$3000 budget please Help!

Knottie51548609

Hi! My wedding is approaching and I still cannot find a venue in Memphis. I only have a budget of $3k total and so far I've done good. I really need a place that allows outside catering and alcohol. I'm hoping for a place that doesn't need much decorating because I simply can't afford it on our budget. Does anyone know of a venue that charges less than $1500 in the Memphis area. I would be so grateful. i have managed to cut corners in every part of this wedding. My dress I got on sale at David's bridal for less than $100 because it had an unnoticeable stain on the bottom. We have six groomsman so the grooms tux will be free. I have a family member doing the catering and a coworkers husband owns a liquor store so I got all the alcohol at a discounted price. One of my bridesmaids brother is a DJ so he's doing it for $100. Any suggestions?

blabla89

Try searching and posting on your local board for specific venues. In general, places like public parks and community centers tend to be most affordable.

CJandRyan

I would suggest a local park, and with it being outside in nature, what more decoration do you need? We are having ours in the back yard of a bed & breakfast and they are allowing us to use their space at no extra cost. We are coming from out of town and will be staying there so of course we have to pay the normal cost of a couple nights there but no extra fee on top of that. Maybe you could do something like that - will you have guests coming from out of town who could stay at a B&B, or maybe just you and your fiance could stay at one a night or two if you can find a place that would offer the same deal?

betsymonty

I don't normally post on these boards, but as a fellow Memphian I feel obligated to help! 

How many people does the space need to accommodate? Do you want room for dancing? Does your wedding have a theme? 

I helped a friend plan a party at Stop 345 on Madison, and it was INSANELY affordable. I know that they accommodated outside catering, but I'm not sure if they do the same for alcohol. The venue doesn't scream "wedding," but if you want your guests to have a really fun time, it's a good space.

I can help you find something else if that doesn't work!

Lauderdale Pink

Other than the venue, I don't know your area, tons of money can be saved on decor and still look "bridal" and romantic.  Stick with baby's breath for all floral needs.  If you look on Pinterest, there are thousands of ideas for arranging it and more instructions on you tube than you could ever watch.  It photographs like a dream.  Any other decor really should come from Dollar Tree.  They have BAGS of votive candles for 1.00 and their vases and candle holders are really great quality.  With Valentine's Day on the horizon, they are overstocked with hearts, flowers, etc.  You sound like a bride who is not going to be stuck up about paper and plastic, so check the sales at Party City, and take a look at www.smartyhadaparty.com. Their linens often go on sale and I found the quality to be perfect.

Knottie56501256

We too are on a $3000-$4000 budget. Look around figure what you want to spend and tell them that when you meet with them and use people you know. I am looking into our friends and friends of friends to do most of the items. I got my dress for under $300 (not including alterations). Our Photographer is just starting out which I am okay with as we want someone who can capture moments not pose us. Plus she has a second shooter and is doing before and during ceremony and first part of reception and only for $600-$800!!!! That is a great deal is it not? my fiance doesn't like getting his photo taken so he thinks we can do with out. UM NO! 

We are looking into local meeting places for the reception like a Lions Club or legion hall. They are usually cheap. They may not be glamorous but they can be prettied up. Also there are sooooo many DIY decoration things you can do. Also instead of a photo booth we are doing a selfie station. Also download the Hobby lobby app... they always have the 40% off coupon and all wedding stuff is on sale every other week. 

Knottie41248144

all i can say is goodluck. i have a 4000- 5000 and want to blow my brains out.       i have a lot of guests coming from out of state so i dont want them to travel for a 'cheap' wedding.

blabla89

Knottie41248144 said:

all i can say is goodluck. i have a 4000- 5000 and want to blow my brains out.       i have a lot of guests coming from out of state so i dont want them to travel for a 'cheap' wedding.

Sorry you're disappointed with your budget, but this was really uncalled for.

