Price Estament Help

Stephanie&TonyLucas

My FH & I are trying to decide between a venue that is all inclusive (cake, food, drink, etc) and a Venue that you can bring in all your own venders.

I know both have good & bad. But what I am trying to figure out is how much all the "extra" stuff is for the "bring your own venders" venue.

One venue only has tables & chairs - EVERYTHING else is on our own.

Like Cake, Alcohol, Food, ;inens, flowers, photography, DJ etc.

We are estimating 150-175 guests. And I know every body is different but if you wouldn't mind sharing what you spent it would help me get an idea.

PS Before you tell me to call around to place, please note I am doing that too.. Im just trying to see what is an average. Im curious on what YOU spent on this so I can factor in highs & lows.

Thank you!

t12ubeauty

I'm not sure about food because my venue includes catering. Im not sure how much alcohol costs either but I'm certain it's much cheaper if you can provide your own...you do have to hire your own TABC licensed bartenders though. Photographers vary depending on how much you want to spend ...anywhere from $1000 and beyond. I'd say average decent photographer I've seen is $2000-3000. Dj can range from $600 to $1000 Linens vary depending on what you want...$10 to $20 for tablecloths, $3 for chaircovers $1 to 1.50 each for sashes and napkins. Flowers also depend on how much Jou want to spend but i would day $2000 to $3000 but could be less if you want less flowers. Hope that helped a little.

monkeysip

I haven't bought/paid for any of these things yet, so I can't help you there, but I will add on two tips to the previous poster's post.

First, buy, don't rent linens.  They're usually the same price to purchase from many different stores on the web, and then you can resell them.  Don't count on getting a whole lot back when you sell them, but something is better than nothing.  If you check the classifieds boards (or craigslist, etc.) you can find cheap linens sometimes.

Second, you can do flowers for a fraction of the cost if you get them from Costco or order them online and DIY (you can actually order things like bouquets ready made, but its pricier, but still WAY cheaper than using a florist).  

llomas

When it comes to all inclusive places, really look at what they are offering and see if that is what you want.  What do you want most control over, DJ, photographer, Caterer?  This should help you decide more than price.

 Catering, do you want buffet? Do you want white glove service? What will the all inclusive service do? Will they clear plates, will they serve your guests, what about for toasting? The same could be said for the cake. Will the all inclusive site cut and serve your cake, or will you have to pay your baker to do this, will they even do this, or will an outside caterer do this for you?  These are all questions you need to ask.

As for Alcohol, I think you should choose a venue that will allow you to bring your own alcohol. This way you control from what to how much and when it is served. For my guests im estimating about $700 for alcohol. You may need your own bartender, but again check and see what an all inclusive package includes.

Our venue is all inclusive in that they will serve our food and clear plates and will cut and serve our cake.  They will provide a dj and a bartender but we must provide our own alcohol.  This package cost us about 10,000 for 115 people.  I was on my own for everything else, but I found great deals on idodailydeals.com and found my florist, photobooth and linens for all discounted prices, so I highly recommend signing up on their website.  For me the most important thing is photography and videography, so I had to have a venue that I could choose these on my own and im spending about $3000 for both.  My wedding is in March and I anticipate spending 18,000 for everything for 115 people.

Send me a message if you want any more info, and I hope this helps

rebeccaa12

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-houston_price-estament-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:121Discussion:c430d33e-2d5f-4caf-a6a3-f0b9be5e12bcPost:809abee0-9eb3-4c6f-b0b4-f82ad579ce99">Re: Price Estament Help</a>:
[QUOTE]I haven't bought/paid for any of these things yet, so I can't help you there, but I will add on two tips to the previous poster's post. First, buy, don't rent linens.  They're usually the same price to purchase from many different stores on the web, and then you can resell them.  Don't count on getting a whole lot back when you sell them, but something is better than nothing.  If you check the classifieds boards (or craigslist, etc.) you can find cheap linens sometimes. Second, you can do flowers for a fraction of the cost if you get them from Costco or order them online and DIY (you can actually order things like bouquets ready made, but its pricier, but still WAY cheaper than using a florist).  
Posted by monkeysip[/QUOTE]

All of this. Also, I might add, when estimating prices, really think about what is important to you/your FI. For instance, with me and mine, premium full open bar was critical. Therefore, to make it less expensive, we found a place that was going to allow us to bring in our own alcohol. For some people, it could be food, or decor, or whatever.

I suggest finding the paramaters that are going to make you most happy then try to budget off of that.
 
I can also second monkeysip's comment about the DIY arrangements and having boquets made. I did just that, and yea, based on what I got quoted from several florists, it saved me about 6-700 dollars.

ETA: To better answer your question- My venue provided catering, cake, reception and venue. I bought the DJ, Video, Photo and Liquor.

To feed 300, and have rental for 7 hours on a Saturday,  including apps was around 12,500

Stephanie&TonyLucas

Thanks LLOMAS - I sent you a PM

And thank you t12ubeauty & monkeysip

Yall were very helpful!!

kn8973

Wow Rebecca that is a great day!!  Where is your venue?!

rebeccaa12

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-houston_price-estament-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:121Discussion:c430d33e-2d5f-4caf-a6a3-f0b9be5e12bcPost:dd700b8f-5735-4a6b-8342-d8228ba67e62">Re: Price Estament Help</a>:
[QUOTE]Wow Rebecca that is a great day!!  Where is your venue?!
Posted by kn8973[/QUOTE]

It sucks, I TOTALLY don't recommend it,and of all of the vendors I've used, this one has been the most dissapointing. It's pretty on the inside and decent priced, but I seriously wish I looked around more. I caution anyone who even considers them to

A.) Speak really good spanish

B.) Hire a coordinator that speaks really good spanish

C.) Get EVERYTHING in writing, even small things they say they'll include

D.) Read EVERYTHING. They didn't allow me to adjust my numbers for food (like normal places) because their contract says no changes prior to 90 days of the event. SERIOUSLY!? That's some sneaky shiit. Even if I had 200 people, I still have to pay for 300.

End rant. I'm bitter. :/

But, it's La Fontaine Reception Hall over off of 290/BW8.