5,000 budget on wedding

I didn't read 12 pages of comments, but I did read your original post -- four times. Punctuation? Please?

Now, I'll try for the fifth time to parse the details of what is obviously a self-catered wedding. I'll give you good advice, just as I'm sure the other trusted members have. Two words: Slow down. One more word: Listen.

You could do a potluck in a backyard. But for 100 people in a high cost of living area, it'd be hard to pull off more than dessert and non-alcoholic drinks.

Self-catering is a liability/moral nightmare. So, what if 30 of your guests come down with food-borne illness and miss a week of work each. How are you going to cover that?

No you can't do a potluck unless you'd like to risk your so called most beloved people getting sick at the same time as you've asked them to bring food.

There is nothing wrong with realizing there are things in life we can't afford. This is why I drive a Scion instead of a Porsche.

Again, you could afford a potluck in a backyard like happens constantly in many places for events that are not weddings.

Ahhh, there's nothing new under the sun (or on WW), but here goes (again):

1. " I don't think we can do it I can't find any diy catering halls or venues bc that would help me a lot." No, it won't help you a lot. It will put in the cross hairs of massive liability. Cooking for a back yard BBQ or a holiday dinner is nothing like cooking for a wedding. And guess why you can't, in NYC, find a venue that allows DIY catering? Simple -- they don't want to be a co-defendant.

2. " I could bring food bc everyone in my family cooks that is the main problem food then also maybe it's me the date is July 20 2019 a Saturday I hear the prices are more but if I move it I Sunday some people will complain about missing church." Believe me, they're all safer in church than at a self-catered wedding. And if you don't understand that, understand this: guests are guests, not vendors. Vendors are paid. Guests are hosted.

3. "I know your supposed to hire someone to do this for you...". There you go. Truth. You are supposed to hire licensed, certified food handlers/vendors. To do anything less is to put your pageantry above the health of your guests.

My son is hosting about 55 - 60 people at a restaurant ceremony/reception in two weeks. We're in burbs of NYC, and their bill is already topping $7K (and that doesn't include a photographer or a DJ -- just six table side dishes and an open bar). We're not in Queens -- we're in Rockland County. With a budget of $5k, you'd better seriously temper your vision (and a small wedding can be absolutely phenomenal -- I've attended them and I adore them).

Cut your guest list. As Celia once wisely said, and it resonated me when she said it, "Why do people accept price restrictions on everything from cars to homes, but when it comes to weddings, they think there's another option." (Sorry, Celia, paraphrased that).

Host 25 beautifully instead of whatever barely...and please, don't embarrass yourself with self-catering and a bloated guest list. Every single guest will understand your reasoning behind the dynamic: big gift table and deplorable hosting.

...

Definitely look into doing a brunch wedding. They are considerably cheaper than the traditional evening wedding!

Oh I remember the days when I thought I could do a $5,000 wedding.....

FH is in Culinary Arts...we both agreed from the get-go that he was not cooking for our wedding but was going to enjoy the day!

Although we do potlock for family holidays, the closest anyone has come to that was to have a local deli for side dishes n hired an on-site grill master.

If you have a Raddison in your area or any hotel for that matter that has a ball room you can prob get close to that price. I was quoted $5,000 for 100 guest includes DJ, centerpieces and cake (I'm in NY) alcohol is not included you can open a tab

@cynthia what part of NY are you from?

1. Don't self cater.

2. Don't self cater.

3. Do not self cater.

You do not have to have table service. You do not have to have china plates, metal silverware, and real glasses. Self service buffets are fine. You can get clear plastic plates, gold or silver look plastic ware (or clear as well), and clear plastic cups. No, your reception will not look as dreamy as the ones on Pinterest, but it is doable.

As for self-catering, if I hadn't mentioned, don't do it. But in my southern social circle, it's normal for people to beg to help out in the kitchen. As long as the professionals prepare and deliver the food for you and your venue has proper storage for the food in the meantime, your friends can help IF THEY VOLUNTEER - DO NOT ASK YOUR FRIENDS TO HELP bring the food out of the refrigerators and put on the warming racks, and then clear away when you're done and put back in the refrigerators. If you don't have friends volunteer to help, you're stuck - hire people.

Budget the amount of food people get by carefully picking your dinner plates. Go for 9" instead of 10-12", and people will go conservative on their food amount. They also don't HAVE to be all-you-can-eat. Italian and BBQ buffets are cheap. Make sure you have an option for vegans or gluten/dairy-free folks if there are any on your guest list.

Again, you aren't going to have a gorgeous gilded reception if you go this route. Budget is budget. But it IS possible. And if you invite the people who love and care about you, they will be happy to be there whether they're eating filet mignon off of china or BBQ off of (nice) plastic. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise. ;-)

Your other option is to do your wedding early enough in the day you can get away with just having cake and punch and/or small appetizers.

Edit: you can also omit serving alcohol and that will be a huge savings. I'm not having alcohol because only about 10% of my guests would even be interested, and about 50% of my guests would be scandalized, so it's just easier to not have it. And cheaper.

Our church, day of coordinator, sound tech, reception space, and amount we're giving our pastor is $1000, my dress ended up being about $1000 with alterations, photographer is $800, cake is about $350, $100 for makeup and hair, $150 for FH's tux.. really sit down and look at the cost of things. Determine what you want, how much you can save per month, and what's really important to you. I didn't even cover everything. I live in an area that's not even expensive, and $5000 is pushing it here. If it had come down to it, FH and I would've gotten married in front of 5 people if that's what we could afford.

I'm just concerned about throwing a kick ass party for my guests. But I guess if it's all about you then that's cool too..... -_-

And just like that .. this thread is alive again.

My budget is small also but I did realize that it was not enough for 100 people. I refuse to spend one of the most important days of my life crying because things did not work out the way I wanted them to. I say this to tell you that you really may have to up your budget just a little so you can at least have a day of coordinator and catering. I had family today telling me we can do it without one but I just don't feel comfortable with that. You may have to have someone record the wedding for you with just a few family members and then maybe you can have a large reception.

Nwmft....

Alright!!

I'm in Wisconsin originally our budget was 5k. I also know that we will be able to have more saved though. Starting off with the 5k I made sure our guest list didn't reach more than 80 people though. Also mainly all of our guests are in town so we don't have to worry about hotel charges or anything. I would consider having your wedding out of town or state for less expenses.