$1000 wedding?

And you need to provide some kind of alcohol. I think if you have a very short reception you could get away with just doing some champagne. There is a liability when serving it yourself but no one will get drunk off champagne at a short reception (hopefully?).

No, if you're serving alcohol you'll need a bartender. That's why a restaurant is a good idea. Already included!

If your doing a backyard cake and punch wedding only with minimal decor and less than 30 guests this may be possible.

Unless this is just you, your FS and your respective parents... I have no idea how that budget will work. My office holiday party had a larger budget than that and we only have 18 people. Issues with a Potluck/BYOB wedding aside, I don’t know how you would even be able to rent tables and chairs for under $1000 unless someone just has them sitting around (and no, please do not ask your guests to “bring your own seat” on top of everything else).

You need tables and chairs and what if it rains.... then you need music and something to provide shade since you are getting married in the summer. And don't get me started on how bad and trashy potluck is. Someone could get sick! Plus you need to make sure there are portapottys cause more than likely the person doesn't have lots of bathrooms in their house.

I think it's doable, depending on your location and expectations. Really nice venues around the area of Oklahoma I live in cost anywhere from $100-500 but can get up to $3,000. You can find a dress on clearance at David's Bridal for $100 or less. Most of the event rentals in my area quoted me around $250 for the pretty chairs, tables, and linens that we wanted for 60 guests. Our venue is in a garden, so we are not going heavy with flowers. We are going with a romantic, rustic theme. So, we are using old wine bottles spray painted in our wedding colors for centerpieces. We are serving heavy hors d' oeuvres instead of a meal. We are not inviting any friends, just family. Most of which do not drink or can not, so we will just serve beer and wine. It will be self serve. (I'm not paying a bartender to tend to maybe 20 people). We are still working out the details with our photographer and DJ. It all depends on where you put your focus and who your crowd is. Engagement and wedding rings, honeymoon, and all things wedding related we will only be spending about $3,500, and I'm still getting my dream wedding.

View Quoted Comment Potluck is a horrible idea. Have the backyard wedding and have it catered by a local restaurant.

For that price, courthouse wedding and a small reception. Please do not make guests make food. That comes with all kinds of risks. Are you prepared to pay medical bills if someone gets sick?

David’s Bridal is having their $99 sale through the 17th. Some really nice options for under $100!

I mean an officiant starts at $500 ... how are you going to purchase rings .. out ring budget is $3000 for both of ours .. and it's a struggle . I second everybody. Court house , parents , restaurant. Or raise your budget .. I considered doing a back yard wedding .. then when I priced out everything it was going to cost me alot more .. by about 10k ...

Be your own DJ by using a nice sound system and the music off your phone.. Make it a potluck style of sorts & provide food in a buffet fashion.. Find a dress from a goodwill or similar store

View Quoted Comment Rings do not have to cost this much. We splurged on my ring and spent $1k. H's ring was less than $20 on Amazon. I have just a wedding band, no ering. The cost of mine was so high because $300 of it was from custom modifications. There are perfectly nice rings for women for less than $100, for people on a budget. A fancier ring can always be bought later as an anniversary gift or push present (I just recently learned this concept), if desired. Besides, the rings are NOT the most important part of the ceremony, the commitment is. Many people don't even wear a wedding band.

View Quoted Comment Well everybody's different I guess but to me .. nothing will replace my actual e ring and wedding band. It's supposed to be worn forever .. it's probably the one thing I don't mind putting out money for because you get the most out of it .. btw a $20 ring is what it is junk . But if you don't mind replacing something numerous times over the years hey go for it

View Quoted Comment My husband's ring is made of titanium and is a simple band with no engraving or design work. He didn't want something fancy or expensive. Titanium doesn't scratch as easily as gold and silver, so it'll stay looking nice longer without needing repairs/dipped. Even at jewelers similar rings are easily available under $75, and Amazon sellers don't have the overhead jewelers do. But thanks for sharing your expertise about junk.

Telling the OP they can't afford a wedding because they don't have $3k for rings isn't particularly helpful, IMO.

View Quoted Comment I'm not saying she needs to spend 3k on rings I'm saying for QUALITY. It's not going to come cheap .. and it's not .. it's whoever's prerogative to spend what they feel necessary.. but 1000 is pretty unrealistic imo .. what left over after the wedding? the rings .. it's not necessarily something if skimp on .

OP, you need a very small number of guests to make this work. Like 15-20.

Others have mentioned tables and chairs as an issue. If this were for me, I would borrow them from a church.

I think there's a food option that would work: order food from a grocery store caterer, and you hire one person who has some food service experience to go pick up the food and bring it to the backyard reception, and put it out to serve it, and clean up. Just handle it like you might for any party you are throwing.

Borrow your dress, or find one at a $99 sale, or buy another dress that you can get in white. Or just wear another dress in any color.

Guy wears whatever his best clothes are that he owns.

Get a few flowers from the grocery store florist on the morning of the wedding.

Have only one other person stand up for each of you

Have a friend go online and get certified to marry you, and have that be their gift to you.

View Quoted Comment Thank you

Invite parents or immediate family only and take them out to a nice restaurant after to celebrate.

I would say try and stick to a small wedding. If that's not possible, I would personally have my family (mostly mom and sisters) make the food. You could always have a brunch wedding where the guests don't expect a full meal to be served, just like snack and finger sandwiches. Have the ceremony and reception in a backyard, rent a pavilion at a park, or fire hall. You can have a bunch of decorations that are cheap (ie buy christmas lights right after christmas when they are 50% off, buy bulk tulle online and use it for everything). Flowers will be tough... maybe only have your small bouquet. Have a small bridal party if you have one at all and have them wear something they already own. Find a dress that you like from any department store (it doesn't even have to be white.) Wear shoes you already have and do your own hair and makeup. Ask a friend or art student do the photography. If someone owns an iPhone 7 or 8 Plus, they take just as good pictures as a professional camera. Have the person taking the photos view some youtube tutorials or online classes that are free for lighting and basic composition. (I'm a designer/photographer and I know that it's the person taking the photo that makes it great, not the camera itself.) Send email invitations for free or sometimes when you sign up for Shutterfly and other online printing services, they will give you 100 free prints that you can use for invites. Hand deliver to save on stamps. Have someone make the cake as your present or buy a sheet cake from Walmart. Or don't have a cake and have your family make cookies instead. For rings, there are a lot of new and options out there besides the traditional metal rings (look on etsy for beautiful rings). Use your phone as a playlist and find a good speaker. Borrow chairs and tables from churches or clubs. BORROW as much as you can for things or have your guests give you things you need as their presents. The bottom line is that it is your day. You don't have to spend a lot of money to make things look nice and celebrate the marriage between the two of you. Good luck!

View Quoted Comment

I am waiting for that too!! But to OP: do not have a potluck. It never turns out well with keeping foods hot or cold or whatever plus it opens you to liability. The bigger issue is like previous posters have said, a reception is for thanking people for coming, not making them work. For $1000 you can have a wonderful courthouse wedding followed by a dinner for close family. Heck you could reserve the event room at a local restaurant and have the ceremony there, then follow right away with a meal.

My dress was $60 off Amazon and I would order it again. No bridal party, reduce paper: no STD's, no programs, invites off Ann's Bridal Bargains. Check the local high schools for Art teachers; many sideline with photography as a part time career.

For $1000 your guest list will be small however that can be intimate and rewarding, too!

Best wishes!