I am constantly researching and during my time online, I see a lot of couples getting married with less than 6 months to plan. WOW this can be extremely frustrating. Don’t worry and take an imaginary pill, this can be done. I have planned weddings for couples in less than 5 months time for 100 people. Its all about how many guest you plan on having and how much money you can dump all at one time. If you have the budget in mind and its set then lets get to planning. You can start with my wedding planning book and we will just cram it all into the time you have. Click here for the book download, print it out and boom! Time to hit the road running!

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So you know as much as me…or you should by now that there is a lot involved with wedding planning, which is why most planners including mine give you a timeline breakdown of 12 months and sometimes more. Not this time. We are gonna break it down in less than 6 months.

In order to do this you must have the funds in the bank and the debit and credit cards in hand. Lets start with the guest list, you need to talk with your other half to get a final guest count. Determining how many people are going to attend really determine how much money you will need to have available. So I always recommend starting with that list. If you cant afford to feed them all then you cant afford to have them all. One of the major cost is going to be the per head price on the catering. This can range from $12-over a $100 per person.

Create a wedding registry at MyRegistry.com

Many couples will get a bank loan to plan the wedding so the funds are all there at one time. Even though I don’t recommend starting your marriage in debt, this may be necessary when planning in such a short period of time.

You may be a crafter and think ” I can make my flowers and centerpieces, and most of the table décor” FORGET IT! If you can your fiancé have full time jobs or children and other things to do, planning a wedding in under 6 months will not leave you anytime to make anything. If you have a planner see if they offer services to help save money by them making them or just plain order them in. Many florist will also offer services to make centerpieces. Order in all your favors if you decide to have those, and table numbers, place cards and holders are available online very cheap!

A couple of my favorite websites for cheap décor and favors are; myweddingfavors.com and efavormart.com. Check these places and if you need help I do offer wedding planning services as well as hourly and ala carte help.

Ok so we have discussed the budget and the guest list. Now lets get the venue, make sure you pick one that is all inclusive. Not only do they offer set up and clean up but many of them have inhouse catering and bartenders and planners. This will save time on finding a bunch of different vendors. The have a list of their preferred vendors but i have noticed these are mainly high end and expensive. So Find a place that you can afford, that will hold your ceremony and reception and will offer additional services included in the rental price.

Now that you have your venue locked in TIME TO SEND INVITES! Ask for RSVP’s soon. You need them within 30 days max prior to the wedding, but check with your caterer on their timeline. Some companies need them 60 days ahead of time. We don’t want you to pay for more heads that wont be there. Then all that food gets trashed.

Month 2, get the dress, set the make up and hair appointments, and find the rest of your needed vendors. You will need a florist, and officiant, a DJ, a baker, a caterer, photographer, videographer, and rentals. Most venues do not have dancefloors. Some DJ’s will provide them for an additional fee but most of them do not. Rent the tuxedos if needed but the guys can all have that responsibility. Have your bridal party help with a lot of this. Have them calling vendors and getting prices and package plans. Then have them all come over for a meeting and discuss what they found out, this will help you save a lot of time. Once you pick your vendors pay the deposits ands sign the contracts. Now that we have all the vendors, lets move to month 3.

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Only 3 months left and its time for the I DO’s. By now you should have the venue, the dress, the hair and make up appointments, the tuxes, and all the vendors. So lets work on decorations and favors. Like i mentioned before there is no time to make these items yourself. However if you are ahead of schedule and your bridal party wants to come over for wine and crafting one weekend so be it. It is the bridal parties job to help where needed.

Centerpieces are really easy to make depending on your design. I made these for less than $14 per table. Check out the marketplaces online too. A lot of times brides make their wedding décor and sell it super cheap and most will ship. This can save your hundreds.

If the florist you have available are to expensive you can make your own but I do not recommend this unless you are using one flower mixed with some babies breathe. Roses are very easy to work with.

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Make sure your dress fits and is going to be ready to come in on time, make sure the girls in the bridal party all have their dresses too. Now order your shoes, garter belt, guest book and pen, gift box and order all décor you want to have. In my wedding planning book, there are layouts of the tables so you can draw out how you want the tables to look. This will help you with your design ideas. Make LISTS!! lists are my life, I have them everywhere. I advise that you make a list of all the décor you need per table (guest tables, bridal party tables, cake table, gift table) Now its time to order it all. (If you are reading this during Covid please note that shipping times are delayed in most places)

2 Months to go………

Work on your menu with the caterer, what food do you want? Do you want a cocktail hour? What will the food be, and what about the drinks? Open bars can be very costly so I advise to avoid that if possible. Cash bars are good because your guest can purchase their own drinks at their own pace. In my experience this sometime limits the amount of people drinking and driving because they do not want to spend to much.

Its also time for cake tastings. Pick your 4 to 5 favorite cake flavors and talk with your baker about scheduling a tasting. Most of the time, when you first book the baker they will meet you with cake flavors already. If your did, then awesome, that step is done and you are that much more ahead of time. If you get my planner use it to go through the entire 12 months of planning and check mark away! The more check marks you have the better.

30 days to do and you should be pretty good with your timeline and have everything almost paid for and booked. Your favors should have been in and your RSVP should be returned giving you a final head count. Make sure you go through that checklist for anything you may have forgotten. Get your centerpieces together (if you made them), hire help for the day of set up and clean up (if the venue doesn’t offer this service), and a day of coordinator is wonderful to have if you can afford it. Get your gift registry done if you haven’t done that already, schedule a rehearsal dinner, block hotel rooms, get your accessories and get married.

