Wedding for Under $10k?

samiam0270

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the boards here, I got engaged in September and I've been on quite a rollercoaster ride of planning due to changes in our financial situation (from a 2011 wedding at Andover CC for 150 guests to a 30 person wedding in Hawaii this fall).  So I'm back to square one and hoping you all can give me some good advice and suggestions.

I'm trying to find a venue where all food, alcohol, taxes, service fees, gratuity would come out to no more than $5k for 120-150 guests.  I noticed on The Knot's vendor lists no actual venues exist that are 1 single $ symbol, everything starts at $$, which is what my original venue was and that I had to cancel before of the growing wedding costs.

I'm from Waltham, FI is from Andover, but at this rate if there's a good cheap (but nice) venue within 1 hour drive of either of us, we'll consider it.  I'd love to have an outdoor ceremony, but again, if it's cost prohibitive, I'll put my vision/dreams aside to just get this done.

Let me know if anyone has any suggestions for places that might be worth checking out...a lot of places that aren't "all inclusive" have such high rental fees that when you add an outside catering cost on top the budget starts to get exceeded again.

I'd love to see if there's places that I can spend $5k for the reception, and then leave another $3-5k for flowers, DJ, photog, etc.

Thanks everyone!

EKobrenski

What about the Elks at Bass Rocks? 
http://www.elksatbassrocks.com/

I've also heard DiBurro's is really reasonable. http://www.diburros.com/

noodle_oo

Hmmm... this is a tough one.  $5K for 120 guests works out to about $42 pp, but since most venues charge about 20% on top of the pp rate they quote you (for gratuity and admin fees), you are really looking at a base price of about $35 pp.  I don't know anywhere that inexpensive.

If you can drop your guest list, this place in NH is gorgeous and I found it really inexpensive.  They have beautiful outdoor spaces.  However, I still don't think it is within your budget for 120 guests (maybe if you could get down to 80 it would work). 

www.promisesnh.com

For 120 - 150 guests and $5K, I think you will need to get pretty creative.  Good luck!

EKobrenski

What about clambake or BBQ style?  I think you could def get food for under that cost but you would have to figure in alcohol on top of that. 

jkepros

Are you set on doing a dinner reception?

The Doubletree in Bedford (formerly the Bedford Glenn) off Middlesex Turnpike/Rte 3/Rte 62 has a garden area where you could have an outdoor morning ceremony and you could then probably have a brunch/luncheon reception in one of the ballrooms for your price. 

My company has a lot of events there and they were willing to work with us on price for a recent party/dinner reception...but I think it was around $50-60pp....?  If you had a morning ceremony followed by a brunch/lunch you could also save on alcohol (face it, people don't drink as much during the day as if it's at night--you could limit it to mimosas & bloody mary's or something like that). 

They also gave us a great deal on rooms (good if you have OOT guests).

Places are willing to work with people in this bad economy & you should be able to get a deal. 

FYI our party was for like 200 people and I think the budget was around $12-15k for everything (including cocktail hour, dinner, DJ, centerpieces, etc).

http://www.glamour.com/weddings/blogs/save-the-date/2008/09/genius-wedding-ideas-a-6000-we.html

Good Luck!

samiam0270

We thought about the BBQ idea on a beach/park, I think there was one in Ipswich or up in that area, but you couldn't have alcoholic beverages on site, nor could you amplify any music...didn't know if that kills a major part of the fun.

I guess at this point we should open up to the idea of a brunch instead if it'll help us save money (and good point on the decrease in drinking...I would hope!).  Any recommendations on venues that would be affordable for brunches?  The problem is that so many venues charge a room rental/venue fee, ceremony fee, and then take tip/tax/service charges on top of that...talk about double dipping!

DirtyWater

I forget who gave me this info but there is a Post in Newton I believe its 44 that a girl used and loved it.  She said it didn't look like a post hall at all and there were 2 rooms to choose from.

She also went with Buffet Way for food.  I've checked out his website and the prices seem pretty good.

Worth a look.

spuccio

What about hosting a BBQ or brunch at a private home? Thats what we did. Either a family home, or someone you know. Are you involved with a church, synagogue, non profit organization, school or community center? You could also rent a vacation property, like we did. We rented out a really large vacation home for a whole week, but I bet you could do a nightly rental or weekend rental in New England for well under a thousand. Add in a tent for about 600 bucks, and a casual caterer, and you might get away under 5K.

