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Stressed About Affordable Venue :(

deslanact21deslanact21 member
First Comment
in Oregon
Ok- So after 5 and 1/2 years of dating, my bf finally asked me to marry him 2 weeks ago.  Now because he is in the military (wounded vet at Ft. Lewis), we're having to plan the wedding around his work schedule and mine.  So we have decided that a Dec. 30th or 31st wedding (2011)  is our best option because we both have vacation then.  

So we're trying to throw this thing together quickly.  He keeps saying lets just elope-- but I have always dreamed of wearing the dress and taking the photos and cutting the cake etc. And I know if we don't do that, I will regret it.  

However, our biggest problem is venue.  I have found very few options that are in our incredibly small budget--  we need everything (to include invitations, photographer, dress, catering, venue, invitations, etc.)  to be under $5000.  I'm finding this nearly impossible.

We need an indoor venue with handicap access.  We are willing to cut the guest list down to 60 people if it will get us into an affordable space.  We might just do an IPod for music, we may do cupcakes or sheet cake, our decorations are being lent to us from my work.  But the biggest obstacle is venue.  It would be nice to have a place thats all-inclusive b/c we don't live in the Portland/Vancouver area (we need to have the wedding their because almost all of our family is in that area)

PLEASE HELP with any ideas or suggestions!!! I am getting desperate.  I don't want to cut every corner or forfeit a special day because of money!  
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Re: Stressed About Affordable Venue :(

  • DramaGeekDramaGeek member
    5 Love Its First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Check with Kevin at Ainsworth House and Gardens (www.ainsworthhouse.net).  See if Dec 30 is still available - they are doing 25% off their remaining open dates for 2011, so if you were able to get it, it would be $3300 for the venue, (gorgeous! and wheelchair accessible) and you could do a separate room for the ceremony and reception, tables, chairs, linens and centerpieces.  You would still need to fit your dress, flowers, photographer invites, cake and any food into the remaining budget.

    If you don't want to have to skimp so much on the other things, check into renting a community hall.  There are lots of them in the Portland area, primarily in the suburbs, but they won't come with much of anything.

    I think your best bet to keep costs down is going to be to do it on a Friday night (or weekday, which is even cheaper most places) and not do food, just dessert and a beverage or two, non alcoholic to save money.  If you did a 7:30 or 8 pm ceremony, you could have a dessert only reception and it could be really fun and festive.
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  • mayflymanitoumayflymanitou
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Our entire wedding budget (back in 2007, so prices may be different now) was also $5000.  It is absolutely do-able!  We went with McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse as our venue, and for $3500 we got our ceremony and reception space, chairs, tables, linens, and all the catering/ bar.  Gratuity was not included in that fee.  The barn is wheelchair accessible.

    You could also look at spaces at Kennedy School (also McMenamins). They have some rooms that could work really well for a small, intimate winter wedding.
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  • bethbloombethbloom
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I think your date may need to change - New Years Eve will cost 10x as much as any of the dates around it. The 30th would probably cost significantly less.
    I would also suggest not doing a dinner, either doing drinks and apps or dessert. 
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  • Jeni315Jeni315
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I hear ya girl! I'm in the same boat. I've been checking places that let you bring your catering and there are none except grange halls. It's because of the new food handlers law, nobody wants to be liable. The forestry center used to let you bring your own, but have since changed that. They do have a large list of prefered caterers to choose from though. They have 3 halls. One smaller that can hold about 150 people and a larger hall. It includes full kitchen, tables, chairs, raised stage, sound system and dance floor. The smaller room runs about $1200 "I think". My phone conveniently deleted all my pdf's :( so I have to email them with a price sheet again. The other place which is really pretty old buildings would be Fort Vancouver. Really "affordable" and again a list of preferred caterers. There are a few different buildings there to choose from and some have recently been remodeled. I hope that helps!! Good luck! And congrats :)

    ~UPDATED~ They emailed me back, For Cheatham Hall it's $1750 (fri, sat, sun), up to 150 people seated, 120 with dance floor (included in price), rental from noon to midnight, refundable $500 sec. dep on booking.
    For Miller Hall it's $2250 (fri or sun), $2500 (sat) up to 250 people seated, 230 with dance floor (included in price), includes tables, chairs, builtin sound system, wired mic and screen, rental from noon to midnight, refundable $500 sec. dep on booking.
    Hope you find what you are looking for! Laughing
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  • skatie414skatie414 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We're having our reception at Village Balloom, in NE Portland. It's not all inclusive, but the rental does include tables and chairs, and they're SUPER laid back about bringing in any caterers. They charge $150 per hour (plus $50 per bartender per the whole evening), and it's a nonprofit ballroom, so any proceeds they make go to a local charity. Our wedding isn't until the spring, but so far we've had very pleasant experiences with the ballroom. They can fit around 150 people. Could be worth checking out! Good luck!
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  • brianatappinbrianatappin
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Just a thought since you say your FI is a vet would be to ask some of the places you are interested in if they offer discounts for vets.  Many places already have this policy in place and it might be able to help you maintain your budget.  Or you could try looking into some of the military locations in this area.  My dad and step-mom got married in the chapel on the air-base here in Portland but didn't have the reception on location so I'm not sure if/what they have available.

    And like PPers have said, the McMenamins locations are nice because they only require a food/drink min. and don't charge a site fee.  My step-bro got married at edgefield in March and it turned out really nice.  One thing SIL did mention is that there were some things (like chair covers) that they were required to rent through McMen's which they thought was a little spendy, but was something they really wanted to "complete" the look.  They spent about 9k, but also had a little over 200 guests.  Their F/D minimum was 5k, but a lot of the smaller rooms can be much less.  Best thing to do I've found is to just contact any place that looks interesting and request more info.  Can be a little bit of work, but is defintiely helpful for those of us on the 5k budget.  :)

    Unfortunately, I can't be much more help than that as we ended up going with parents-only in Maui over an Oregon wedding.

    HTH and Good Luck!
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  • kutless31kutless31
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We have the same budget but we are looking for a vacation/beach house to rent for a weekend. We are having under 50 guests but for the coast most places are around $1,000 for the entire weekend! So you have a place for you and your family to stay, a kitchen for a small caterer and the rental place in Salem is super cheap for plates and linens, etc. Your best bet is to find a place you can get the most out of (ceremony, reception, lodging, etc) Also vacation houses slow time is Oct-May so great deals out there! Good luck!
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  • charitydeancharitydean member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Depending on how inclusive you're wanting I found this cafe downtown that says they can hold up to 175 (2 floors). It's basically for a DIY bride, someone who wants to bring in their own food. VERY affordable price www.purestcafe.net
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