Where did you start?

pam8787

Hello all! My name is Pamela. I will be marrying the love of my life July 6, 2013. We have been together for going on 8 years. We have 2 children together, one 2 year old (or he will be two on Friday) and an almost 4 year old. I am really confused on where to start. We have a very small budget. I would like to do the wedding and reception for 5,000 dollars. Can this really be done? We already know what venue we are using. Oh and I live in IL. And now that I have found the venue I am not really sure where to go from here. We are both somewhat lost. I have not went to many wedding in my adult life. And he has never been to a wedding. So that is where our issue comes. Anyways, sorry to ramble. Where did you start?

Oh and we have already had our engagement party. It was small. Family and people from the wedding party. What's our next step?

emmyroo

Welcome and congrats!  So glad you're here!  We're wedding weekend twins! (I'm on the 5th)

Probably, the best place to start is with the guest list.  That's going to determine a lot of whether your budget is realistic.  Since you already know your venue, figure out how much it's going to cost you per person, and how many you can afford.  Generally, you'll spend about half your budget on the reception food and beverage, etc.  So, if you're reception costs you $20 per person, and you have $2500 budgeted for food and beverage, you can invite 125 people.  If your essential list is more than that, then you'll have to cut back in other areas of the budget or find a cheaper venue.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a lot of the things the wedding industry tells you that you "NEED" to have or your wedding won't be great... you really can skip them.  They're just frosting on the cake, and can even be way too much.  Make it the celebration you and your FI want it to be!  If you don't want a certain thing, you don't need to have it!  The only things that are essential are you, your FI, an officiant, and the license (and witnesses, depending on where you are).  Everything else is totally optional.

Can't wait to hear more about your wedding!

WalkersFurMama

I agree. . . start with the guest list, it'll help you decide what will be left from your budget after feeding everyone you want to invite. Also, The Knot has a great checklist tool that can help you figure out where to start. 

WildMagelet

Guest list and budget are the most important items to decide early.  You don't have to have a specific list, but you should have a general idea in terms of # of guests.  $5k is totally doable, although the extravagance you get for $5k will depend on your location and how many people you're inviting.  Pinterest and TK's "Budget" and "DIY" boards are great resources for brides on a budget.

Getting2Vowels

I agree with pp's. The checklist on here is very helpful. ...I cant think of anything to add that wasn't already mentioned but welcome and cant wait to hear more!!

LilTexasGal

I started off with budget AND guest list at the same time. For me I couldn't really make one without the other, and FI and I were having trouble deciding how much we wanted to spend. We knew what we could spend, but it was more than we wanted. Once we had a clear idea of budget and guest list we could start planning other things.