How to Plan a $5,000 Wedding (Yes, It's Possible!)

Party Option #3: Intimate Dinner Party
 

Photo Credit: Allan Zepeda for Mel & Co, courtesy of Brooklyn Winery

Planner: Karen Bussen, New York City (karenbussen.com)

Guests: Up to 50

"Choose a small local restaurant that serves a seasonal menu," says Karen. "Small restaurants offer great value—the owners are often willing to negotiate and throw in extras."

Décor: Take a look at the restaurant's linens and inquire as to whether there are choices in colors, fabric types or patterns. Many restaurants are able to switch tablecloths and napkins for a small upcharge. Ask if you can use their dinner plates as chargers, or base plates, to give your table extra polish. Wrap fresh herbs (thyme and rosemary work well) around napkins, or use button mushrooms as place-card holders. Ask the manager to print a menu card with your names on it.

Centerpieces: Arrange small bowls of olives, hunks of parmesan cheese, dried fruits and nuts, glasses filled with breadsticks, bowls of grapes—and nestle in votive candles. Buy a few narrow glass cylinders (no taller than 8"), and place one or two blossoms in each. Arrange them here and there down the length of the table.

Cake: Many restaurant kitchens have dedicated pastry chefs who can make a small wedding cake. If you’re in a French bistro, why not opt for a croquembouche—a French wedding cake "tower," made of puff pastry and cream.