Tips and tricks for a $10,000 wedding?

Fake flowers... if u know a photographer....

Bbq or Italian catered food. I know someone in the dc area paying $5k for 200 guests for bbq. Which is half of you budget.

Honestly I priced DIY & it wasn't worth it. The cost difference isn't that great at all. There are a lot less headaches with an all-inclusive package if you find the right one. Just price around before deciding

Cut your guest list.

I'm doing 200 people for 10,000 and I have found it super doable! Our food is about half the budget, but we found venues that need minimal decor. I got some really great deals from bridal shows-especially the dj!

That budget is going to be really tight for that many people. That's $50/person for food and drink, and nothing left over for anything else. $50/person for food and drink is super easy to hit in a lot of the country, especially after taxes and fees.

I'd cut the guest list.

Italian buffet style catering, a venue that allows you to bring in your own alcohol. buy a Groupon for wedding invitations, minimal decor (shops sales/use coupons), and trim that guest list down!

I think it will be very tough to properly host 200 guests on that budget.

First and foremost, cut the guest list. It's going to be a really really trim reception if you are hosting 200 people.

I also literally just posted this on another post.

The easiest ways to cut your budget:
-cut the guest lists
-find an all inclusive
-no bridal party
-off-season and weekday wedding
-morning or afternoon wedding
-cake and punch or late night hors d'oeuvre and cocktails style receptions
-elope
-no DIY-ing and just buying second hand decor from a bridal swap, "garage sale" Facebook group

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I didn't price DIY first and just went HAM at Michaels and AC Moore...guess who went over their decor budget!?

I'm not gonna lie, the blood, sweat, and tears should factor into that cost too because it was so not worth the man hour we put in! I wish we would have just bought second-hand decor!

I'm just going to re-idirate what others have said. DYI can cost you WAY more in the end.

We were determined to be under 10k for us, and our guest list is 50. We still ended up uping our budget and that still included finding some compromises. We are in an expensive part of the country, and I hate Italian, and FW hates BBQ. So....

Basically, cut your guest list.

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Did you already sign with a caterer? My caterer basically told me that if you give them creative freedom and just ask them to use local and in-season foods they can create a low-cost menu (we did this for our cocktail hour and it went from being $2k for cocktail hour down to $500!).

This point holds true to for OP! Be honest with your caterer about your budget and they, often, will help create a custom menu to fit within your budget!

Other ways:

-Skip save the dates

-Don't add unnecessary inserts to your invitations that make them require extra postage

-Do online RSVPs (less paper to buy, don't have to pay for postage for return envelopes)

-No programs

-No menus

-No favors

-Beer and wine only

-Only have a photographer for the ceremony, group photos, dinner, and about 30 mins of dancing. Skip getting ready shots and 4 hours of dancing photos.

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We found a really amazing all inclusive venue! Menu was actually one of the big things we agreed right off the bat on, we wanted to serve Alaskan Salmon. Its something that was important in both of our childhoods. And part of that was we were totally open to whenever for everything else, which was a great money savor for us!

Most vendors will work with you! We also saved money with our photographer because we told her what we were looking for and she worked with us.

10,000 is going to be next to impossible for 200 guests unless you don’t host them properly. We are spending 18k for 35 people in Key West

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All this plus: you say you are inviting 200 but only expect 180 - you will need to budget and expect 200. Take it from people here (this is my second wedding) you NEVER KNOW who is gonna RSVP yes and who is gonna RSVP no.

The biggest thing, to me, is no bridal party. Way less stress, less drama, less money.

And skip the guest book, few people sign it!!! LOL!

Cut your guest list.

We are having 160 people on our guest list. Food and alcohol alone is 6500.

I'm doing my wedding for about the same. First, get an all inclusive venue. They come with some restrictions, but usually it's not a pain to follow. You may need to cut your guest list though.

Sticking with the guest list idea, you can save thousands by cutting it down. Rule of thumb is to make your guest list in the order of immediate family, grandparents/ immediate aunts and uncles, closest friends, then random family and friends that you want to invite just because you have the space. Sit down with your FS and pick out who must really be there for the wedding and who you can cut.

Diy. This is a hit and miss, but as long as you compare the price, you should figure out what is worth it. Flowers and card boxes are probably the biggest money savers. You don't need super fancy materials to make them look great and hold up. Centerpieces can be money savers too.

Skip unsessesary items. You don't have to have favors, programs, a millions signs, or personalized napkins. Pick and choose these type of things after you get your essentials.

Skip traditions. You don't have to buy a bouquet or garter to toss or buy anything for a unity ceremony. These traditions can be fun, but they're often skipped for different reasons, including the fact that they're an extra expense.

But your dress on sale or secondhand. I honestly think buying a dress that costs so much to wear once is ridiculous. A dress isn't "ruined" or anything if you buy from someone else (they're often unborn anyway). It's always great to wait for a sale too! I got my dress for fairly cheap because it was from an older line and on sale.

Do a cheaper caterer. Not saying you should go for that 2 star guy that offered to do it for $40, but instead choose something like Italian or BBQ buffets. They're the cheapest option and most people like them.

Finally, don't go nuts with decor. Simple looks great too. You don't need to buy a ton of fairy lights and huge light up "Mr and Mrs" signs.

My advice is to shop around. Do your research on vendors, ask around for recommendations from people you know. I almost settled on a caterer that was close to my budget but the lady in charge of our venue recommended someone and she ended up being way cheaper. Same with the DJ.

View Quoted Comment What I've found in most of the venues I like, they have on site catering. Do you have to use those? Or if they don't say required, can I just forgo that find someone cheaper?