trying to keep it cheap

mbjk29

Ok ladies me and my FI are paying for the whole wedding our selves and we really dont have a big budet. Im totally planing on doing everything DIY but Im having a hard time trying to find a place to have it. We would like to have the reception and the wedding at the same place and preferably out side. we live in warren, we are having no more than 150 ppl and would like to keep it under 6000 for everything.

I dont really want to do the traditional route and have it at a reception hall its just doesnt fit our lifestyle or personality. Every place that I have looked into Parks, Barns in the metro detroit area, and state/metro parks dont allow you to bring in alcohol or if they do its only beer and wine and no liquor which doesnt work for us.

A girl from work gave me the idea of renting property from someone which actuallly can be really affordable then we have to the place for the weekend which would give us time for set up and tear down.

What do you girls think? I need some suggestions!

baileyleev

Good luck! We have been trying and trying to lower our budget. 

Some of the other knotties may have more info about it, but having an outdoor wedding may end up more expensive than having it somewhere. You will needs tents, tables, chairs, china, a bar, alcohol, food, plus electricity and bathrooms...I was going to go that route, but when I priced it out, it was way more expensive than having it at a hall!

LOTON01

I have heard a lot of people talk about The White Chapel in Warren. I never priced it out but I heard it was very reasonable so maybe look into that.

lmalear01

I agree with previous poster that out door weddings add up super quick.  Look at Tina's Country House and Gardens.  Their packages include a lot of stuff and I heard they are super inexpensive.  Some friends of my FI got married there before we met and they were on a super low budget and said it was nice.  HTH  Good luck

klreese0213

that sounds nice, but be aware, you may inquire extra costs by having to rent a tent, chairs, tables, linens, dishes/catering, etc. that stuff all adds up very quickly.
but i think if you can pull it off, that sounds like it'd be a nice idea.

Sue-n-Kevin

Welcome mbjk29 !

I also live in Warren, we are having about 90 people, and our budget is around $6,000.

Look into the White House Wedding Chapel on 13 Mile Rd for your ceremony (might hold less than your guest count though, not sure), and The Gazebo at Mound and 13 Mile, or The Royalty House on Chicago Rd just east of Van Dyke.

To keep your costs down, since you have a fairly large guest count for that budget, I'd recommend looking into a Friday night wedding instead of Saturday. Also, while the places I recommended have "sample budgets" online, it's also a tough time economically and they understand that. Make an appointment and meet with them and tell what your food and alcohol budget is, and see if they can do a reception within that budget. Also, to be clear, is your budget for EVERYTHING or just the ceremony and reception? If it's for everything, then you are probably looking at maybe $20 per person ($3000), plus the rest of your vendors.

FWIW, we went the route of finding a venue where we supply everything but the tables;  I"m DIY-ing the HECK out of everything, found a photographer under $1000, DJ who also provides the bartender AND is officating my wedding, and we have to rent linens, plates, provide our own alcohol, and then a caterer to bring food to the venue. With all my budgeting (and trust me, I am a cheap ol gal), we have enough for 100 people with our $6K budget. You may have to be ruthless with your guest list, AND consider a Friday night wedding. Also, I'd sincerely recommend finding a place that provides all the decor, tables, linens, plates, food and alcohol, etc, because after doing this for over 18 months, I honestly have NOT saved that much money (except on the DIY, which includes flowers from Costco.com, centerpieces, invitations, STD's, and a ton more stuff).

I also live in Warren, so I'm familiar with the area. Good luck, google the heck out of everything. If you do find a venue or public place, I sincerely recommend obtaining your catering from one of the gourmet grocery stores like Holiday Market (our caterer and cake baker), or Randazzo's, Vince & Joe's etc. They do great food for a reasonable price, I believe because they don't JUST cater, they are bringing in amazing food for all their customers, and they don't just turn a profit on catering, which catering companies do.

I wish you the best.

PhoneCardLady

Try the Lorenzo Cultural Center @ Macomb Community College's Center Campus.  They have events there.  Not sure of the prices tho but they also offer catering.

baileyleev

I just thought about Concordia University, they have beautiful grounds you can rent for weddings. They provide tables, chairs, etc. and you can bring in your own alcohol (saves a ton!)

http://www.cuaa.edu/Catering-And-Special-Events/weddings---special-events

It's in AA so I'm not sure how far that is from you, but it may be worth looking into! If we could afford a peak season wedding, we would totally have it there!!!!

Milsey32

I would second Tina's Country House & Gardens - very beautiful!

Suzette70

I second Royalty House.  They definitely have the best value for the money and they have a special going right now - a $10.00 per guest credit to use for upgrades or $5.00 off the price per person if you don't want to make any changes.  They have a beautiful loft area for the ceremony.