Is it cheap and nasty to consider having wedding this way?

[Orangeworkclock]

Basically we do not have a lot of money to spend on our wedding. We want to get married next July, however we have nothing planned. Just can't afford it to be honest. We wanted a simple do in a barn/ pub with all our nearest and dearest only. Will be quite a few kids coming.
We have searched and searched, every where is too much for us.
We are now toying with the idea of getting married in Brighton- Bandstand or registry & strolling down to a'50's style American diner for burger, milkshakes and beers with chocolate wedding cake ( home made) for afters.
They have music , sound system or duke box (?) and it's decorated so no cost there. Will put the bridesmaid's in colorful knee lenth dresses. Will have it on a Sunday so dont need after do.
We obviously will need to try the food before hand. I like 'naice food'
We plan to get there Friday and leave Monday. Perhaps combining a joint hen/ stag if can afford it on the Friday night. By this I mean a comedy night with however wants to come along. Think about £10 per ticket.
That's it really. We seriously only have about £2000 to spend on this and we want people we love there only. Is this sounding ok? Or very tacky?

'single night' *

It sounds fab

I think it sounds great! Really fun and creative & different! Can I come?!

If guests can't afford/ don't want to pay for a room then 40 minutes is close enough to drive/ train/ minibus home.
We set up our freebie wedding site with a car-share section - that might be useful if they all live reasonably close to each other? I think it was called 'gettingmarried.com'?

Have a wonderful day

Sounds fab, and if people didn't want to come for the whole weekend they could easily just come for the day, brighton has great travel connections. Way easier than a barn in the middle of nowhere!

Sounds fab

Although if you fancied a registry office then dancing afterwards, have you looked at a local community hall or similar for the venue. You could make your own cold buffet and organise your own bar. Cheap and great fun

BucketsnSpades I think it might be the same diner you went to.
Furrydog Just looked at Cloud 9 website- They are very good prices! Thank you for that. They look fab

Sounds lovely. The best wedding I've been to recently was a church hall, they catered themselves by buying a big wicker hamper (sold later on eBay) for each table and filling it with picnic stuff from Waitrose, they had lots of children and put together some fair type games, coconut shy and the like. They had ice cream between the ceremony and the meal then a band, who were friends did music. It was lovey, and so much more personal than a hotel do. I personally think with weddings less is often more.

I'm pleased now So is the general idea that the wedding is ok, just not the comedy night?

The whole package sounds grand

TheWoollysbacksWife [Sad]for you about your wedding.
Congratulations on 25 years nearly! Maybe you could renew your vows for your anniversary? Have what you want this time though...

So has anyone had anything like this?

That sounds ace, I'd love to go to a wedding like that, it sounds fun.

Sounds original and memorable and a lot more fun than the many identikit country hotel/ long ivory dress/ chicken Kiev weddings I have been to.

It does sound lovely....Just a thought re: village halls- possibly it's the ones without websites you want to be looking for? In other words, the slightly less sussed ones- the ones with contact details tacked on a dog eared postcard on the noticeboard? My brother and SIL had their reception in the village hall in a v.v. posh village near Windsor (think Heston Blumenthal) and I don't think it was expensive at all.

Or...are your guests the types that like camping? Some campsites/ glampsites (????) will do weddings.

I think your wedding plans sound lovely and certainly not cheap and nasty

As a guest I'd much rather to go to a fun wedding where the hosts haven't got broke than a wedding just like everyone else's tens of thousands worth of country hotel.

((Sounds fab, in case you hadn't understood! Congratulations!))

Thank you Orange I have got plans for an all singing all dancing silver wedding celebration

I am very lucky, I have a wonderful DH and 3 fabulous DCs. As a PP said it's not about the wedding really, it's about the marriage and I have learnt not to be such a people pleaser

Your plans sound brilliant. I am so having chocolate cake at my silver wedding.

I think it sounds fab and I may steal your idea!

TheWoollysbackWife How lovely Chocolate cake is the way to go

I'm so pleased with the out come of this. It's decided!! Yay!

Now to work out logistics...

Even I'm excited reading that! Bet you're guests will be really chuffed with that

That sounds wonderful, but I am imagining loads of mumsnetters trying to discretely see your wedding at the bandstand, standing around all nonchalantly in hats.

Original, considerate, fun. Very good idea.

And another yes from me. Sounds great and nicely quirky without any trying too hard.

Exciting

I think the wedding sounds lovely.

And bearing your own costs for hen/stag do is normal.