Laying tiles for bar countertop, need insight!?

For Memorial Day Weekend me and a few buddies have decided to host a party and throw a pig roast. The last thing on our list is building an outdoor bar. It's going to be roughly 7' x 3' and we want to make it look nice, I do take pride in craftsmanship. The counter-top is by far our biggest concern being that we want to tile most of it (6" x 6" porcelain). After consulting with one of my friends fathers he advised we need at least 1 1/2" of finished wood underneath the tile to avoid warping/cracking. He also mentioned something along the lines of 1 of the sides needing to be laminated/finished. I was wondering if there was any other/cheaper methods of accomplishing this, as I said cost is a concern being that we have spent a lot on the party as it is. Now if I have to spend the extra $ to do it right, that's fine, I don't believe in 1/2 a**ing a project. Just would like to know if there's another route we can take. I appreciate all of your help!