Help us find a venue!

finallytime37

My FI and I are in need of some help.  We are thrifty, not really comfortable spending more than 8,000 for the day.  So the venue should be somewhere between 5000-6000.  We're getting married in Birmingham and would like to be somewhere within 20 minutes.  We're ok with either packages or bringing in a caterer.  The guest list is looking like 200.  We'd like to have a full bar.  We're not as interested in chair covers or chocolate fountains.  We're trying to be basic with an open bar.  Indoor or Outdoor location - preferring indoor.

We may be completely unrealistic, but I know if it's out there you all can help!  Right now we have the church tenatively June 11, but there is some flexibility. 

Thank you all so much in advance!

corinne2010

One thing that I can think of off the top of my head is that if you have a Friday or Sunday wedding, you'll be able to stay well within your limit. Also, you have chosen a date that is during peak wedding season. If you want to save money, try early spring or late fall. Most venues are willing to give you a discount if you meet their minimum. I know there are some venues (Plymouth Manor and St. Mary's in Farmington) that will allow you to bring in your own alcohol. This can save quite a bit of $$$. I don't have any recs though of places closer to Birmingham. I imagine you'd have to pay a pretty penny though for that area.

cmkuno

My wedding was at the Heather's Club in Bloomfield Hills.  It's a really classy place and they gave us a great deal!  See pics and contact info in my bio.  

But just as a heads up, the generally rule is the reception accounts for about half the budget.  So if you're spending $6,000 on that you're going to have a really hard time staying under $8,000 for the entire wedding!  You've got cake, photographer, dress, flowers, shoes, rings, transportation, videographer, DJ, invitations, programs, BP gifts...the list goes on and on!  I was surprised how much the little things add up, so leave some spare room in your budget so you don't get into trouble at the end when bills come due.  

If it's essential that you stay under $8,000, I would lower your budget for the reception to more like $4,000 or $5,000 tops.  And that is going to be VERY hard to do if you really want to invite 200 guests and serve dinner!  You're probably going to have to be a little untraditional and either (a) have a Friday or Sunday wedding, (b) serve a very casual dinner, (c) have a dry reception with no alcohol, or something along those lines.  I'm not trying to crush your dreams or anything, I just want to make you aware of the realities of how expensive a typical wedding is!  I'm not saying it can't be done for $8k, it's just going to require some sacrifices.  Better you know up front I think! 

ladydiy2004

YES it can be done! Dont let anyone discourage you Im having a wedding with 150 people full open bar and dinner everythings included for 4500 in Livonia.

mordacious

In Response to <a href="http://forums.weddings.com/Sites/Weddings/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_michigan-detroit_venue-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:88Discussion:4726f8e2-e054-4039-9960-b8b694d44eb7Post:05334082-9168-42ef-a19f-1f24fecae9de">Re: Help us find a venue!</a>:
[QUOTE]My wedding was at the Heather's Club in Bloomfield Hills.  It's a really classy place and they gave us a great deal!  See pics and contact info in my bio.   But just as a heads up, the generally rule is the reception accounts for about half the budget.  So if you're spending $6,000 on that you're going to have a really hard time staying under $8,000 for the entire wedding!  You've got cake, photographer, dress, flowers, shoes, rings, transportation, videographer, DJ, invitations, programs, BP gifts...the list goes on and on!  I was surprised how much the little things add up, so leave some spare room in your budget so you don't get into trouble at the end when bills come due.   If it's essential that you stay under $8,000, I would lower your budget for the reception to more like $4,000 or $5,000 tops.  And that is going to be VERY hard to do if you really want to invite 200 guests and serve dinner!  You're probably going to have to be a little untraditional and either (a) have a Friday or Sunday wedding, (b) serve a very casual dinner, (c) have a dry reception with no alcohol, or something along those lines.  I'm not trying to crush your dreams or anything, I just want to make you aware of the realities of how expensive a typical wedding is!  I'm not saying it can't be done for $8k, it's just going to require some sacrifices.  Better you know up front I think! 
Posted by cmkuno[/QUOTE]


Agreed. I would not book a place for 5 or 6K with a budget of 8K until you do some serious research into how much the rest of the stuff will cost you.

Don't forget makeup and hair, rehersal dinner, tux, accessories, etc. A lot of stuff you can cut out like most flowers, programs, videographer, transportation, etc. but I think even with doing that, you will have a very hard time staying on budget if you spend more than half on the reception.