small wedding

Roxielove 24

My husband to be and i want a small wedding about 80 in April 2013.  we still haven't picked a date yet. one problem is i have a really big family and everyone is going to want to be there.
 

We are both college students i am graduating in May. We are saving for our own place also. I don't want this wedding to put us in debt our budget is the most $10,000  I need some advice

micaela.g.08

I have a really large family also! We're hoping to keep the cost way down, because we're both paying for the wedding. He just graduated and I'm still in school, so I'm right with yah there. First thing we did was really map out our budget and we're really trying to stick to it as much as possible. My FI and I are shopping around for good deals! The internet is your friend! I'm doing a lot of DIY too. but we'll see. Best thing I can suggest is to create the budget, and categorize what's most important in your wedding (ie, wedding dress, centerpieces, food, etc) and adjust it accordingly. Idk if this helps any, but you're not alone! Congrats, and I look forward to hearing more about your day!!

jmleejohnson

I WISH my budget was anywhere NEAR 10,000 if that makes you feel any better! 

Roxielove 24

thanks for the advice ladies i appreciate it

nay1984

try to do as much that you can on your own...i assume the biggest cost will be the venue....id try and see what you have in your area that is nice but not too expensive, but also a place that may not require you to have to do much to..ex decorating etc

nay1984

oh yah!....another benefit we have planning with this much time...we are able to see a lot of ideas from april 2012 weddings....keep an eye out for sale items after spring and summer....you might be able to get deals in the fall on spring/summer items...instead of waiting til 2013 spring and paying full price

vk2204

You could do a Friday evening wedding, those are usually less expensive than Saturdays.

I also have a very large family. Thankfully my FI's is like 40 tops. My list is over 200. We decided to not go on a honeymoon to save money. We are trying to edit out unnecessary items. We are not having flowers. Our "favors" will double as our escort cards.

I 100% agree with Nay, IF you know what type of theme you're going for, see what you can get on sale from this year and store them if you have room. My mother has already purchased items for my shower that is nonexistant at this moment just because it was on sale.

A lot of DIY brides coupon shop for a few items weekly and yes it may take awhile longer to get everything but you are saving a lot of money in the long run.

Good luck!

lindseyl06

The best advice Ive had about this situation (because FI and I both have large families) is to make an A, B, and C list of guests. A list includes people that you will absolutely not walk down the aisle without (ex. mother, father, siblings). My B is aunts and uncles and very close friends... you get the picture. Start with your A list and if the budget allows, continue to B. I hope that helps. Im in a similar situation where I have 70 guests and Im paying the venue for 50 people. Since 70 is not that far off Im going to go ahead and invite all 70 and see who shows or not. My wedding is out of town on a sat nite 4rm 6p-10p, so we'll see how that goes. I would suggest being open to a Fri or Sun as well. Just get a quote for the prices. We were going to go for a Sun, but the venue we selected we thought it would just be more stunning to have it at sunset and we had 2 spoon out the extra cash for it. 

LesaAdams

Can you tell me what the escort cards are for? 

Christine9866

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_april-2013-weddings_small-wedding?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:820178d7-4f43-4671-bcab-c5c2c01eef1eDiscussion:a7c4c3cc-e6d7-4eed-a311-27051abdfc51Post:1118beda-47ad-41e0-9398-598525264d79">Re: small wedding</a>:
[QUOTE]Can you tell me what the escort cards are for? 
Posted by LesaAdams[/QUOTE]

Escort cards are used to let your guests know what table they are being seated at.