weddings under $12,000..... How do you do it?????

My budget is 5k and it's turning out wonderful. My advice would be to shop around, don't settle for what you find first. We are using a venue that is doing out catering and our cake as well as setting up our decorations. An inclusive venue would be a nice choice. We are also not having alcohol since our wedding will be in the morning, but you should have plenty left over for alcohol. As for your dress you you can check online for dresses or when you go to the brial salon you can have them only bring you out dresses in your price range so you don't get tempted by higher prices.

I live in small town, south dakota! the community center is huge and has everything I need. Chelsea--is there a vfw in your town? those can be nice halls. The church is free if I'm a member. My first invitation design --mother said it looked like a book of raffle tickets! she created a new one, which we were happy with--would have been $50in paper and ribbon and days and days and days for creation, but today at work i found computer paper--with autumn leaves and pumpkins. with my employee discount, I can get 200 sheets for <$10. stamps will be my high dollar item. my dress-i would have been happy with something from walmart, but mom said i need to go fancier! 200 for that. i work with women who make their own clothes and know they can do alterations for me. cheap decorations--we're growing pumpkins. gerber daisy boquet. i may have the kids at school do a papier mache card box.

Patrice- with your DIY, just try somethign and tinker with it. good luck to you!

@ Patrice, cute aisle runner!!!! That design is very similar to my invitiations!

100 per person is WAY too much, especially if that's just FOOD! (Ours is under 40 per person, and that's with food, apps, and 4 hour open bar INCLUDED). We got a good deal, so I'm not saying this is the norm, but if you're trying to have a reasonable wedding, that caterer has to go. lol.

Oh it cut me off. i don't remember what i said. Patrice, just tinker and play around with your DIY projects.. you'll end up with something that is just right. i'm thinking of our card box as a stack of papier mache pumpkins... somehow. in my head, though, it looks tacky.

good luck to you!

Yeah our wedding was around 2000. 2 grand. It was lovely and perfect for us so it can be done. We lucked out on a lot of things but still wouldn't have probably spent over 3000 if we had to pay for it all. We catered our own food so that was the biggest save. Plus we had about 145 people. Good luck!

How am doing it, is by just having the basics i.e. bride, groom, dress, accessories, decorations, nice location, basically the bare minimum you need in my opinion for a wedding. No limos, no $2000 photographers, full out catering, etc., I have 2 kids to support so I refuse to spend on a wedding that will pay half a year of college.

Patrice- I got those exact same table runners as well. I bought them off eBay as was previously suggested.

A few weeks after, I found them used on eBay for half the price!

Price shop EVERYTHING! $103/person for a caterer is freaking INSANE! Unless they are serving caviar, filet mignon, and $300/bottle wine- keep shopping. My caterer is only $12/pp and that includes the cake! Then again, mine is just a luncheon. But most I talked to ranged around $25-40 per person for a really nice dinner and appetizers.

My dress was $300. I bought my tiara used- a $150 tiara for $30 on eBay. My jewelry was $30 on eBay, new.

I have gotten some really nice things and not spent alot of money! You can easily make $12K work!

You may also want to look up and see what people spent money on and later looked back and thought it was a waste of money. (I noticed you picked an aisle runner you like... that was on the list. So was a cake knife & server and champagne flutes.)

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-forums/wedding-hindsight-is-always-2020/825c9df87748803c.html

A lot of it too does depend on your location..As for our venue in a hotel ballroom, it was free to rent; dinner will be like 18 per person; plus cheese and crackers; plus 4 hour open bar is 3000. Thats calculated for 75 guests..try cutting your guest list, thats really a good way..I'm trying to stay around 7500.

Here is a great thread with budget breakdowns.

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-forums/brides-spending-under-10k-what-are-you-doing/e85d996191ab4ca8.html?page=2

A lot depends on your priorities..for us we are splurging on photog. Keep in perspective yes it's the happiest day of your life, but it is ONE day..also all of the lil unnecessary things like linens add up! Good luck!

Our budget is $4300 and so far we are right on target. My FSIL just got married last night (i was one of the bmaids) and she did her wedding in a ballroom at the civic center and it was only $1100 to rent including the kitchen and her whole wedding came in under $3000 and it was gorgeous. Our bmaids dresses only cost us $19.99. So i do believe it can be done. You just have to know what u need versus what you want but cant afford.