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I know that sunflowers are more of a fall wedding idea or decoration, however I personally think sunflowers are so beautiful no matter what season it is. I have gathers some awesome photos for you just so you can get a little inspiration when planning your sunflower wedding! (These photos do not belong to me, I found them online)

If you decide you would like some virtual planning help, click on Wedding services from the home page for packages and pricing information. I am also available almost 24/7 to chat and comment. But I like everyone else in the world has to sleep, so if I don’t respond right away..im probably asleep.

You can also find my Mega Wedding Planner guide here. This guide is the ultimate planner. I as a former wedding planner and now virtual planner kept you the bride in mind. I made sure my guide would be so helpful, you wouldn’t have to hire a planner.

I found all these awesome cakes to share with you, Some of theme I personally don’t care for but a lot of them are gorgeous.

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The chair sashes made with burlap is a really nice add on, Walmart has it by the roll for about 4.00 a roll. Go online for all your shopping. There are so many great cheap websites for floral stems. Ill list some of my favorites at the end of my photo galleries’ I have to share with you.

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Lets look at some party favors. I am against wedding favors because people waste them and throw them away before the end of the wedding. But just because I don’t like them doesn’t mean you don’t.

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10% Off On Picky Bride Wedding Invitations

Bridal Invitations to give your guest and inviting your bridal party. The link above is a coupon for 10% off. Here is some invitation ideas.

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Not only do I absolutely love this ceremony set up, I would change out the yellow flowers to sunflowers then BAM! I did wedding planning for almost 8 years and never did I see a ceremony set up like this, nor did I ever think about it. But I absolutely love it and will forever keep in mind, especially for smaller ceremonies.

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These photos are just some more ideas I found, I love the centerpieces, and the champagne flutes. Not so much the one that looks like a bumble bee but definitely the other one. Now lets look at the brides bouquets and bridal party flowers. You can find these online cheap and like I said before I will post some links below of my favorite sites I used for decorating and planning.

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Making your own bouquets requires a very small amount of patience, a good bottle of wine, and a few good friends. Look at photos online, making flowers is so easy and cheap. I used to make flowers for my brides and the entire bridal party all the time. I’m not crafty so If I can do it so can you!

Here are some links to some of my favorite websites for help making your flowers and centerpieces your self. These sites contain everything you will need to make all the pretty things you pay hundreds for on Esty and floral shops. (I do not get paid for these links)

www.efavormart.com

www.wholesaleflowersandsupplies.com

www.weddingflowersinc.com

www.save-on-crafts.com

www.wholesalepartysupplies.com

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Getting a proposal can be so exciting, and the thought of planning the wedding is even more exciting. Planning the colors and flowers and cake. Jumping online to start pinning everything that has ever come to your mind. Then there is how are we gonna pay for all this. Well ladies and gentlemen that’s why you are here. I’m going to tell you all the tricks and trades to have that blow out wedding under 7 grand. This $7000 covers all the way up to the gown.

Invitation In A Bottle™ – Wedding Invitations Your Guests Will Never Forget.

In my post that you are reading here you will find links to tons of different merchants I approve or have used for my couples. These links will be to tons of different merchants to help you save even more money and help you stay between the $5-7,000 budget, so make sure you check them out.

Tuxedo vests, shirts and more at below wholesale prices, visit www.tuxedocloseouts.com

My goal is to help couples who are getting married save as much money as you can. So I am here to help and please make sure you subscribe for updates and money saving tips, stories, review updates and more.

In some of my other posts you may have read about destination weddings or all inclusive weddings. All inclusive weddings can be a huge money saver, especially if you are on a tighter budget. And guess what? I’m not the only person in the world that knows everyone doesn’t have $30000.00 in the bank to blow on a wedding. Most people on average have under 10k, and that is still a lot of money.

Here is my example of a 5000.00 budget.

1. Get a used dress….these have only been worn 1 time yall and they are still beautiful. Let someone else pay $4000.00 and you pay $300.00. Before you jump on a plane to Klinfields check the Facebook marketplace or wedding groups on Facebook. I personally am a member of at least 15 wedding dress resell sites. Do a search first. You may find what you are looking for!

2. Rent the Tuxedos- if the groomsman rent theirs (they should pay) then most dealers will give the groom a free rental. You can also get them from discount stores online like this one here.

3. Find a venue that allows for ceremony and reception space with all day rental. Make sure they have tables and chairs. ( all inclusive venues also provides linens). You can purchase you own linens here.

4. Make sure you keep your refundable deposit receipts for all your vendors so you can get this money back in the bank, don’t forget you still have bills to pay!

5. When looking for a photographer, a lot of people will tell you to read reviews and pick the best no matter what the price. NO NO NO. Look at the prices and packages. Check out the portfolio and take notes on poses you like the most. Post online that you are looking for someone that is looking to build their portfolio. You don’t have to pay $8000 (which I seen a woman paying yesterday online) for photos. Get all your photos on a disk or flash drive so you can on your own time pick the prints you want and have them printed super cheap and fabulous quality with <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://<a href="https://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-100229848-14340465&quot; target="_top">Snapfish.com – Take 45% OFF All Orders with code: 45WIN</a>Snapfish. Photography is really important because those phots capture your memories, but there is absolutely no reason someone should charge thousands to take photos. Shop around.

6. Smaller amount of guests tend to scare couples a little bit but don’t be scared. If you can afford to feed 300 then you do not need to invite 300. You need to base your wedding guest list on what you can afford. Its very important to do your best to stick to your budget. My Mega Wedding Planner can help you stay on task and on budget. You wont hurt anyone’s feelings, just explain to people that the space and your budget are limited to a certain amount of guest. Give them the opportunity to maybe watch it live and let them know the may still send a gift and give them registry information. Paying 60.00 per person adds up very fast which brings me to number 7.

