by J. Lee Kenser

Created on: September 24, 2011

Inexpensive wedding ideas for wedding venues are very simple and do not take too much effort when you think about it this way, keep it simple.  Keeping it simple can be nothing more than having your wedding in a public venue and holding the reception at the same venue.  Depending on your price range, time of the year you wish to hold the ceremony, how elaborate you wish to be with your festivities will all play a part in exactly how simple your choices can be.

Holding your wedding and reception at a public park can provide both a scenic venue as well as a more cost effective way when planning your event. The costs of a pavilion in a public park for example can range from $25-$300 this of course in some regions can be based upon being a resident versus a non-resident.  For example in my area there is also a $35 event fee that is an extra fee along with the charges for the venue based upon amenities i.e. amount of people to be seated, whether or not there is electric.

Holding at small local churches can be cost effective especially if you are already a regular member, as they tend to charge less for members versus non-members.  The church where I had gotten married charged members $50 versus $150 for non-members then you had to consider the charges if you are not providing your own clergy to conduct the ceremonies, sound system operator, etc… these are not often included in the charges for the church itself.

Holding your ceremony in a civil service at the local courthouse is also very on the cheap though you can be limited to the amount of people able to attend the service itself.  The fees include the marriage license, which you have to have anyway range from $20-30 depending on state residency in my area plus an additional fee if you are getting a wedding license that is from a county you do not reside in.  The official who oversees the ceremony costs can range from very cheap to very pricey and varies from region to region.

Holding your ceremony at someone’s home can obviously be the cheapest option of all since you would most likely not have to pay fees for usage depending on whether the home is yours, close relatives or an acquaintance.  Having the ceremony at your own home would only cost you what if any decorations, seating, staging, etc… and there would be virtually no limit to the amount of guests providing you check your local laws and regulations as some areas may require a special permit to hold a large event even at your own residence which fees will of course vary.

Do not forget that even if you hold the ceremony at your own residence you will still need the marriage license, the person officiating both of which will still require fees that vary.  It will eliminate the usage fees for comparatively to most public and private venues but cannot eliminate all fees since there are some that just come with every marriage by law.

The more of the event you plan yourself, do the decorating, make the cake, etc. can save you hundreds if not thousands but that is of course entirely up to you and how much you are willing and able to do yourself in order to have an inexpensive wedding.

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