budget!!

youshouldveknown

we're trying to do everything for the very least amount of money.  Can you guys give me a list of the least expensive vendors you've found?  We aren't going to sacrifice quality, but we definitely want to explore our cheapest options first.  

Photographers, cake bakers, reception sites, dj's, rentals.  Anything would be appreciated.

Purple&7

Photographer: Anna McSwain Photography was one of the cheapest I found. And her pictures look great.

Cake: Publix. Their cakes are amazing!

Reception Sites: Old Santee Canal State Park, The Gatherings of Dorchester, Cypress Hall, and Edisto Hall. All are great looking venues!

DJ: I found all of the djs to be about the same.

Good Luck!!

sarbearbenson

Publix for a great cake.  I'm not using them but they taste great and everyone gives them great reviews. 
I'm not sure where you are from, but Alahambra Hall is 1500 for Mount Pleasant residents and includes tables and chairs.  I've had a few friends get married there and it's right on the water. 

In my opinion, if you wait to go to bridal shows to hire a vendor, they offer GREAT prices if you book that day.  I wish I would have done that myself!

sreitme

I would second Publix bakery for cakes - I've heard they do an excellent job. I've also heard good things about Piggly Wiggly (Seaside Farms location especially).

Alhambra Hall really seems to be a great deal. The only downside is that it can be difficult to book during peak wedding dates.

If you are trying to do a wedding on a smaller budget, I would suggest you consider getting married on a Friday or Sunday. We received discounts from our photographer and venue (Pepper Plantation) for having a Friday wedding.

youshouldveknown

Thanks so much for your recommendations.

We've checked out OSCP and my fiance and I are in love with it.  The price is great as well.  The only draw back is that it is in Moncks Corner which isn't far from US (in Goose Creek) but can be a bit of a drive from Charleston.  But even then, it's a pretty straight shot on the interstate.  I'm definitely going to gather information on all of the places suggested so that we can compare and contrast.

I've heard great things about Publix, but I was at a recent wedding and the cake was from Publix and I wasn't impressed, but I think it had more to do with my personal tastes than the actual quality of the cake.  For instance, I'm not a big fan of buttercream - I prefer fondant on my cake.  But it looked beautiful.  I also stopped by my local Publix the other day and looked through their book.  The lady said they were all online, they only do the flavors and designs described online.  I don't think that's really true, and I plan on making an appointment to talk to them about it soon.

Thanks again, I really appreciate every suggestion.  I don't want it to seem like I'm lazy and dont want to do the legwork, but really its just that I've explored as much as I can online and it's time to start calling and talking about quotes.  These are all great places to start!

Jeni1090

Venue-try the county parks.  Edisto Hall on JI was $850 and included tables and chairs and PA.

As for cake, we went a different road and got a tiered crepes cake from Charleston Crepe Co.  With added cakes to fill out the number of servings needed, and chocolate and raspberry sauce, it was $480 (for 125 people) and got raves from everyone.

For rentals, Snyders was the cheapest we found.  The entire catalog is online.

I would also suggest that if you have catering, it's often cheaper to hire a caterer that include the serveware and barware, etc than it is to try to piece it out.  So if you get a quote from one that does not include that and it's lower than one that does include it, weigh very carefully which one will be cheaper in the end.

Sabrinaf33

I also agree with the post about considering a Friday or a Sunday wedding. I know it cut my venue rental down by $3,700 and cut the food/drink minumum in half. It has also helped me get deals on my photographer. Only issue I am hitting is that very few salons are open Sundays.

The bridal shows will help you a lot. They helped me meet people, get my name out there, and the special promotions just kept popping up in my inbox.

Good luck!

youshouldveknown

Thanks guys. we're definitely not doing a Saturday wedding...  haven't decided whether to do a Friday or a Sunday yet.  Thanks for all of the tips.

I've looked through the Snyders catalog and the prices are great.  I think there's a place in Summerville called Simply Elegent and they offer china at 30cent, flatware for 25cent, but they need everything cleaned before we send it back.  So that's another thing to consider...  I hate the idea of my parents having to wash dishes while we're away...  

I'm hoping this thread can be useful to other brides in the area as well.

tiffersnc

Another thought on a cake is Linda Blackwell. We thought the price was reasonable ($567 for 146 servings of a premium flavor, including plateau and mileage costs) and the quality was OUTSTANDING. Plus, Linda is a delight to work with!