Small wedding venue and other ideas?

BlueBlossom

Hi guys,

Looking for some advice. We are looking to get married in 2018. A bit away yet but we need to sort in advance. We are thinking of a church wedding with a small reception after. My other halves family are Scottish so they will be travelling so we need a venue that is accessible and not far from airports but that doesnt break the bank.
We also both suffer from anxiety so we are looking for somewhere that has a nice church near the venue and is pretty secluded and private. Doesnt have to be an exclusive venue either as long as there is a function room that would be exclusive to the party. We are looking for a sit down meal rather than a buffet too.
Our guest numbers will be somewhere between 20-40 depending on wether his family that we are inviting, can make it because we are (I was told this sounds awful) excluding kids. His siblings all have 2-6 children each and he has a very large family that he is close to, aunties and first cousins, again with children. We simply cant afford to have a large wedding and to provide catering for everyone which I can see may cause some issues with his family but at the end of the day what we originally wanted and can afford are two different things.

I unfortunately got very ill last year unbeknown to his extended family as we chose to keep it private, and with the extensive medical bills this has diminished our savings as we were originally planning on this year as we have been together for almost 5 years, so our budget is probably around 4000 for everything. I know there are a lot of things I can do to cut my own costs, like a second hand dress, make our own cake, flower market etc but I wouldnt know where to even start.

Any advice is most welcome because at the moment all I feel like doing is crying when I should be excited to be finally planning my wedding that I have waited so long for!

Thanks for listening!

Blossom

**Edit - Dublin is our nearest airport**

The Sidewards Man

What airport is best suited to you?

BlueBlossom

Sorry, I should have said, Dublin as we are in Dublin but we would be happy to look at other locations that his family can get to easy.

SarahMollie

I'd suggest a city center wedding with a restaurant for the reception.

I think any more traditional wedding venue might be a budget buster otherwise. Many restaurants have private dining rooms that might be able to accommodate you.

Milly33

Hi Blue Blossom hope you are feeling better now or have dealt with what happened last year...

I cannot say I would know anywhere in Dublin, im down the other side. But I would say you can wonders with a small budget.. Make a list of things ye want, and then prioritise them as such.. Like what are the important things to ye on the day..

Do not be afraid to ask friends and family for help either.. Regarding invites, flowers most people would be delighted to help..

Another thing to consider is having a afternoon wedding.. Have the wedding late in the evening and then maybe go someplace either a hotel or restaurant or home marquee..

Flowers - pick flowers that are in season. Aldi is about the best place to buy flowers that last. You could use potted plants/herbs instead of having pedestals or flowers in the church. These would work also as table flowers or for decorating the venue after. Nothing wasted either as you could give them as gifts to any guest that wanted, or bring them home and plant in yer own garden.

Dress - there are plenty of cheaper dresses out there..Keep an eye on the sales or charity events. Or think outside the box also and don't get the typical wedding dress.. Of even asking to borrow one, or rent one. At least you aren't stuck with a dress in a box after.

Photos - ask a close friend or someone you know who takes nice photos to take them. I know of one lady who is very well priced not sure if she would travel to Dublin though.. I can pass on the name.

Cake - most defiantly ask someone to make or make your own. Or go all out and have cheese cake or don't have any cake if ye don't want one.. To be honest I don't think anyone really is bothered about it that much.

Invites - Vistaprint is great.. They don't fab bargains you can get some loverly magnet invites on them. You could get everything printed from them cheaper, if ye wanted scrolls or anything like that..

There is so much ye can do to break down costs.. I still have a few template things if they would be any good to you, or I love looking for stuff if I can be of any help... Ali Express also for some decorations they are great..

BlueBlossom

Thank you very much Milly! Those ideas are great, especially using aldi and vista print, I never thought of that! We do have some viewings lined up for some restaurants with private areas so that will give us a good idea of costs.
I do feel better, still not back to 100% but getting there, thank you for asking