Bride on a Budget-new here

knottie04c62e9c802de2ad

Hello brides! My fiancé and I were engaged on November 2.  We are in our late thirties, he has one child and I have three.  It will be my second marriage, his first.  

A little background on what we have planned so far for our wedding: we have booked a place just north of Charleston, SC (we are from KY) as a venue for our wedding and reception.  We paid $800 and this price includes tables and chairs.  I also already have my dress and have picked out my colors.

Other than that, we have nothing else planned.  We just bought a house and new furniture, so are wanting to keep the wedding as inexpensive as possible, but also nice and a good time for the 50 or more people that we expect will make the trip to SC.  We scheduled the wedding on a Monday due to prices being quite a bit less on weekdays.  We also found out that we can provide our own alcohol.  We do want to have a DJ and photographer.

I guess what I’m looking for most would be tips to make the space look nice without breaking the bank. Also, how to save on food costs as well as flowers (I’m leaning toward doing artificial flowers).  I’d love to keep the cost under $3,000 if at all possible, but I’m thinking there probably is no way to do that with everything we want to include.  

Thanks in advance for any tips!!

MyNameIsNot

Since it's a destination, I would recommend hiring someone local to help with the planning. It sounds like your venue is just a space with furniture, but you'll have to hire catering, floral, decor, bar/bartender, dishes, etc separately. A local planner will have the contacts for all those vendors and can be there to make sure everything is set up and arranged correctly on the day of. 

knottie04c62e9c802de2ad

Do you know where I would look to find someone and what they typically charge?  I know that when we were looking at another venue they had an in-house coordinator that cost $2500

MyNameIsNot

I don't know anyone in Charleston. You could try the local board or local yelp type sites. In general, I would think that you could find someone for less than that, but Charleston is such a touristy town that it may just be expensive. 

maine7mob

Your budget sounds low for 50 people. Even if you bring your own alcohol, you will most likely be required to hire a bartender to serve it (most states require this, although there may be some exceptions). This might cost more than you expect.

I suggest talking to the inns/hotels in the area and asking for suggestions. Even if they aren't catering your wedding, they may know who the players are. And you'll want to establish a contact with at least one hotel for your guests to stay.

knottie04c62e9c802de2ad

Yes, I had a feeling it is low.  That is just wishful thinking on my part.  My venue did not say we needed to hire a bartender, just that we weren’t allowed to sell the alcohol, although my fiancé wants to hire one.  Thank you for the suggestions, I will try these!

levioosa

Hiring a bartender not only protects the venue, it protects you. I agree that $3000 seems a little low. 

MesmrEwe

Silk flowers won't save you money over hiring a florist and letting them run with your theme and needs within a (realistic) budget.  This also goes for most DIY because the nickels and dimes add up (floral tape, cutters, pins, boxes to haul them without getting mangled, etc.).  Otherwise, you could order your flowers in to arrive Saturday from someplace like Sam's, BJ's, Costco as they sell wedding flowers pre-made and all you need to do us cut the stems and place them in water the evening before or morning of (if you've got the time with the thousand other details you've got to attend to).  But really, a good local florist is the easiest way to go.  

Skipping centerpieces is the fastest way to save money.  We did "Table cakes" but you could do a plate of desserts at each table and save yourself a "cutting fee".  When you look at caterers remember that the price they give you will likely be half by the time you tack on 20% service fee, 20% gratuity, and 10% tax.  Some caterers will include a basic centerpiece if you ask (i.e. mirror and candles), some also include a basic dessert.   Also, all caterers have a budget friendly option if you ask especially for off-peak days of the week.  The caterer we used for my parent's 50th Anniversary had a "Friday night buffet on Saturday" but we got no choice of what was on the buffet, and no one walked away hungry!  Yes, pay for bussing service because the last thing you want to be doing is cleaning up tables/plates at the end of the evening.  

Skip favors because half the guests won't take them and unless they're edible, they're just an added unnecessary expense.  People would rather have a nicer entree' or larger slice of good cake.  

Also, set your guest list and find out where your numbers are.  50 people becomes OH **** in a hurry when names are actually written out.  

MesmrEwe

Also, $3000 is doable if you guard your nickels and dimes!

climbingsingle

I actually totally skipped flowers. It saved me a ton of money. And I made our centerpieces myself