10K Wedding for $200 Part 1 - Location

Last fall, the Lord brought a young couple into our lives. They met us through our annual harvest festival, and soon after, they put their trust in Jesus Christ. They have a grace-filled story and it's awesome to see the Lord working in their lives. One morning, Erika and I went out to breakfast and she conveyed that she was not married to her boyfriend; she didn't have the money but wanted to be married. They had been living together and Erika was expecting her 3rd child. We put our heads together and the LORD BLESSED. Erika was able to have a beautiful wedding for about $200.  If she had payed the full cost of most of the items, it would have been in the thousands. The low average cost of a wedding is about $10,000. 


These next 2 weeka I will be unfolding Erika's Wedding and giving ideas and tips on how to have a ten-thousand-dollar wedding for two hundred dollars.


The first place to save money is the Location. 

Most churches are free to use, especially if you are members of the church.  However, Damon and Erica love the country and wanted to be married in the great outdoors.  We know a family that own some beautiful property and a ranch and so we asked their permission. They willingly let us have the wedding at their property. The Yeomans were married under a shaded grove of trees. We used hay bales and wooden benches as seating.  We gave the ground a coating of hay and used scenery and ranch items as decor.  It turned out to be a beautiful wedding!

So here are some easy suggestions to save money on location:

• CHURCH: Ask your local church to use their auditorium.

• FRIENDS: Think about your friends and their houses. Does any of them have a beautiful garden?  Does any of them own property that could be used as a great wedding location?

• BEACH: Look at the beach.  If the beach is free you may be able to have a wedding there. You will need to make sure you reserve that spot though :-)

• INVESTIGATE: Sometimes, gardens and sanctuaries will allow you to have your wedding there for a small donation.

•  If you MUST HAVE "that" rented location think about these things:
• Off Season 
• One place NOT two (have your reception where you get married)
• Find a new venue - sometimes, a place may discount steeply if they need the business
• Negotiate prices

There are so many great FREE places that it seems a little crazy to spend money on the "perfect" location. Ask, think, look, investigate and I'm sure that you can come up with a beautiful spot for your wedding.  If it is outside, make sure you have a backup plan for bad weather. :-)

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