Budget Weddings Forum

X-post Consumer Reports

The new issue of Consumer Reports magazine has 31 ways to save on your wedding.  Interesting read.  I agree with everything except they think cash bars and honeyfunds are OK "in certain cases".
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Re: X-post Consumer Reports

  • Link is here: http://www.consumerreports.org/weddings/cheap-wedding-31-ways-to-save/

    "5. Party before dinner­time. For instance, Vecoma at the Yellow River, a banquet hall in Snellville, Ga., offers “Over Before 5 p.m.” specials for Saturday events that end before 5 p.m., starting at about $4,330 for 75 people, including the rental of the venue, food, beverages, service charges, and tax."

    I look at this and I wonder how considerate this would be for guests who, in my case, are coming from Boston to the Hudson Valley (a 4.5 hour trip one way). What do you ask friends to do after hauling all that way and ending things at 5? An after party? Well, there goes your budget.

    I am a fan of #7:

    "7. Head to a restaurant. This is a good choice if the guest list isn’t too huge, and you can opt for a nonpeak time such as Thursday night or Sunday daytime. “They can have bud vases on the tables; they can include the wine, beer, and the bar as part of the minimum; and often there is little to no space rental fee,” says Jove Meyer, owner of Jove Meyer Events in Brooklyn, N.Y. “You can take care of a huge part of your wedding this way, and the space can be aesthetically gorgeous.” "

    If you don't really care to dance or do any of the buffoonery of modern industrial weddings, having wine or cocktails and good conversation flow would be a fantastic alternative for people. 

    One of the last ones is fascinating: 

    "24. Forget the favors. “They’re often a waste,” Hardin declares. “People rarely take them.” Or give something your guests will really use. Order enough for half of your guests, and still expect to see leftovers."

    My MOH worked in a banquet hall for years. She's seen all sorts of weddings, the worst to the best of bridekind, and has found the best favors tend to be the ones people can eat (a candy bar or a package of truffles at each plate), the worst ones are live animals (staff ended up taking home mini bags of goldfsh one couple so blithely provided), and the ones most left behind are coasters or generic wedding themed things.

    We're doing a candy bar because I bought another bride's candy towers off Craigslist for cheap, and who doesn't love being able to select their favorite candy with mini scoops. 
  • Link is here: http://www.consumerreports.org/weddings/cheap-wedding-31-ways-to-save/

    "5. Party before dinner­time. For instance, Vecoma at the Yellow River, a banquet hall in Snellville, Ga., offers “Over Before 5 p.m.” specials for Saturday events that end before 5 p.m., starting at about $4,330 for 75 people, including the rental of the venue, food, beverages, service charges, and tax."

    I look at this and I wonder how considerate this would be for guests who, in my case, are coming from Boston to the Hudson Valley (a 4.5 hour trip one way). What do you ask friends to do after hauling all that way and ending things at 5? An after party? Well, there goes your budget.

    I am a fan of #7:

    "7. Head to a restaurant. This is a good choice if the guest list isn’t too huge, and you can opt for a nonpeak time such as Thursday night or Sunday daytime. “They can have bud vases on the tables; they can include the wine, beer, and the bar as part of the minimum; and often there is little to no space rental fee,” says Jove Meyer, owner of Jove Meyer Events in Brooklyn, N.Y. “You can take care of a huge part of your wedding this way, and the space can be aesthetically gorgeous.” "

    If you don't really care to dance or do any of the buffoonery of modern industrial weddings, having wine or cocktails and good conversation flow would be a fantastic alternative for people. 

    One of the last ones is fascinating: 

    "24. Forget the favors. “They’re often a waste,” Hardin declares. “People rarely take them.” Or give something your guests will really use. Order enough for half of your guests, and still expect to see leftovers."

    My MOH worked in a banquet hall for years. She's seen all sorts of weddings, the worst to the best of bridekind, and has found the best favors tend to be the ones people can eat (a candy bar or a package of truffles at each plate), the worst ones are live animals (staff ended up taking home mini bags of goldfsh one couple so blithely provided), and the ones most left behind are coasters or generic wedding themed things.