7. Catering, if your budget is real tight due to all of your other expense and if you don’t have but around 50 -60 people coming, consider a cocktail reception instead of a full 4 course meal. This will not only bring you food cost down, your DJ is cheaper due to less hours, your photographer is cheaper due to less work hours and you will have clean up to pay for. You can still have music and dance and drink. But for thousands less.

8. Have your family, friends and definitely your bridal party help out whenever needed. Making your own bouquets, dress shopping, shopping for all the extras, choosing food and cake tastings. Your bridal party is supposed to be there for whatever you need, so choose wisely. I have helped make florals and centerpieces and I have had the bridesmaids and groomsmen help with set up and family help with clean up. And most of the time you don’t even need to ask, they will just jump in and help. This can save a ton on clean up costs, and florals. Centerpieces can be rented and also can be bought cheap and resold. When it comes to party favors, most people throw them away as I have mentioned in other posts. So get everyone something that can be reused or eaten. Candies, mints, candles, bubbles they can blow at the event, and other items like that. Here is my favorite wedding favor site, they also have bridal party gifts and tons of other items you will need to use at your wedding. My Wedding Favors

Well I hope this helps you all when planning and I hope you check out my printable wedding planner to help you. I also offer virtual wedding planning services. Check out my reviews and pricing info on my website. This is supposed to be a fun happy time, don’t be stressed at all. The last thing you wanna do is get all the way to that special moment and stress so much you can not enjoy yourself. Good luck with your planning and CONGRATUALTIONS!

Sometimes where you live isn’t such a fabulous place to wanna get married, or maybe you have family and friends all over the place so you decide that maybe a destination wedding is the way to go for you and your guest. Planning a destination wedding is harder on couples which is why most all inclusive venues come with a wedding planner in the packages the venues offer.

Having a destination wedding is ultimately up to you and your partner. Not traveling could save you thousands, but having a destination wedding could also save thousands depending on where you go and what packages you choose, it depends on who is helping pay, and if you guest will pay for their own travel. Note; sometimes offer no gifts will help them wanna pay to travel to the event because they can save money as well. Regardless if you are wanting a destination wedding and you are absolutely sure then you need to have a planner. Working and running your regular life will make it impossible to plan a wedding hundreds of miles away.

Here are my top 10 places for destination weddings.

1. Orlando, Florida 2. Las Vegas, Nevada 3. New York City 4. Seattle Washington 5. San Francisco California, 6. St. Augustine, Florida 7. Antigua, 8. Jamaica, 9.Cozumel, Mexico, 10. Aspen, Colorado.

I have planned weddings in these places and I can promise you there are so many more places but these at my top 10 favs!

STEP #1 Make a Checklist

This is so important yall, planning a destination wedding is a little hard than the traditional wedding planning tasks. You cant go see the venue whenever you want or meet up with the vendors to get a one on one personality check. You have to do your homework on everything. God forbid you get there and your photographer forgets the lenses or the cake was made by some old lady in her personal kitchen. I would flat out die! I’m sure you would too. So make a list of all the things you need to do to be able to accomplish this event. On this list (the master list) make sure you have all the vendors you will need to hire, and places you would like to go, and all you plans on how to get there.

Check out my printable wedding planner where you can find all of the lists you could possibly need to help you plan.

STEP #2 Decide on a Budget

This is another very important item throughout these steps. Your BUDGET! OMG right, here comes the money part! Well this can go either way like I mentioned before. This can cost thousands more or hundreds less. It all depends on what you want your wedding to be. Make sure when planning your budget (which you will also find in my printable Wedding Planner) you add every little expense. Here is a list of what not to forget……

VENUE	CAKE	PHOTOS	VIDEO	CATERING	DJ	PHOTOBOOTH
PLANNER	DJ	FLORIST	TABLE DECOR	DRESSES	ACCESSORIES	SHOES
TUXEDOS	DANCEFLOOR	OFFICIATE	TIPS	HAIR & MAKEUP	TRAVEL EXP	MISC

STEP #3 Decide Who to Invite

Having a destination wedding can be much more costly, so invited 300 people is probably not ideal. Usually when couples are planning a destination wedding they invites those most important to them. You parents, best friends, other close family members. But your boss can stay home and if they want to give you a gift you can have a registry online for those that are not going to make it to the event So make your list, the whole list as if you were having your wedding at home, now sit down with you significate other and start highlighting the most important guest and who you know would financially be able to travel.

STEP #4 Choose Your Destination & Venue

DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!! I cant stress this to you enough, you have to research and find a place that offers almost everything you need for your wedding that fits well within your budget. If your budget is 20k, don’t pick a venue that is 18k. Remember you still have to get some vendors, travel, lodging costs, rental car costs, dress, tuxedos and food while you are there. So my opinion If you have a 20k budget you wanna find a venue around 8-9k or less. This leaves you plenty of room for all the items and costs left in your total budget. The cheapest way to have a destination ceremony is on the beach! Florida has some awesome beaches and they cost next to nothing.

STEP #5 Make a List of Documents You Will Need to Travel

When you travel, you need to make sure you have all the items you will need with you. For example if you are going to Mexico, you will need a passport. Always take your ID, Birth Certificate, and Social Security card because you never know when you will need it. At the airport or hotel you will need your ID, getting a rental car, getting a marriage certificate. So make a list of all these things along with your packing list so nothing gets forgotten. Once you get there, going home isn’t a hop, skip, and jump. Make sure you are prepared to travel. Click here for my printable copy.

