Definitely budget related - weddings

[swilshire]

DD 24 just became engaged and we're already going crazy trying to plan the July 2011 wedding. When DH and I were married, he built an arbor in the backyard and we were married there. The reception was held on the porch. No provisions for rain (which it did, but fortunately early in the morning and not enough to make it muddy). Can't remember where we borrowed the chairs from. I worked part-time in a restaurant and they furnished the food at cost. Lots of our friends contributed to the wedding in lieu of gifts. The grooms cake, the flowers for the top of the wedding cake, the video, the photos, the dj .... all gifts.

DD has considered and rejected several venues for the wedding. We'd all like a beach wedding, but two elderly grandmothers can't travel far, so we need to stay local. Some of the prices are ridiculous. We found one place that was very reasonable, but the port-a-johns ruined the otherwise perfect place.

Any and all tips appreciated. We're going to look tomorrow at one place that would be very nice, but we'd have to rent our own tent(s), chairs and tables. No idea how much all of that would cost.



Sheila

 

[mrsklamc]

Can the port a johns be moved?

 

[gillenkl]

My DD10 was watching "Disney Dream Weddings with David Tutera" on tv this morning......there's a budget buster.....she better start saving now!

I don't have any advice but congratulations to your DD!!

 

[jlodoj]

Congrats to your daughter! I think she may be saying the port-a-johns are the bathroom options.

 

[mrsklamc]

Congrats to your daughter! I think she may be saying the port-a-johns are the bathroom options.

Oh, I get it now...I'm a little slow. I thought they were just ruining the ambience.

I wanted a beach wedding too...just immediate family and then a reception at home. DH veto'd , wanted his whole extended family there...Just thought I would suggest it since every family dynamic is different.

 

[laurafergie]

I have no idea of what your budget is - But renting tents and chairs are not as scary as you may think. When my parents remarried (long story) we did an outdoor wedding for 150 folks. Rented tents, tables, chairs, dishware, silverware etc.. The rental costs were a few thousand plus or minus. And they set up and took down the tents and delivered everything.

I want to say everything, including rental, food, cake and dress was under $5000. We did have a free place for the wedding to take place though. A photographer friend did the pictures and I catered the food. So that kept the costs down.

You have to get your budget (stick to it) Firmed Up - Then you will see what the options are.

BIG ADVICE - I have catered many events - DO NOT think as Mother of the Bride or your DD as the Bride - that you will have time to do ANYTHING the day before or the day of the wedding as far as work - Those two days you are just the Mom and the Bride. Trust me on this one. (Speaking as someone who has picked up the pieces too many times while everyone is freaking out)

 

[annsteere]

Go to www.stretcher.com and then go to weddings.

Tietheknot is another site with ideas.

Congrats. Our DD is getting married Sat. It is a wonderful time of life. Great fun and bonding as long as you remember it is HER wedding and she remembers that it is about a marriage not a one day show.

Beware the wedding business machine. We are doing a big budget event and some of the vendors are crazy: My blood pressure went up this week when the dress shop resisted steaming out the seams on her dress to give her an additional inch of space to breathe and dance comfortably. We'd prepaid $250 for alterations and all we wanted was an ironing job so I knew it couldn't be the effort. The consultant said "You will look thinner if you leave it like this." DD is 5'9" and 110 pounds--size 0 or 3!! Somebody has lost their mind.

 

[Deesknee]

Congratulations on your DD engagement.

We rented for our kids graduation party. Not a wedding, but....
We rented the medium size tent, I think it was about 15x20, that was $450. The chairs were cushioned and very sturdy they were $1.25 each, the tables were round and sat 10 people the were $6 each. This was just last summer. We could have rented walls on the tent also for weather, but we chanced it & saved the extra money. I was so impressed at what you can rent now a days. A dance floor, ambience lighting, silverware,plates, champagne glasses & fountain, dj equipment, bubble machines, cotton candy machines, the list went on and on. The company we went thru did delivery & set up the tent, we set the tables & chairs up.

I do agree with the previous poster, don't try to do anything yourself. I didn't enjoy my kids graduation the way I should have, because I was too busy doing "hostess" stuff. And that was with 2 awesome friends taking control of setting up food buffets & alot of the clean up. Make sure you enjoy this day.

 

[EKW]

I take it you don't have a faith community...that would be my first stop for an inexpensive venue.

How about local art galleries, museums, etc? Are there any community halls? Community centers? Nondemonitational chapels (Odd Fellows, etc)? Historical homes that are on the parks registry?

You might call your local Chamber of Commerce and ask if they know of any local sites that host weddings.

Good luck!

 

[4Seasons]

What about a local botanical gardens?

