newly engaged, planning may 2012 OBX wedding!!!

klk405

Hey ya'll! so i've been reading everyones posts and there is so much helpful information so I thought i'd join in on the conversation! My fiance and I just got engaged and ever since I was a little girl I knew I wanted to get married in the OBX, I have vacationed every summer since I was 3 months old in Nags Head, LOVE it   I've done just a little online searching for possible wedding/reception sites.  I am still torn as to whether or not to get married on the actual beach....any pros/cons?  My wedding will be on the smaller side, probably 50-70 guests.  I've also looked at Marshes Light in Manteo for the ceremony and possibly doing the reception at one of the restaurants or inns in Manteo.  My problem is i am on a strict budget, would love to keep the entire wedding under $12,000, please tell me this is do -able!!!!! 'Would love to hear some money saving suggestions and reasonably priced vendors! Thanks ladies, cant wait to get some feedback

Kate

sarahebrown

Hi Kate! Congratulations on your engagement!! It's such an exciting time. I'm so glad you found our board. The ladies here are very helpful and know the OBX well. I hope we can help with all your questions. I'll take a stab at the first few...

Pros to marrying on the beach- great setting for pictures, very little decoration needed (budget-friendly), very romantic....sunset, sound of waves, etc.

Cons- Lots of sand, weather could be a problem, some guests may not come becuase of the travel distance (depending on where your guests are from)

As far as budget, we are doing a 50 person wedding for 13,000 so I think it's definitely do-able. There are lots of ways you can cut costs- DIY your flowers, decor, invites, etc. (the other ladies on this board can help with these ideas too).

I'm sorry, I've never been to Marshes Light so I'm no help there. But I think you're idea of having a ceremony at one location, and a reception another is a great way to cut costs.

For vendor recommendations- I'm using Great Cakes for my cake & Sugarsnap Events for Flowers. They are both reasonably priced and have been great to work with.

Hope this helps a little. I'm sure the other ladies will have more suggestions for you too!

Congrats again and I hope you find lots of help here! OBX brides are the best

OBX2011

Congratulations and welcome to the board!  As Sarah said, there are lots of helpful ladies here so ask away.

I agree with everything Sarah said.  We are having about 70 guests with a $12,000 budget but so far we are falling around $10,000 so we have come out further ahead than we planned, so that is great.

I too have vacationed in the obx since I was little and I just knew a beach wedding was "it" for us.  I knew we were taking a chance with the weird weather the obx can have, but we do have a back-up plan and I am just going to go with the flow. 

Our biggest decision was determining whether or not we were going to have the reception at a beach home or at a venue.  I really envisioned a tented reception with lights everywhere but after looking into the costs of it, it was actually higher than renting a venue...and not to mention finding a home that even allows tents.  So, we visited 108 Budleigh in Manteo and I immediately fell in love...just breathtaking.  It works out well b/c this will also be our rain back-up....but it's NOT going to rain at all......riiiiggghhhttt??  LOL

As Sarah said, you can cut down on other areas of your budget by doing a lot of DIY things.  Also, if you really really have your heart set on a particular venue or photographer, etc and it's priced higher than planned, you can still do it but you would have to cut down in other areas to balance out the budget.  I wasn't planning on doing any favors at all to save $ but my FSIL offered to do them for us so that was really nice.  We also made our invitations....scroll down a couple of threas and you should see it there.  That saved A LOT of money right there.  Luckily my SIL lives up north in Carova and has tons and tons of shells, starfish and conch shells around her house and she is letting me use those for the centerpieces.  Anything you can DIY will save $ in the long run which makes for a happy klk405

Keep us posted on things and let us know if you have any questions.

Again congrats and enjoy this time in your life

kolaughlin23

Congrats!
I had a great experience getting married on the beach.... but it was a little stressful as well...
For me the pros- what I always wanted , beautiful scenery, easy, less decor needed- what we did use for decor was mostly shells we found on the beach.
Cons- there was a beach project with bulldozers approaching quickly- ie. it is public beach and you never know what could happen, weather concerns (we were going to do it no matter what- unless it was pouring and terrible out), I live too far away to visit and check out the beach prior to getting married.
As far as the budget... I think you just have to be a deal finder. I looked into a lot of vendors that were inland who were cheaper even including travel costs. We also made cuts- no DJ (which fit our simple reception at our rental house). We planned to do 50 people, but many cut out at the last minute and we ended up with about 35. We payed for everything almost everything for 50 people and we stayed within $10,000 easily (including the rental home for a week). We also got a deal on photography b/c we did it on a Weds.
I found this board very helpful in planning and recommend checking in often. Sometimes it seems like noone is posting and then one day everyone joins in!
I wouldn't change anything about my wedding for the world and everyone who came said they will do the same thing when they get married or they wish they did when they got married!

lindsy310

Congratulations Kate!!

I am planning on having my wedding in OBX in 2012 as well! This board is a life saver! There is so much information on here you can't find anywhere else.  I have done little/no actual planning so I cant provide much advice but I am hoping to save as much money as possible and I promise to post any amazing deals I find while planning!! 

