free wedding places?

A public park can be a good idea. It depends on your guest list though. If you have a very small guest list then you won't need much. But if you have more people then you will have to look into renting chairs, set up, possibly a tent, and those things can add up pretty fast and cost more then finding something else. If you plan on keeping it small then maybe some place that has a little gazebo and maybe just rent a few chairs.

A public park or a national forest. or if someone you know lives on a lot of land or a ranch type set up.

How big is your guest list? You could just go with your families to the courthouse and then go out to dinner afterwards. Parks usually require permit fees, but how much depends on the park. Do you have a backyard you could have the wedding in? That would be free.

Where are you located?

If you have anything over about ten people, you'll probably need a permit in a park, then tables, chairs, food.....and of course, no one else will think to be in a park in the spring.

The venue is usually not the big expense in an off premise situation; it's the rentals that are required to make it a party space, the food, the liquor, etc. And most parks won't let you have alcohol.

I found that for me a park etc was actually going to be far more expensive than the venue I booked. My wedding was small, 35 people, but to bring in everything needed (and only the minimum) was going to be about double what my venue cost because it wasn't very high and included tables, chairs, and linens were available for a very small additional fee. If your guest list is super small you could perhaps go to a park and just have everyone stand (provided the ceremony was short) and then go to a restaurant afterwards. If you have more people, though, I would try to look into venues that aren't typically wedding venues because they tend to be cheaper.

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I would suggest going to the courthouse, wear a pretty white dress, get a bouquet and a photographer. Then go out to eat with your families at a restaurant after! You can even have a small cake to cut if you want.

Do it at a restaurant. Some will let you do the ceremony in one private room and the reception in another.

This way you won't have to worry about: chairs, lighting, tent, fans if it's hot, tables, linens, dinnerware, etc. Which is expensive.

I had my wedding in a public park, it was far more expensive to do it that way. The park had a reception room that we used, so we didn't have to rent a tent. But we had to rent everything else, linens, china, chairs, etc. Our caterer even had to bring their own cooking equipment. All on top of a hefty fee to use the park. We did it because we had the budget and we loved the venue. There were many other places that would have been much cheaper. Try looking for a place that already has the basics so you don't have to rent everything. Maybe try a restaurant.

I totally second @annakay511 and @AmandaJeffrey221 on celebrating at a restaurant idea.

If you're doing a small and short civil ceremony then courthouses and public parks might be fine, but for food and drinks afterwards it's just much easier to go to a restaurant. You wouldn't have to worry about renting supplies, or setup / cleanup, and you could just focus on the most important thing - celebrating!

Do you have a relative that belongs to a congregation that would let you marry at their church for a small fee?

The other thing you could look into is renting a pavilion at one of the local parks if they have them.

That's what I am doing - for $180 I am getting the use of a covered pavilion, restrooms, picnic tables, and a food serving area. There is electricity - both in the pavilion itself and the food serving area. It does mean that I am keeping things fairly rustic - burlap, twine, potted mums, pumpkins, fall leaves, etc. I am also keeping the food simple - mostly appetizer type foods as I am doing a 2pm wedding with a fairly short reception afterwards as the state park closes at sundown so in October that's like 5 or 5:30 max.

If you have any family or friends with plenty of land, that might be a good option for a free, pretty outdoor venue space. My fiance and I are having our reception in a public garden, but there is a "rental fee" for the garden--$150. However, we are renting a tent, tables, chairs...

If you find a nice outdoor space that's free or inexpensive and you have a church that you go to regularly, you can always check to see if they have tables and chairs that you can borrow for the day. A friend of ours used her church's tables and chairs, and only rented linens.

Another vote for public parks being more of a headache than they are worth. Make sure you do your research on the full costs like others have mentioned.

We are getting married in a park by the water, we rented the pavilion and a large open area next to it which is where the ceremony will be. There are picnic tables there so tables and chairs are not needed. On our venue we spent $130. We do have to have insurance which will be about $150 depending on the amount of people coming. You can find something nice and still not spend an arm and a leg...However, I love the idea of a backyard wedding if you have a yard you can do that in...but remember, even that isn't free. You still need tables and chairs and some food

There are lots of places that don't get used during off hours. Check to see what places are publicly funded in your area (like school buildings). You might be surprised to find that one of them will let you use their space - and better yet if you offer a fee you can afford to support, say, the school's arts programming. Of course, there are catering costs to consider. The only practically free way to get hitched, though, is to get married at the courthouse. I actually think the idea is rather romantic. Then you can ask folks to meet you at a nice restaurant for lunch or dinner, or even give a dinner party at home with the help of family.