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As a grad student this makes sense for us to do too.
Pictures: we have plenty of friends that are into photography and could just send us all the digital files as a wedding gift.
Flowers: the fiancee is actually quite good at working with flowers and wants to do it all herself.
Food: cook our own. We're both self described foodies and have almost no doubts that we could come up with a menu that would far exceed food you get at most weddings that is frozen and simply heated up anyways. Heck Bbq food would be easy to for en masse
Alcohol: kegs and wine all night, is liquor really necessary?
Actual wedding: going to have to be at the courthouse. I'm not paying a church a few grand cause I simply can't afford it and I don't consider myself catholic anymore after the abuse scandals.
How would you feel getting invited to a DIY wedding? Would you travel far for one? How do you invite people to such a ceremony without a wedding in a church? How many guests are possible on a $6k budget?
We really don't even care that much about getting gifts, just about celebrating the marriage, so if people had concerns about it being DIY and throwing all tradition out the window we really wouldnt care if they gave less or nothing. Just want them to show up, eat good food, and have fun.
One thing is certain, we are simply NOT going to take out a loan and blow a ton of cash on only one day only to regret the debt later.
As a grad student this makes sense for us to do too.
Pictures: we have plenty of friends that are into photography and could just send us all the digital files as a wedding gift.
Flowers: the fiancee is actually quite good at working with flowers and wants to do it all herself.
Food: cook our own. We're both self described foodies and have almost no doubts that we could come up with a menu that would far exceed food you get at most weddings that is frozen and simply heated up anyways. Heck Bbq food would be easy to for en masse
Alcohol: kegs and wine all night, is liquor really necessary?
Actual wedding: going to have to be at the courthouse. I'm not paying a church a few grand cause I simply can't afford it and I don't consider myself catholic anymore after the abuse scandals.
How would you feel getting invited to a DIY wedding? Would you travel far for one? How do you invite people to such a ceremony without a wedding in a church? How many guests are possible on a $6k budget?
We really don't even care that much about getting gifts, just about celebrating the marriage, so if people had concerns about it being DIY and throwing all tradition out the window we really wouldnt care if they gave less or nothing. Just want them to show up, eat good food, and have fun.
One thing is certain, we are simply NOT going to take out a loan and blow a ton of cash on only one day only to regret the debt later.
I don't think there is a thing wrong with what you are doing but I can tell you that many will find it 'tacky'
The only thing I would suggest avoiding is all the food preparation. That isn't something I would want to do in the days leading up to my wedding, since there's far too much else to think about and do, let alone cooking. Arrange the menu, but I would enlist others to prepare and serve the food, that can be their wedding gift to you.
The only thing I would suggest avoiding is all the food preparation. That isn't something I would want to do in the days leading up to my wedding, since there's far too much else to think about and do, let alone cooking. Arrange the menu, but I would enlist others to prepare and serve the food, that can be their wedding gift to you.
I was going to say the same thing. There's nothing wrong with DIY, but you don't want to D too much Y, otherwise you're going to be totally stressed out.
I'd be happy to go to a DIY wedding. I'd travel almost anywhere to go to a close friends wedding, as long as I have the money and vacation time. Lots of people have weddings outside of a church. I've never been to a courthouse wedding but from what I understand, the room is small so you'd likely want to invite just a few people to the wedding and a larger group to the reception.
I agree with the above that you don't want to DIY your food. It's going to be too much to do the day of your reception. Do you have a favorite restaurant that can provide trays of some dishes you and your fiance like? For a birthday party last year, I called my favorite barbecue restaurant and ordered trays of pulled pork and sides. It turned out great and cost less than $10 a person.
Where are you going to have the reception? The cost of renting a hall will make a difference in how much you can budget for everything else and how many people you can invite.
I was a bit confused about one of your statements though, why does it cost thousands to get married in a church. Most churches do charge a small fee to offset things like wear and tear, utility costs etc., but I've never heard of any church charging a few grand.
I was a bit confused about one of your statements though, why does it cost thousands to get married in a church. Most churches do charge a small fee to offset things like wear and tear, utility costs etc., but I've never heard of any church charging a few grand.
Depending on the church, it is cheaper if one is a member as compared to a non member. Also, the fees vary depending on what one wants and I've known people who just had one singer and one organist along with the priest or minister.
One of the big misconceptions I see is that people think these kinds of weddings are always cheaper than traditional ones with a church and reception. I've known people who spent more on courthouse followed by BBQ weddings than at a church and a reception. Many things can be done DIY even for a large wedding to save money. I know if I marry the church wedding is essential.
As a grad student this makes sense for us to do too.
Pictures: we have plenty of friends that are into photography and could just send us all the digital files as a wedding gift.
Flowers: the fiancee is actually quite good at working with flowers and wants to do it all herself.
Food: cook our own. We're both self described foodies and have almost no doubts that we could come up with a menu that would far exceed food you get at most weddings that is frozen and simply heated up anyways. Heck Bbq food would be easy to for en masse
Alcohol: kegs and wine all night, is liquor really necessary?
Actual wedding: going to have to be at the courthouse. I'm not paying a church a few grand cause I simply can't afford it and I don't consider myself catholic anymore after the abuse scandals.
How would you feel getting invited to a DIY wedding? Would you travel far for one? How do you invite people to such a ceremony without a wedding in a church? How many guests are possible on a $6k budget?
We really don't even care that much about getting gifts, just about celebrating the marriage, so if people had concerns about it being DIY and throwing all tradition out the window we really wouldnt care if they gave less or nothing. Just want them to show up, eat good food, and have fun.
One thing is certain, we are simply NOT going to take out a loan and blow a ton of cash on only one day only to regret the debt later.
I think you're seriously smart and will probably have a fantastic time, albeit you may be a little extra stressed with the preparations.
I like your idea of a wedding. My idea of a wedding would be something small and personal but I'm a guy so I know that's not how it usually works.
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