Some of you have heard in a different thread but me and the soon to be missus got engaged while in Wisconsin so now is the fun task of wedding planning. Shit is a headache and right now we've got the venue/food and all that but we're looking for a dj and photographer now.

Elope in Vegas for a vegas wedding.

Condrats, and many happy returns.

Can't help with cost info... but CONGRATS.

Congrats.

i am of no help, other than congrats.

Congrats, I may have someone who I can talk to about photography.  I'm not sure if she does weddings or not.  But I'll ask her.  If she does, I'll send you her info.

Congratulations, best wishes for a long and happy life together.

 

It's a Tarp!!!!!

JK - Congrats Man.  I am happy for you.  Do what you can afford.  If you have $5k then do that.  Hell, a tent and Famous Dave's for might be the way to go.  In Lee/Collier too many people have a wedding for other people and not themselves.  

When we got hitched we went home to NY (upstate) and the only building big enough was the Elks Lodge.  Tacky, drop ceiling goodness.  We had a blast for 328 seated and we had people crash the wedding.  Total cost - $3300.00  I didn't misplace a decimal.  I had family from SO-cal that was appalled that we served from a grill with no catering and but the rest of the family understood that for all the family to be present we were not going to bankrupt ourselves for single day.  

And my bachelor party was a BBQ fueled by tannerite and spicy salsa.  The girls even had fun.  

Now the wedding night was a lot of fun - 2 girls, a hot tub, pizza, $200/bottle champagne - yep her GF stopped in for a slice of pizza cuz her hubby passed out.  Then promptly went back to eat.

Sit down with the parents and have an honest conversation of expectations and budget.  Do not BS any aspect.  The open communication will go a long way to establish yourselves as a new players in the family dynamic.  Then go back with the wife to be and make a decision.  This is the first real decision the two of you need to make.  The fact you consulted your parents but then made the decision just the two of you establishes some important boundaries.  The last thing you need to do a few years down the road is push back on a bossy MIL in your home (translate throw her out of your house - ask me how I know ).  

Best of luck!!!

Congrats buddy!  I kind of thought you guys had that look in your eyes last time we saw you

Lots of good advice here - especially FLchuck8 (or is that PAchuck8 now? ). Don't live your life for others or impressing them.  It's your day.  Do what you want.  I walked past an outdoor wedding the other day on the beach on Sanibel.  It involved a rented house, a simple tent, some folding chairs and catering on the back porch.  It looked perfect to me.  You guys are just starting out in life.  Getting in debt or blowing what savings you have right out of the gate wouldn't be my advice.  

I suspect the ARFCOM guys here could rally if there was something we could do to help.  What kind of dates are you looking at?  Hopefully low season next year?  I may have some things to offer depending on timing....

Hey man it's been a while. We are planning for November of next year, giving us time and hopefully cool weather.

 

Sent you an IM

Get married in Europe.

How much? Which time??
A few hundred bucks at the courthouse then a hell of a honeymoon where ever you damn well please.
But I doubt she will go for that.
A nice wedding can me done for a few thousand.
Good luck keeping it under budget though, women love to keep adding things on...

In typical ARFCOM fashion the first post nailed it.  

Go to Vegas, get hitched, have big party for family and friends when you get back.  Trust me, years from now you'll wish you would have taken this route.  

Congrats

Where's the venue? I've got some good folks in sofla

The Strand

 

Two weddings.  First time: (Living in PRC of California at the time) drove to Reno, Nevada in the morning, got married, drove home with new wife in the afternoon. Easy, quick simple and cheap. No muss, no fuss.   Second time: (living in Florida). Get license, wait three days, go to county court house and got married. Didn't even take any of the family this time.  Even less trouble than before if that's possible.

  Choose #1 or #2, that's my opinion.  Big, expensive weddings are just plain stupid.  You could make a hefty down payment on a house or buy a NICE automobile or pay for several years of college for what most people spend on their weddings. And if your fiancee doesn't understand that and wants to be treated like Bridezilla then you're probably marrying the wrong girl!

First wedding and he's young .  At least he is ahead of the game with the budget.  I watched a couple we know drop coin @ La Playa ($35K+ I am guessing) then file 3 years later.  Only thing we can do as old farts is make sure he makes sure that she is happy and the family doesn't make it tough.  

It's her princess day and make sure you both have a good time.  Good luck man.  Wish I were closer still for the bachelor party.    I would have supplied the tannerite.  Still have 4 cases of 20 half pounders.

