Weddings for under 5K?

bubblieburn

Hey there,

I'm seeking information about the possibility of organising a wedding for under 5K. Impossible you say? Well hopefully not... for the following reasons:

My fiance and I have a massive mortgage and not much money... we're not religious and not interested in a 'traditional' wedding, i.e. with a church, white dress, flowers, hotel, rolls royce, cake, etc etc... we're positively ALLERGIC to that. We've been to enough weddings in the past to know exactly what we DON'T want. I've been bridesmaid about 7 times too, and as much as I've had fun at all weddings, i've never been able to understand how anyone could spend 30-40K on just one day, no matter how special. If we had that money to spare we'd be off around the world!

So you get the picture... we ain't sentimental! But we do have wonderful family and friends and would like to celebrate with them.

I've asked about and I do believe there are alternatives. Some friends of friends have managed to have great weddings abroad for under 5K but I don't have much detail. Our ideal scenario would be an old house/estate in France, Italy or Spain (or even dear ole Ireland) which we could hire for a week cheaply. It doesn't need to be swanky, just homely and comfortable. Ideally it would have enough living space (or even garden space for tents) so that all of our guests can come along and chill out there to their heart's content.

Our gang of friends know each other well, some are chefs and they've offered to cater, others are musicians who can provide music, happy days. Lots of friends have offered to participate to make the day special and as we don't want presents from anyone we're happy with that. We also intend to have a family friend perform the ceremony so really apart from some nice food for the day and week (plus flights, etc) we don't expect to incur any further expenses.

So... anyone been to or had their wedding in a similiar fashion?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

smelltheglove

A friend of ours had a wedding for 7k in Ireland almost 2 yrs ago, and it was a hotel wedding. They had around 80/90 guests, 3 courses meal no wine or drinks. Dj Only. The thing is they spent 1k on the dress and 1k on the photographer who was a family friend they felt like they had to use.

Only yesterday I covered a marquee wedding, I dont know the costs of it and wouldnt ask but it was lovely. There were still 230 guests but the marquee itself was gorgeous, they had a catering company do a barbeque and a bar n the corner. It all looked very well and was a stunning alternative. They didnt actually have their church until 4pm and as it was quite a relaxed affair there was no rushing time wise as there often is with hotels. It could be something for you to look into.

namurt

I would say that's definitely do-able and sounds like a lovely idea. Excluding honeymoon ours is coming in under that price and like you, I really can't see how anyone would spend 30-40K on one day.

Don't have any specifics to help you but remember...google is your friend when it comes to organising things.

Good luck with the plans, and enjoy.

BC

From what I know about weddings abroad they are usually not cheaper than Ireland, often they can work out more expensive.

The biggest cost of the wedding in Ireland is the number of guests. Keep that low and you can easily keep the costs low.

tc_zesty

When I got married last year I found www.weddingsonline.ie great for getting tips on exactly what you're looking for - my wedding was quite different to what you're after but I was able to talk to other brides-to-be who were having their wedding in the same venue as me about their suppliers, decisions etc. Found it really helpful.

Southsider1

bubblieburn wrote: »

Hey there,

Our ideal scenario would be an old house/estate in France, Italy or Spain (or even dear ole Ireland) which we could hire for a week cheaply. It doesn't need to be swanky, just homely and comfortable. Ideally it would have enough living space (or even garden space for tents) so that all of our guests can come along and chill out there to their heart's content.

Our gang of friends know each other well, some are chefs and they've offered to cater, others are musicians who can provide music, happy days.
So... anyone been to or had their wedding in a similiar fashion?

Yes! of course you can do it. I may know of a place. I'll suss it out tomorrow and PM you....

Sounds like you'll have great craic... can I come?