Door County Wedding on a Budget

sravely

Hi all, in need of some advice here. I am trying to plan our Oct. 1, 2016 wedding in Door County on the slimmest budget possible. We do not have anything booked yet and I am getting discouraged because everything is so expensive. We love the idea of having a backyard BBQ with close friends and family. We want it to be more of a casual party than a traditional, structured wedding. Any venue suggestions? Other advice/suggestions welcome!

MesmrEwe

Anything Door County proper is going to be expensive especially since your date falls on one of the peak color weekends.  First, start by calculating what your entire wedding budget is, and your and FI's expected to invite/attend guest list/count (real world names and counts, not "oh I expect 30 of my cousins and their kids..." - actually go through and add them all up!  I've been on the receiving end of the "we're out of space and can only have 30 guests from our side, not the 200 we invited...").  Once you have that info in hand, it'd be helpful for making recommendations to come back and post to help narrow down venues.

Think outside of the box as well as how far you're willing to travel.  Check the town halls...  Depending on the size of your group this may be a viable option.  A brunch/lunchtime reception will typically be a little cheaper than an evening event.  There are tons of villas and cabins you could rent depending on the size that might be an option if you book early.  Of course there'd likely be some adjustments you'd have to make (think noise level of a dance - you'd likely be limited to daytime or skipping the DJ entirely).. Some Campgrounds have gathering spaces available for family events - that might cut some off the budget.  The Door County Visitor's Bureau has quite a few listed that might be large enough to accommodate.   

Are you going there as a DW or are you living in the area?  Reason being there are TONS of locations in that corner of the state or in the UP (Brule, Wolf River, Waupaca, Manitowoc, Chilton, Shawano  for example)  that would make for lower budget options fitting your description.