SUPER budget conscious

Dump meals?? Reading that made me feel ill. Cut your guest list wayyyyyyyyy down and cater from an inexpensive restaurant. I don't see how you can fit any DIY decor in your budget. DIY ends up being way more expensive than you think.

OP, if you're super budget conscious, the first thing you need to do is cut your guest list.

The bigger the guest list, the higher the cost to host them, DIY or not.

(Geographic location can also effect cost!)

Put your name and FI's names. Then parents, siblings + their significant others, and grandparents. Stop. Reflect on your drafted list so far and see if you can also accommodate aunts and uncles. Another thing you'll need to decide is if children are invited (but make the cut-off an age that won't separate households; as in, Aunt Jane, Uncle John, and 16 year old Cousin Sally are going, but since the cut-off is 16, Cousin Eddie can't go because he's 10).

Seriously. Make cuts to the guest list. FH and I had our drafted list at 256 once upon a time, and now we're closer to 100, like we wanted.

Michelle, that was mean. Calling everyone ridiculous is mean

Ummm, I come from an Irish family. I’ve never BYOB, every party, whomever is hosting provides the food and booze.

@mermaid that was an honest typo haha. But the fact that my phone did not autocorrect it makes me realize that I need to re-evaluate the language I use on a daily basis hahaha.

Lmao. I just read the cockpot...... that's awesome. Mrs.G, share the recipe LOL.

@Kristin - she got her dress, shoes, and jewelry on sale. Didn't pay full price for anything. I got my BM dress and shoes at Ross for $20 total. Our mom also got most of the decor and serving stuff discounted.

Leann, please don't suggest that the OP contacts her guests and tells them to BYOB. Plenty of parks do not allow alcohol/open containers, and I'm sure you wouldn't want her to do anything that could have the wedding shut down by the authorities.

The bottom line is so simple. Two hundred people, all together in one place, will realize, after seeing the massive crowd of which they are a part, coupled with the low level of hosting that is barely provided, that the couple invited them for a reason...and when it all becomes clear to them, they'll take their reasons and leave.

This is a terrible idea -- for everyone involved, and it has nothing to do with the cross-section of people who make up this site. This has to do with recognizing what's going on in the environment you're in and saying, "Theycare about some things, but wedding guests? Obviously, not so much".

I am in a similar situation. I think it is completely possible to plan your wedding for that. It might not be some big extravagant thing but honestly, what's the point of blowing through a ton of money for 1 day? My budget is 5000 for around 150 people and we have found a lot of great ways to stay under budget. Utilize Pinterest, ask for help when you need it and have a serious talk with your fiancee about what things are the MOST important to you both. After you figure that out, just cut out all the extra BS.

Https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/wellness/1995/07/04/a-picnics-toxic-punch/a0421c86-2d46-4aaf-b546-6db4d2e07b3f/?utm_term=.fbd5bd2e430b

@Karsten, one of the things that should be most important to OP and her FI is not getting their guests sick, hence the backlash on this thread. Proper catering wouldn't fall under "extra BS"

People die from food poisoning. Food should not be left out for more than 2 hrs. Assuming someone unplugs their crock while getting ready, drives 30 min to your venue and then gets it set up, you're already very well into an hour. You are also depending on each and every person to have not made a single mistake preparing their food.

General rule of thumb: If what you're considering for your wedding could literally kill your guests, don't do the thing

Am I the only one that thinks the term dump meals is perfectly appropriate for this scenario? Eat the meal and then shortly after, the dumping begins.

There are great elopement pkgs for under 1k where you can invite 10 guests. You get flowers and a photographer for an hour. Taking 10 guests to a super nice lunch is at most another 1k. It's possible to have a less expensive wedding but still host them well. Many bbq places charge only $10-15 per person and they provide the plates, etc.

Crock pots and dump meals seem like a recipe for disaster.

@GTTC Yes! Hopefully the bathrooms available at OP's wedding are in fine supply!

@Karsten I cut all the extra BS and my total being spent for 80 guests is still $13ish-k. Now that is also me having an indoor wedding with heat and air provided for comfort, a licensed caterer, a bartender, and DJ for entertainment.

So what BS exactly are you cutting?

Oh boy... nope, nope, nope!

I think everyone already said everything about this lol but yeah if anything don't tell guests byob as one PP said Cause as another PP pointed out most if not all public parks and such you're not allowed to have alcohol. For an event at a park or other public places you need proper permits and usually a licensed bartender if you have alcohol. So unless you want all the drunk guests at the park to be arrested or cited don't follow that advice. Smh.