Wedding budget at $5000

Kelsey, that dress is amazing!

Another thought on friends working at a wedding; they should always get paid. Always.

$5000

Ceremony/venue: $1000

Photographer: $800

Minister: Free

Baby’s Breath Costco: 100 stems: $100 | votives from the dollar store.

Catering @$20 per person: $2000

$1000 for dress/accessories/anything else.

You could make it happen…..

Lmfao at the "professional" photographer for $300

It's cool.. The pictures will be fucking incredible.

@jorocka is she for real though? Like I read that and died. I seriously wonder what their experience is? Did they buy a fancy camera and call themselves a professional?

If you're not going to serve a meal, don't do it at 7pm (as the others have said). Do it between lunch and dinner, then make it clear that it's a "cake and punch" wedding. My wedding started at 3pm and ended at 8pm. It went FAST. Our ceremony was about 7-10 minutes long, including walking in and out. It was on site with the reception too, so no one had to drive. We served dinner at 5, appetizers before. If we had a "cake and punch" wedding, people would have been leaving by 5pm. If you want people to stay longer than an hour or two and dance, you gotta feed them.

No officiant is free. No friend should be free. If that is your motivation for choosing them, then rethink it.

$300 for a photographer means you're paying them about minimum wage for the hours they'll put in. If that. Depending on whether or not they're editing the shots, meeting with you beforehand, etc. We paid a family friend (who worked at my Grandpa's photography studio for 20 years) about $800 just for her time, no prints. That was a great deal (her and my Mom exchange photography favors).

My budget is $5000, for 30 people. We are getting married at a small chapel then going out for dinner after. You cannot properly host your guests on that budget.

I'm hosting 150 people and I've kept my cost under 3000$ .

Here are a few cheap dyi ideas I'm doing pails with dollar tree flowers

150 people for under $3000, Maggie? Care to share the details of that feat with us all? And I mean the important details - food and drinks, seating, photography and ceremony plans - not flowers in wine glasses kind of details.

'hosting'... Please elaborate.

If she has $20/pp catering that leaves nothing for anything else. Good luck.

All I can say is I'm glad I'm not attending these low budget weddings with these high guest lists!

Hi Shelby, With 100 guests you may have a problem with a $5000 budget.

The venue will be a big part of your expenses, opt for an afternoon wedding and serve heavy appetizers instead of a full dinner. If you are serving alcohol limit to wine only.

The best will be to reduce your list so that you can come as close to budget as possible.

Hope this helps

Dinora

I didn't read all the comments but I did see a few that said it wasn't possible to do a 5k wedding with 100 people. Maybe those people have higher expectations or are in a high priced area... I'm doing mine for $5,000 and have 100 people. We are doing the rustic theme so we are getting married under an oak tree and having bbq dinner catered. I am doing our cake and a lot of the decorations. Instead of a lot of expensive flowers I am growing baby's breath and will be picking peaches at an orchard to have everywhere. The guests will be drinking out of a mason jar with a handle and that will be their favor to take home. I know a lot of people are over mason jars but I'm in Georgia and i still love them and all the other little southern aspects I'm having to my wedding. My brother will be doing the music and a family friend and semi pro is doing our pictures. It's been pretty stressful on me, but it's coming together nicely good luck!

Sigh. Just because it's rustic doesn't mean it has to be hosted poorly. This is probably one of the reasons when I hear rustic I cringe.

DIYing flowers and decor is one thing, but I'd really, really rethink doing your own cake, particularly for 100. Its a HUGE job and one you really dont want to be wrestling with in the days leading up to the wedding, even for professional bakers.

I love, love love to bake and did 80 cupcakes once for a friend's baby shower... never again. It took DAYS even with my extra large 8 qt kitchenaid stand mixer, and I had absolutely zero fridge space - and frankly, at the end of the day she didnt really save any money by having me do it.

I'm also having a "rustic" wedding. And it makes me mad when people try to use that word as being able to have a low cost, poorly hosted wedding. My "rustic" wedding is costing over 30k.