OP, if you're still around, you can have a lovely wedding on a $3k budget. The ladies on this board have all kinds of great suggestions for saving money, so if you need help on something just ask. Good luck with your venue search!

hellosweetie1015

I've got the same budget! I don't know what your venue options are, but I'm having a lot of fun looking at things for mine, honestly. It's certainly a challenge, and with the wedding industry telling you you HAVE to have all these things, it can certainly be disheartening, but it is easily doable!

We're having a very small shendig; 25 people is our happy place. We may be able to invite as many as 50, but neither of us really cares for that many people to be there. (We won't be b-listing, don't worry - if our number changes, it'll change before invites ever go out.)

I'm staying away from flowers entirely. I don't even like cut flowers, so there's that, but also all of the quotes I've gotten for them have been outrageous to me, even the ones for just ordering flowers. 

We're having the wedding in the church FI's parents attend, as well, so that's cutting costs significantly. We've been told it's $50 for the ceremony. I'm tempted to utilize their fellowship hall for the reception out of sheer simplicity - my grandmother can't really travel well, so I'd like to minimize the amount she has to do. That would mean a dry wedding, but we'll practically have a dry wedding anyway, since FI and I are the biggest drinkers, and I feel like I'd take all sorts of shit for drinking at my wedding.

We'll have Italian food at the wedding. Our first quote was from Olive Garden, and while it's not anything special, it was under $200 for enough food for 25 (I think - I wasn't really sure exactly how much they'd given me in the quote). Everything else has been $10/head so far, so maybe $500 total, bugdeting for 50 and expecting to actually invite 25. 

My dress was a HUGE splurge at $400. Photography is being done by a friend of my brother's, and I had to force him to give me a price (and with whom I will have an IRONCLAD contract, although I have no doubts about him).I don't have a price on our officiant yet (he hasn't told us), but I'm doubting it will be more than $200 (I'd be genuinely shocked if it was that high.)

Marriage license is $75. I'm debating making my own cake, but if I don't Publix has some beautiful options for about $100 (which is about what I'd spend on making it). Decorations haven't been decided yet, but I'm going for simple and elegant so it'll be a lot of glass and floating candles and maybe some sticks from the property my old house was on, arranged a little like this:

It can be done, is all I'm saying. No need to feel like you're going to blow your brains out. Just get creative, and - really, the best advice I ever got is to ignore the Wedding Industry. They're in it for all the money, and so their interests are not yours.

Knottie1427558956

Check out community centers.  We have a much larger budget but have to accommodate 200+ people. So we looked into community centers.  They are super cheap and dont have rules about outside catering and alcohol.  It will save you so much money.  As far as the wedding dress. Ebay! You can find absolutely amazing dresses that would be thousands of dollars anywhere else for often less than $200!  They come straight from China so no middle man marking it up 300%! Flowers also try eBay and pinterest for great ideas to do paper ones or making fake ones look more real.  We actually used pinterest to figure out how to build our own Photo Booth which we tested at our last party! It worked out great!  Last but not least food! Try looking at local restaurants to cater.  They tend to bend over backwards to help you as they are not normal catering companies and i'm sure if you order a large enough amount you can negotiate freebies such as extra desserts, salads etc.  I hope this helps! Good luck!! 

blabla89

Knottie99709482 said:

Check out community centers.  We have a much larger budget but have to accommodate 200+ people. So we looked into community centers.  They are super cheap and dont have rules about outside catering and alcohol.  It will save you so much money.  As far as the wedding dress. Ebay! You can find absolutely amazing dresses that would be thousands of dollars anywhere else for often less than $200!  They come straight from China so no middle man marking it up 300%! Flowers also try eBay and pinterest for great ideas to do paper ones or making fake ones look more real.  We actually used pinterest to figure out how to build our own Photo Booth which we tested at our last party! It worked out great!  Last but not least food! Try looking at local restaurants to cater.  They tend to bend over backwards to help you as they are not normal catering companies and i'm sure if you order a large enough amount you can negotiate freebies such as extra desserts, salads etc.  I hope this helps! Good luck!! 

These are really good suggestions!