 

[Disfamily0405]

I don't know how much your budget is for but I can tell you I had a cheap wedding...all told license, venue, food, cake, decorations, dress, hubby's outfit, everything cost me roughly $2500. I decided to get super crafty and so I decorated everything myself, with the help of some wonderful friends and family. so my suggestion would be to think creatively about the port-a-johns. I used some really cheap satin like fabric and tulle I got at Hobby Lobby (ours occasionally has all wedding stuff 1/2 off) to conceal the less than desirable things such as the bathroom and storage room, it was still accessible but didn't stick out and ruin the ambiance. I have to say I should have bought stock in 3M stick up hooks, I used them EVERYWHERE, just bunched up the tulle or cloth and tied them with some pretty ribbon and then hung the ribbon on the hook. I have to say it was easy and beautiful. The funny thing was that our Disneymoon cost almost DOUBLE what our wedding cost
Congrats to your DD, whatever y'all decide on always remember it is the happiest day of her life and no matter how lavish or budget it is nothing will change that.

 

[swilshire]

Can the port a johns be moved?

Yes, but then there would be no where to go.

Definitely not good.

DD looked at the fancy trailer toilet rentals and they were quite expensive.

Sheila

 

[swilshire]

What about a local botanical gardens?

They are definitely on the list. They have pictures of beautiful weddings on their website. The local art museum was one of the first places she called. $3000 for the first 3 hours and they don't furnish anything.

We're trying to do this on a tight budget, but as mentioned above, everything is just crazy.

Sheila

 

[4Seasons]

Yes, but then there would be no where to go.

Definitely not good.

DD looked at the fancy trailer toilet rentals and they were quite expensive.

Sheila

So if they cannot be moved and are the ONLY obstacle to an otherwise perfect venue, can some type of screen be constructed so they cannot be seen?

 

[Ress76]

Is a local park an option? We were married in an enclosed pavillion (actually, an old farmhouse) a overlooking Lake Ontario, and the site cost us $150 for the day. A friend did the catering, our best man and his wife made out cake, my mom made my dress, friends helped decorate. As a PP poster said, the honeymoon cost mroe than the wedding.

There are a lot of places you can cut corners on a wedding-Friday evenings is generally cheaper than Saturdays. A smaller wedding in obviously cheaper than a larger one. Photography/videography can be very expensive. Food is expensive. You and your daughter just need to sit down and see where herr dream-fairytale-perfect wedding can be altered a little bit to fit the budget. For us, we always wanted a small wedding (still wound up being larger than I'd have liked, but DH has a HUGE close family), we wanted it to be local, I've known what I wanted for a wedding dress since college. It can be done

 

[hffmnheidi]

Make sure you check out the dollar stores for paper plates, napkins, cups, paper tablecloths, and wedding bubbles for the guests. You'd be surprised at how dollar store items can be transformed with a little creativity.

You can always purchase wedding stamps and ink pads and stamp the napkins and cups with a wedding icon. Don't do it on the plates because the ink could possibly run into the food items. Same idea with the tablecloths. Spice up the bubble jars by tying some wedding ribbon around the lids. You could possibly save on the ribbons by using a Michael's coupon.

 

[Colleen27]

Have you looked around at state/county parks? They usually have real restrooms and such, but tend to be beautiful and quite affordable. The only hitch might be alcohol; we had a couple parks in mind for ceremony & reception until we learned they don't allow alcohol.

Another idea, and one I wish I'd thought of when I was planning my wedding, is to look for unusual gardens/farms that might host ceremonies. There's a privately-owned garden in our community that hosts events but is primarily a showcase of the plants the family sells at their greenhouse/nursery, and there's a lavender farm in the area that is also available for wedding services. My 8yo has already decided she's getting married on the lavender farm after we went for an afternoon tea there; it is just so beautiful and everything smells amazing with acres of lavender blowing in the breeze!

 

[swilshire]

So if they cannot be moved and are the ONLY obstacle to an otherwise perfect venue, can some type of screen be constructed so they cannot be seen?

It's not the sight of them that we object to so much as USING them in July temps. Yuck!

Sheila

 

[Illuminations_Rocks]

It's not the sight of them that we object to so much as USING them in July temps. Yuck!

Sheila

If that's the case, can you look into one of the "luxury" porta potty rentals? They are WAY nicer than the regular old port a lets and some even offer "flushing" capability.

 

[tommya60]

Two friends are in the planning stages for their daughter's weddings....both have found that calling and asking for quotes for a catered dinner resulted in significantly lower costs--even after adding in cake cutting/serving and some other 'extras'.

If you have any colleges/universities nearby you might try there. A local college has a beautiful conference center, lovely gardens, etc. It's not ideal for a wedding during the school year because of parking problems, but it's great in the summer when school is not in full session.