Because we’re turning this into a regular feature, we’ve added a link under the Guest Blogs page for you to submit your Real Budgets at any time. Do you like our shiny new icon? 
Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be featuring several different types of weddings (city, rural, destination etc.) within different budget ranges ($5,000, $10,000 etc.).  We’ve already received many submissions so we don’t know if we’ll be able to post them all, but please continue to send in your budgets as we’d like to showcase as wide a variety as possible.
Today we bring you three different $5000 budget weddings that are great examples of how to stretch a smaller budget. Â
- SK had a 40 person wedding at a restaurant in Manhattan. Restaurants can be surprisingly affordable venues that often offer lower per person prices than many caterers or wedding venues.  And because they’re already equipped with tables, chairs, linens, and china,  you don’t have to worry about paying for rentals.
- RS had an intimate, 27 person destination wedding in Maui. While a destination wedding can certainly cost as much or more than a local wedding, a destination wedding allows you to do everything on a smaller scale. Less guests means less of everything and the savings add up.Â
- JM had a 200 person wedding in Salt Lake City at an inexpensive public venue – a campground! Having an outdoor wedding is a great way to save on flower and decor costs because you can take advantage of the surrounding natural beauty. JM also saved on food costs by only serving dessert and refreshments. Food will most likely be the greatest portion of your budget, so you may want to consider inexpensive alternatives to a sit down dinner like a brunch reception, a dessert reception, a cocktail reception, or my personal favorite – a barbecue reception (the food at my SIL’s bbq reception was fantastic and very affordable)!Â
Are any of you having your wedding at a restaurant or public facility like a park or camping ground?
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Submitted By: SK
City: New York City (Manhattan)
Budget: $6000
# of Guests: about 40
Wedding Day Expenses:Â
Ceremony/Reception Site Fees: $0 (holding ceremony & reception at neighborhood restaurant, no charge for site with purchase of food/open bar)
Caterer/Food/Drink (per person if available): $95/pp
Service Charge/Gratuities: $800
Bridal Gown & Alterations: $1000
Bridal Accessories (Veil, Undergarments, Shoes, Jewelry): $70 (already had shoes)
Groom’s Attire: $125
Stationery/Postage: $50 (DIY pocketfolds, printed at home on color laser)
Photography: $600 (all digital, receive pics open disk w/ no prints, 6 hrs coverage)
Videography: $0
Ceremony Music: $0 (friend is a harpist, doing as gift)
Reception Music: $0 (iPod, FBIL is DJ)
Flowers: $125 (DIY – bride’s bouquet, 1 MOH, 3 bouts, 2 corsages)
Decorations/Centerpieces: $0 (DIY – using vases from sister’s wedding, restaurant has votive candles)
Favors: $20 (cookies wrapped in tulle)
Cake: $300
Officiant: $300 (mostly transportation costs)
Coordinator: $0
Hair/Makeup: $0 (friend is makeup artist, doing as gift)
Wedding Party Gifts: $0 (not doing)
Transportation: $20 for cabs
Hotels: $0 (restaurant is 3 blocks from house)
Misc: Chuppah -Â $30 (DIY, materials)
Nonwedding Day Expenses:Â
Wedding bands: $350
Rehearsal dinner: ~$50, at home with 10-15 people
Honeymoon: $6000, 2 weeks in Belize
WEDDING DAY TOTAL: $7240
COST PER PERSON: $181
NONWEDDING DAYÂ TOTAL: $6400
GRAND TOTAL: $13,640
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Submitted By: RS
City: Ceremony in Makena; Reception in Wailea (Maui, HI)
Budget: $6000
# of Guests: 27
Wedding Day Expenses:Â
Ceremony Site Fees: Beach = free.
Reception Site Fees: $100 for location, white linens, all tableware, and personalized menu.
Caterer/Food/Drink (per person if available): $23
Service Charge/Gratuities: tax at 4.17% and 18% gratuity = $765
Bridal Gown & Alterations: Alfred Angelo dress $386 incl. shipping.  Yay for no alterations needed!!