Krhoy20

Congrats Kate!!
We are on a tight budget as well, but your $12,000 budgeet is def. do-able!!! Do not worry, just keep organized and realistic about what things will cost.

To save we have decided to do a beach ceremony(little decor) and have the reception at the event home we rented(book off season to save $$). We are planning about 50(but will probably end up with 30-40). We decided to do a casual buffet; providing some dishes ourselves-family members love to cook!!! I am doing my own flowers and decor.
We saved $ by having a Tuesday wedding(photography and DJ both had discounts). I agree with PP about searching in land for vendors...for photography we are paying less an $1000 for 6 hrs!!!!! He does great work.

Just meet with all potentials(if possible) and let them know what you are willing to spend..most will work with you They want your business!!!!
Since you are planning a smaller wedding, how formal do you want it?? We want a very casual, fun, relaxed day!! We are just going with the flow of things regarding everything. If you are worried about the weather for your ceremony...don't be!! There is nothing you can do to control it Just have fun and be okay with whatever happens...something will happen that wasn't planned so just be prepared for all situations.
Good luck and the ladies on here are wonderful!!!

jkramas

CONGRATS!!!  I am getting married at Marshes Lighthouses next year and ceremony at 108 Budleigh in Manteo- about 100 people and a 15K budget, so yes, doable!!! 

So happy for you and happy to have someone new and great on the board, everyone here is AWESOME!!! Congrats again!

WhitKD711

krhoy20: what photographer are you using?? Less than $1000 for 6 hours sounds too good to be true!!!

Krhoy20

WhitKD...his name is Christopher Nieto, check out his website and facebook page....


http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nieto-Photography/132841676745292

http://nietophotography.wordpress.com

www.nietophotography.com

jkramas

Totally checking him out!  That is a great deal for photography, thanks!

Ellfay

Congratulations Katie! I saw on another post you used BridgetMcEnaney, we're using her too! She shot a friend's wedding and the photos were gorgeous. I'm stalking her blog so I'll be excited to see some from yours in a little while i hope! I'm not sure what you paid but I thought her rates were SO low for the quality, so I'm really excited. knotties you should check her out and get her while she's still so affordable, lol
http://bridgetmcenaney.wordpress.com

klk405

Thanks Ladies for all the great tips!!! I looked at the 108 Budleigh location online and so far I'm really liking what I see! I love that you can bring in your own alcohol and catering- def a big money saver! Just an FYI if there is a BIG LOTS store near you they had all types of beach decor on sale this week! I got 4 giant bags of beautiful sea shells for $16! I'm going to use them for decorations and possibly centerpieces. Check it out if you have one near you!!   I usually vacation in OBX in July so i'm hoping May weather will be pretty, im starting to really be set on May
5th, I just hope everywhere isnt booked up yet.  How soon should I get things booked? Did anybody go to the big wedding expo this past winter?  If so, any good tips from there?  I'm so excited and cant wait to hear about all ya'lls weddings coming up soon!!!

kolaughlin23

I would definitely recommend Bridget. She is awesome and the most reasonable for the quality. She has given us a few preview pics and I am soooo excited to see more!!

ggcatlover135

how much is 108 budleigh?  I am curious and in early stages of planning..

OBX2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina-outer-banks_newly-engaged-planning-may-2012-obx-wedding?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:598Discussion:dca2b924-fc38-42f6-8a54-3d6056e5fe28Post:33ad881a-4c06-44bb-b6f2-801c3adeac18">Re: newly engaged, planning may 2012 OBX wedding!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks Ladies for all the great tips!!! I looked at the 108 Budleigh location online and so far I'm really liking what I see! I love that you can bring in your own alcohol and catering- def a big money saver! Just an FYI if there is a BIG LOTS store near you they had all types of beach decor on sale this week! I got 4 giant bags of beautiful sea shells for $16! I'm going to use them for decorations and possibly centerpieces. Check it out if you have one near you!!   I usually vacation in OBX in July so i'm hoping May weather will be pretty, <strong>im starting to really be set on May 5th, I just hope everywhere isnt booked up yet.  How soon should I get things booked? Did anybody go to the big wedding expo this past winter?</strong>  If so, any good tips from there?  I'm so excited and cant wait to hear about all ya'lls weddings coming up soon!!!
Posted by klk405[/QUOTE]

Are you planning a trip to obx anytime soon?  I know that 108 is very popular so I wouldn't wait tooooo long to book that one.  After that, your caterer, photographer and officiant are the next ones b/c the good ones always go first.

I went to the expo and had an amazing time!  I think there is another thread on here about the expo and I posted lots of stuff about how the weekend went and what to expect.  You can also win lots of prizes and goodies too...we won a 2 night free stay in a hotel, 10% off of our cake and $50 off for the salon we chose.  It was definitely worth it and it made for a fun "girls only" weekend.

Tip: for a cheap date night, there is the neatest old-fashioned movie theater right across the street from 108 and the movies are only $5.....yes $5!  We saw "The Tourist" on that Friday night of the expo and had fun :)