But to the bolded, NO. Fortunately OP says she's already gotten her dress, but I feel the need to point out that buying a knockoff dress from China is a bad idea, whether it's from eBay, Etsy, or any other site. What you see is usually not what you get, so then you've wasted $200 and have no recourse for getting your money back.

http://bridalbeware.com/2015/02/04/15-wedding-dresses-ordered-online-that-look-nothing-like-the-real-thing/

Knottie1427558956

I used eBay for my bridesmaids dresses and I loved the final product! Paid a little over $16 for each of them.  I guess I was just lucky then! Thanks

atlastmrsg

With all this DIY, an insurance policy is probably more necessary than ever.  Don't forget to budget for it.

travelfifty

Dear, You can have a fabulous wedding for $5000. I bought a $3000 wedding dress wholesale for $300. I have budgeted $5000 for wedding and honeymoon. A $20 meal is suddenly $80 because it is for a wedding. Do not let the wedding industry make you think $5000 is cheap, because it is a lot of money. Congratulations on your impending nuptials,

kellyem2

I don't know how religious you are, but what about a church? You could have your wedding and reception all in one place. The only thing you'd need to double check is their rules about alcohol since some churches don't allow drinking (once again, not sure about your preferences here).

And when it comes to getting wedding decorations cheap, I'd register for Amazon Prime. You'd be amazed at the things like candles, craft supplies and more you can get in bulk online for a lot less. With the free 2 day shipping the sign up cost pays for itself pretty quickly. And you can use the other benefits like the free movies for a whole year.

Tweetiepie19

My fiancé and I are working on the same budget (but Canadian, so we get to pay more for everything, haha). I would echo Kelly in suggesting that you enquire at a church; you could also rent a party tent, weather permitting (not sure when your wedding is or how the temperature will be at that point). Parks or other outdoorsy locations can also help cut back on those crazy expenses.

Personally, my fiancé and I were lucky enough to get our location (a church) for $350, including both the ceremony and reception. The officiant cost us $35 for pre-marital counselling but doesn't charge anything else. We're opting to skip the marriage license in favour of  marriage banns...which of course doesn't work for everyone or in every state/country. However, it saved us $125 on an Ontario marriage license.

 The church ladies are catering the meal (spaghetti dinner) at cost, and my fiancé's friend is also doing the cake at cost. We're also going with a young photographer who has a few weddings under her belt (but without the major price tag of more experienced pros)...she'll be $750 for the day. We plan to keep flowers to a minimum, really only using them in bridal party bouquets/boutonnieres and also plan to go with cheaper, in-season blooms (roses, carnations, and tulips, which are our favourite flowers...yes, my very masculine future husband has floral preferences!) 

The centrepieces are still undecided but I know they will have lots of candles and probably mirrors (the goal here is to have an elegant, classic (black and white/chess) wedding on a $3,000 budget). We're switching up the linens a bit (black with white napkins) to give things a classier feel--at the same price. 

As for the invites, I tried the DIY thing in a moment of bridal insanity...I've never made a decent card in my life, but managed to think I could somehow do it this time! Things ended up not working out (duh) and we had to buy printable invitations from the dollar store (they're from Brides magazine, but I really have no clue how they compare to "normal" invitations). They look better than anything I could have made, anyway! 

I bought my Maggie Sottero gown used for $150; alterations will bring the cost up, but it will still be far cheaper than buying the gown new. He purchased a nice black suit on sale for less than $200.

Personally, we are going with a dry wedding and that is definitely helping keep costs down (not to mention we don't drink...so guests wouldn't expect it).

Don't be afraid to be imaginative...and don't forget to browse, browse, browse! Once you've picked your colours, hit up Google and Pinterest for creative ideas to achieve the look you want--because it may be as simple as switching up your linens! Also do not be afraid to find a good dollar store. If you're looking for vases and other containers for centrepieces, a good dollar store is probably your best bet--and you can find fantastic fillers and such, if you choose to go that route. No one needs to know you had a dollar store wedding, if you don't want to tell them!

amazingasian

Same budget here! (and for 100+ people!) 