Bridal Accessories (Veil, Undergarments, Shoes, Jewelry):  DIY veil – $10 for material, $2 for comb, attached great grandmother’s costume jewelry to top = $12.  Shoes barefoot at ceremony, $4 for off white flip flops + $5 beading = $9. Undergarments, $65 (bodywrap brand slimmer, new strapless bra)
Groom’s Attire: khakis, white shirt, leather flip flops = $120
Stationery/Postage: 45 save the date plane tickets $30 for printing at office max and postage. Invites – paper material from paperzone $90, ribbon $20. Printed at home, postage $20. Total = $160
Photography: $1000/2 hours, all images retouched and on cd
Videography: $0
Ceremony Music: $250 (full hour of guitar/vocalist)
Reception Music: none needed (no dancing, etc)
Flowers: none needed (leis included in package)
Favors: $70 (palm boxes with custom cd, diy luggage tag, candy inside, ribbon and orchid outside)
Cake: $250 (3 tier buttercream frosting, aqua dots and cascading plumerias)
Officiant: included in coordinator’s package
Coordinator: $850
Hair/Makeup: $200
Wedding Party Gifts: $150 (4 attendants each – girls got silver plumeria necklace, flip flops, and shower wrap to get ready in; guys got flip flops and beach towel)
Transportation: convertible rental car (a honeymoon cost)
Hotels: already on location for honeymoon
Misc: palm fans at ceremony with diy ribbon attached $30, chairs at $4 each for rental = approx $80, various taxes not included – add approx. $100
Nonwedding Day Expenses:Â
Wedding Bands: $1000 for my 5 stone band (I didn’t want an engagement ring, so this is all I will be wearing)Â $110 for his plain band
Rehearsal Dinner/Day After Brunch:Â parents/friends hosting
Honeymoon: $5000 (8 nights on maui, 2 separate hotels, 2 r/t tickets from seattle, convertible rental car, misc. expenses)
WEDDING DAY TOTAL: $5218
COST PER PERSON: $193.26
NONWEDDING DAY TOTAL: $6000
GRAND TOTAL: $11,218
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Submitted By: JM
City: Salt Lake City, Utah
Budget: $4000
# of Guests: 200
Wedding Day Expenses:
Ceremony/Reception Site Fees: $360 (3 campsites)
Caterer/Food/Drink (per person if available): Total: $1200 (chocolate fountain, cheese fountain, water, lemonade, cake)
Service Charge/Gratuities: $0
Bridal Gown & Alterations: $400
Bridal Accessories (Veil, Undergarments, Shoes, Jewelry): $50
Groom’s Attire: $55
Stationery/Postage: $230
Photography: $390
Videography: Free (traded design services in exchange for videographer from Craigslist)
Ceremony Music: Free (coworker is a wedding dj, music is gift)
Reception Music: $350
Flowers: $250
Favors: N/A
Cake: $325
Officiant: Free (stepfather registered online)
Hair/Makeup: Free (sister is stylist)
Wedding Party Gifts: $50
Hotels: $115
Misc: $100
Nonwedding Day Expenses:
Wedding Bands: $575
Rehearsal Dinner/Day After Brunch: $150
Honeymoon: N/A
WEDDING DAY TOTAL: $3875
COST PER PERSON: $19.38
NONWEDDING DAY TOTAL: $725
GRAND TOTAL: $4600
May I ask JM, just out of curiosity, what a cheese fountain is?
I saw one at a bridal show…it’s like a chocolate fountain, but with cheese. The way they had it set up was like cheese fondue, with various breads/etc to dip in the cheese. Yummy.
Just a suggestion for brides that send in their budgets. Can they send pictures as well?
Thanks!
a lot of people wish to remain anonymous when we post their budgets, but pictures are of course welcome like km’s great budget post. 
Wow! Great job, Ladies!!!
JM, I love that you traded your design services for a videographer….if only I had a marketable skill……
Oh, and I totally dig the coin icon!!
My budget is $4000. We aren’t getting married until December, but we are right on target so far. Our ceremony will be at a beach, and there is no site fee, and our reception outdoors at cabins on the beach, with a BBQ, plus a couple of local specialties catered. I can’t wait- it is going to be intimate, and casual, and so much fun- it will fit us perfectly!
That’s great how you’ve shown 3 very different weddings for around the same budget. Also, the new icon is adorable, but I wish it were in color.
I confused about SK’s budget; when I add up her wedding day expenses, I get $7240, not $6295. Similarly, for RS when I add up everything it comes to $5218, not $4527. Am I missing something here?
This is great! While a cool campground wedding in Salt Lake City may not necessarily help someone plan their wedding in NYC, it shows resourcefulness, creativity and originality.
Please keep these reader budgets coming. I only wish I was far enough along in my planning process to contribute.
Thank you to SK, RS and JM for compiling and sharing this info. And Mrs. Bee, thanks for posting.
I *LOVE* this new feature. It is wonderful to see real budgets, not just the average “30,000″ budget that The Knot implies that everyone is using. I’d love to read about every budget, and eventually I’ll submit my own.
What a coincidence! I was just talking to a potential client on how she can plan a wedding with 5,000 for 120 guests and this post totally inspired me! Thanks!
Thank you Mrs. Bee! This feature is fantastic! I love the new icon too – can it be gold though?
It feels good to see lower budget weddings that don’t have a catered meal worked in. I am working very hard to have a beautiful and unique wedding but I can only afford so much and as such have opted out of having a meal….rather I am having a late friday evening wedding with various desserts and an open espresso bar (as well as 3 different punches). At times I started to feel like others might think it tacky to not have any meal. Anyway, good to see I am not alone!
The icon is a quarter, and quarters are silver :-p
Do you have any bridal shower restaurant suggestions on a budget in NYC?
No more than $20 pp.
Thanks
[...] dont have to worry about paying for rentals. – RS had an intimate, 27 person destination source: $5000 Real Wedding Budgets, [...]
Where in Manhattan did SK have her wedding?
I AM IN A PICKLE . I WANT MY WEDDING TO LOOK ELEGANT BUT I AM ON A TIGHT BUGET $5000 AT THE MOST I HAVE ABOUT 40 GUEST AND ALSO I AM ALMOST 40 AND THIS WILL BE MY FIRST AND MY LAST MARRIAGE I HOPE . I DONT WANT IT TOO LOOK CHEAP AND I DONT WONT TO LOOK BACK ON THIS DAY AND SAY I WISH I HAD OF HAD MORE MONEY TO DO THIS THAT AND THE OTHER. 1) SHOULD I GET A WEDDING PLANNER. 2) SHOULD I GIVE WEDDING FAVORS . 3) SHOULD I OR IS IT ENEN POSSIABLE TO DO A BIG DINNER ,DJ,ALCOHOL,PHOTOS AND FLOWERS FOR $5000 . HELLLLLLLLLLLP VERY STRESSED
Real Budgets Feature Launched: July 3, 2007 About: Real wedding budgets submitted by former brides.
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