Want to have a wedding but can't afford it

What is your budget? If you want to have a party, do a back yard BBQ. Buns, pulled pork, chips, coleslaw, a couple kegs and wine. Use discount coupons to get decor at Michael's. Don't have attendants. Buy the groom a suit he can wear again or use one he has instead of renting.

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(This post was for those being douche bags. Not those who are actually giving helpful suggestions.)

Listen you self-righteous twats, some people can't afford all the nice stuff YOU might be able too. The suggestions are just that, suggestions. I have been to large weddings, I have been to small weddings. The suggestions I gave can help someone who can't afford a large fancy wedding. I have seen all these types of things done. Each turned out nice. Don't act like it's all impossible. It takes effort and hard work. For my own wedding, we saved for 3 years and I was able to afford a PROFESSIONAL DJ, a PROFESSIONAL photographer, and a venue. But I am not going to sit here on my fking high horse and belittle a girl who may not be able to afford those things. I am going to give constructive suggestions. Why can't you people? Most of you have offered NOTHING constructive to this girl asking a community for help. There are ways to save money without blowing a budget. I'm sorry you all fail at being creative and/or resourceful. Fcking princesses.

@JuliaT- Watch me. Costco, Sams, coupons. Also, I think you forget that the cost of living isn't the same every where. Do you think that caterers charge "at cost" for the food you have them make? Nah, the food you serve to your guests is, at minimum, marked up 300% then service fees were tacked on.

@Nikkel... I can AND will cater for 100 people like a fking badass, and ZERO people will get sick. I know kitchen etiquette very well, tyvm. Sorry, I can't afford a $1500+ caterer like you may have, you snob.

@Reese- friends and family are there to help. Idk what your family is like, but mine think of it as spending time together and are willing to help. I really DONT think you read my post in its entirety. That, or you are terrible with reading comprehension. Sun dried tomato chicken and steak medallions are a far stretch from being hotdogs and water. I suggested pasta because it can be made in large quantities without blowing a budget. Again, another highfalutin wedding snob that doesn't realize that not everyone can afford top-dollar fancy sh!t.

@Kristen- Potluck was a suggestion for a smaller wedding. I don't know this girls guest list. However, who is to say that her family wouldn't mind to do a potluck if her wedding is small? If her family has to bring their own chairs, who gives a sh!t?! It isn't YOUR wedding. The entire point is to just be there and celebrate two lives coming together. If her family would be ok with that, then so be it. If not, there are other options.

You pretentious, snobby, best of the best, brides are the fcking worst. You act like all of your guests are going to go to the best party of their lives. In reality, that one night will be a faded memory to most of your guests in the next few years. You snobs are the type of female that want the wedding and not the marriage. With an attitude like that, enjoy your divorce in 10 years. LOL

Ok.

Yeah, wanting to host a nice, decent, proper wedding definitely means all these posters will divorce. Good luck with your wedding, Mandy, you're going to need it. Hope your relatives don't sprain their eyes from rolling them so hard.

Mandy forgot to add valium to the budget. One star poster. No shock there. But oddly, she seems to know you all so well......funny, huh?

My family is not 'there to help', not even with Thanksgiving. And they're mostly pro chefs.

No one 'deserves' a wedding they can't afford. They deserve the wedding they can have, without screwing together plywood, glue gunning anything to anything else and making the theme "DIY" when the odds are they've never DIY'd anything in their life. Or they'd have thought of that already. They need a license, an officiant, something to wear and possibly rings. They don't need to stress out themselves and their entire family for years (three, eh?) trying to pull of a wedding they can't afford and won't enjoy because they'll be too busy picking foil bits off the top of the lasagna.

That may be the first time we were called "highfalutin"

^foil bits lol

And Mandy, you know nothing about catering, obviously, so just step away from that canoe.

Highly recommend changing your date to 2017 and start saving. If you're able to $500 per month ($250 from each of your paychecks per month) starting December 2015, by December 2016 you will have $6,000 towards your wedding. Also, find a venue where you can have the ceremony and reception and is all inclusive.

As evidenced by Mandy's post

Wow Mandy, I would just like to point out there are many of us who are budget brides that are paying for our wedding OURSELVES and care enough to not poison our guests. I've been engaged for two years and pushed my wedding back before because I knew I needed more time to save enough money. It is very possible to save money yourself and afford a wedding that doesn't need to be self-catered. Just because I don't want to DIY does not mean I lack creativity or resourcefulness. Why don't you take your judgemental attitude and go to a forum where people think your self-catering is great idea, because here we know better.