HA, now that sounds like my kind of party.

 

Try rhythm city djs or precious moments photography

Great people

Thanks I'll look into them!

 

My wife and I got married in 2004 on a very limited budget (<$4000/75 guests) that we paid for ourselves.

I was fortunate to have my parents offer their home for the venue. They have a 1-acre lot in a nice neighborhood with a pool & lanai. We rented a tent (in case of rain), chairs, tables, and linens. Had the ceremony in the back yard and the reception on the lanai (in April). We did a blind taste test of wines in the $10-15/bottle range. (My father was mortified when he picked a South American Cabernet over the French selection.). We had a friend do the catering; Latin cuisine that we developed a taste for while growing up in south FL. She ran a "roach coach" business (construction site catering), and gave us a great deal. Don't be scared, we are both foodies, and my brother is a chef at a top rated downtown Orlando restaurant; we were all pleased with the food.  We hired an amateur photographer, and a DJ.  We rallied sisters and friends to help decorate. My wife recommends attending some bridal expos & registering for as many freebies as you can, she won a floral contract (we chose white daisies to get the most out of it).  

While not extravagant by any means, our friends and family still talk about it as being the best wedding they've ever been to. It was a relaxed environment, we were relaxed, and everyone had a great time.

The important thing is to not stress-out over the little stuff. Nobody will notice if the centerpieces aren't just right, they will notice if the bride is stressed and bitchy because of it. Your job is to keep her as calm as possible and remind her that this is a celebration of YOUR love. What other people EXPECT is completely irrelevant!

A good party is more about the people than the decorations.

CONGRATULATIONS!

SPOT ON - especially the part in blue.  I typed up something similar three times yesterday, but never posted (mostly because the OP and his fiancé have come over to my house, and I wasn't sure I wanted to step in the middle of that with them ).  It also sounds like the location and other details are all set, so I felt like us 'old know-it-all guys' should sit back, smile and wish them luck .  Easier said than done I guess.....

My wife and I did something similar as SHONUFF posted - a simple, family affair. It was actually more fun, because we worked as a team to make our own decorations, set up tables, and organize everything.  A wedding is about the public commitment to each other - not bragging rights.  I also know the $10K we saved on our wedding day led to a happier marriage - because it relieved a lot of the financial stress for a young couple starting out.  Financial problems remain the #1 cause of discontent, so be careful about where you begin that journey.  

I've already tossed out some ideas to FDrifting that may make one bit or two work on the cheap.  Let's keep our thinking hats on - looking for other ideas and suggestions as he gets closer!  As opposed to most younger people these days drifting through life - have you ever met a young person who works hard, has their head on their shoulders and actually gets it?  That's the OP and his fiancé.  They're certainly worth us local guys giving them support if we can.....

I know this has nothing to do with the finances for the acutal wedding but, my wife and I were already well situated wtih our own places, furniture, decor, etc while we were engaged and lived together for about a year before we actually got married. We had right around 420 guests at our wedding since we were both the first to get married in both our families and both our parents helped as much as they could. Since we really didn't need anything, we chose not to register anywhere for gifts and on the invitation, just noted "envelope gifts preferred".

We didn't know how well that would be received but, we ended up getting just over $16k and paid back what both our parents donated for the wedding and it basically ended up paying for the entire reception after all was said and done. Just a suggestion.

Congrats on your upcoming wedding. There will be days where you're just fed up wtih all the back and forth decisions, changes, and uncertainty that comes along with the planning but when the day comes, take a moment to take it all in cause it goes by super fast..

This

Shucks... You know how to make a guy blush

 

Yea we bought a place and have everything we need so we probably won't register and ask for money towards the honeymoon. Or if we have more than enough it'll pay for the wedding.

I agree with Blackfox.  The OP doesn't believe in just getting by or drifting through life.  Anything we can do to help whether it's bouncing ideas around or just moral support, feel free to contact us.  Our wedding was pricey, but we saved for it and the day of the wedding we had no debt from the wedding.  We had separate places, when she moved in with me we decided what to keep and what to sell or donate.  The OP is definitely headed in the right direction.

No problem let me know, used them for 3 different affairs and have no complaints

My wife's neice and her now husband eloped down to St. Thomas.  They had a great time and saved a boat load of cash.

After the wedding show comes the hard part-and it is hard-you have to live with each other. Good luck OP I wish you two all the best.

Thanks man! we've already been living together most of our relationship (5years) so I'm confident it will be a smooth transition. It will just be weird being married lol.