"All-inclusive" venues vs doing it yourself?

Enchanted616

Hi everyone,

This is my first time on these boards, and I was wondering if I could get some advice on my biggest hurdle right now: an all-inclusive venue as an alternative  to putting it all together myself. 

Right now, I'm really liking the idea of having it at a local hotel (embassy suites bloomington) that pretty much does everything for you besides the photographer.  They take care of everything, including a four course dinner, alcohol (open bar), limo from church for the wedding party, cake, flower centerpieces, dj, complete decoration including linens and ceiling draping, complimentary breakfast for anyone who choses to stay at the hotel, free bridal suite for us, and a free conference room to open gifts in the morning, and I'm sure more I can't quite remember at the moment.  They do all of this for $90 per person. 

We are expecting about 350-450 people. Pricing out vendors seperately, it seems that cost is pretty similiar?  I love the ease of the hotel taking care of everything for us on the big day, but I'm worried about not having as much control over the details as I might want.  I have to have their cake designer, their dj, etc.

Any advice from people who have done or looked into this style reception?  Were you happy with the results or what made you decide to do it all yourself?

Thanks!

ssminy79

IMO I would want some more say in the food-especially the cake!  What if you don't like the cake and the food....or the dj is a bonehead?  Then you are stuck.  I think the idea is great, but maybe you should have a tasting first and see what their flowers look like...

Again, this is totally my opinion and I am a total control freak

Bimbi284

I agree with PP. I think its awesome to not have to worry about all of that stuff (seriously, what a hassle some of that stuff is, eh?), buuut I think I might want a little more say in that day. I think I would go over each thing with them and see if there is a way to see/taste/hear a sample of everything. If they are all up to par with what you want, then I say go for it, if not, we're all here to help you with the other details!

MoriaMN

It's totally personal preference. I really enjoy picking out the details, but for some people, it's not worth the stress. Lot's of coordinators we looked at gave you a few options to pick from in each category and would let you customize or upgrade in areas that really mattered to you.

kelcloe

I looked into the Embassy Suites in St. Paul.  My parents went to a wedding there and they really liked it.  They thought the food was good and were happy with the open bar.  I ended up choosing a different venue that lets me have more control over everything.

I also looked at it as some people won't cost $90 a head because they don't really drink much.  Also you didn't have control over how much is spent on flowers and decor etc.  I think you could save more money by doing it yourself, but again, you'll save time with their all inclusive package.  If you love the location of the venue and the venue itself than I would say go for it.

I believe you do get to pick your cake and how you want your flowers ect you just have to use their vendors.

LittleSweetie

Putting aside the hassle of doing it yourself versus the convenience of the all inclusive venue, think about the economics of it all.  There are fixed costs for a wedding (you will need a photographer, dress, officiant, limo, DJ, etc.) and variable costs - what you pay per guest.  They're making a lot of the fixed costs variable - when you mentioned that the DJ will be per guest, that concerns me a bit.  Basically, your dance and "free" hotel rooms will cost more because you're inviting a large guest list. Is the florist included (will do your bouquets/bouts), or is the hotel contract just for floral centerpieces? OTOH, the fewer guests you invite, the less expensive your dance will be.

If the package only includes the "variable" costs of a wedding, then I think the answer lies in how much those things would cost separated out versus all together for one price, as well as how much value you put on not having to hunt for those vendors yourselves and sign separate contracts, the convenience, etc. 

If you mesh well with the hotel's coordinator and he/she "gets" your style, you will actually be better off because they can coordinate all the design for you versus you coordinating between different vendors.

There are definitely pros/cons!  Let us know if you need any more help with your decision - we're happy to help!

MesmrEwe

I think the economics of it all is going to come into play here considering you've got a large guest list.  Our list was 400 guests, so can completely relate to the size/scale/budget situation.  Check out some of the other hotels in the area for quotes... Sofitel, Hilton, Double Tree, etc.  The thing to remember is just because it's one-stop-shopping doesn't necessarily mean you're going to save yourself cha-ching or stress for that matter... For $90/pp, figuring the lower end of your invite list of 350 that comes out to $31,500 plus taxes/service charges/gratuity comes out closer to $40,950 which is without any of the additional costs (dress/hair/makeup/flowers/etc.) that are going to go into the day.   In the grand scheme of things, it's just not worth it!!   You're going to be paying for that "free" somewhere in your bill because "free" isn't... 

You're going to be money ahead to check out locations like Buck Hill (since you said Bloomington) or the Minnesota Zoo that have hotels close by that can handle a group that size and take care of selecting your own vendors.  Most hotels if you block a set of rooms will let you have free access to their conference room for the gift opening, continental breakfast, etc.  if you decide to have one.  Also, the further out into the metro you go the more you're likely to save.  There are places like the Hudson House that you can get all-inclusive and you'll save yourself a boatload of $$$$ for a group that size just by heading out into the metro...

With a group this size, pennies add up to dollars REAL quick.  If something costs you $6/pp, that's $2100 in a hurry...  Be smart with your spending and price things out.  Don't be afraid of working WITH your vendors to come up with solutions to save money and don't be afraid to work with them to get accurate quotes if something is too much, see what you can do to bring the cost down a little things like buffet instead of seated can change your pricing dramatically depending on the caterer (in most cases with groups this size, buffet will bring the cost down A LOT).  You can't expect things like your baker to do cake for $2/pp, but you can work with them to do a nice main cake and kitchen cakes (which are usually more reasonable in price for the same portion because of the lower amount of decorating required)  for less than a main cake sized to feed 360.. 

Be smart with your pennies!!!!

brimaven

I have to say i am surprised at some of the responses on the board here. I would think that a hotel like the embassy suites would have selected their vendors that they use (flowers, decor, dj, etc.) very carefully. Ergo, it seems like this would probably be a great option for someone that doesn't have a lot of time for planning, but at the same time you would still get a wonderful wedding, detailed the way you want it. I have been to a wedding at the embassy suites at the airport and my cousin who was the bride said she still got to choose the details, and the DJ wasn't a bonehead. He was from Midwest, and is the reason why we went with them. Also doesn't Neon express charge on a per-guest basis?

LittleSweetie

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_minnesota-minneapolis-st-paul_inclusive-venues-vs-doing-yourself?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:81Discussion:a2ac3da1-f8f6-4ea4-900f-8fd31dbea9c6Post:9493f7e1-e4ee-4cc7-b215-28fb909141f1">Re: "All-inclusive" venues vs doing it yourself?</a>:
[QUOTE]I have to say i am surprised at some of the responses on the board here. I would think that a hotel like the embassy suites would have selected their vendors that they use (flowers, decor, dj, etc.) very carefully. Ergo, it seems like this would probably be a great option for someone that doesn't have a lot of time for planning, but at the same time you would still get a wonderful wedding, detailed the way you want it. I have been to a wedding at the embassy suites at the airport and my cousin who was the bride said she still got to choose the details, and the DJ wasn't a bonehead. He was from Midwest, and is the reason why we went with them. Also doesn't Neon express charge on a per-guest basis?
Posted by brimaven[/QUOTE]

Neon Express and most other DJs have flat rates.  Neon Express does have packages that are recommended for certain guest counts - basically flashier set-ups for bigger weddings - but you aren't held to paying for those packages if you don't want to.  It's not on a per-guest basis, but rather 100-200, for instance, they would recommend X package, and for 200-300, Y package.