Venue Shopping Newbie

Re: Venue Shopping Newbie

• vulpiepop member

  

  December 2014

  What kind of venue is it? This really depends on your venue and the packages (if they have packages) you get with them. Like if you use their caterer, you might be able to negotiate a little bit on the catering package, but as far as I know from my venue search, venue fees are pretty much non-negotiable. 

  
  

  I'm sure there are cases where this isn't the case though; ie. if you're renting a space that doesn't normally do weddings or renting a barn from an individual, they may negotiate venue fees. But if you're renting a ballroom at a hotel or a popular space for weddings, they probably wouldn't budge.

  
  

  

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• arrrghmatey member

  

  December 2014 edited December 2014

  Ditto what the previous poster said. It all depends on what kind of packages your venues are offering. Some examples from our venue where you could lower some costs:

  
  

  -Hosted bar (wine, beer, signature drink) versus a full bar (just don't do a cash bar! Etiquette no-no!)

  -Dinner buffet versus a formal plated dinner

  -Stationary appetizers during cocktail hour versus passed

  -Banquet chairs versus chiavari chairs (some venues offer very good alternatives to chiavari)

  
  

  Also, definitely ASK the coordinators of the venues for where you can cut costs. They certainly won't say "Oh, you only want to pay this much? Okay, done! You get a discount!" but most (if not all) of them will be more than happy to give you options that may save you some dollars.

                                   

  
  

                                                 

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• JamieLynn913 member

  

  December 2014

  I agree with the above posters. Each place we went, it was pretty much set in stone. They had different "packages" you could choose from, but as far as cutting costs, I don't even know where you would start with that. 

  
  

  As already said, you can save money with doing different bar options, different dinner options, etc. But I don't think you will be able to flat out ask them where you can save the most. Also, some venues offered us coupons ($500 off for booking with them, free ceremony if you buy the uplighting, etc) so you can always ask if they offer any deals like that. 

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• ceduley member

  

  December 2014

  Sadly, most I believe are set in stone, but there are ways to save in other areas. We ended up saving about $5000 just shortening the reception by an hour and going with black and white standard linens. I wanted a mostly black and white wedding anyways and there are plenty of places for an after party for those who want to continue partying. Some of our friends went the route of closing down the open bar during dinner, or only having beer and wine instead of liquor, but i agree with the previous post, don't have a full cash bar, its just not cool. 

  Go through and cut down in other areas as well, we went far over our budget to book the venue we wanted, but are being crafty with the decor and other things. Check out wedding-recycle.com and similar sites. Most brides use decor for one day, take advantage. Also, stationary, really not as important as it used to be. We sent save the date postcards, which saved $100+. Same with more casual invitations, and finally skip the programs, they just get thrown away. Good luck!

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