What would you do? Reception space dilemma

kaimah

What would you do? 

We are trying to save money. My fiancee had an aeurysm last year and he has a lot of medicial bills.  I found a venue that I like where we can have both ceremony and reception. Cons: only space for 200, pricey food and outrageoues bar costs. 

Option 2: 

Get married in a church, rent a limo (fits 20 people) and have reception here: The place is 1/3 the price of the other venue, we can bring in an outside caterer and drinks. Cons: We would have to rent a lot (linens,nicer chairs)to make the space really nice. 

here's my vision for the space. 

tyboyd

I would do what I could afford, period.

[Deleted User]

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_african-american-weddings_would-reception-space-dilemma?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:400Discussion:887baa50-3953-4c2f-8c69-baff479a3bcaPost:8cd39533-94c4-45af-8fb5-627b72ee01e3">Re: What would you do? Reception space dilemma</a>:
[QUOTE]I would do what I could afford, period.
Posted by tyboyd[/QUOTE]

<div>This!!</div>

TNMurray

You need to price out caterers, linens ect. Sometimes things look cheaper but they really aren't. Price both things and go with the cheaper one. 

EBONYROBERT

I'm glad your FI is okay. My dad went through that this past april. I agree with the other ladies..do what you can afford.

Carla1019

"Usually" when you rent a space and bring in your own linens, centerpieces, decor, etc you come off cheaper. 

My venue that is a one stop shop is expensive because they know lazy brides like me will pay for convenience. Price out both your options like everyone said but I'm sure you will come off cheaper doing most of the work.

One downside is that you have to deal with several vendors instead of one. I'm sure everything will turn out great.

Happy Planning!

faithlady

I have a venue where we have to bring in everything and honestly...it's becoming a pain. I do believe in the end we will probably come out cheaper only because we have more negotiating ability and can rely on the "network" to get it done. It is definitely daunting and had I the opportunity to revisit that decision I definitely would've gone with a vendor that provided it all.

teamUS2012

As it has been said, I suggest pricing it out to see what the final difference in cost will be.

And when all is said and done, go with what you can comfortably afford.

nicknuttnc

I think you should price both and do a comparison. Look for ways to make budget go further. I am making alot of things and have bargain hunted for others. Plus i have started to eat at home a little more to add some extra money to out budget.

sheikscorpio88

Well from comparisons that I have made with venues that provide everything for you vs. buying linens, tables, chairs, silverware, etc. it could really cost more going that route.  You also have to factor in little extras like forks, plates, glassware, etc. in case people drop them on the floor or whatever else. It really can become a hassle. Also see if you can cut down on your guest list. The less people you have the less money you will spend. HTH

teamUS2012

And don't you also have to hire servers?

CaramelBride973

I would do what you can afford as well. The space may seem cheaper not but after your rent everything it may take you way over budget. Maybe you can negotiate the price down a little more for the expensive venue. Also are those your top two choices or are you willing to look around a little more? If you look around more you might find another place you like and not as expensive.

mikimoto6

I am a firm believer that if you can control your food and beverage cost and the size of your guest list, you can control your entire wedding budget.  

If you are concerned about costs, CUT THE GUEST LIST!!!!!  That is the easiest way to save money.  End of story.  I know that it is hard to do, but for all of those "must have" people that you feel like you need to invite to your wedding there is a dollar amount per person that you YOU have to pay for pleasure of enjoying their company.  Nobody else foots that bill but you.  Whatever you do, don't spend money you don't have for a wedding. It is one day that lasts about 8 hours.  We are so happy that we don't have wedding debt.  In order to come out debt free, we cout our guest list down to a size that would allow us to have the wedding of our dreams for the number of people who meant the most to us.  

To answer your question about which is cheaper, you may have to price out both of those options to see which is cheaper.  For me, it was significantly cheaper to build my own event (i.e. rent tables, chairs, linens, china, caterer, etc) because I knew where to get what I needed for the best price. I also knew I wanted to host the bar all night so I factored that cost in as well.  

For my 64 guests, we were able to rent all of the linens, china, flatware, glasses, serving dishes/platters for the family style meal, cake plates, etc. and pay the caterer for about $58 per person.  Our meal had beef and chicken as a entree, and everyone could have both if they wanted it.  Had we gone to a hotel or other venue that provided catering, the cost per person would have been easily 3 times that amount here in the Los Angeles area.  Granted, we had to hire servers, but that was part of my total catering bill. 

Price out both options and see what the math comes out to be. If its cheaper to rent linens, china and hire a caterer, go that route. You will have control over your menu, food quantity, etc.  Don't worry about broken dishes or glasses.  Most rental companies factor that broken item fee into the cost of the rental.  I have never rented china or glasses where something doesn't get broken and have never had to pay for any broken item fees.  (I don't think anything got broken on Friday)

I will not lie, it is a lot more work to build an event from the ground up vs. going to a full service venue.  If you have access to the labor to help you build, it can give you more flexibility to customize your wedding day into exactly what you want it to be. I knew I had the resources so I chose to go that route knowing what the upside would be for me.