Is it possible to have a wedding under 5k!?

@Terri, hors d'oeuvres to replace a meal are never cheaper.

I guess if you wanted to distill all this information? You can kill yourself with DIY and bargain hunting or you can reduce your guest list and actually enjoy the process.

I don't have any books to reccomend but have you ever read the http://thebudgetsavvybride.com blog? They post real weddings that people had in budgets from like 5k to 20k. Even though my wedding is just barely considered a "budget wedding" I find it really good for inspiration! The only thing is sometimes when I read the posts I feel like the reason their budget is so low is because something important is missing (i.e. open bar, catered food).

Don't waste your money on a book when you have the internet. Under $5k is hard. I would do a cake and lunch reception or just lots of appetizers and not a full meal

I'm in Knoxville, it's totally doable with that budget. Check out Anderson Farms Catering. Great food and amazing prices. They are so so nice and easy to work with. Also, The Village Bakery on chapman highway. They look kinda.......interesting(shop & website) but their cakes taste great and prices can't be beat. Definitely find a venue where you can bring in your own food and alcohol. This will save you the most money. They aren't easy to find around here but the ones I had looked at that did it all were way over priced. Good luck!

My goal was 5k but I ended up spending almost 10k...I don't even know where it all went! I did everything myself thinking it would save me money, but it obviously didn't!

Knox bride here! I suggest looking at All Occasions catering- that's who I wanted to book, but I ended up changing my venue and my new one comes with an in-house caterer. AOC's food is delicious and a full meal is around ~19 pp I believe.

Venue- I'm not much help. Most venues are pretty expensive. That was my splurge in my budget. There are two places in Lenoir City you could check out- The Venue at Lenoir City and The Reserve at Bluebird Hill (I LOVE bluebird hill but they can only hold about 75 people- I'm inviting over 100 but it's perfect for your size). I will say I have no idea how much either of those places cost but they are both gorgeous!

ETA: $5000 for 50 people will still be difficult. I will echo PPs and suggest increasing your budget a little, or cutting the guest list some more.