Anyone do a CHEAP wedding or honeymoon

[Crow]

She is talking about Christmastime now instead of waiting like we were going to do. Working in retail I cant really get off work at that time of year. Maybe mid January. I was looking on the DIsney Wedding site $4575 is the cheapest which is a no way for us. So i was thinking maybe a honeymoon. Even a honeymoon to WDW would have to be cheap for us though.
She wanted a beach wedding but.. Hawaii even but that is too much
ANyone ever done it on the cheap?

[Tink1]

I have booked a few weddings on DCL. Compared to WDW Fairytale weddings, I though they were reasonable.

Nanc

[magicalmom]

My cousin got married on the Gulf coast, (somewhere between Venice and Port Charlotte, not sure exactly) on the beach - a lovely ceremony, with a nearby reception - then you could sneak away to WDW . . .

[KylesMom]

Back in '91, DH and I got married "on the cheap" (under $1,500 with everything) in a church where I was baptized back home, had the reception at my Mom's house in the back yard and then headed to Disney World through an inexpensive bank travel package off site. It was a beautiful Catholic wedding & a really fun reception at the home I grew up in. However, knowing what I know now, I have no regrets except for staying off-site for that first magical trip.

Don't break the bank - it can be done. You can want a pie in the sky wedding, but realistically look at what you can afford without jeopardizing your future together!

[BigRedDad]

A wedding can be done for the cost of the license and magistrate. However, I don't think that is what you are looking for. If money is a concern, you need to plan accordingly and decide what is most important and what is not. Eventually, you will get down to a list of must-have's with the estimate price to see if it works. If not, then the must-have list gets reduced.

IMHO, <$5000 is pretty cheap for a wedding. A co-worker's daughter has just gotten engaged. The first thing was where the reception is to be held. He has it estimated at over $15,000 for the reception alone. Personally, if I had it all to do over again, I would be on a plane to Vegas just the 2 of us.

[MizMissy]

Weddings can be done relatively cheaply, like KylesMom suggested, especially if you hold it locally. Destination weddings are always more expensive -- and depending on the size of your wedding and who you are inviting -- it's probably more expensive for your guests. So, keep in mind if you want to do things cheaply, do not ask your guests to spend more money.

[forever a child]

My wedding was a lot like what KylesMom shared with you. I was married in the back yard at my parents place (they have 3 acres with a creek running in the back of the property). It was outdoors with out any tent (risky now that I think about that). We had about 60 guests, so very small. I made the meal the day before and hired some people to finish the preparation the day of the wedding. I made the cake topper, my brother worked at a florist and they did all of the flowers at cost, my grandmother sews and made the bridemaid and flower girls dresses, I was a photography major so I had tons of classmates that did the wedding photography, my (ex-now) husband to be was a musician so we hired a couple of his friends to play the violin and flute.

It was a lovely ceremony and I had many people compliment me on how different, fun and relaxed it was. It has been a few years now, so I don't recall the exact cost but I think it was around $3500 and I got everything I wanted. I would suggest you look at your friend and business relationships and see if you can find people to do things to help you save costs. Consider that their wedding gift to you if they can and be creative. It will make your wedding more personalized and you may be surprised at how willing others are in helping share in making your wedding day a special day. It doesn't have to be about the biggest, fanciest or pre packaged event.

Best to you in the planning process!

My thoughts/suggestions on planning: Get married during Christmas or the New year in a church. They tend to already decorate for the holidays (savings), let all of the brides maids were their own style black formal (I have seen it done and it is beautiful when they don't all match exactly, however they then tend to choose dresses that flatter them as a one style generally does not fit all shapes/sizes)
Have a dessert only reception.

[LauraF]

I'm in the same boat right now!

I got a book about wedding planning, called "How to Plan a wedding for less than $10K" Basically, it comes down to doing off-season and off times (i.e. Sunday brunch wedding reception).

Me, I'm saving money by eloping. I'm tired of the family pressure to have a big party, especially when it is not what my DF and I want. We're paying, they're not, so it's simple. (They are invited to the ceremony, but very few will actually come.) I don't want to start married life in debt, so we'll do a nice honeymooon - Disney style- after we elope to Vegas and get married by Elvis. (I'm not kidding.) :elvis:

[MNNHFLTX]

An inexpensive wedding can be done, absolutely. The key is letting go of the excesses of many of the weddings today and simplifying. That doesn't mean it won't be meaningful--on the contrary, sticking to the basics eliminates much of the stress that comes with planning an expensive, complicated wedding.

My husband and I got married almost 20 years ago and our wedding cost just under $4000 dollars, and that included paying for the bridesmaids' dresses and the tux rental for the groomsmen (something I had always wanted to do to eliminate the financial obligation for the wedding party). We had 100 close family and friends in attendance and while the church service was a bit more formal, the reception consisted of a barbecue in my brother's large backyard. We even played volleyball! It may not be for everyone, but all of our guests said how much they enjoyed themselves and how special it was. :)

[Crow]

thanks.
Vegas might b an option.
and it might b only us, unless some friends want to attend. JP is fine for me. thats how I did it before. Honeymoon at Disney if fine w me also.
btw it is official, i gave her a ring for her birthday present.

[A Big Kid]

June 14, 1988, the love of my life and I got married for $35 dollars.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

Congrats on your engagement. I'm sure no matter what you decide will be memorable for you both. And a WDW honeymoon sounds fantastic.

[Dznygrl79]

Honestly you can do the wedding at the JP for very little, many have a little room that you can do all your photos in with the justice if you want, or have them done while on your honeymoon if you want Disney think of all the great photos and memories. When you get home have a reception party I think it would be a little over 5g trip included and depending on how many people you have but you could push the party back til later. It is do-able.

[Hair_Razor]

We had a great wedding at home on the cheap and it was beautiful. We registered our honeymoon because we already had a lot of "stuff" it was a neat way to include the family in our fun. Just an idea:twocents:

[Georgesgirl1]

If you limit the number of guests, do a dessert reception, no alcohol, not many flowers, etc. you can really do a wedding cheap.

When DH and I got married in 2003, it cost about $10,000, but that was with 225 guests and the most expensive photographers in our area (I refused to skimp on the photos that would commemorate our big day forever). We spent the most money on the photography and food. Everything else we did very frugally. No flowers in the sanctuary. Reception in the church fellowship hall. No alcohol or dancing. I have been to many friends weddings over the years that have been big lavish affairs costing upwards of $50k and still think my wedding was perfect and classy without breaking the bank.

[Magic Smiles]

Our wedding including everything and honeymoon was $4000 22 years ago. We had 23 people, including us to a late morning church wedding and then a really nice sit down lunch at a hotel reception hall. Everything was done and finished by 3:00 pm.

If I was to do it today, I would definitely head south for the whole thing.