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This post has been edited by TWQadmin: 13 November 2025 - 03:53 PM
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Wedding and Reception on a limited budget
#1
quitaboo 
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Posted 13 November 2025 - 01:51 PM
We are planning a wedding for 150 guest in Chattanooga, TN. What type of wedding & reception can I plan and how nice will my day be if we only have $5000 to $7000 to spend on the whole thing?
#2
Weddings by Shayna
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Posted 13 November 2025 - 05:17 PM
If you prioritize and have a realistic view of your event, it can be very nice and very meaningful regardless of budget. However, you need to make a critical asessment early on of what is most important to you, and what you are willing to sacrifice.
I think the single biggest mistake that couples on very tight budgets make is trying to achieve a big-budget appearance with all of the accoutrements, but cutting the quality, labor and service. Rather, the best thing you can do is determine what is simply not important to you or the comfort of your guests ad what is most important to you on your dream day.
Big budget helpers that don't require you to "go cheap" where it counts are:
1. choose a day of the week other than Saturday.
2. choose an off-peak month
3. choose a time of day conducive to reduced catering needs - breakfast, brunch or simply champagne & cake
4. choose a site other than a ballroom or country club. Try a restaurant or a public building, for example.
5. choose a location that already has all of the visual appeal it could need and forego decor - you can save an enormous amount of money not "gilding the lily" so to speak.
6. Silk flowers (ones that are worth carrying) rarely cost less than real. Choose seasonal blooms, or larger, flashy blooms to save the most on your floral costs and don't feel like every square inch of every surface needs an accent.
7. Never, ever offer a cash bar. It SEEMS like a good idea, but it's not. Choose wine & beer only, choose a single cocktail, go without liquor, have other options available - just don't charge your guests admission for attending your day.
8. Finally - reduce your guest list if at all possible. It's not always an option, but if you haven't looked at it yet, look now.
I hope that some or all of these are helpful to you. Good luck!
I think the single biggest mistake that couples on very tight budgets make is trying to achieve a big-budget appearance with all of the accoutrements, but cutting the quality, labor and service. Rather, the best thing you can do is determine what is simply not important to you or the comfort of your guests ad what is most important to you on your dream day.
Big budget helpers that don't require you to "go cheap" where it counts are:
1. choose a day of the week other than Saturday.
2. choose an off-peak month
3. choose a time of day conducive to reduced catering needs - breakfast, brunch or simply champagne & cake
4. choose a site other than a ballroom or country club. Try a restaurant or a public building, for example.
5. choose a location that already has all of the visual appeal it could need and forego decor - you can save an enormous amount of money not "gilding the lily" so to speak.
6. Silk flowers (ones that are worth carrying) rarely cost less than real. Choose seasonal blooms, or larger, flashy blooms to save the most on your floral costs and don't feel like every square inch of every surface needs an accent.
7. Never, ever offer a cash bar. It SEEMS like a good idea, but it's not. Choose wine & beer only, choose a single cocktail, go without liquor, have other options available - just don't charge your guests admission for attending your day.
8. Finally - reduce your guest list if at all possible. It's not always an option, but if you haven't looked at it yet, look now.
I hope that some or all of these are helpful to you. Good luck!
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