How cheap can you go and still have a classy and comfortable wedding in LA?

The best way of approaching this it to figure out what you want the most for your wedding, the big ticket items first. Then you know what your base cost is going to be. From there you can find some really great ways to cut costs for the things that are not so important. My husband and I did this, we wanted a limo for the whole day and night, that was the most important thing and then we went from there. We decided to have our wedding on a cruise boat that held 150 people and had the ceremony on the boat and a reception after at a family members home. Although we don't live in LA and I am sure the costs are more expensive there, it is still possible to find ways to cut costs and have a great party. It all comes down to shopping around and creative budgeting. We were able to do our whole wedding, reception (full meal for all guests), limo and wedding dress, Tux, wedding cake and decorations for three thousand.

I would skip the church/temple and have an officiant or an official from your religion preside at the wedding reception. This also saves transportation from one site to another. It also gives you more time to prepare for wedding such as getting dressed, last minute things, photographs, etc. It also saves cost on photographs since you will be doing on one site as opposed to going to both places and taking up more time which costs more money. I would suggest a closed bar. This is good since you will prevent any drunk or embarrasing behavior. Let pple buy their own drinks, however, you should provide soda, ice tea, and coffee. The best way to save costs is to hold the ceremony/reception in a beautiful restaurant with a dance floor. This will save you money on decoration and flowers. Many restaurants include tablecloth, nice china, candles, etc as part of the package. There are places that offer few course meal. This is probably more preferrable and classy than a buffet. Ethnic food is the rage and is more cost effective as oppossed to American food. DJ is cheaper than a band.

i dont know how much does it cost for a marriage at the registry office and a week away?forget the party people just come drink your piss eat your food and then you never hear from them again.it's about you and your wife,your enjoyment no one elses.just my opinion though.besides that i just happened to see a write up that says the average wedding costs 40k.