NOLA Bride on a Budget

daniellesgg

Hi!

I'm in the beginning stages of planning my wedding for August 2012 and I'm totally overwhelmed!! I'm trying to narrow down venues, but I have no idea how much a wedding is supposed to cost! So a few questions:

1. Is a 8-10K ceremony and reception budget (including food, drink and dj) unreasonable?
2. What are the best venues out there that fit the budget listed above?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Thank you!!

bestra0129

It depends on how many people you want at your wedding.

daniellesgg

I'm planning 175-200 ppl

NO2012

Check out the Wax Museum (Musee Conti). They allow you to bring in your own catering (or use theirs) which can help with cost flexibility. I think it can hold your number of guests reception style (not sure about seated dinner). Another plus is there is no food/bev minimum (there is a rental fee), so you can also be flexible in that aspect too. I chose it for those reasons and as we get closer I can downsize my invite list if necessary to maintain my budget without worrying about meeting a minimum. Beth, the coordinator there, is most helpful too!

daniellesgg

Thanks a lot! I'm going to look into this tomorrow.

Queen Jane

We are using the Benachi House, which like Musee Conti, is just a rental fee and you can bring in your own caterer, booze, all that. We saved some money by not having a Saturday wedding. Friday and Sunday are 1K less than the normal price.

louisianablue

Honestly I think it will be tough for that many people.  The Federal Ballroom is one of the more reasonably priced venues and their catering packages start at $40/person with open bar.  That would bring you to $8,000 already without the rental fee.

You may want to consider something outside of New Orleans like the Crystal Plantation.  It is $30/person, which would give you a little wiggle room.
I honestly haven't seen any catering packages less than that, especially if you want a hosted bar.

alyss21mom

Prices change and it has been at least a year since we were shopping and booked but this is what I remember.  St. Louis Hotel had the most reasonable, complete package.  I honestly felt that we could have just used their cooridinator, and saved money on decor, but we went a different route.  My daughter just wanted a different feel.  She is doing Jackson Sq for her ceremony and Pat O's on the River for the reception.  This meant we decided to hire a planner and we've added a 2nd line so it pushed the budget up.  Pat O's had a very reasonable price for the reception.  When we got started with this, I googled "average price of wedding in New Orleans" and found a site that has been amazingly accurate. 

RYLZ

@daniellesgg $10K including tax and gratuity, works out to really $7530 base cost (divide by the 9.75% tax and the 21% gratuity).  That works out to about $37/pp for 200 people.  I hate to be a downer, but even at the most competitive catering rates, I think it will be close to impossible to find food, drink and DJ (and possible rental fee) for $37 per person in New Orleans.

Also, after re-reading your post, I see that this is the budget for both ceremony and reception, so it's not really even $37/pp that you have since you may incur costs for the ceremony as well.

Your $8-10K will go way further if you could trim your guest list to 100-150.  And also, my unsolicited advice is, if you have a very specific budget without a lot of wiggle room, you probably want to come up with a plan that leaves you about a 20% cushion because there are all sorts of hidden and surprise costs that come up and hit you along the way! :-)

citybayougirl

Congrats on getting married. I was told that the guestlist affects how much your reception will cost in the end. Good luck!

NOLAbridealmost

You might be able to negotiate better rates and/or lower food and beverage minimums if you're doing an August wedding because that is the off-season here.

daniellesgg

Thanks for all the tips ladies!!! I found 2 venues that are right in my budget. I'm going to N.O. Next week to check them out. I'm going to continue my research all the way up to my trip there so I'm still accepting suggestions. I'm looking at La Maison Creole and Musee Conti.

NO2012

@daniellesgg- good luck on your planning trip! Let us know what you decide.

paris0125

 I would strongly recommend that you contact "The Ridgeway' on Metairie Road.  The facility has been newly renovated and is absolutely beautiful. I have attended several events there and the food is excellent, the servers are professional and hospitable.  The location and the price is unbeatable.  You should give them a call,all of my family members and friends that have had events there have always been satisfied. 

nschafer001

I'm late in chiming in, but I'm doing a wedding at the St. Louis Hotel in December for about $10K for the ceremony & reception for 100 people. I'm on a budget too and it was the best I could find in a venue I felt comfortable in and felt would provide a good time!

daniellesgg

I chose the Chateau Golf and Country Club.  The package was all inclusive.  All I need to book are the DJ, limos, florist, and photographer.  This place is beautiful and awesome. Package includes food, open bar, linens and chair covers, centerpieces, both the bride and grooms cake plus more.  Fits into the budget I originally stated.  This was a great choice!!! I feel like I've finally gotten the ball rolling.