STEP #6 Decide Who Will Marry You

Are you having a church wedding? Beach wedding? Are you religious? All of these questions will help you determine where to start when you are looking for someone to marry you. In some religions you have to use a pastor. In that case you will have to find one, check with him or her to see if they are qualified and are they of the same religion. If the wedding is on a beach somewhere any officiant will do. Make sure to check their pricing, most pastors just want a church donations of a minimum of $500 whereas you can get an officiant to come marry you for as little as $200. So this is really up to you and your partner. Different religions have certain customs and those how are not incorporating their religion or those off you who are not religious can choose the less expensive route You can find an officiant by simply doing a google search in your destination area. FYI check with your venue, if you have chosen an all inclusive venue, they sometimes offer someone to marry you which would be included in your packages.

STEP #7 SEND OUT YOUR INVITATIONS

I always like to tell people who are doing a destination wedding to give your invited guest time to plan and save for the trip. Not everyone has airfare in the bank. If you are planning this event over 6 months send them to your guest in 4. This gives you 2 months to get the venue booked and the airfare, etc. Do your guest another favor and block the hotel rooms off, this way grandma doesn’t get off the plane sleepy and has no where to sleep. This also allows time for RSVP;s to come back.

STEP #8 Choose your Theme & Colors

What color will the flowers be? How about the cake? Does the venue offer chair sashes, if so what color? How will the tables be prepared? Do I provide all my own decorations? These are the tasks now at hand. Now is the time to pick your décor. But you already found your venue at this point. See what they offer, and if your budget is tight and you don’t want to pay all that extra for luggage use what they have. Add to it a little. This will save tons of time and money. If you don’t have 150 people coming bringing some of your own items will be easy. Send somethings in your parents bags, and your bridal party bags…HAHA then have them all meet at the venue to unload. Another good idea…..if you are doing favors or parents gifts or bridal party gifts, click the link below….HAVE THEM SHIPPED TO THE VENUE!!! NO additional travel expenses!!

STEP #9 Take Care of the Seating Arrangements

Here is a few cool photos I found of different seating.

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Seating can be a royal pain in the you know what! Are the angles right? Can everyone see? What if we accidently put Jimmy in front of Todd and Todd cant see over Jimmy’s big head…lol? You should already have a rsvp list, now draw it out. I have layouts here in My Mega Wedding Planner. Make sure you don’t sit aunt Sue next to Aunt Jane, because remember they don’t like each other, and even though they are all there with you to celebrate the best day in your life so far, they will throw down. Put them on opposite sides. You will have to probably draft this 10 times but you will get it.

STEP #10 Organize Food & Drinks

I think I should have put this as step 5 because if you picked an all inclusive venue, then your catering comes with the package your chose. But if your venue doesn’t offer its own in house catering and you are alone at choosing a meal plan, its easy….don’t worry. First you need to decided are we just having a cocktail receptions? A buffet? A sit down dinner? Cocktail receptions are the cheapest and the best for destination weddings. You probably are not going to have many guest and because you are having a smaller event, cocktails are the best way to please. have a bar, and 5-6 different appetizers. If you decide on a buffet pick a meat, and 3 sides, along with breads and salad, with water and or tea to drink. If you decide on a sit down meal this can include a 4 course meal plan. Appetizers, salad, dinner, dessert. If you decide on having an open bar…prepare to go broke! If you paid for them to travel by chance, let them pay to party. I know that sounds so rude and you probably think what a heifer…but I have been there are done that to many times. I have seen brides and grooms personally go to their hotel room, go through their wedding gift cards and pull cash to pay for the bar.. Don’t be that person.

STEP # 11 Get Your ExtrasNow is the step where you get to shop!! Get those bridal party gifts, parents gifts, groom or bride gifts, gift box for the wedding décor, thank you cards, garter, flower girl baskets, and all the other necessary items you need for the wedding. Also its time to put in those gift registries. These are so much fun. Go shopping scan everything you could ever want, or do it online which is just as easy and you can do it in your PJ’s with a glass of wine. My mega planner also has a checklist for these items so nothing is forgotten.

THE MEGA WEDDING PLANNER

STEP #12 Hire all of Your needed Vendors

Now that you have your venue and you know what is included or not included its time to research vendors. By now you will have a list of who you will need to hire. We already discussed the officiant and venue. So now check out who we may have forgotten about…… I totally forgot to add baker for your cake! Opps… So DONT forget the cake baker!

Thank you for sitting here and reading all my mess about planning your destination wedding. If you like what you read and wanna see more subscribe below and fee free to comment any questions and ill do my best to get right back to ya. Congrats!

I read about a lot of people wanting to get married in Colorado, those who live there and those wanting destination weddings. So I decided that I would help all ya’ll out and do the ground work for ya for FREE!

Desination weddings are great, they do ususally cost a little more money due to the travel expenses you and you guest will incure. However less guest will travel for the wedding so it will weigh itself out cost wise.

What I have listed for you is “all inclusive” meaning the provide in house catering, tables, chairs, linens, dressing rooms, and sometimes the DJ, and more. I have listed what each place features as part of the all inclusive and photos of the venues, as well as links to their pages. Ill also list of close by hotels to each venue.

If you get a chance I have posted some links for you to get cheap wedding favors, photo prints, and more. I have also written a 94 page wedding ebook. That link is here below for purchase at $8.99. Plan you wedding right with the downloadable and printable version of the mega wedding planner! I offer these 4 styles.

