Hi! I'm Pam and live just north of Denver. Colorado, as you may know is a land-locked state. But my hubby of now 3 years and I threw a wedding luau (including dresses & shirts for the wedding party, flowers DIRECTLY from the grower in Hawaii, hula dancers, AND a live band, AND a roasted pig) for 110 people for $6,600. We had decorations and flowers everywhere! Our "cake" was mini chocolate eclaires with Amaretto cream and Kaluah cream fillings, in the shape of a volcano with bright orange spun sugar for lava. We got thank you cards from our family and guests for throwing the best party they had ever been to!!
The secret? Three HUGE money savers: 1. DO use throw-away cameras. We had them on every table and a few others, just sitting around. The candid pix the guests took are wonderful memories from many perspectives. We bought them in bulk for less than $5 each. 2. DON'T mention the "W" word when shopping for prices and vendors. I found the prices on everything to be double (or more!) for a "wedding" over a "family reunion". Same party, same guest list, but less than half the price (even photographers). 3. DON'T be affraid to tell a vendor that "so-and-so will do it for X-dollars, but I'd rather use you. What can you do for me so that I can stay within my budget?" You'd be surprised what a little negotiating can do.
By the way, our volcano cake was a serious hit out of the park and only cost $250.