We were able to put together a Cape Cod wedding for 100 guests under 20K, which is pretty unheard of in that area. Culling your guest list is a big big big pointer: the cost even between 120 and 150 is easily in the thousands. If budget is truly an issue for you, start by cutting your guest list. It's hard, but the best way to make your budget go further.

Another idea for someone with a really restrictive budget is just to think outside of the box. If you do a brunch, or a BBQ, or something equally different, people won't notice what elements of the wedding that are missing (because of cost)....you won't look cheap or budget, you will just look creative and innovative! People are still talking about our clambake wedding and how fun it was. Nobody seems to remember the plastic plates, stationary apps, limited bar, simple centerpieces, etc etc. because that's not the kind of event it was. It was a elaborate clambake with all the bells and whistles, not a seated formal dinner at its cheapest.

Good luck. Planning a wedding in this economy is hard, but with some creativity and elbow grease you will find a way to start your marriage in a memorable way.

ctag416

http://www.smokeyslci.com/venues.html
If you wanted to do a BBQ, they recommend some venues.

Primavera in Millis, I have never used them but they seem to be low cost.

megandjay

I agree with PP, and venues that are not hotels, and places where you have to do all the planning (like bringing in a caterer, etc), give you much more room for the budget. Hotels are the least likely to negotiate.

I think the idea of a brunch or a BBQ/clambake are great. Maybe also look into restaurants?

And def see if you can cut the guest list down...

dovesweet07

I dont have any specific places in mind, but some things you might consider are: doing it on a friday or sunday night, smaller guest list, only doing beer/wine and not full open bar, cutting down guest list...

ctag416

One more place that I liked and it wasn't too expensive was
http://www.thejonesrivertrading.com/
It is in Kingston so not sure if that is too far out.

Blueyed228

My FI's cousin had her wedding for 130 people at Saphire Estates in Sharon for  10K.  That included everything from dress to food to entertainment.  It was beautiful and she served prime rib. 

Krolik1519

Mine is at the Leicester Contry Club and they are very reasonable. My budget is 3k.

ebigelow

We're having our Rehearsal Dinner at The Lyceum in Salem, MA and it's really reasonable.  For a buffet with 2 entree choices it's $27/person + tax & tip...for a seated dinner, chicken dishes are also $27.  The only thing is that for a seated dinner, they can only hold 100 people max, so you would have to cut your guest list...

jesibel14

Hi and welcome!
Definitely check out Elks at Bass Rocks.  They have friday night rentals for $1500 that includes a lot and it's really pretty there (you could get married right across on the beach or in the garden).  It was one of our top contenders.  I've heard that the drinks there are very cheap as well.  One of the caterers that they work with is Henry's in Malden, which I've never tried, but are very reasonable (entrees for under $20 that include everything but the 20% charge for tax and service, figure $25 with taxes/charge and a stationary app).  For 125 ppl @$25 person for Friday night wedding =  $4625, so under what you are looking at for reception alone (but no bar).

I do think that unless you do a private rental like spuccio said, you will find it difficult to have alcohol AND food for under 5K for over 100 ppl, but by doing it at an elks or something, a cheap bar could help the cost if you were set on open bar (or even if you do open cocktail alone, or beer/wine only, etc!).

Also check out the Knights of Columbus in Nahant, it's right on the water and I've heard nice things of that place as well, though never saw it.  It's also priced reasonably.

GL!!  You'll find this local board very helpful - the girls are great I got some great ideas and learned a lot on here.  I'm also on a budget and received some great referrals, ideas and inspiration - so if you need any pointers, let me know!

Happy Planning!

LexiMS

I have no experience with them, but this just popped up on my facebook ads--
http://www.lowellweddings.com/, their packages seem super cheap and the room actually looks nice (from the pics).

dparisi

HI,

You could save some money by only having open bar for the cocktail hour.  There is no hard and fast rule that you have to pay for everyone's drinks all night long.  I have been to many weddings that  had a cash bar after the cocktail hour.

Be careful of clambakes, they can get pretty pricy with the add ons.

I do love the brunch idea-brunch can be so classy and elegant for a reasonable price.
You could serve Mimosa's when everyone first comes in, put them in a champagne flute and they can be used for the toast also.