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This first venue I wanna share with you is in Golden, Colorado. Crystal Rose Highlands Ranch, What a place yall, this place offers an awesome all inclusive package and views! http://www.crystal-rose.com/wedding/

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Whether your wedding is just a few people or a lot this place has the most beautiful breath taking views. Holding up to 300 people with packages from $750-$900 for the space and $48-$60 per person plus 21% gratuity. These prices include a buffet or sit down dinner (sit down is an additional fee), tables, chairs, linens (choice of 25 different colors), bartender, all tableware, service staff for the reception and cocktail hour is you choose to have one. The Crystal Rose also included a DJ!! Not many offer DJ’s. You will also get a wedding planner to help with your entire event, set up for the event and no need to clean…they do that too. The Crystal Rose is also available for events year round. You and your other half and 100 guest could easily get this place with the other photographers you will need under $8000.00. That’s not bad considering what all you get.

Denver, Colorado Skylight Wedding Venue;

Located in the Santa Fe arts district, this loft style venue will hold 200 for your ceremony and 300 for your cocktail hour and reception. In my personal opinion this would be an awesome place if you were having a ceremony and cocktail reception.

• $2,500–6,500/event
• Rental fee varies depending on:
  • Day of week
• The rental fee includes the venue rental for 24 hours, tables & chairs, a Client Concierge & Beverage Concierge, and access to Walk Through Wednesdays.

Skylight also offers an elopement package. Elopement packages can be customized with a beverage package, charcuterie board, florals, photography, and/or additional rental hours.

The Elopement Package is for up to 10 guests and includes:

• 2-hour venue access
• Chairs, cocktail tables, and lounge seating
• Backdrop & décor
• Champagne toast
• Cake, cookies, and cupcakes
• Concierge; including setup and takedown

Great Free Gift With A $100 Bachelorette.com Order.

Durango, Colorado Silverpick Lodge

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The Silver pick Lodge https://www.silverpicklodge.com/ is a venue located in the mountains, this venue offers space to hold guests up to 150. You can have an indoor ceremony that holds 80 seated and 120 outdoors. The also have hot tubs and accommodations for you and your guests. With multiple packages available ranging 0-$20,000.00.

When planning a destination wedding, hiring someone to help you is a huge advantage if the venue offers a planner. If a planner is not offered you should consider hiring a virtual planner or a local planner that is in the area of the venue you would like to go with.

Remember to get as many free quotes as you need from all your vendors. Write notes on each place and don’t forget any details when getting the quotes, this could break the bank in the end. I am personally a virtual planner so you can comment questions at anytime or shoot me an email for help. Another helpful tip, I do have some affiliate links in this post. For destination weddings or any kind of travel save as much as you can with these links. I only post links that will help you!

Food Tours

Click the food tours and check out any food tours in the Colorado area so when you travel and if you are traveling there you can make a vacation out of it! Or a Honeymoon!!

Black Forest by Wedgewood is another beautiful all inclusive wedding venue. Here is their site if you would like to check it out. https://www.wedgewoodweddings.com/venues/colorado/black-forest

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This exquisite place offers event space up to 300 people with indoor and outdoor space. This venue offers 4 different packages. The first packages is a create you own, and they you have the classic, premier, and elite packages available.

You can compare their packages here. https://www.wedgewoodweddings.com/packages

They offer dance floors, a wedding planner, dishes, dinner, drinks, of course the venue, all the tables and linens needed, a cocktail area, and so much more for the price per package. Unfortunately this site doesn’t allow me to get a price point, they would like you to sign up and for most brides and bloggers like me I would turn away from that because I wouldn’t want people calling me trying to sell me a package. I would personally like to get an idea of what I am walking into prior to the selling hassles.

Please subscribe to my page for wedding planning updates and money saving tips! And Brides….don’t forget to scroll up and get yourself a copy of my printable planning guide to help you along the wedding planning journey.

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A great way to help plan your wedding budget is to look for local venues in your area that have all inclusive packaging. These all places that may offer not only a ceremony spot and reception venue, but also the centerpieces, linens, catering services and lots of other amenities. In this post I will give you ideas for multiple location ideas and what they offer. I will also include price range examples and photos of each.

Please note; none of these venues pay me to advertise their locations. These are not affiliate links. I have done the research and read the reviews to help my readers and followers. If you book with one of the venues you see, that’s wonderful because the reviews and photos are fabulous and your wedding should be gorgeous.

For anyone that follows my blog and or my Facebook group will know that my goal is to help all of the bride and grooms get the most bang for your buck! You can also find my 96 page printable wedding planning guide here.

Most of these venues will offer packages that may or may not include; in house catering, rooms for guests to sleep (eliminating the hotel costs), tables, chairs, linens for both the ceremony and reception, weather back up plans, all your decorations, a bar and sometimes even a wedding planner for the day of the event. Be careful when doing your research! Some places will only allow you to use their recommended vendors, and most of the time-from what i have seen, they end up being some of the most expensive vendors. So you may think you are saving with choices but in the long run you are ending up over budget.

I do offer an online consulting service to answer any questions, help you with your budget, your timeline, and the best options to stay within you budget. Please subscribe below or join my facebook page. See my packages available and hourly rates for helping you plan from anywhere in the country.

