can talk my fiance into letting me break our 'rules' for the B list. It's tough (and a little unfair), because he has a big family and I don't. With my mom being gone, she has a few friend's that were there for me a lot when she passed and throughout my life, that I'd love to have there (over some of my blood relatives really lol!). Those friend's done really fall into the rules though.

I realized I think I'd rather have as many close friends/family as possible, and skip the solid meal. Since most people will have to travel, I hope they don't feel like it's tacky if we don't have a full meal and just do a cocktail/ hors d'oeuvres reception. Also, we are providing a place for close family to stay (so no hotel cost) and I'm making a list restaurants/maps/stuff to do in the area (instead of a welcome basket).