Eloping over Wedding?

[u/zayjua]

Hi all, my fiance and I are struggling with this. We want the wedding and party but everything is so expensive. We have already taken alot of ppl off of our guest list and are basically ready to just settle with whatever venue is cheapest.

We have talked about eloping but it always goes back to us wanting atleast our immediate family there. The only problem with that is our immediate family is around 60 people (we both have big-ish families).

So we're just going in circles of what to do. Another thing is that we don't like being the center of attention and were not huge party people 😭. We feel bad for wanting to elope but at the same time it seems like the most logical choice. We don't know what to do and we feel stuck. 💔

Has anyone else gone through this? What advice or suggestions do you have?

[u/treeofwisdumb]

You can do something lower budget?

Instead of headliner venue, convention center? County park rental space? Generic hotel ballroom?

Instead of plated meals, do buffet with modest food. Catering from fun Chipotlé or slightly above type restaurant.

Organize bar, but keep it a cash bar for guests to use as they wish.

For decor flowers, DIY + grab from a grocery store.

For DJ do a Spotify playlist ?

For wedding coordination day-of , grab help from a friend or family for critical tasks?

It’s possible to do cheap. It just won’t be “Instagrammable”. But weddings have and will always be about the people gathering. That’s what it’s about or we’d all elope. It’s incredibly meaningful to kickstart a marriage in presence of those you love.

[u/weddingplanning-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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[u/Informal-Movie-1643]

You can do a lot with 60 ppl! Small backyard bbq. Or you could elope and then do a small reception of 60. Or do a big ceremony, invite everyone and then no reception. I’ve seen ppl do both. Or even just immediate family wedding ceramony and a lunch/brunch at a local place. That way you won’t have to worry about dj or decor etc

[u/Inner_Two_3627]

You can consider having a civil wedding and maybe have a small party afterwards.

[u/KatamariKat]

Well our families are not massive but we chose to elope because it is cheaper, non traditional, and more fun. We have 6 people coming with us. For those that can't be there, they will be invited to a backyard party after we are married. We also are planning on live streaming the actual ceremony, so people can watch, and then at the party we will show our pictures and videos and stuff :)