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Nashville, TN Legacy Farms; so this one is pretty pricey and above my normal budget friendly weddings however for a smaller wedding on a bigger budget this place is the sprinkles on the cake!https://legacyfarmstn.com/elopements/ For 4-75 their elopement package is $7800-$11000 Monday- Thursday and includes;

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• Enjoy your private venue rental for 6 hours
• Professional Photographer- you will have an amazing photo shoot at the many photo ops on property
• Dedicated Wedding Planner  – ensures that all of your vision comes to life
• Catered dinner – includes Classic Level Buffet with single entrée and disposable dishes
• Décor for guest tables – your choice of our beautiful candle/lighting options
• Personal Flowers – bouquet and boutonniere are included.  Choose your favorite flowers and our talented florist will make sure you are carrying your dream bouquet
• Setup and Cleanup are included – you nor your family will work on your wedding day – no work wedding!
• Waitstaff – our professional team will ensure that your guests are treated well and their needs attended
• Parking attendant – will greet your guests as they arrive and make sure they get to the proper location
• Rentals such as tables, chairs, linens are included – choose from many of our gorgeous options
• DJ for ceremony and reception – will take care of amplifying your vows as well as make sure dinner music thru dance party is smooth and fun!
• Wedding Cake – our pastry chef will create a beautiful AND delicious cake

Citronelle, Alabama Sago Springs Manor https://www.herecomestheguide.com/wedding-venues/alabama/sago-springs-manor

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Indoors this venue will only hold up to 20 but for that perfect outdoor wedding it will house up to 300 guest. They have all inclusive packages starting at only $295.00 for the use of the venue, depending on guest count up to $1295.00. They do have a preferred list of vendors, and price will grow depending on the package you choose. The best thing about this venue is it BYOB, that means you can hire your own bartender which will run $75 an hour on average and get deals from liquor stores on bulk purchases. This is a huge budget saver when you can BYOB!! This Manor is a historic mansion with many locations for a ceremony, from wooded areas to a fountain and a garden. So if you are in the Alabama area and have a smaller guest list, this place you should consider.

Biloxi Yacht Club, Biloxi Mississippi Ok so when I hear Yacht club my first thought it $$$$$$$$. Not here yall! I did an estimate on this venue for a wedding on a Saturday for 100 guest, but will hold up to 300. Under 6k that includes a day of coordinator, valet parking, security for the event, 2 hours of an open bar, cocktail hour with Hor d’ oeuvers, all tables and linens. All silverware and plates, cake, candles, dance floor, buffet style meal and a coffee and tea station.

Here is what they have to say about the venue. “Located on the shores of the scenic Mississippi Sound in Biloxi, Mississippi, the Biloxi Yacht Club is a wonderful place to tie the knot. This beautiful private club was established in 1849 and is the fourth oldest yacht club in the United States. Celebrate your special day in one of its two stunning event spaces: the Gulfview Ballroom or the Spinnaker Dining Room. The graceful Gulfview Ballroom is located on the club’s third floor and features sweeping views of the Mississippi Sound and Deer Island, an open floor plan, and a dance floor. On the club’s second floor, the Spinnaker Dining Room boasts an elegant decor and a covered porch with outdoor seating. Both event spaces include tables, chairs, and a bar area, and will provide your special event with a beautiful backdrop! Biloxi Yacht Club also offers exceptional customized catering and first rate service; it’s the perfect place to host the perfect wedding!” It sounds like a real nice place for the price. With this venue you can have the entire event with a $9,000-$10,000 budget.

A Place in the Vineyard Albemarle, North Carolina What a find i found!!! That sounded funny 🙂 This venue I rate $-$$ on my budget scale

These packages offer 4 locations for the ceremony to take place and 2 for the reception. This venue will hold up to 200 people for the ceremony and the reception. Their prices start at $3500 up to $7000 depending on day and season. You can bring in your own vendors or use their recommended list.

Package Inclusions:  Access to the heated and cooled venue, restrooms, vineyards, large parking area, ceremony sites, catering kitchen and bride & groom suites starting as early as 10am. Large, spacious bride and groom dressing suites with TV’s & mini split heat & A/C Units. ​​Separate room for storing gowns, decor & other personal items. ​​Indoor, spacious men and women’s restrooms that are attached to the dressing suites. Four gorgeous and uniquely different wedding ceremony sites to choose from. Complimentary rehearsal on our grounds. Set up of white, wooden, padded ceremony chairs at desired site. 2,000 square foot covered patio, with ceiling fans, for a ceremony rain backup plan or for a lovely cocktail hour. Catering kitchen with private entrance complete with stainless steel sink, prep tables, refrigerator and freezer, trash bags and trash cans provided with onsite garbage dumpster. Six Venetian chandeliers and wall sconces with dimmable lights. Floor length ivory linens for all round dining tables & complimentary dining table overlays in 39 different color choices. Use of two patio wine barrels, 6 bistro tables with linens, two different centerpieces, portrait easels, empty wine bottles and corks, greenery for the sweetheart table, ceiling drapery. Complete set up of tables, chairs and linens based on your customized layout. Beautifully manicured vineyards, barns, fields and landscaping for limitless photo opportunities. Free WiFi for all vendors and guests. Handicap parking with paved area straight to the venue and down to the gazebo ceremony site. No site fees for engagement and/or bridal portraits at the vineyard.Two Dennis Vineyards staff members will be on site for building maintenance and assistance Free bartending services (wine and beer only). Final clean up at the end of the night is taken care of by Dennis Vineyards staff 

Tables and Chairs Included:  