The first step in planning a budget wedding is don't listen to Mandy. Wow is she ever nasty! Potlucks and BYOB are simply not ok - you need to properly host your guests. And you can still do that on a budget. The other ladies have given you great advice.

Wow. I'm just going to stay away from Mandy's post other than to say, do not listen to Mandy.

Op, there are tons of ways to have a wedding on a budget without self catering or doing a pot luck. As many have mentioned, cut the guest list as that is what will save you the most the most money. Look into a community center or firehouse banquet hall. Those are cheaper places to rent that you can transform into whatever type of wedding you want. Look into caterers, grocery stores, and restaurants to see who has the best deal on food. Look into getting any flowers you want at a grocery store. If you have centerpieces, have non floral centerpieces. Buy a bridesmaids dress in white or get your dress during the David's Bridal $99 sale. Consider a different dessert than a traditional wedding cake such as pies, cookies, cupcakes, donuts, etc as those will be cheaper. Or you can also do a cake and champagne reception at a non meal time to save money.

Decide what aspects of a wedding matter to you (food, photography, dj, location, etc) and focus your money on those things. Look at your current spending as a couple and figure out if there is anything to cut down on (your daily coffee runs, buying lunch everyday, cable, etc). Then figure out how much it will take to properly host your guests and how much you can save by your wedding date. If it's not enough, consider moving your date back until you can save more.

I went to a wedding in a backyard a few years ago with 20 people on Long Island. It was fully catered with beer and wine and in the grooms parents backyard. The bride made the flowers out of paper. They used their ipod for music and they had a friend take photographs. The wedding was great and they were able to host their guests properly for not a lot of money. So it can be done.

Has Lively made yet another comeback? Lol!

I'm fine being highfalutin' if it means my guests have a good time.

That does NOT include me making them a box of Barilla and making them bring their own beer.

I'm on my high horse and LOVIN the view!

Well. then.

Simple Inexpensive Wedding

Event Planner Insider Trick: Atlanta is home to some of the most talented movie and entertainment professionals in the world. Stop limiting yourself to people,vendors,and companies that only specialize in the "wedding" industry. You would be amazed at the quality of work that a lot of freelancers within the entertainment industry offer at a fraction of the cost.

Guest Count : Keep It Under 50 people

Venue: The Solarium At Decatur ( Sunday ( ask a friend that lives within their area code and have them reserve it for you and receive 50% off the rental rate) Total850

This Venue Bonus ( All chairs and tables are included which will save you a tremendous amount of money)

Linens: Craigslist ( I know it may not be the first resource that comes to mind but there are tons of brides in the Atlanta Area that are waiting to get rid of their wedding linens well under market or rental price) ~$50

Food: All Inclusive Catering (Buffet Style 2 entree options ) ~$650

Liquor: DIY Beer & Wine Bar ~$ 300

Decor: Keep It Simple, the dekalb county farmers market does a great job with floral arrangements for a pretty decent price. Quick Candles offers great prices on candles for diy. Decor Budget $300

Cake: Do False Tiers with a real top tier for photo purposes. Have the caterer cut the real sheet cake in the back, garnish & serve. ~$200

Photographer : The great thing about having a small guest count is you can think outside the box when it comes to Photographers. You don't necessarily need a photographer that specializes in weddings, most of the time you can get a great and extremely talented freelance photographer who will be able to capture the whole evening without the assistance of a 2-3 man crew. I have worked with many of these guys throughout my career and many of them are professionals within the movie and entertainment industry and provide high quality work without the highly inflated "wedding" price tag

Servers/Clean Up Crew: Average server cost is around $15 per hour you can get away with 2 if you keep your guest count under 50 ~$200

Music: Atlanta is saturated with DJ's waiting for the opportunity to break into the wedding industry. You would be surprised at how many qualified DJ's you can book in this city for $50 and hour with equipment. Many of them work throughout different venues in the city and will be happy to work with you and build up their resume in the process. In general most DJ's are not in the highest of demand on Sundays so this shouldn't be to hard. ~$250

You can book everything I mentioned for around $3000 (and you can probably get it for less if you dig deep), I know I've done it before,several times. How much you spend on your dress and attire is up to you, but if you stay away from pintrest and the endless number of bridal magazines selling you bankruptcy dreams and keep it simple and meaningful you can get a lot of bang for your buck.

"See if there are members of the family willing to help out financially as a wedding gift"

Why should guests fund your wedding??? Save up for it yourself like an adult.

HOLY HELL MANDY- Go away your a crab ass.