Inexpensive Wedding In Atlanta...Help!

I'm desperately searching for a way to pull off a wedding without going into debt and pushing back the date into the next millenium! Since we're pretty much paying for the wedding ourselves in this awful economy, I'm not even sure what sort of budget to set without being unrealistic. I'd really love to get married in a church, but am stressing over what my reception options are, if any. Since I'm planning from VA, my time and resources are limited right now. Any suggestions?

Posted: 12/19/2008 10:15:36 AM
Topic: Budget

We are in the same boat... We are still in the planning stage and haven't made any final choices, but here is what we're planning on doing.  Having a SMALL wedding at a church, with only familly and friends and then having the reception at a nice, maybe trendy resturaunt that does private parties.  Good luck!

Posted: 3/15/2009 7:08:53 PM

Nickida,
Charlie Elliot Wildlife Conference center in Mansfield is a beautiful budget friendly option but it doesn't have a church. Dauset Trails in Jackson, Georgia has a beautiful outdoor chapel by a lake and an indoor atrium for the reception. I believe the package price for both is only $350! Best of luck planning.

Posted: 1/26/2009 9:09:32 PM

Congratulations on your engagement.

Planning long distance can be daunting, especially if you are not going to use a wedding coordinator. Believe me, I know ;-)

Inexpensive weddings are easily obtainable, but you usually have to look at the outskirts of Atlanta to find a good venue with minimal cost. There are several great venues that have chapels on premises. One in particular comes to mind that has a beautiful and all wood inside chapel and is a fully restored 1888 church. There are several venues on the West and South sides of Atlanta that have plenty of room and won't break the bank.

Decide on a budget, and that amount will help determine your guest list, menu, stationary, and flowers. Don't be afraid of DIY projects to help lower costs, if you are comfortable doing them. If you are getting married in the spring or summer, you might look for a garden location for the reception to eliminate the need for a lot of reception decor.

Opt for beer and wine, or no bar at all rather than a cash or liquor bar. There are all sorts of fabulous ideas out there, but if you are not hiring a coordinator, invest in a good wedding planning how-to book with folder, checklists, and pictures galore.

Happy planning!

Posted: 1/16/2009 9:01:25 PM

Hello and Good Afternoon Nickida:

     Let me first say from one fellow Virginian to another, congratulations! If you would like help in planning from out of state, I am sure that I can help you acheive what you want. Send me an e-mail and we can talk. My advice is always free and I can come up with a very workable plan that will give you an elegant wedding without creating a huge debt.

Amy MacNeill

Wedding Planner

Posted: 1/15/2009 4:43:15 PM

I recently found a new place called The Bridal Lounge in Buford Ga, where you can go in choose all of your vendors at one time.  They have lots of choices for different budgets.  I went there and found my caterer, dj, and venue.  The people there are very nice and will show you the vendors that are within your budget.  They served us cake and champagne. 

Posted: 1/10/2009 2:16:34 PM

Hi Nickida:

Consider these four things as you ponder your budget.

1) How many guests would you "like" to invite? 

2) What is the absolute most you can comfortably afford to spend on your wedding? 

3) Which part of the wedding (food, entertainment, flowers, etc.) is most important to you? 

4) Take the sum of what you decide you can afford to spend on your wedding and put together a budget.  There are many free wedding budget tools to assist you with this.  Once you have an estimated budget cost, then you have a tangible tool to use as you are researching options that fit within that particular area of planning.  If you find during your research that your budget is not big enough, then perhaps you might need to consider decreasing the guest numbers.  It might be hard but more wedding guests generally means more money spent on the wedding.

To have an inexpensive wedding in Atlanta is possible.  The trick is to gain focus and be as flexible as possible.  Specifically, being flexible with your date and time (i.e.: getting married during off-peak) could prove to be of tremendous cost-saving benefit to you.  

Hope this helps.

Cheers!   

Rhonda

Posted: 1/2/2009 10:27:56 PM