Our budget is small because we are trying to build a house right now. We have about $5000 and a guest list of 300. A lot of friends are willing to provide services for us like cake, invitations, favors, music and photography. Is there any way to pull off a reception for 300 with only $5000?
Re: Small budget....lots of guests
I think in order to do it, you'd have to do something untraditional -- a pot luck, for instance, or hors d'oeuvres only. You might be able to do brunch for less than that food price I specified. And if you are looking for a reception venue, I would go with sometime cheap, like a community center or Knights of Columbus Hall, that would be big enough for that many people, in order to offset the food cost. I honestly have no idea how much spaces like that rent for, but I would imagine it's the most cost-effective way to do it. Unless, of course, you happen to have a family member or friend who owns a giant space you could use for free.
Honestly, I would say if you only have $5,000 you should cut the guest list drastically, so you can still have a wedding that you can afford. Or, put off the wedding until you are able to spend more, if you're dead set on having 300 people. Or have a small ceremony now and save the big reception for another time when your budget allows. Just my two cents!
Good luck on the house too!
300 guests is an outrageously huge wedding. My BIL just got married with 250 guests and their budget was $50,000. They splurged on a few things, but there were too many people there, you don't have time to visit with everyone.
DH and I both come from big families - we're each the youngest of 5 or 6 kids and we had only 120 guests. We didn't invite family and friends who aren't a part of our daily lives.
We had silk flowers, no limo, no video, cheap food, free cake, a cheap dress, free alterations, DIY centerpieces, cheap hairdos, I did my own makeup, and it still cost close to $10K.
Just think of the cost of invitations; the invites themselves, stamps for those, RSVP cards, the stamps for them... 300 guests = a lot of postage.
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If you could cut your guest list down you could also check out The American Legion Hall in Falmouth. It's definately not fancy but it could have a nice family feel to it. My parents actually got married their 30 years ago. :-) It's only $100 to rent and you have to bring your own food & drink. They also say no alcohol, but we brought some and it was fine as long as you clean it all up.
I was sort of in the same boat as you (not as many people though) I didn't have a huge budget. I looked everywhere and I really think the only way you could possibly swing it is to do a potluck family style wedding or maybe make your own food. The best value I found was The Martindale Country Club in Auburn but you would need to cut your list to about 150-200 (at a very tight squeeze) But still worth a look.
I wish you luck and a happy wedding! And just a reminder, there is nothing wrong with a backyard wedding! They are some of the most fun!!