I recommend spending hours searching the Internet. I just brought 144 flamesless votive candles from recycledbride.com for 85 bucks I would have paid well over 100 else where I used the vendor search on here and after calling tons of places I found a small business to do my cake for 350. I live close to DC so the prices in my area are crazy but I'm keeping it under 13. I probably will be just under 12. If your hall allows it try and self cater. If not order pans of food from a nice restaurant. Use fancy chafing dishes to keep the food warm and make it look nice you can rent those. For tableware try smartyhadaparty.com they have plastic stuff that looks real and linen like table cloths for cheap. For favors try wrapwithus.com I'm doing picture coasters they were .99 each. Also try orientaltrading.com save-on-crafts.com for my flowers I am ordering my bouquets and making the centerpieces myself. I will b buying the flowers in bulk from bunchesdirect.com

I got tons of good websites if you want to know more PM me

I have a great suggestion, if there are some things you want done without the huge price tag, I would look into the local high schools vocational technical school. They can make invitations, programs. The baking students can provide cookie/pastry trays and the cosmetology students can do hair and possibly makeup. Since they are students, you only get charged for the service. They also do flowers as well, but the tricky part maybe with the delivery and storage. Also definetly look around for sales. I got a picture cake toppper for $1.00 because they were discontinuing it, I also got a guest book sign in for $2.00! I am googling everything too! Hope this helps!

I am trying to find a caterer that serves less than $15 a plate and we will have a ceremony site for $25 plus a small tent for $700. Plus gonna make my own veil and got my dress for less than $400. I am gonna do my own makeup and my fiance will get his tux for free. I am gonna try to get some stuff off of ebay. I just found some beautiful satin tablecloths for really cheap so just look around and diy.

Oh yaa, this summer become like a yard sale/flea market guru! lol. You can probably get so much you can use for very cheap, vases for 10 cents, baskets, etc.

Also just be straight up when interviewing / visiting with vendors. Once you've done your research and know what you want, just tell them, I was wanting such and such, and here's what I'm able to spend. I did this with my caterer - at this point we're forgoing a fruit display, but my food is going to be $11 / pp. I set the max at $15. Same thing with the photographer - he had some awesome packages, but we didn't need the extra stuff (like the huge portrait), so I told him what I was looking for, and mentioned the package cost a little more than what we were looking to spend. I got 6 hours of service, an album, and a CD (edited) of all images with printing rights for exactly what I wanted to spend.

Patrice when I sat down and crunched the numbers I ended up with a total of 17 grand. Well I started bargin shopping and I was able to bring our cost all the way down to 11,600.00 on the nose! I will list to you our prices:

Reception Venue 3,700.00 that included the centerpieces, decor, food, open bar with 37 additional liquors added, dance floor, silver wear, glasses, napkins ect.

Ceremony 500.00 dollars

Dj 1850.00 he included uplighting, club lighting behind head table, spot lighting on the first dances, the cake, the entrances, the monogram lettering on the dance floor and the streamer shots

Photographer 1,400 he includes all our pictures for the whole day including 2 parents hard back story books and a story book for us and engagement sessions

Dress 600.00 the shop closed down and I got a great deal.

Cake- 250.00 that is 3 tier with 3 different flavors with a free one year anniversary cake

Continue:

Flowers-325.00 that includes 12 bouts for the GM, 8 bouquets for the BM that are silk flowers, my cascading bouquet that is real, 3 FG baskets, free cake topper, and flowing petals on the cake table free delivery

Limo- 619.00 For a ford escursion limo suv for 4 hours

Thats all the major stuff. We got the GM tux at Mens warehouse and then the groom gets his free and they are 110.00 each. We got the BM dresses from Davids Bridal for 110.00 each else well don't know how they ended up the same cost but it was luck lol.

Favors- are coasters that we ordered off line for 100 bucks all the guest.

BM/GM gift we set a under 20 dollar limit for their gifts

Our invites came from www.vistaprint.com for 50 invites envelopes RSVP and envelopes it was 129.99 which is SUPER cheap!

everything little flutes, cake cutting utensils, ect I will look at oriental trading.com and stuff. IT can be done with a little elbow grease you can do it just shop around before you buy!

It's easy to do a wedding on a budget. I am ordering the flowers from samsclub.com and doing bouquets, and center pieces myself. I am creating all the invitations, response cards, and such myself. I am cooking the food for the wedding myself (with help of family). The venue for the ceremony and reception is only $800 for 8 hours. Beautiful place. The photographer I want is only $750 for 6 hours, all photos on a CD with copy rights. I've found an officiant for less than $250, I'm not having a wedding planner or a band. I will have a DJ. I think my most expensive thing right now is the dress that I want.

If you are crafty and love DIY stuff than you are very lucky and can still have a great wedding for under $12,000. I am only plan on spending $7500 or $8500 for between 50 - 75 guests. No one (except some of FH family will be traveling (about 11 people) but they will be paying for their own traveling costs. He only wants his immediate family there.

As far as food, $103 per person is a lot!

My daughters food costs, per person, with gratuity (we do not have sales tax here) came to $32 per person. The included 6 different appetizers during the cocktail hour and a buffet with Chicken Marsala, Pork Tenderloin and Salmon with a spinach salad; caesar salad; baby red potatoes; herbed wild rice; vegetables and bread.