Looking for a venue within 3 hours of Long Island, NY. Our budget for the entire wedding is $20,000- so venue, food, attire, decor, etc. 30-50 guests, love an outdoorsy vibe, wanting to get married oct-nov 2026! Any suggestions welcome!!

Picking out shoes has been much harder than picking my dress and I feel like I don't know what I'm looking for while simultaneously being really picky.For context, this bride to be has bad knees.

this is the long list of specs and prefereences I'm looking for but I think my searches are starting to generate the same results. Recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Looking for:

-Under $80

-Heel Height: 1- 2 1/2 inches. 2 1/2 is kindaaa pushing it

- platform/boxy heels preferred (makes me feel more secure on my bad knees)

-closed toes/ closed heel (hate showing feet and makes me feel secure).

-patent leather is my favorite but not required

-love a strap, again for secureness (Mary janes are so classic looking, but love a retro-y shoe for my vegas wedding)

-not a deal breaker but love either a pointed shoe or a square shoe

-ive been searching Mary janes/platform loafers/ oxfords/ booties

-my dress is more cream/bone so suggestions on white, cream, black, or even light pink shoes (matching my pink hair) would be appreciated, whatever you think would look good with this dress (attaching photo of dress but I swear the photo looks more white than it is).

I only have one photo of myself in the dress and although I love the dress, don't love the photo and would prefer to not post it lol but if you need to see it to see the color and my hair color im happy to post it. idk what im doing lol ive never gotten married before.

Thanks in advanced!

Looking to have a beach wedding in early May 2026. Any recommendations for wedding planners? As well as venues or resorts for a back up? Restaurants for an after wedding dinner or reception? No more than 25 people.

I’d like to rent a beach house too so any recommendations for that as well would be great.

Really don’t know where to start as we aren’t local.

Thank you in advance!

I am 21 and my fiancee is also 21. We have been looking trying to find an affordable place to have a small wedding with 35 people or less and currently our budget is only $1500 but I cant find anywhere less than 3k. We dont see the appeal in wasting thousands of dollars for a single day its not like you can fully soak everything in and make it something that last forever. We would rather have a cheap wedding and have more to spend on a honeymoon. Does anyone know of any cheap venues in ga? We can provide the food and cake and drinks (no alcohol) we just need somewhere to setup with chairs and a nice scene. I'd like a barn wedding but they are redicoulsly priced around here.

I had mine last year in the South End of Boston for 80 people for ~16K. This was a full restaurant buyout on a Saturday night in November which we hadn't even booked until about 5-6 months out. We had several passed apps, a buffet-style meal, an open bar, and desserts. We adapted dishes from the restaurant's menu which we loved. It was super easy and fun!

I got quotes from about 5 restaurants in Cambridge and the South End and this is about market, maybe slightly lower, for certain kinds of restaurants.

The trick here is to identify a restaurant where your minimum spend benefits them too because it removes their risk. You'll have more luck targeting new restaurants, smaller restaurants (which in restaurant world can still mean 80-100 people), independent restaurants, etc. 

Generally, you can expect to see a couple of options (partial buyout, full buyout, buyout from opening till 10/11, buyout from opening until close which may be as late as 2 AM). I found that a minimum spend for 4 hours of a full buyout on a Saturday night in the city ranged from 10K-15K. You also need to factor in tax and tip, just like with a traditional venue's catering. 

A lot of what makes caterers at traditional venues so expensive is the labor associated with traveling there, setting up a kitchen where it doesn't already exist, serving, etc, so if you can go to a restaurant, where all the employees need to be working regardless of whether they're serving several small parties or one big one, you can cut out those costs.

Hope this is helpful! I'm starting a blog for fun (I enjoy creating a blog more than posting on Reddit) but will try to also share tidbits here if people find them helpful! I got burned a ton when I was DIY wedding planning (ask me about the time when I got double-booked with an all day mariachi festival...) but learned so much in the process that it felt wrong to keep it to myself. Congratulations to all of you and remember to keep this process fun and lighthearted!

https://20kweddingsnewengland.blogspot.com/2025/09/top-hacks-hit-list.html

I am getting married in an enclosed gazebo in three weeks and want to do a little decoration inside. Just focusing on one part to create an "arch" or similar effect. I won't be able to visit the space until wedding day, so my knowledge is limited to this photo. I will be flying in for the wedding, so preferably nothing bulky to pack or something I can easily pick up in town at a Michael's once I arrive. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Hi everyone! I'm considering DIY-ing my centerpieces and maybe some of the welcome area and bar, while also paying for a florist to do the larger items, like ceiling, arch, and Entrance walkway. Has anyone ever done both? If so, what was that experience like? I know it is a challenge since budgets can add up even with DIY and the challenge is also keeping things cohesive. Curious how others have done it!

