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We had an 82 guest local wedding. We spent 14,300 and DIY'd my invitations, any other paper and flowers.
I was at my rehearsal dinner (BBQ at a family member's home with our parents and bridal party) and briefly was like... throw the grandmas in, and I'd be perfectly happy if THIS was our reception.
At the end of the day though, I think I'd keep things about the same.
Our wedding was local to us, but many of our guests had to travel from neighboring states to get to it. We planned a 200 guest wedding for roughly $30,000-$35,000 and did a lot of DIY- STDs, invites, favors, centerpieces, boutonnieres, etc. We both worked full-time and were in school part-time for our Masters degrees and it worked out totally fine for us to plan our wedding in 9 months. In fact, we took 3 days off before the wedding but everything was done and it was very relaxing to be able to get pampered the days leading up to the wedding and not have to stress about small details. I think if you plan ahead you don't need to be stressed the week of your wedding.
I wouldn't go back and change anything about our day. Sure, there were times where I felt overwhelmed, but in the end, the important thing is that we got married and now have the rest of our lives to spend together!
Our wedding was local to about half the guests. We had 25 guests the week before Christmas last year and spent around $6,000. There was a ton of DIY. Overall, I would have kept things much as we did them. I think I would have gone with a different DJ, but all the DIY's were good. Was I a little stressed the week before the wedding? YUP!!! But I think every bride is. My advice is to plan out everything ahead of time, get as much help as possible (don't be afraid to ask), and be okay with deciding that something isn't as important as you thought it was. It'll be great.
Our wedding was about 110 people. It was in Santa Barbara, about 2 hours away from where we live, which was a little stressful during the planning. I didn't realize how much driving back and forth I'd have to do for all the appointments. But I loved the location and Santa Barbara was a great place for all of our out of town guests. I really wouldn't change anything about our day, but would maybe suggest trying to do it more locally, especially if you have a job/work schedule that isn't very flexible. We spent about $35,000 and I really didn't do much DIY. We ordered our invitations online and then added our own belly bands and cardstock backing. I also printed the escort cards and programs at home and made our table names.
We had about 90...local. I don't think I would have changed anything. I did some DIY but not a ton. The last 2 weeks sucked!! But I think that's somewhat unavoidable (at least with my personality type). I made my own table numbers and although it was cute - no one would have cared if I hadn't done them. They didn't get totally done until the day or two before which was stupid. They would've been fine if I would have done them way ahead of time, but I don't work well until I have a deadline in front of me!
Just limit the stuff that doesn't matter...like which candles you will use. 150 is not gigantic and it's totally easier to be local.
I would not change a single thing. We did zero pre-planning for our wedding. Not one thing was planned or reserved or booked or anything.
We had a last minute JoP wedding. DH said "We're doing this today" as he hustled me and the kids out the door to City Hall with our birth certificates in hand. Our city hall won't marry you, so on the way, he was on the phone with a JoP to arrange a time and place to meet to marry us. Meanwhile, I was on the phone calling our parents and siblings to tell them time and place. We were married in under 5 minutes and all 13 of us went to our favourite restaurant for dinner. We just walked in and got a table for 13!
There was zero planning, no time for stress or worry. I wore my favourite outfit from my closet, we ran into the supermarket to get flowers for me and I loved it! It was perfect for us since we had 3 kids before marrying. I wouldn't change a single thing about that day!
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So, I have been talking to some friends about the pros and cons of a big vs small wedding and a local vs a destination wedding.
Was your wedding big or small, and did you do it locally or destination?
Was it worth all the planning, stress? Would you do it differently? Also, feel free to include your budget or how much you DIY'd and how that helped or added to the process.
Right now, we are planning on a 150 person local wedding with tons of DIY. I am struggling because I have a good friend who is going through the same thing and is just miserable with all her to-dos at a week out :/ I think that we would break my FMIL's heart if we didn't have it here, as she has a close family and FFIL does not like to travel at all. We both have HUGE families, so I don't think a less than 100 people wedding is an option. Grr, decisions, desicsions!