• Up to 200 white, wooden, padded chairs for ceremony  
• Up to 200 champagne Chiavari chairs for reception  
• 22 – 5ft round tables (seating 8-10 per table)  
• 1- 5ft round table (great for the cake!)  
• 8 – 6ft rectangle tables (buffet, gifts, photos, escort cards, etc)  
• 3 handmade, 6ft wooden rectangle tables (head table!)  
• Variety of other tables for ceremony use  
• 10 high top bistro tables (can be rented for a small fee)

Brigalias Sicklerville, NJ https://www.brigalias.com/

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Wow! what a beautiful venue. Go NJ! With multiple ceremony sites and 2 huge ballrooms this place is holds a whopping 300 guests. For only $45 per person you can get this beauty, a wedding cake, centerpieces, tables, chairs, linens, dishes, hors d’oeuvres, salad, dinner, and pastries. The catering in down in house and they have all of there menu options here on the website. https://www.brigalias.com/

With this place you will need a DJ, day of coordinator (if they venue doesn’t offer it in house), bridal party flowers, and favors. Get your favors here.

for her and for him Click here for Him and Her gifts for your wedding!

Zigbone Farms, Maryland- This place was referred to me by someone who was just married there that I met on FB. She advised me to list this farm. How beautiful is this place.? They have a few different packages available and thanks to Covid they have special pricing currently.

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An example of one of their packages is; full use of the retreat, lodge, meeting halls and the Spring House, holds up to 150 people for the wedding, 2 nights of accommodations for up to 25 people. Access to the 100 acre farm (with animals), and full access to a fully equipped kitchen for outside caterer use. Their website says call for pricing but my referral told me that her wedding was 100 people and her entire budget was 6k vendors and all. So this place might be work checking out for sure.

Bartlett Hills Golf Club, Bartlett, IL

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This Golf club is rather inexpensive from other golf clubs I have held events in and researched online. So I found a wedding planner website that allows you to estimate the venue cost. I did that for this venue. For an average wedding size of 100 people. Here is the breakdown; 3 course plated meal, cocktail hour, 4 hour hosted bar with beer, wine, soft drinks, and juices, all the servers, linens, venue cost ceremony (outside) reception (inside), and on a Saturday for $6800.00 That’s a great deal even on a budget under $10000.00, SO IF YOU ARE IN THE CHICAGO AREA…check this beauty out!

We’ve partnered with Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Tie The Knot to advocate for a more stylish and equal world. Proceeds of every purchase will be donated to TieTheKnot.org to support LGBTQ equality.

Hocking Hills Wedding Chapel, Sugar Grove, Ohio

Yall, if you are an outdoors type of girl or guy this is the place! My mom lived over there near hocking hills, and let me personally say wow! I love this place, its so peaceful and quiet. What a great place for not just a wedding but any event or family get together. If you need a place to stay rent a cabin. Are your guest traveling? They have cabins! Adorable cabins and cheap.

If you get married here, take the time for a hike through the woods. Go down the trails and check out all the waterfalls, and rock formations. Its breath taking!

Are you getting eloped? The have a $1900 package for elopements. For up to 15 guest to attend your ceremony, you and your new love get 2 nights in a honeymoon cabin, a professional photographer and the ceremony is officiated.

Hocking Hills Wedding Chapel packages

• Just for Two
  Ceremony for 2
• Elope to Hocking Hills
  Ceremony for up to 15 guests. 
• Keep it Simple
  Ceremony for 30 – 50 guests.
• Hocking Hills Celebration
  Ceremony/Reception for 30 guests. 
• Wedding Family Package
  Ceremony/Reception for 40 guests. 
• Brides Dream Package
  Ceremony/Reception for 55 guests.
• Hocking Hills Wedding Chapel DIY 

Barn at Rush Creek wedding packages

• Barn at Rush Creek DIY Package 
• Barn at Rush Creek Reception
  Reception for 150 guests
• Barn at Rush Creek Elegant Evening
  Ceremony/Reception for 150 guests.

Well guys, that’s all for now. If you would like to see a posting on my page of your area venues or all inclusive weddings, let us know and we will make it happen just for you. Don’t forget to subscribe and if you would like a copy of my wedding planning printable eBook you can grab it here at the link below. https://www.etsy.com/TheShirtBakery/listing/877482487/the-mega-wedding-planner-lavender?utm_source=Copy&utm_medium=ListingManager&utm_campaign=Share&utm_term=so.lmsm&share_time=1601652498457

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Everyone getting married wants to thank the guest that come with a small affordable gift. This is something your wedding guest can take home with them or eat as a thank you gift from you and your new spouse. These can be cute little candles or M&M’s colored to match your event decoration. What ever you prefer and can afford.

My blogs are all about affording to get married, having a good party and sticking to your budget. Sticking to that budget is the hardest part, because all the awesome things we see online these days especially on pinterest, can blow those budgets up like a nuclear war head. They make you get into a position of give and take. What can we eliminate so we can have that. Its hard to pass things by but YOU CAN DO IT! Be tough!

Here are a bunch of favor ideas for you to check out. Keep in mind my advice on this; do a snack or something that your guest can use. Most favors will go into the trash….I PROMISE. I have seen it 100 times over. Candles are a great idea, M&M’s, Jordan Almonds, Tea’s, Coffees, anything along these lines are great. You can also do the bubbles, they are cute, cheap, and they can be used while you leave your event.

2020 & 2021 great ideas for wedding favors; keychain hand sanitizer, travel lotions, Hot Chocolate tubes, Lollipops, matches, sheer baggie of Almonds, Succulents, flower pots, bubbles, candles, and so much more. These I have listed will run you up to 5.00 per person. For most budgets that’s pretty high. The link below is my all time wedding planner favorite favor site out there. They always have coupons, and shipping deals. Remember you want to save as much money you can, wherever necessary.

