Small wedding in the park...Adorable or Tacky? And where should we go?

disturbedkitty

Hey girls! My FI and I have recently decided to lower our wedding budget from 5,000 to 3,000 (so we can have a nice honeymoon). We have decided to just have a quick ceremony and reception in the afternoon in May. We plan on just serving cake for 100 guests. Do you think this plan sounds like a cute idea, or does it sound like a "shotgun wedding"? Also, which park should we use? Thanks so much for your help

Tygirljojo

I say just do what you need to do.  As long as you make it clear in the invites "cake and champagne reception to follow" or something along those lines so the guests know it's a more low-key wedding.  You'll be able to keep things pretty simple all around by doing that, IMO.  Look at the Pagoda on Point Defiance parks for Tacoma area, Alki Beach Bathhouse for Seattle Area, and Legion Hall in the city of Everett parks and rec department for north area.  Eastside, I'm kind of spacing, but I'm sure someone else will have an idea or two.

jennuinne

I agree, you can make that very cute and simple.  Be careful w/ the weather in May though.  Check out Seattle Parks website, and as tygirl said, the pagadoa/rose garden at Point Defiance.  Also, you might want to make plans for after, maybe just family or an after-party, otherwise it might feel like a letdown for you.  With $3000 you could probably afford some food.  I don't remember who, but someone else is doing an afteroon wedding at a park w/ sandwiches and finger foods.

Tygirljojo

That would be KSTorkko that's doing the afternoon tea reception with light hors d'oeurves.

disturbedkitty

Cool! Thanks so much! I think we might have our "rehearsal dinner" after the wedding instead. Does that sound like a good idea?

carrieoz_76

I think a small wedding in a park w/ cake and punch after is a fine idea and not tacky at all.  

I'm a little worried about the rehearsal dinner afterwards, though.  If you mean you'd invite everyone at the wedding out to a restaurant for dinner afterwards, that's great.  If you're thinking you'd just invite a smaller group (just the wedding party and immediate family?) to dinner after the cake and punch reception, I think that's a bad idea.  You really can't limit the guests who're invited to the dinner after they've just attended your wedding and cake reception - it could be hurtful to them if they realize they're being left out.  Instead, I'd cut the guest list down to just those you can afford to feed, and invite them to join you for dinner afterwards.

cupcakepirate

I agree w/ Carrie.

Cake and Champagne reception = cute.

Rehearsal dinner post wedding = tacky.

crakd

check out parsons gardesn on queen anne.  lovely enclosed, intimate park, perfect for a wedding.  you have to rent the space, but it's very inexpensive.

http://www.seattle.gov/Parks/park_detail.asp?ID=324

hayleymajayley

Why would you have a rehearsal dinner after your wedding? There is nothing to rehearse. Your wedding is done.  and you might want to do it later in the year, May could be pretty rainy. Our wedding is May 15th and I'm planning on doing the ceremony inside, IF we are lucky and have a beautiful sunny day, we'll take it outside

disturbedkitty

lol. I know we would have nothing to rehearse. I was just thinking that instead of a rehearsal dinner, we could go out to eat after. But your right, I don't want guests to feel left out. My guest list is too large to take everyone out to dinner (FMIL would throw a screaming tantrum if I cut her guest list anymore), so we might just skip the dinner entirely. 

Finger sandwiches sound adorable. I really like that idea. 

KST_

Disturbed kitty - check out my bio. Our budget is under $5K for everything except dress, tux, rings, and honeymoon. We're having our ceremony at Meridian Park in Wallingford. Perks: It has a lovely large gazebo flanked by two large old trees with a wide lawn for seating. Behind the lawn is a large picnic shelter. We have that whole section reserved for only $320 (minimum 2 hours for gazebo/lawn for $200 and picnic shelter for half a day for $120). Perks: lovely setting, cheap, outdoors but we have the picnic shelter as back-up in case it rains and saves ourselves the cost of $1500 tent rental. Cons: Meridian Park doesn't have the best parking. No alcohol in Seattle Parks, have to lug the chairs in about 200 feet as they're being mean and won't give us vehicle acess. No amplified sound.

We're having a tea party reception in community facility in Ballard. We're DIY the scones, pound cakes, fruit, tea, coffee and punch. We're picking up finger sandwiches from catered grocery store. Only true "catered" thing we're having is cake.

Something like Parsons Garden would be lovely depending on your guest count as it has a pretty outdoors if the weather is nice, but lovely indoors. There is nothing wrong with a cake and punch/coffee/tea reception. If you just do that, then you should have room in your budget for mimosas/champagne as well.

If you want more details on all the research I've done on all this (we've had a long engagement so it's a lot), feel free to PM me!

LoniRenee24

Try Kubota Garden!  My friend did her wedding photos there and it's absolutely gorgeous  

It's owned and maintained by the City of Seattle

www.kubota.org