Wedding on the Cheap

makeandcreate

Hi guys - looking for ideas for a REALLY cheap wedding. It will be small with just family - 50 max (20 would need accommodation) and I'm happy to go midweek to reduce costs. Midlands/Kildare area. Probably April - September next year.

- priorities are venue, band and photographer. Food - buffet or pig on a spit/BBQ. I've been to a few farmers markets were they were cooking burgers, sausages etc on stalls - wondered if they'd be interested in doing food - I'd love something that ended up looking like a mini garden fete - with some games - coconut shy, darts , hook a duck. Band outside.
Really not fussed about a cake - instead of a candy cart I was going to do a dessert cart.

Found a second hand vintage dress, doing my own flowers, dessert cart, candyfloss stall and facepainting for the kids, invitations, favours.
Anything else I can DIY?
I'm not having a bridesmaid - or is that just too weird?!?

pwurple

Cheapest way to do a wedding is do nothing. Get married at the reg office and have no party. That's 200 euro all in.

Everything else is extras.

Now, possibly counter intuitively, but Wedding on the cheap, and quirky and individual often clash.

The next cheapest after the 200 euro thing, is going for a everything-included hotel package.

The most expensive thing to do, is go for individuality. Hiring a venue and then providing everything yourself is the most expensive way of going about things usually. Unless you can use a garden of a family member or friend?

Pig on a spit is going to be around 1,000 euro.

Market stalls certainly do weddings, if you go to farmers markets and inquire, they will price it out for you.


I have no idea how you are going to do facepainting for kids yourself, as well as man a candy floss stall, do your own flowers and desserts. You must have 8 arms! One or two you might manage.


Bands are many multipes of DJ's, and in my opinion, not as good! Get a dj.

Your outdoor party sounds like loads of fun, but it's something I see you having trouble pulling off in irish weather.

Help!!!!

registry office, find pub with beer garden (& a room that would fit your guests ) , most wont be busy during the week so might hire it all out for the day, some might even do a buffet. Ask about whether you could play music from a ipod/mp3 during the day & get dj for the night.

Dolbert

Help!!!! wrote: »

registry office, find pub with beer garden (& a room that would fit your guests ) , most wont be busy during the week so might hire it all out for the day, some might even do a buffet. Ask about whether you could play music from a ipod/mp3 during the day & get dj for the night.

This! We priced the garden party option and it worked out much more expensive and labour-intensive than the hotel deal we found, and this was with free access to land. The above sounds like the job!

makeandcreate

I like the idea of a country pub if could hire it for a Wednesday or a Thursday perhaps.
May I should have said Euro stretching rather than cheap!
I've got the candyfloss machine and made a cart - plus have facepaints and pottery painting plus a lovely student to look after them and keep the kids entertained for a few hours. Total cost €50.
I love faffing with cake, jam & the like so a dessert table is no hassle - with 50 guests I reckon 6 different desserts and a tray of cupcakes. €60
Also have silk flowers already which I'm putting fresh greenery into - €20 max
The band is my OH's one wish - we saw a great duo in Portlaoise but can't remember the name of them (think one guy was called PatsyM)
OK - quirky pub suggestions anyone?

paulusdu

makeandcreate wrote: »

Hi guys - looking for ideas for a REALLY cheap wedding. It will be small with just family - 50 max (20 would need accommodation) and I'm happy to go midweek to reduce costs. Midlands/Kildare area. Probably April - September next year.

- priorities are venue, band and photographer. Food - buffet or pig on a spit/BBQ. I've been to a few farmers markets were they were cooking burgers, sausages etc on stalls - wondered if they'd be interested in doing food - I'd love something that ended up looking like a mini garden fete - with some games - coconut shy, darts , hook a duck. Band outside.
Really not fussed about a cake - instead of a candy cart I was going to do a dessert cart.

Found a second hand vintage dress, doing my own flowers, dessert cart, candyfloss stall and facepainting for the kids, invitations, favours.
Anything else I can DIY?
I'm not having a bridesmaid - or is that just too weird?!?

fair play for trying to keep costs down, its an expensive time but can still be done fantastic even when on a budget, sent you a pm

Lossagh

I'm in the same boat, and it's been pretty frustrating to discover that what I thought would be cheaper (i.e DIY most of it and have a bbq tressle table outdorsey vibe) seems to be one of the most sought after and expensive options at the moment.

Would second the idea of finding a pub with some land that you could use. That's what I'm thinking will be the way for us.

And keep us posted! Best of luck!

Ever2010

We had a reg office, then went off to a restaurant that did fab food, my mam paid for prosecco, with strawberries from their garden added, starter and main course from restaurant, my two friends made cakes (this did as dessert), we grew flowers for the table (I didn't bother carrying any), made vases from tin can decorated with felt, I made metres of bunting (a friend helped), decorated cheap wicker hearts from Penneys with ribbon, a friend made candles, I did up a vintage suitcase full of crap from the euro shop for the kids (went down really well), and grew herbs in tin cans decorated with Washi tape as favours.

We had the restaurant top floor for the evening, had the outside courtyard for smokers. then back to a hotel where everyone was staying for drinks after 11 ish. Worked out well and didn't cost us too much in the end (about 45 people).

We didn't do bestman/bridemaids and I just wore a summer dress. I'm really glad we did it that way, it was a great day spent with our nearest and dearest.

twillerbee

Hi, just wondering how planning is all going on this (or are weddings here and gone?!)

You basically described our planned wedding right above. I want it to be nice and fun, hopefully cheap as possible, but special and "us". My main worries at the moment are the food and the photographer. We've planned for years to get the pig on the spit, but its pricey.

Just wondering how you guys are getting along with it.

kkcatlou

I disagree that it can't be done cheap. We did just what you described for our day 2, and it cost under €2.5k for everything. Granted we had already paid €6.5k venue rental for the big day, but if you had a free venue already you would be sorted.
Pig on a spit + delf - €1500
Garden games - €200 (could have gotten them cheaper online had we been more organised)
Dessert table - free (made ourselves or by family)
Wine + beer - leftover from day before but probably around €500
band - €200
Decorations (did them ourselves - bunting, signage) - probably €50 or so
bales of hay, rugs for seating - free

We had about 100 people there, so more than you are talking about.

It was a brilliant day, some might even say better than the big day itself. Definitely more chilled and fun.

Milly33

Ohhh KKcatlou can I ask how you went about the bails of hay, and the pig spit..

For some reason yours sounds very much like what we are planning, wouldn't be surprised if tis the same spot..

Totally agree too that things can be done on the cheaper scale and nicely done..

Like using stuff you already have to decorate the venue. Using things like jam jars and tins for pots etc. I am still surprised at the how people look to pay for these when they can be free...

The food and now it is a big thing but you can think outside the box a little bit with it.. It does'nt have to be a sit down three course dinner anymore... You can do some much youself and also others I think are more than happy to help you just need to not be afraid to ask...