Scrumptious, incredible, edible chocolate wedding favors are as popular with guests as they are with brides!Chocolate Wedding Favors

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Bridal Party Gifts are another type of gift you are obligated to get for the mothers, fathers, and bridal party that will be a part of your big day. This is another way to say thank you. These can be a little more pricey, but remember, these people are your right hand with wedding planning and paying for certain items for the wedding.

A few good ideas for the girls are matching shirts to wear to the bachelorette party along with a matching tote bag filled with goodies. Some of these goodies can be spa items, candles, gift cards, accessories, and don’t forget a nice thank you card. I found these matching shirts and bags I thought were so adorable and affordable.

https://www.etsy.com/TheShirtBakery/listing/815825113/wedding-party-shirts-bridal-party-gifts utm_source=Copy&utm_medium=ListingManager&utm_campaign=Share&utm_term=so.lmsm&share_time=1601693714905

https://www.etsy.com/TheShirtBakery/listing/815825091/wedding-party-tote-bags-bridal-party?utm_source=Copy&utm_medium=ListingManager&utm_campaign=Share&utm_term=so.lmsm&share_time=1601693740160

The other links I gave you for the wedding favor; they also sell bridal party gifts and bridal shower favors, if you are having a bridal shower. Check them out here. Click the photo of the bag! Don’t worry they also have them for the Groomsman.

FOR THE MEN! Ok so the groomsmen need gifts too, might i suggest a nice tie, beer koozies, a nice beer mug or personalized flask if they are drinkers. I nice hunting knife, grilling items, an engraved pocket watch, cigars. I absolutely love the manscaped items, if you have heard of those, they run about 100.00 per set but well worth the conversation to follow! Check out Academy Sports. You can find sports apparel, hats, hunting items, guns, ammo, flasks, fishing gear, you name it! I love Academy Sports, my husband and I shop there all the time.

https://www.ftjcfx.com/image-100229848-13939004?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.shopify.com%2Fs%2Ffiles%2F1%2F0257%2F2999%2F0741%2Fproducts%2F00122NA-groomsman-kit-ka-l.jpg%3Fv%3D1573166541

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I hope this post and my site helps you through all your wedding planning needs. I hope you have found through my ideas and links what you are looking for, not only for your bridal party but also for all your guest. Please subscribe to my page for updates and more money saving wedding planning ideas.

Sign up now for a chance to win a free wedding planner. 94 pages of everything you need to plan you own wedding! Here is the link to check it out! Congratulations and happy planning!!

https://www.etsy.com/TheShirtBakery/listing/877482487/the-mega-wedding-planner-lavender?utm_source=Copy&utm_medium=ListingManager&utm_campaign=Share&utm_term=so.lmsm&share_time=1601652498457

Well, Nice to meet you! My name is Misty Amburgey. I am a 38 year old mom of 4. I currently own a brick and mortar store in Fayetteville TN called The Crazy Heifer…lol I know funny right.? I decided a couple weeks ago that the best career I ever had was being a wedding planner. Unfornately where i live now “in the boondock” wedding planning here is not an option, so i went online to start this blog (I’m not a writer…yet) to share with brides and grooms my experiences and how to plan your own wedding on a budget. No matter where you live.

We have a couple wedding venues here in Fayetteville that I refer out if I see someone local looking for a venue or caterer. I mean we do have people get married here but most I have heard of are backyard BBQ’s and tailgate parties. Guess what in my blog ill even tell you how awesome those backyarders are!

In the last 15 years or so, I have owner cleaning businesses, painting businesses, construction companies (which I still own one construction company) I was a wedding planner in Orlando Florida for 7 years and what a blast that was! I learned long ago that I cant seem to work for people so i have always went to school and took online classes to upgrade my brain. Now I’m 38 (almost 39 ughhh.) and Here is what I have done.

I have an Associates degree in Psychology, and Associates degree in business administration, a certification in event planning, a certification for childhood development (another blog coming soon), a certification in marketing and finance, accounting and bookkeeping. Im currently taking classes online to be a certified virtual assistant, and planner. I have done business and personal taxes for 16 years. I am always eager to learn. Now I’m getting older and falling apart and all I can think about lately is helping people save money on their weddings. So that is what I will do.

I have a fiancé’ (we will probably never get married) we have been engaged for 3 years now and no planning in the making. But that is ok, we might one day. His name is Terry and he runs our construction company. I run The Crazy Heifer 5 days a week and manage this and 3 Etsy shops and an eBay store. Oh and the 2 kids left at home. If you get a chance check us out on Facebook. We have the best gift shop around and the most affordable prices. (see I try to save people no matter what I do)https://www.facebook.com/thecrazyheifer931/

So between the 2 of us we have 7 children. Ages 21/18/16/15/13/11/9. In total 3 boys and 4 girls. I would have probably started this years ago but working and that parent life makes quiet time to write a little more challenging. In my parenting blog (coming soon), Ill share ways to make time for yourself.

Wholesale Rose Bouquets Wholesale Bridal Flowers Wholesale Flower Arrangements

There isn’t much more to say about us. We are workaholics and fun only exist 1 time a year if we are lucky, but that’s life and parenthood I guess.

Until next time, I hope you enjoy reading what I have to share and teach. And if you are reading this, its because you are preparing to plan a wedding. On that note congratulations to you and I hope I can help in anyway.

Please follow my group on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/250904042930247/

Here brides and grooms can post questions, link, photos, and ideas. There are vendors there as well. We are all there to answer any questions to help out with your planning.