Hi everyone

I would love to hear from anyone who has ideas about second marriages. Unfortunately, the mortgage, bills and costs of raising kids will prevent us from having a big celebration. We still want to include as many of our family and friends as we possibly can but need to find ways to keep it as inexpensive as possible.
We have thought about having an outdoor theme (beach, bbq etc.) or renting a hall.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks
endee

On my second, and may I say best for more then one reason, wedding, we had a church wedding but the reception was a back yard Bar-B-Q.

My "New" father in-law got ****ed off at the church's reception hall that he "Helped" build was going to charge him for its use. He got material donate, labor donate and they were not even going to give him a price break. Now truth be told, while he and the family were members, he was not a major church go'er. Wife taught Sunday school there when she was younger.

So he had it in his backyard, with members of city council, service department and the mayor in attendance. A good time was had by all. It didn’t take long for everyone in attendance to relax after he came out of the house in his favorite Hawaiian shirt. Some forgot to tell my uncle the punch was SPIKED.

When was the last time you have seen a horseshoe pitching match at a wedding reception. Now you've started something, going to pull out the ol' wedding album. God, I don't know if I can stand seeing myself over 35 years ago. 30 pounds lighter and more hair. LOL

When my MIL got married to my husband's stepfather, they were in their thirties and she already had three kids and a mortgage, so they did it simple. They got married in the church and had the reception in her parents' backyard. I obviously wasn't around yet but they still talk about what a good time everyone had, 15 years later.

My very best wishes, may you have long years, great joy and small troubles.

Can you fit your friends and family into your yard, or the yard of a close friend or family member? If the answer is yes, there's no reason why you can't perfectly well celebrate your union at home...If you have more loved ones than room, a hall or a park might be the way to go...If you have a Grange Association in your area, contact them, Grange Halls are usually dirt cheap to rent and have great kitchens, designed with the idea of large gatherings and many cooks, and they often have enourmous BBQs on-site...If you're going for a really casual "fun" affair, there's no reason you can't declare the reception pot-luck,(Anyone who gets confused by my saying that:I don't approve of charging admission or "no-host" bars,or any other ploy where "guests" must provide cash but there's no reason at all why a close knit group can't all take part in preparing for the festivities) but if you want to provide the food yourself, look in the phone book under "Butchers" or "Meat", you might be able to get a 25 or 50 lb "freezer pack" (figure on about a pound per guest, donate any uncooked meat to a soup kitchen and take the tax deduction) of mixed meats for about half the grocery price, and a Costo trip can save you a small fortune on produce, paper plates, etc.
Before you rent a punch bowl or coffee urn, check local thrift shops...I found a beautiful crystal bowl, 10 gallons, for about half what the party rental folks wanted for a 2 day rental.
If you're planning an outdoor gathering, scout your location and make sure there is shade, or be prepared to rent or borrow umbrellas and tents...many an otherwise wonderful day has been spoiled a bit by folks not being able to get out of the sun.
The Oriental Trading Company offers a bunch of great deals on decorations and favours in many themes, from traditional wedding stuff to Mardi Gras or Luau.
Best of luck.

We went to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, Tennessee area. There are a gazillion number of places, chapels, drive-thru (yes--drive-thrus); we got married in a gazebo in a park. And it's a fun place to visit with gorgeous mountains in the background.