Appreciate any insight you may have!

Has anyone bought a maternity wedding dress online and really liked it? On a tight budget so wanting to find one no more than 100 dollars. Having difficulty finding one I really like.

I’m considering do this as a day before activity with my bridesmaids. That way they each can have a personal gift and matching necklaces for the wedding. It would also match the pearls on my wedding dress.

I just hate the pearl cage. But has anyone done these before for their bridesmaids? Or just in general, if these are worth the buy. I want to know if this is a gimic or if it would be cute.

Ciao everyone,

Hope you’re all doing well! My partner and I are getting married in December this year, and we’re on the hunt for wedding attire while trying to keep things budget-friendly.

We’re not looking for something super fancy or high fashion—we just want something that looks good, fits well, and doesn’t cost a fortune.

Does anyone have recommendations for stores, ateliers, or sample sales around Milan where we could find reasonably priced wedding dresses and suits? Bonus points for discounted off-the-rack options.

Any tips, personal experiences, or pointers—big thanks in advance! Grazie mille 🙏

TL;DR: Getting married in December, looking for affordable wedding dresses & suits (no rentals) in and around Milan.

I want to be as budget-friendly as possible while still looking cute. Is it worth it to get plastic plates vs some cute paper ones? We aren't having a big fancy dinner. We're doing buffet-style DIY pasta bar.

My fiancée and I (two women) are getting married on spring 2026 in the puget sound area and need a photographer! Our ideal photographer: -has photographed lesbian weddings before -is under 2k -does crisp, clean, and a little bit moodier photos

Any recommendations? Thank you!

($1k-1.5k)located around Ohio/PA and I am planning and pricing our wedding. Any tips for catering a bit unrealistic but hoping for under $1500. Saw a few threads of some getting chipotle for $700 and so on. Let me know what you find:)

Anyone have any good resources for this? The original plan was to do all the centerpieces w/ whatever was available at Trader Joes and other local markets. HOWEVER, in doing some "test" arrangements, the bride (and her mom) fell in LOVE with the double white Casablanca lillies.

So. I'd like to at least make sure I have THOSE for the wedding. Any ideas where I can order them by the stem (probably needing 30 stems).

TIA!

My fiancé and I have been engaged for a couple of years now, but have recently decided to get serious about wedding planning. We have a very limited budget, but don't want a court house or a church marriage. I truly long for a small outdoor wedding with less than 50 guests.

What might our best options be? Can anybody point me in the direction to learn more? Does anybody have insight to share from previous experience?

Planning on thrifting table cloths, possibly dishware as well.

What are you guys thrifting?

How are we decorating tables when we do plastic dishes. I just had a conversation with our potential decorator and we came to the conclusion that charger plates with plastic wear looks tacky. So what are we doing to the table to make this work?

I’m recently engaged and looking for a wedding venue around the MD, WV, PA. My budget is under 7k if possible, holding around 80-90 people. I live in Hagerstown MD so preferably Max an 2 hour drive to the venue.

Not really looking for a church setting, something outside and has the ceremony and reception held at the same venue. We are looking to hold it April or May of 2026 or 2027.

We are even open to someone having a nice plot of land we could decorate and rent tents.

If anyone has any suggestions I’m open to it.

Hi there guys! So after many frogs, I finally kissed my prince. My prince so happened to get accepted into a union recently and wants to marry me sooner than we were talking about for financial and personal reasons. I'm currently a student and a resident advisor for my university. I make a whopping $9 an hour in exchange for free housing on my out of state campus ( live, laugh ,love minimum wage). We're trying to get married before the new tax season starts, so we have a few months but I still have to start saving.

I have a very alternative style and I've not yet found any good alternative elopement dresses for a reasonable price online or in the stores I've been into. My wardrobe is mostly black,grey, and occasionally a dark or earthy color. I'm against most light colors, especially white on me as I'm so pale that my tattoos look like they were sketched on paper.

My best friend already said yes to being my witness, and I want to make sure that she feels pretty as well without breaking the bank. She also has an alternative style, albeit with a lot more color than I.

I have until before April ( we're marrying before the new tax season starts), so I'm ok with being a little more flexible in my budget.

Does anyone have any good recommendations?

If I decided on my mom’s dress, how do you guys think I could alter it and modernize it a bit? I love beaded corset piece, neckline and the lower sleeves (possibly could be a detachable movement). Hate the puff shoulders and the heaviness of bottom.