    We're doing a candy bar because I bought another bride's candy towers off Craigslist for cheap, and who doesn't love being able to select their favorite candy with mini scoops. 
    Well, they could always go home.  If they leave at 5, they can be home by 9:30 and enjoy whatever evening activities they choose in their own locations.  Or if you all want to go out after the event is over, that's fine too.  Nobody is obligated to pay for anyone else in a casual after-party hangout situation like that.  There's nothing inconsiderate about having a properly-hosted wedding you can afford at whatever time of day makes sense.
  • Link is here: http://www.consumerreports.org/weddings/cheap-wedding-31-ways-to-save/

    "5. Party before dinner­time. For instance, Vecoma at the Yellow River, a banquet hall in Snellville, Ga., offers “Over Before 5 p.m.” specials for Saturday events that end before 5 p.m., starting at about $4,330 for 75 people, including the rental of the venue, food, beverages, service charges, and tax."

    I look at this and I wonder how considerate this would be for guests who, in my case, are coming from Boston to the Hudson Valley (a 4.5 hour trip one way). What do you ask friends to do after hauling all that way and ending things at 5? An after party? Well, there goes your budget.

    I am a fan of #7:

    "7. Head to a restaurant. This is a good choice if the guest list isn’t too huge, and you can opt for a nonpeak time such as Thursday night or Sunday daytime. “They can have bud vases on the tables; they can include the wine, beer, and the bar as part of the minimum; and often there is little to no space rental fee,” says Jove Meyer, owner of Jove Meyer Events in Brooklyn, N.Y. “You can take care of a huge part of your wedding this way, and the space can be aesthetically gorgeous.” "

    If you don't really care to dance or do any of the buffoonery of modern industrial weddings, having wine or cocktails and good conversation flow would be a fantastic alternative for people. 

    One of the last ones is fascinating: 

    "24. Forget the favors. “They’re often a waste,” Hardin declares. “People rarely take them.” Or give something your guests will really use. Order enough for half of your guests, and still expect to see leftovers."

    My MOH worked in a banquet hall for years. She's seen all sorts of weddings, the worst to the best of bridekind, and has found the best favors tend to be the ones people can eat (a candy bar or a package of truffles at each plate), the worst ones are live animals (staff ended up taking home mini bags of goldfsh one couple so blithely provided), and the ones most left behind are coasters or generic wedding themed things.

    We're doing a candy bar because I bought another bride's candy towers off Craigslist for cheap, and who doesn't love being able to select their favorite candy with mini scoops. 
    We rented a restaurant for our reception. It cost us nothing but an $800 food minimum which we more than covered in appetizers. It was so much cheaper than doing the reception at the same venue as the ceremony since we won't have to rent everything.

    Someone watched Bridesmaids too many times to think that live animals was a good favor. 
  • We rented a restaurant for our reception. It cost us nothing but an $800 food minimum which we more than covered in appetizers. It was so much cheaper than doing the reception at the same venue as the ceremony since we won't have to rent everything.

    Someone watched Bridesmaids too many times to think that live animals was a good favor. 
    I am old in Knot terms, but when I first joined in the mid-00s, for some reason a lot of people thought goldfish centerpieces were cool.  "People can just take them home" (because everyone has a whole setup for goldfish just sitting around at home?) "or the event staff can just flush them after the reception!"  At least once a week, and they were ugly, ugly threads.  Fortunately, that "trend" seems to have died, for the most part.

    As for ending the reception early, lots of people (myself included) have brunch weddings.  Guests are hosted for the duration of the event, but the couple isn't obligated to entertain them for the entire day.  Guests can choose to attend, or not.
  • I find the before 5pm one kind of funny.   I've attended a lot of weddings that ended before 5.  They had full meals, full open bars and a ton of dancing.   My social groups doesn't give a shit what time of day it is, if we are together there will be drinking and partying.     

    Afterwards we either go to an after-party at someone's house or hotel suite or people just go home or to their hotel.


    ::shrugs::







    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
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