Wedding budget $6000. Is it possible?

Our budget is at 6000.00 I've decided to forego a lush venue, however I'm getting all the bells and whistles for my backyard. Right now I'm doing a detailed comparison for silk vs real flowers. I'm using a planning group called weddingstreet that I believe you can find in search by typing it in. I have a guest list of only 70, and I'm doing live streaming videography for the remaining 150 guests. I've booked a showroom for them to get together and watch the stream, a friend of mine will cater that end. At any rate don't be discouraged, I know it can be done. No one will be working at my wedding except those I hire, and I even have enough left in my budget I plan to feed and tip them well.

Crystal - What is this live streaming and additional 150 guests?? So you have 70 people in your backyard for the actual ceremony and a catered (presumably) reception, and then you have another room somewhere else where 150 will be seated to watch via live stream and then eat a different catered meal? I'm curious about this and how that is cheaper than having everyone at one place (and I'm also surprised you can do the backyard wedding with 70 people for $6,000).

Depends on where you're located and what resources are available locally, but it's definitely possible! That's our budget for 50 people in Boulder, and it looks like we're going to be pretty close to it. Our biggest cost is venue & liquor. We chose a freestanding/independent event center, which ended up being more flexible with negotiating site fees and caterers - the hotels were much less flexible, more expensive food, and food that wasn't really to our atmosphere. Being able to choose our own caterer & negotiating the site fee really ended up saving us a lot (around 3K) - and the food we chose is delicious and more to our tastes. There also may be options with parks, pavilions, camps, church/back yards, or other nontraditional venues in your area that will allow flexibility. Also doing our own invites, design, flowers, etc. and not going through traditional 'wedding' sites/vendors for accessories and materials is helping keep costs down, although savings for those items is minor compared to venue/food/liquor.

Very, very basic with few guests.

Free? No. Not unless you pick it up off the side of the road.

Readjust your thinking. Nothing, hosting wise, is free. Somebody, somewhere down the line is paying for it. Cheap is a terrible word when it comes to hosting. If you have $6K, you have enough to do something nice, something memorable, something well-hosted, and something tasteful, for about 35 - 40 people -- no more.

I started planning thinking I could do this for 5k and then quickly realized that's just not possible in the end we ended up spending about 4K on our venue with food and alcohol. And that was luck because it's all inclusive my favorite venue was 4K for just the site.

Total we will end up spending closer to 10k for 70 guest.

It's possible! Small guest list, buffet dinner, stay on budget! Don't buy a dress thats more than $600.

So far we're at the $6000 mark. We were able to do this because we made sure our guest list was small. We did a lot of research and prioritize the things that were important to us.

Good luck and happy planning!

Cut your guest list.

PS - I'd be shocked if 150 rsvp'd yes to watch a live stream of a wedding at a different venue with different food with no bride and groom. Lolllllllllll.

I doubt the 150 will be in the same room, my guess is the 150 people will be watching from their own homes.

@Houligan - she said she booked a showroom for 150 people to watch her livestream and eat food there. Which a friend of hers will be catering.

Houligan, she booked a venue for the other 150, she said she booked a showroom.

Honestly, HockeyGirl, that sounds like a really rude plan. I wouldn't get dressed up to go watch a wedding on a screen, unless maybe you were a princess or rock star. Also the 150 people get to watch the events/catering for the "prime" 70 people?

EDITED TO MAKE SENSE: HockeyGirl edited her post entirely so mine seems out of context.

Shop Amazon, shop clearance, a little diy . Shop around .

Is the $6000 everything? Including clothing and decor? My budget isn't much more for potentially 50 guests, but my venue, food, alcohol (buying our own and hiring bartender through caterer) photographer and entertainment are in the $6000 range. Biggest costs are venue and food for me, so you should decide what your priorities are and how many people you can host well based on those priorities. I started with some basic research on venue costs in the area and went from there. I am having limited coverage photography and ordering bulk flowers (my venue doesn't need or allow excessive decor, a choice purposely made and we will have a small WP so making bouquets and such won't be too onerous). I can wait until Vistaprint has a good sale for invites, and I refuse to spend a ton on a dress. I also wouldn't pour money into extra stuff people will likely throw away even if it's cute. Long story short, it's possible if you're realistic about your priorities and take the time to shop around.

Agree with everyone, small guest count is the way to stay in that budget.

Totally doable. Just have realistic expectations and an intimate guest list. When I got engaged I thought I could get everything I wanted for $5000. Reality check came really quick as I began receiving quotes. So we had a longer engagement and doubled our original budget to get what we wanted.

My wedding is the 26aug and we spent about $6500 And we are having our wedding in my fh family's 2acres yard . And yes we rented chairs , tables and tents , serving beer, wine and have a bar tender and someone coming to cater our meals and we have 130 guest , the biggest thing is finding what is important and finding things on sale

It is possible. limit decor and get stuff on sale or used. there are tons of cheaper catering options dependibg on your guest list but the list still needs tp be limited. if you want a fancy meal with all the works then there is less room where as a bbq pr italian cateted meal can still be good, cost lesa and have more room. if possible find a place that already has tables abd chairs. your location will chabge how far your budget will go. amazon is a great place. i got a $50 dress there. but order early for sizing purposes. recyclemywedding.com and other used items sites are great. well, good luck.

My budget is the same for 200 people BUT our venue is 650$, decor 1600$, my dress and invites were gifts, and my FH's aunt owns a small mexican restaurant and we're paying them to cater.

Cut guest list, look for sales at craft stores for decor(hobby lobby ALWAYS has a 40% off, and they rotate their sale items each week). Look at sample sales and davids bridal $99 sale. Use silk flowers will save you a bunch. Host your own beer and wine, I hear Trader Joe's has a great deal. And hire a professional caterer and photographer. You don't want to end up regretting your pics.

My budget is 10k for a 250 ppl wedding. So far with everything estimated we're at 8k I have a friend who is a caterer and runs a dj/lighting business who is doing it all for free(I'm paying him). My mom is doing the flowers, a friend is making bridesmaids dresses. We're building the tables and benches since it's cheaper than renting and collecting mismatched china as well since it's cheaper than renting.

Find some other brides and share with them the costs for decor or use an understated elegant look. Buy a preloved dress.