HELP! My head is spinning.

leilastarre

My first post, though I have been reading for a while and I must say you have all helped me narrow things down a lot!

We live in NE Louisiana, and he works in Vicksburg. I've looked at venues from Shreveport to Jackson and haven't found anything I like.  We finally decided we wanted to go with a New Orleans theme because he is from south LA and at a bad time in our lives we took a trip to NOLA and it completely reinforced our relationship and our intentions towards each other.  And since we could find no venue that is "us" in our area, why not have it in New Orleans!

Our date is up in the air.  We have to wait for his divorce to be finalized (long story).  This is the second marriage for both of us.  I feel like my first wedding was not at all what I wanted, and I want this one to be something I look back on and want to relive, which I do not do for the first.. could be because the relationship was so awful  We assume we will be able to be married in 2013, and some dates I had considered were March 8, and June 1.  But seeing posts regarding how the end of the year is better, I'm considering changing this.  Is June really a less than favorable time?

Luckily because I have done this before, I know what I want and what I don't want.  My main issue is the budget.  In my spreadsheet I've given an allowance for $15k, but I really don't want to spend this much!  I'm not opposed to a Sunday wedding to cut costs. We will more than likely have less than 100 people.  My side of the guest list is at 91, and his will be no more than 30.  I'm projecting 75 show, due to travel issues as a lot of my family won't travel due to distance or children.

I need some ideas for more affordable venues.  Indoor or outdoor, as long as the outdoor has an option for rain.  I do not like halls, or ballrooms.  My style is not traditional or formal at all.  The venues I am contemplating right now are Musee Conti, House of Blues, and The Chicory (though I do not know the price range on this one yet), so maybe that can help in some suggestions.  I want to stay around the French Quarter / Warehouse District. Jackson Square ceremony is an option if our guest number isn't too large, but I would really rather have one venue for both reception and ceremony.

Also - does anyone know if House of Blues provides tables and chairs in The Parish?  I've looked at their special events pricing menu but I didn't see anything regarding if one would need to rent these themselves.

Thank you  Planning from OOT is such hard work!

Queen Jane

Our wedding was a DW on a Sunday, about the size you are projecting and I started out with your 15K budget. I can tell you we definitely went over, but there are a few things we splurged on. The only thing we actually saved money on for having a Sunday wedding was the venue. Although, one perk was that our preferred vendors were all available.

We didn't really look at any venues right in the quarter, but there are plenty of ladies around here who have. The House of Broel gives a lot of bang for your buck, but it's kind of a package deal, and we didn't care for a few of the choices.

We used Capdebosqc caterers and came in a little over $40 pp for food and bar, which is the best deal I found. I'm not sure of any places in the quarter that allow outside catering, but I think Musee Conti is one of them. We used the Benachi House on Esplanade, it was very laidback and easygoing.

I would suggest at least a day of coordinator for your sanity, we used Carolyn Arthur at All About Events.

In regards to June, I'm not sure about events happening at that time, but depending on when in the month it could already be really freaking hot.

NolaWhit

Our ceremony and reception were at Musee Conti, and we absolutely loved it. Our guests raved about how unique it was. You have to pay for the bar through the Wax museum, but you are free to use any licensed caterer. We used Capdeboscq, and the food was delicious. To be honest, we didn't have a set budget and didn't keep track of every cost. We had about 100 guests and probably spent close to your budget. We had some extra unnecessary expenses and could have cut more corners if we needed to. One thing I loved about the Wax Museum is that the coordinator, Beth, basically takes care of everything for you so you don't really need a day of coordinator. We dropped our favors, decorations, etc off the day before. She set everything up, took it down, and sent it home with my parents that night. All we did was show up, get married, and celebrate.

louisianablue

I think the House of Blues includes everything in their price.  You might also want to consider Race & Religious and maybe the Eiffel Society (which is on St. Charles).  My photographer took some amazing photoes there: http://www.mailelaniphotography.com/blog/tag/eiffel-society/   Capdebosqc caterers definitely seem to be the most well priced caterer in New Orleans. 

NO2012

I would also recommend looking into Musee Conti (Wax Museum) for a budget friendly option.  Also, when I first started planning (before I even had a date) I contacted several prospective coordinators.  That was my first step and all three ladies I spoke with were very helpful and forthcoming with ideas and suggestions, really helped point me in the right direction, and helped me confirm whether my ideas were realistic within my budget.  They also gave me pros/cons about summer vs. fall.  At that point, I wasn't even sure I could afford a planner (ultimately I could and would highly recommend if you can), so it wasn't as if I had to hire one them before they gave me some ideas.  This sounds like it could be a good place for you to start as well.

leilastarre

Queen Jane - I had considered Benachi House, but I don't feel it's our style.  Your wedding looked lovely, though

NolaWhit - seeing your pictures is one reason I even looked into Musee Conti!

I contacted House of Blues and their new updated events package does show that tables and chairs are included.  We plan to visit them and Musee Conti when we are able to make the trip down (it's only a 4 hour drive) and talk to both the coordinators and nail down what our actual expense would be.  One thing I love about House of Blues is that the ceremony and reception are in two separate places, and you are given access to the Foundation Room for pictures!  It is definitely our style - we were just there in November for a concert.  You also get discounted prices on their partner hotels, which is a plus.  For an event with 75 people, we are only looking at $6250 (before tax and gratuity) all inclusive, with open bar and catering.

My dear fiance almost lost it when I sent him my budget spreadsheet with an amount of 15k!  But I don't think he realizes that everything is spent over time.  A deposit here, buying certain things monthly, etc.

NolaWhit

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_louisiana-new-orleans_head-spinning?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:84Discussion:68c4db2a-60de-4892-9d5e-a9f973dee6fdPost:d218482f-7c7e-4714-b6d8-f869b1b870a8">Re: HELP! My head is spinning.</a>:
[QUOTE]NolaWhit - seeing your pictures is one reason I even looked into Musee Conti! 
Posted by leilastarre[/QUOTE]
Well I'm glad I could help :)<div>
</div><div>Where do you live in NE LA? I am from West Monroe but live down here now.</div>

leilastarre

West Monroe here too!  I'm out of city limits though, went to school at West Ouachita.

NolaWhit

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_louisiana-new-orleans_head-spinning?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:84Discussion:68c4db2a-60de-4892-9d5e-a9f973dee6fdPost:2fac181c-138d-402e-9cfb-ef47ee1563d3">Re: HELP! My head is spinning.</a>:
[QUOTE]West Monroe here too!  I'm out of city limits though, went to school at West Ouachita.
Posted by leilastarre[/QUOTE]
That's crazy! My parents only live a few miles out of city limits so we went to West Monroe high school.