We're getting married in a state/local park, and renting a banquet hall/community center for our wedding. (total cost of our venues were $275)

It's difficult to plan a nice wedding on that budget, but it can be done! Just prioritize what's most important to YOU. That's what will matter the most. The more you focus on everyone else, the more stressful, and expensive it can be. 

My wedding is in two months, and I need to keep telling myself that I don't need to spend $200+ on plastic chair covers. No one will remember the itty bitty details anyway. They just care about if there's enough food, alcohol, dancing, and if you two are happy.

Knottie72792636

Don't forget that ceremony and reception sites are generally least expensive on weekdays and Sundays. Best of luck!

kkcc2015

It sounds like you're doing a great job finding low cost options for some of the pricier wedding elements (dress, dj, alcohol). We're using a food truck for our catering, since we're having a small wedding (50-60 people) and for everything (BBQ, sides, pop/water, plates, service) it's $20/pp which isn't bad on a smaller budget, and I think would be absolutely awesome in a park (most that have pavilions rent them for pretty cheap). Good luck!!!

ETA: depending how crafty you are, you could look into doing your own flowers too. We're running at about $300 for a brides bouquet and 6 bridesmaid bouquets using Sams club to order...and lots of time spent watching YouTube tutorials. Big, classic, beautiful flowers like baby's breath or hydrangea wouldn't require a big budget but have a huge impact and look very bridal.

Knottie53295474

Have you tried going outside of the city? Weddings tend to be much more expensive in the city, as opposed to the suburbs or country

lanternwaste17

Do you have any family with connections in Memphis? Say a fire fighter or a police office or community worker? If you rent the facility through them you could get a serious discount! My grandfather is a retired founding member of a fire station and I was able to rent the hall for $300. I used my family's church for the ceremony so that was free.

GarnetAndBlack

I'm in SC but I know there are many wedding venues here that do everything. The most popular venue has plans for 100 guest ranging from $1500-7500 (and up) - their most popular plan is $4500. It's a historic house and is always beautifully decorated and they have a large covered outdoor space as well. All of their weddings include a cake. Fridays and Sundays have lower rates and they offer 10% off for January and February weddings..

We are looking into using the location for our 10th vow renewal. 

Another option we are considering is a neighborhood clubhouse. We have friends that live in a neighborhood with a beautiful, large clubhouse. It's large enough to seat 150 people and they have the tables and chairs on site. It's only $125 for the entire day. We only plan to have about 50 people at our renewal and our budget is $2,000 or less for everything. I have found a full service caterer that has several chicken options for $10pp but I am considering self catering. I already do a lot of entertaining and have nice chafing dishes, beverage containers, linens, vases, etc. 

I have looked at Sam's Club for flowers and plan to order hydrangeas and baby's breath. I will buy Dollar Tree vases for anything extra that I need. If I self cater I will make chicken marsala, garlic mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. I will hire 2 college students to serve the food and keep the drinks refilled. Since I have 3 nice, 3 gallon beverage containers I will make an adult punch and have sweet tea and water. Then I will buy some wine and craft beer (the guests aren't going to be big drinkers). I also plan to have a "cocktail hour" type food buffet with crudites, spinach dip, cheese display with grapes, strawberries and crackers for the short break between our vow renewal and dinner. I am able to make it look like it's professionally catered on my own.

I am also able to make cakes and have made a few wedding cakes in the past. I won't make my own but plan to purchase a plain white, 3 tiered cake from Sam's Club. I will smooth out any imperfections in the buttercream myself and add a few hydrangeas to the side.

We hired someone to play a classical guitar at our wedding and plan to hire the same for the renewal. For the "reception" we will just use our iPad with some favorite songs. I plan to use a photographer friend for only 2 hours and the cost should be around $300.

larrygaga

Knottie41248144 said:

all i can say is goodluck. i have a 4000- 5000 and want to blow my brains out.       i have a lot of guests coming from out of state so i dont want them to travel for a 'cheap' wedding.

Really?