Wedding budget at $5000

How many guests?? And where are you located.

I am a wedding planner and I do budget weddings sometimes, I can give you tons of tips but I need to know how many guests.

Hors d'oeuvres are pretty light

Keep it small, keep it away from meal times, keep it simple.

Without knowing specifics:

Only one attendant - reduces gifts needed, too

Carry a few roses, not a full bouquet

Cut all other flowers

No toss bouquet or garter

No favors

Very small guest list

Buy a bridesmaid's dress in white (I did this) or a sample from a boutique

Find a venue that provides linens, glassware, etc (most hotels, etc do this)

Skip STDs

Use Vista Print or print your own invitations

That's all I can come up with right now. My budget is $8K, so I spend a lot of time researching where I can get the best deals.

We have about 100 guests !

100 guests for 5000 dollars? I'm sorry but I just really don't see that happening.

Cut the list. You're in prime wedding season, everything is more expensive then. Assuming you spending $1000 on all rental/decor/flowers, $500 on all clothes/dresses/suits, $500 on photographer, dry wedding, $200 on a paper products/postage, ipod DJ, you've still only got about $25 a person for food/drink/tax/wait staff, which isn't going to be a pretty sight.

I've been shocked at what have been paying before, so that might be true here as well, but it all depends on where you're located.

ETA: Whoops, forgot the officiant. We'll pretend you can get one for $50.

Nope nope nope nopenope

You'll be lucky if you can serve 25 guests for 5K. Cut your guest list or give up on the idea of a really nice dinner and do cake and punch reception. It's not going to work.

Stop thinking "cheap" and "wedding"

start thinking - how can I treat my immediate family to a lovely event- rather than- how do I treat a bunch of friends to a mediocre event.

My budget is 5k as well. If you're only serving hors d'oeuvres you should have an afternoon wedding. We are having an evening wedding and serving 3 entrees buffet style. Cut your guest list as much as possible, that's how you'll save money. If you want and evening reception, you'll have to serve a meal.

Just saw you have 100 guests.. you'll have to cut that down. Only CLOSEST family members. 5k is totally doable but you'll have to cut your guest list quite a bit

You can totally do it my budget is $5000 and it includes everything and i have 90 guests. Try thumbtack.com and by everything i mean everything and im having a big candy buffet and providing my own liqour.

Unfortunately when there's food involved, the cost is never as low as you'd hope. The amount of food isn't even the issue - it's the cost of heating/cooling/supervising/plating, servingware, plates/glasses/silverware, tables and tablecloths, setup and cleanup - all of it costs in staff time and rental cost.

And it will be very awkward and hungry for your guests if you have them from late afternoon through the evening and just serve appetizers. By 7pm they will be starving.

You might look into a super-cheap venue, like a local park where you just need a permit and officiant (don't forget to budget for them!) or inexpensive church, 2pm-ish then having appetizers midafternoon at a restaurant that doesn't usually do big lunch/early dinner business. That would take care of almost all the associated costs and people could get their own lunch before and dinner after if needed.

Thrift stores! Start early and look their. They have antiques, little nic nacks and other things like that. I'm doing the same theme and I found most of my stuff there.

Jacky- how are you feeding 90 people for 5,000$?

Food ONLY would be 55$/person-

adding in a few other things?

photographer - 1000

officiant- 250

venue- free

dress 200

suit- 200

flowers- 200

leaves you 3150/90 is 35$ per person- you can barely feed someone that at applebees.

Jacky no. No thumbtack

It helps that you are in a cheap part of the country but I would still cut your guest list. Our food was about $36 pp and it was amazing and tons of it. But you have to look around and see what you find. If you want to only serve apps you have to move your time. You have to serve a meal at an evening wedding unless you don't start until fairly late. You are better off having a mid afternoon wedding or serving a full meal. Honestly, with that budget I would cut your list to about 50 and your guests will have a much better time.

Totally doable!

It's my budget and I'm more than serving my guest.

Depends GREATLY on location though. I am doing small town and nothing cost more than $100. We don't have showy big prices. The most expensive thing was my dress.

Definitely ask around! You never know who might know who to get you a discount!

My guest list is 45 and were at 10k. And that's with a diy backyard wedding. So I'm not sure how you can pull it off for that cheap..

My dress was on sale at DB my photographer is only $300 my ceremony cost 150 including license and my fh is using his church suit he just recently bought i also use coupons to purchase things. And my flowers are being gifted

5Gs is only covering the dining and tray passed hors d'oeuvres for our 50 guests.