u/Educational_Bike7285

Hello! I’m getting married at the courthouse with 20 people but have decided to invite 42 people afterwards for food and drinks at a large lounge my apartment complex allows residents to rent for a small fee. It’s not a formal sit down dinner. It’s alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages, a pool table, some floral arrangements/ linens, music for ambiance, a photo backdrop I made myself, tacos, desserts, and a large charcuterie. The lounge itself seats about 30 people (2 bar top tables, 2 four person tables, and multiple over sized couches/ loveseats). I’m planning on bringing in 2 six person folding tables of my own. I’m hoping to build more of a cocktail vibe since it’s only going to be 3 hours long max to account for the lack of formal tables. I’d like to encourage people to move around the space and socialize. My fiancé and I think it’s perfect, but I have this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that it’s rude to have people sit on couches instead of at a table… anyone care to weigh in? Any experience curating this type of party? How do I encourage people to sit at the couches without sounding like I’m letting them “fend for themselves”. I welcome ANY and ALL feedback. Thank you in advance!

This is more of a vent session but also asking for any advice or input so feel free to comment whatever you want. At the start of this year we started to look into wedding planning: who would we invite? Big or small? Elopement or full scale wedding? How big or small of a wedding? What kind of celebration could we afford? I’m an only child and my parents have both passed so I don’t have any familial obligations. My finance has a small family and isn’t close to distant relatives. Elopement seemed correct until we factored in all the friends we’ve had since childhood that we love so much and all of their parents who made us feel like family too. Our list of bare minimum 12 including us quickly ballooned into 75. We looked at so many venues and realized the lowest we can get a full wedding including food, alcohol, venue, DJ, decor and tables is a little over $12,000. Really small amount compared to some of the $38,000 weddings I’ve heard people throw. With the current economic climate I’m having some trepidation signing the contract and putting in the 50% deposite. Lots of doubt creeping into my head. Is it a smart financial decision? I still live in an apartment… should I save that money for a house? Is it even worth saving it for a house? $6,000 doesn’t get you far in Southern California. Should I save it all for a rainy day? Am I going to regret a courthouse elopement when I’ve dreamed about a ceremony and first dance? I’ve also considered a courthouse wedding and a small dinner after but the quotes are CRAZY starting at food minimums of $3,500. With no parents to turn to for this type of help, I thought I’d throw my plea in here. Any words of wisdom are greatly appreciated