Trying to decide if it would be better to elope - any cool ideas?

rockandroll322 · December 2011

We're really just brainstorming right now and trying to decide if it would be better to just elope. We're having trouble with the idea of spending x amount on a wedding that could be a down payment on a home.

From invites to decorations to type of venue - do you have any cool ideas on a small inexpensive ceremony or eloping at a cool place and having a memorable dinner?

balletdawn · December 2011

Do you live in CA? Maybe a road trip on the coast & get married in some little coastal town. I don't know CA that well, but you could try the local board & they may have specific suggestions.

sanfranciscoeve · December 2011

Not to be un-offbeat, but I've been fantasizing about eloping to Paris ever since I got engaged. I'm pretty sure I would not regret that, and even if it was a classy trip it would be WAY less expensive than the wedding I agreed to.

Other places you could elope...Alaska, Hawaii, or Mexico come to mind if you wanted to stay west. Or if you're a foodie, eloping in Northern CA and having dinner at French Laundry would be awesome.

My wedding is in LA...if yours is also there, you might have trouble finding an inexpensive place to have a wedding unless it's a public park (or maybe a casual restaurant?).

KatoNorway · December 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-theme-boards_offbeat-weddings_trying-decide-would-better-elope-cool-ideas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Theme%20BoardsForum:43453af6-2ee4-412a-99fb-cbb447240911Discussion:44922eb0-9d50-4c51-92e1-120be69bd3faPost:9d49473f-ad11-4903-a3c4-c7d7c134c830">Trying to decide if it would be better to elope - any cool ideas?</a>:
[QUOTE]We're really just brainstorming right now and trying to decide if it would be better to just elope. We're having trouble with the idea of spending x amount on a wedding that could be a down payment on a home. From invites to decorations to type of venue - <strong>do you have any cool ideas on a small inexpensive ceremony</strong> or eloping at a cool place and having a memorable dinner?
Posted by rockandroll322[/QUOTE]

First decide how much you are willing to spend. See if it's possible to pull off with your guest list. I have found that food was the most expensive thing even though I went with a fairly inexpensive caterer. (You do not have to caterer an event- I have heard of small ceremonies and celebrations at a restaurant afterwards. My caterer offered picnic type barbecue food, a less expensive option, too.)

Wedding dresses, photographer, and venues are the next expensive items.
-Believe me, there are dress DEALS out there. Try: Craigslist, Secondhand stores, Ebay, The Classified section on The Knot, Rummage Sales, Sample sales... Also, don't be fooled that you HAVE to get a dress that was made for a wedding. Some of the coolest dresses that I found were actually bridesmaid dresses (just order them in white) and I actually found a few at various mall stores.

-I hired my friend to serve as the photographer. He is not a professional, but he is an artist and he knows how to work a camera. The only thing about this is, since he was a friend, I wanted him to enjoy the night as well. I hired a photo-booth ($500) to get the pictures of my guests. My friend took pics of first look, ceremony, and a minimal number of pictures after we said I do. It worked out fine. I have also heard of success stores of hiring a student from the local art schools or universities.

-Venue: I had my ceremony/reception at a park building- you couldn't beat the price or the outside beauty of fall.

-Have a small WP. We only had 1 MOH, 1 BM, Ring Bearer, & Flower babies. We let them wear what they wanted except to stay within our color scheme.

-I bought my flowers at Sam's Club. I bought my cake at Walmart.

-Keep the guest list small.

-Hire a friend to DJ (use a laptop or Ipod.) I did this and it worked out perfectly.

-The Knto's DIY board has a wealth of information. You just need to figure out cost of such projects- they are not always cost efficient.

----That's all I have for now. If you have any further questions, just let me know.
Kato

rockandroll322 · December 2011

Wow thanks, Kato! All great tips!

Where did you get married?

KatoNorway · January 2012

Milwaukee, WI in a park. It was nice because we had the ceremony/reception at one place and so many people told us that they loved how they didn't have to travel anywhere in between.
Not as cool as Santa Barbara, but I still got some love for the cheese state. My DH owned a home right off Hollister Ave, just south of UCSB Hwy 217. We make a stop at Goleta Beach 2x a year on the way to San Francisco, where my brothers live. Where were you thinking of if you do decide on a ceremony or an elopement?

ElleB87 · January 2012

H and I decided to get married at Ashford Castle in Ireland, just the two of us. It was the best decision we've ever made, not the cheapest decision, but it was worth every penny.

JCWhitey · January 2012

I wanted to just elope but my parents wouldn't let us (Mom guilt trips are fun. Haha!) So we decided to elope, but invite the family along. We're having a cruise wedding in Grand Cayman. Total budget is around $1500 and anyone who wants to come can and it won't cost us any more. Since multi-course formal meals are included with the cruise price every night, we're just going to the MDR for the reception dinner, not pay the cruiselines ridiculous prices for a private reception!

The only thing that may cost us more is the shuttle we are hiring to bring guests from the port to the ceremony site. Right now we can transport 10 guest in each car (we're renting one for the guys, one for the girls). Right now we only have 10 guests total so I doubt we'll have to hire another car. Other than that, we could have 50 guests and it would cost us nothing more!

rockandroll322 · January 2012

Aww that's really cute!

Trying to decide if it would be better to elope - any cool ideas?

Re: Trying to decide if it would be better to elope - any cool ideas?

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