I had the honors of attending my cousin's wedding ceremony at Calumet Park in La Jolla, California. Calumet Park is a small neighborhood park overlooking the beautiful beach view, quietly located in a residential area. The great thing about this park was that it wasn't crowded (in fact, sort-of hidden) so there was hardly any traffic. There is no beach access, no restrooms, no tables, just a couple of benches so less foot traffic, better for a wedding ceremony.
The frugal part of this wedding was that the happy couple was able to receive a dream wedding with a beach view that didn't break their pocket! You will need to fill out an application for a permit to have your wedding ceremony here and pay a fee. I would definitely plan ahead (at least 3 months prior as this location required 2 months prior to be considered). The fee was $150 (however it varies depending on location) and there are some regulations. For example, this location you were not allowed to have a reception to follow, serve food, limit of capacity, and so forth.
However, having a wedding ceremony for $150 for up to 4 hours comes out to be $37.50 a hour. That is definitely worth it. Of course, you have to factor in the rental of the chairs, arch, officiant and reception to follow too!
If you know a beautiful park or a park with lovely views in your area, you may want to look into it and see how much the permit will be. You may be able to host other events if they allow food; such as birthdays, graduation parties, engagement ceremony, bachelorette parties, etc. It could sometimes be cheaper than renting a hall. I would definitely recommend checking out the location on a day you would plan to host your event to see how the area is before actually submitting an application.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I am getting married on June 12th, 2010. I am looking for a pretty place, but not too expensive, as my fiance and I have to pay for the wedding. My guest list is very small, since I wanted to have just my closest family and friends, there are only 45.
If I could receive any help on locations around Rockville or Germantown, MD in which the locale, chairs, and tables were given with a reasonable price I would really appreciate it. We want to have a buffet, not a caterer. Thank you.
By Miriam from Rockville, MD
Most parks can be used free of charge, but chairs,etc. won't be furnished. The park weddings that I have driven by, the guests have been standing. Call your local park department and inquire about it and check out the various parks. If you decide to do a park wedding reserve the area of the park really early. I know here they start taking reservations for various things about a year ahead of time. At a park, I imagine you could use as many picnic tables as you would need for a reception.
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I need an inexpensive location for my ceremony July 29th. It is non traditional which makes it easier. My budget for the entire wedding is $1,000.00.