Blueyed228

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_massachusetts-boston_wedding-under-10k?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:89Discussion:df68a953-4797-4402-a627-28058a1d7d20Post:01cbc60f-4445-454e-befc-ebd6c808e2ad">Re: Wedding for Under $10k?</a>:
[QUOTE]HI, You could save some money by only having open bar for the cocktail hour.  <strong><em>There is no hard and fast rule that you have to pay for everyone's drinks all night long</em></strong>.  I have been to many weddings that  had a cash bar after the cocktail hour. Posted by dparisi[/QUOTE]

Oh dparis.  Prepare for the onslaught, lol.

EKobrenski

In Response to <a href="http://forums.weddings.com/Sites/Weddings/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_massachusetts-boston_wedding-under-10k?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:89Discussion:df68a953-4797-4402-a627-28058a1d7d20Post:ccc942b7-4bb1-4ae5-b70d-eff8a1450be8">Re: Wedding for Under $10k?</a>:
[QUOTE]I have no experience with them, but this just popped up on my facebook ads-- <a href="http://www.lowellweddings.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.lowellweddings.com/</a> , their packages seem super cheap and the room actually looks nice (from the pics).
Posted by LexiMS[/QUOTE]

I've been to the restaurant there.  It would def be more on the casual side, but that would be a pretty cool idea. You could have a very loft-y and modern style.   Downtown Lowell has lots of great places to take pics too, I think I'm doing a TTD there after the wedding. 

samiam0270

Wow, thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions and advice!  It's good to know I'm not trying to make the impossible happen...just the really difficult.    I think this gives me a good start and I'll definitely be back to pick your brains if I hit another roadblock!

jessla

You sound like me!  I was like that as well.  Went from ACC to destination wedding, back to ACC.  Anyway, after doing all the math in all the venues, it ended up being like a $2K difference between ACC and other venues, which I didn't think was enough.  Because, first of all, we'd be losing $1K on our deposit, and second of all, ACC was way nicer than any other venue.  We just ended up inviting a lot less people.  We were originally going to have 150 guests, and cut it down to just over 100.  The only reason we went over 100 is because my husband was not good at telling his parents no!

But, I did find one really cheap venue that I thought was nice enough.  But my dad was way against it.  The Hilltop Steakhouse has an all-inclusive wedding package that includes A LOT for VERY LITTLE!  I saw the room personally, and I thought it was nice.  Though, apparently while they used to have really good steak, the new owners have sort of run the place into the ground.  So I might go there for dinner (maybe my dad was exagerating?)  Anyway, either way, worth checking out: http://www.hilltopsteakhouse.com/

The Billerica Country Club is also really cheap, but I didn't think it was very nice.  It was very old and plain.  You'd spend more trying to decorate it haha.

MeaghanandMichael

Do brunch!! I love a brunch reception, yummmm!

love2nap

Is Manchester, nh to far for you? I know that the Executive Court at Best Western is really afforable.. they don't charge for room rental, only charge for your F&B. Also, one of my friends had her wedding at fratellos also in manch with a similiar budget as yours on a Sat night, and it was a great wedding! Not too sure of the pricing, but the Tirrell room in Quincy or the Essex Room in essex may be in your price range as well.

My vote is for the restaurant route... they are often more affordable than any place else, and non-traditional wedding places (like ski lodges, etc). good luck!

samiam0270

Manchester is a possibility, at this point if it's within an hour drive of North Andover, it's fair game, haha.  The thing at ACC that's killing us is the food min for a Sat night; we're having trouble hitting the $7500 food min (since Alcohol can't be included), so we're just trying to find things to fill it, and then we realized that was silly.  And I think the $1500 ceremony fee was ridiculous; luckily we cancelled within 30 days so we got our $1k deposit back.

I'll definitely check out the Manchester suggestions, the Lyceum and Hilltop, I do remember HIlltop from way back in the day.  

Thanks again!

keviday

I am getting married at the Hilltop in April and I have been to a wedding at the Hilltop. I admit it was not my first choice (been through serious budget ups and downs too) but you can't beat their all inclusive package. Plus they do a really great job.they have two ballrooms to choose from(that are not western themed) so they can fit up to 120 ppl. All of their preferred vendors have been easy to work with. I don't remember the HIlltop hey-day but the food was decent.You can definitely fit your $5k budget there. The main downside is that there is really no place for photos and the giant cactus outside. Good Luck with your search!