...I'd appreciate any insight, help, guidance, etc, anyone is willing to provide. My budget is $5k, which I was really excited about. This doesn't include honeymoon. My fiance's parents are giving us $2-2.5k and we're going to use that for the Honeymoon or our house fund. We're an offbeat bride kind of couple. I've looked at the offbeat bride website, and it just depresses me cause I can't figure it out like other brides have. I'm a huge organized, detail oriented, on top of things kind of person, so this challenge is the most challenging thing ever I think, everything else in my life I've figured out, mostly.
What we have free for our event: Make-up & Nails, Photographer, DJ, Officiant, and Bartender. I may even have my cupcakes (instead of cake) free, but I'm unsure I want my disabled mom to go through all that work for me, she wants to, but I worry about her being able to enjoy the day if she's done that the day before. Her health normally keeps her down for a day or two after doing work like that. I'd rather have her happy and enjoying her daughter's big day. My dress is going to be $100 or less.
I'd rather not go to Courthouse or Church. I follow a nature religion so being married in nature is ideal. Reception doesn't have to be outside.
I'm having a horrible time with venue. We originally wanted our ceremony to be immediate family only (19-26), than reception to be bigger with friends, and additional family (50-80 guests total). We also wanted a Fall Wedding on a Saturday in the afternoon/evening. Right now I'm willing to even do a Sunday anytime mid-August to Nov 3.
We don't know anyone with a backyard we could use, and ours is too tiny. The county parks system prices to rent are outrageous ($400 for ceremony, than additional $300-$1000- per 4 hours for lodge, or pavilion etc, and they don't come with anything). We don't have any fire halls that rent in our area or even 50 miles out. All the venues I've found are either WAY out of our budget, or just don't feel right for us. Even the one's that don't feel right are out of budget, or their catering menu is just way to fancy for us.
We're a very causal, go with the flow couple and we want to portray our love for comfiness, casual, in our reception. We enjoy football, movies, games, and chilling. We really want an outdoor ceremony, which is why I was looking at a cute park nearby but $400 for 30 minutes that were going to spend is ridiculous, especially because it's still a public space, and we can't impeded visitor experience at all. Which I understand, but still that's a lot of money.
My fiance really wants buffet style for food, and we thought pot luck but the energy it would cost my family with their health issues, it wouldn't be worth it. We'd rather pay the money to cater, and have our family enjoy the reception.
We just want everyone to have a good time, like when you do when it's just people hanging at a BBQ. But even if we did that we have to take into consideration weather, catering, and venue. We found this cute lodge but after all the time we have to purchase for set-up, day-of, clean-up, admission costs, then all the tables, chairs, decorations, etc doesn't seem feasible at this moment.
Right now, i'm so frustrated and disappointed that I'm at wits end. I've contact so many venues, party rental locations, etc. Even one's as far away as 4 hr drive just to see, what could hurt, right?
We'd really love the rustic, casual atmosphere. So we've even checked out some bars, but most don't have room for dancing, or the menus (in most of the venues, etc) are just too fancy for us. Which is surprising. I did find a couple bars with a great price, and food that was right up our allies, but the decor was WOW, I don't think we'd be able to last having our reception there, it was either so gaudy (I don't like hunting being hung on walls, no thank you.), we wouldn't be able to handle it. Which we love tiny cute little bars, but for our own wedding/reception, it wouldn't hurt to have something a tad nicer, something without stained carpets, spitting bartenders, all high top tables, etc.
We also don't live by any state parks, have any friends with backyards, etc. I'd considered outside of the box like a gamer bar near us that we enjoy, but the menu isn't that great, and the room they have for rental is pretty dirty. I'd thought maybe a blues club would be cool, as that's the first music we could agree on when we got together, but nothing like that around here that allows space for reception. I even thought have our ceremony at park for the $400 and just put chairs out ahead of time so no one bothers you or just have people stand, than do the reception at home, but our backyard just isn't feasible space wise. (We live in Milwaukee, WI)
Any recommendations? Sorry that's a lot, but I felt is was better to put it all out there.
