Wedding on the Cheap

 Sometimes I get a little concerned about where weddings are going in the United States.  Here is a young couple (usually) starting their lives with a very expensive party.  Throwing themselves into debt or having to save for years and put off their wedding  until they can amass the small fortune to throw a wedding.

The average wedding, we are told, cost's $30,000.00.  That's a nice down-payment on a house!  Here is a real wedding that we went to last weekend that cost $3,000.00.  Some of the expenses were defrayed because family members were willing to do a lot of work.  The center .  peices were all hand made by a family member and the wonderful food was cooked by the father of the bride.  Other things were just sheer brilliance.

I'll start with the venue:  $100 to rent Maidstone Park in Vermont.  It is their family summer get-away and a State Park.  Tent rental: $100 with all the tables and chairs.

Drink glasses: mason jelly jars imprinted with the bride and grooms name.

 I love this: Guest Book--an old oar.  The guests sign in sharpy and it's going on the wall as a rustic reminder of their out-doorsy life style.

 The bar: a table with pre mixed margaritas and mojitos.  Wine and beer were in whiskey barrels to the right.  Self service.

 The mother of the bride decorated simple shakers with the themed rustic ribbons and flowers.

Flowers:  For the bride, white roses.  For the tables: wildflowers in bottles and mason jars covered in burlap decorated with hearts.

Big expenses : DJ (dance floor came with the tent).  They danced and danced so it was well worth the expense.  Much cheaper than a band too.

Here are those hand made table centerpeices.  They have photos in hand-made twig frames of the young couple and birch rings to stand on.

 Bride and groom: Mason Jars glued to candle sticks decorated in the themed burlap lace and flowers.  Too cute!

The cake was made by the mother of the groom.  Again the theme matches the State Park: rustic, cute and very tasty.

We asked the mother of the bride how much she spent and she told us $3,000 for 80 guests.  This theme won't work for everyone's taste but the humour and sweetness of the young couple and their families made this the perfect motif for them.  I will be on the lookout for more stylistic and inexpensive ways to make your special day even more special without putting you in debt...stay tuned!