Budget Help!

NewportBride2011

Hi ladies,

I'm almost ready to book a venue for the Saturday of Labor day weekend next year at the Hyatt Harborside (ballroom). If anyone has feedback on the venue, that would be REALLY helpful - please message me!

On another note, in trying to fit everything into my budget... what have you all spent on the following items? My budget is $60-65K for the whole wedding and the food/bev is taking up over half of the budget due to guest count, so I'm trying to get a feel for how low I can get some of the other items without sacrificing quality...

- invitations/save the dates
- photographer/videographer
- band (and any recommendations would help too!)
- flowers
- transportation just for wedding party (limo)

Thank you so much!!

ctag416

I think my food and beverage will end up being at least 60% of my budget.  Everything else definitely varies.  I really like our photographer and he is 2000 but we look at some that were 3000 to 4000.  I think you can do everything with your budget just make sure you shop around and compare prices. 

Goodluck!!

megandjay

Things really vary so much!

Bands- we paid 6K, but saw many bands 6k-10k. I know other girls on this board have found bands for 5k.

Flowers- this is a really wide range and depends on what you want. I can't even guess- you should get some quotes.

Limo- not sure, we didn't get a limo.

Invites- what kind of invites do you want? Will you do them yourself or order online or have them custom made? letterpress? pocket fold? You can go online to some websites like weddingpaperdivas.com and get an idea. Remember to factor in postage for the invite (usually higher than just a regular stamp) and rsvp cards. Also consider escort cards, programs and thank you notes.

Photographer- this is also a wide range and you have to consider what is included. A lot of brides don't get the album and make their own since an album can often run 1k-2k (crazy, I know), but they are cheaper if they come included in the package. You also have to factor in do you want one person or an assistant, how many hours, do you want a CD/DVD with all the pictures and rights to print your own. The prices I saw for 2 photogs, with DVD and album ran 4k-7k, but I have seen brides on here get a photog for 2k.

Videographer- Most of the basic packages ran 1k-3k, but some went up to 7k, depending on how many hours and how much work they put in.

Don't forget:
Rehearsal dinner, wedding party thank you gifts, bridal gown and grooms attire, hair and make-up, ceremony officiant and musicians, honeymoon...

I would suggest doing some online research into other vendors. And like PP said, the reception should be about 40-60% of your budget depending on your priorities.

GinaBabe3

Hi Newport,
 
Invitations:  $1000 Save the Dates: $250
The Green Kangaroo did our invitations.  They were awesome!
Creative Montage did our magnet save the dates.  Great as well.  Creative Montage.com is kind of fun becasue they let you design the STD yourself.

Photographer:  $3800 2 Photographers; no time limit, album (upgraded to metallic paper (so worth it!) and additional 10 pages added.  We used Keith Berry of BerryPhotos and had mixed reviews on his work, but his prices are hard to beat for what he offers.

Band:  $6400 for 4 1/2 Hours World Premier Band
They were incredible!  No words can explain.  They do tons of showcases throughout the year and I highly recommend them.  They were a fantastic investment and made our wedding so bad a*s.  The dance floor was packed before salad was served!  If you can afford a band get one. 

Flowers:  $3000  The Tangled Web Jen Cahill
We had some issues with some of her work, but overall I would recommend her.
10 Low rises, 10 High rise centerpieces, 6 bridemaids bouquests, 1 bride, 10 bouts, 4 coursages, 1 archway with flowers, flowers on each side of the aisle for about 6 aisles.

Transportation: $750 Brewster Limo Quincy, MA
On time, clean, brand new navigator limo
Just picked us from my parents to the reception

Good Luck!!

G-

RoyalOrient

You might also want to post this on the R.I board too. There are many Newport brides on there, myself included that will have great vendor referrals.

Invites - Try searching Etsy. If you go the DIY route, you will save money. Purchase a PDF. file of the design and print it yourself (paper and more or cards and pockets). Use Etsy Alchemy for custom request that will fit your budget and style

I used Kemba Celebrations. 90 invite suites including design, paper, postage and supplies totaled $205

Photographer - Tyra Bleek (fresh on the Boston photography scene) which equals fairly inexpensive. She is under 3 grand. 

Our photographer is Visual-Obsession, they were $3,250 but that includes full day coverage (unlimited hours) 

Videographer - Michael and Tricia Film, cinematic style videography starting at $1299

Flowers - Florals by Alisa in R.I has been known to work with budgets without compromising quality and creativity. They don't have high over head costs. I would recommend Golden Gate too. Both vendors are experienced with working at Newport venues from Belle Mer to Ocean Cliff.

SN318

We are getting married at the Hyatt Harborside in March in the Skyline Ballroom. So far everything has went smoothly and we haven't had any issues. They've been quick to respond to any questions we have. Are you working with Megan or Rich? We've been working Rich and he's been really great at helping us figure out ways to keep us in our budget and not go over. He's given us suggestions of things we can take out of the package to save money. Are you guys deadset on having it on Saturday? I'm just asking, because they do offer a 10% discount if you have your wedding on a Friday.

We haven't tasted any of the food on the menu yet. We're waiting for the grand tasting that is in January so we can taste everything then. But I've heard good things about it from other people.

I've slacked on figuring out invites and flowers (my project for next week), so I can't help you on pricing there.

We splurged on our photography and videography. We're both photographers, so it was one thing we were willing to spend more on.

We're using Michelle Lindsay photography out of Washington DC. The package is $4300, but will end up being closer to $6k because we are paying for travel expenses ect. I know a lot of Boston area photographers run anywhere from $2k to $5k, just depending on the package. Though some run much higher than that. But there are a lot of fantastic photographers in the city.

For videography we are using Jeff Brouillet Films. The package we chose is $4500. He's on the higher end of videographers, but his work is amazing.

If you have any questions about the Hyatt, don't hesitate to message me.

Blueyed228

- invitations/save the dates
Invites $1000 with postage
Save the Dates: $200 (vistaprint) for 150 with postage

- photographer
$6000

- band (and any recommendations would help too!)
$500-We have a DJ, included video and uplights

- flowers
$5000 so far

- transportation just for wedding party (limo)
Have not booked it yet, quoted around $4000.