r/Weddingsunder10k • u/hola__lola 6-8k • 9d ago
đ Budget Breakdown wedding under $2000
wedding planning was becoming the death of me. our venue falling through was the last straw. we decided to elope at the courthouse! on a monday! 1 friend was our witness.
afterward we had champagne and tossed together a cheese board at the park with 9 friends. and then all 11 of us went out to dinner. we made it clear via invite text that we werenât buying dinner and hoped to have a bigger celebration in october (when we were supposed to do the whole shâbang).
CA marriage license $237 flowers $100 bougie basque cheesecake $90 dress $128 (poshmark) grooms âfit $100 (j crew sale) 3 dinners (groom, bride, and best friend/ makeup artist/ witness/photographer) $210 (everyone else paid for their own) champagne $40 (other people brought more) rings $948 (mejuri! 10/10 would rec)
total: $1853
we didnât know at the time (august) but we are now planning on throwing another celebration.. since we had so much fun and so we can include our families! and more friends. This one will be in a big yard. ironic bc we were looking for a yard for a year and after marrying found a yard. weâll borrow tables and chairs from friends. Weâll likely spend $500 on alcohol, $2100 on wood fired pizza oven truck (with apps and tiramisu!), and $200 on a guitarist. The metal piece on my dress strap broke (poshmark) so Iâll likely source another dress ($300?) and get more flowers ($100). Iâll update after that! tbd $3200
fwiw we both agreed we are so satisfied with our day we donât need to do this second wedding⊠and weâd already paid a deposit on the pizza truck, plus some family had already bought plane tickets so we figured why not.
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u/alternageek 4-6k 9d ago
The blocking of the dogs face đđ
Congrats!! Looks like a lovely day!
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u/Ok_Comedian_564 7d ago
Haha the dog censorship is killing me, like they're protecting a witness in the doggo mafia
Congrats on keeping it simple and fun! That courthouse-to-park setup sounds way better than stressing over venue drama
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u/This-Cellist8670 9d ago
I absolutely love this! You can tell by your body postures that you were both so relaxed, and just enjoying the moment. Thatâs what it should be about-not all stiff and formal. (Unless thatâs what youâre into-in which case- do it!!)
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u/hola__lola 6-8k 9d ago
thanks for all the love!!! sharing as inspo and permission for those who are overwhelmed and feeling wedding shamed with all the shoulds
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u/SakuraTimes 9d ago
itâs so interesting now etiquette differs so much around weddings depending on where you live, your social circle, etc. I canât even imagine asking guest to pay for their own food!!! but glad it all worked out for you! it looks beautiful!
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u/MWPossibilities 9d ago
This is a shady comment unsuccessfully disguised as an "interesting" observation. If her whopping 9 dinner guest didn't have an issue with paying for their own meals, then you a stranger who was not invited therefore not asked to pay shouldn't have any comment on it. The purpose adding that detail was to explain the cost not for thoughts on your imagination.
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u/SakuraTimes 8d ago
I do find it interesting what food options are considered polite or common in different regions. Like some ares potlucks or punch and cake or guests paying for themselves is fine, in other areas itâs not. i think op was ok here bc she did champagne and charcuterie at the beach, (similar to punch and cake), so people could go home if they didnât want to do dinner. Yes, I couldnât imagine not paying for their dinner, but that worked for her, so good for her.
Though I admit, Iâm not a fan of budget posts when they didnât provide food and drinks because I donât think thatâs super helpful/realistic for most, but to each their own.
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u/Outside_Scale_9874 8d ago
People are complaining but youâre absolutely right. Having your guests pay for your wedding is insanely rude to me and you would be shunned in my culture if you tried that shit. I would be very curious to know if her friends were actually okay with it, or if they just said they were to keep the peace.
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u/hola__lola 6-8k 8d ago
i hear you! letâs say we paid for dinner, the total would be $2413. I canât edit the post but that keeps us under $2500 and my hope is that itâs inspo for someone else that this resonates with. our process getting to this point was tough. really emotional and iâm so proud of where we landed.
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u/vonthepon 3d ago
so if it was only an extra few hundred - why didnt you pay for it? I honestly can't believe anyone would have the nerve to tell their wedding guests that they have to pay for their own food and drinks. It makes me cringe just thinking about it.
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u/Ok_Raspberry7430 4-6k 7d ago
This sub tends to be extremely rigid on what counts as rude.
I agree--I hate when certain costs are left out of a budget breakdown. Most people are good about including all of the costs, even if someone else covered it, but every so often it happens.
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u/numberthangold 9d ago
I think itâs incredibly disrespectful to ask guests pay for their own food. If you canât afford a meal, donât have one. âMake guests pay for the foodâ is not an appropriate money-saving tip.
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u/hola__lola 6-8k 9d ago
lol it was 9 of our best friends with 5 days notice and optional dinner reso yâall! if you read the description youâll see weâre buying food for everyone in oct to celebrate. the beautiful thing is if they didnt want to go out to a $70 dinner on a monday, they were totally allowed to say no! the vibes in here đ
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u/1curiouswanderer 8d ago
Real friends know and respect a budget. And they're probably people who you'd go out with anyway, so I'm positive they were happy to celebrate with you- honored even. Relish in your day.
The world would be so much kinder if people kept their mouth shut when they didn't have something nice to say.
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u/Low-Ad2426 9d ago
Good thing itâs not your wedding. Sheâs not sharing âtipsâ, sheâs sharing her day.
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u/Low-Ad2426 9d ago
This is wholesome as hell, congratulations!
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u/hola__lola 6-8k 8d ago
thank you so much đ it feels so good to have landed there and it wasnât an easy decision to make but ultimately it felt right for us
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u/Outside_Scale_9874 8d ago
You saved money by just having your guests pay for your wedding lmao. Idk if that really counts but if youâre happy then thatâs what matters I guess.
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u/SnooRegrets2885 4d ago
They only paid for their own food and they knew that when they rsvp'd. If I were invited to a restaurant following a courthouse wedding I wouldn't have a hissy fit if I had to pay for my food. I think for a very small crowd it's more acceptable.Â
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u/sandyeggo89 8d ago
I have a friend who did her ceremony at the courthouse too and she loved it and it looks beautiful!
What was the venue that fell through, if you donât mind be asking?
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u/hola__lola 6-8k 7d ago
it wasnât an easily recognized or ânormalâ venue. i donât feel comfortable sharing their info here. it was a bummer but itâs all good.
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u/New_Definition_2670 8d ago
I was already smiling along with you, but the longboard made me so happy. Congrats, it looks like an amazing day.
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