Brand new to this...entertainment/venue question

kelhayes1

Hello! I am brand new to The Knot (just engaged last weekend). We are starting to look at venues for a reception this weekend. The Mill is Spring Lake is my first choice. Just a quick question...are prices per person usually negotiable ir is it set in stone? (Thinking a Saturday night wedding in Summer 2011).Also, since I'm so new to this...what is the average price for a DJ vs. a band...there's a specific band I want but they charge $6,500 for an 8 piece band...is that high?Also, what is average price for a photographer?Thanks in advance for your help!!Kelly

cvl105

I would imagine most are negotiable....but price wise they probably won't lower the price per person.  You probably have a better chance of getting them to throw extras in for the same price.

cvl105

My DJ is about $1100.  Most bands I've seen people talk about on here are about $5000 and up...sometimes waayyy up!

I <3 Seabass

Most reception halls will negotiate with you. But, during the more popular months (like the summer) it may be easier to get things thrown in (i.e. another station at CH, Viennese table, lower minimum, etc.) then reduce the per person price. I think that's a decent price for a band (depending on the band of course). We looked at mostly 10 piece bands and the price range was about $7,000 - $10,000 for bands that we were seriously considering. We really didn't look too much into DJs but I think the one that we met with quoted us $1800. Price of photographer is really going to depend on what you want (2 shooters, albums, proofs, full day coverage, etc) and the style/quality you want.

kathymarie

Usually prices per person are set, but try negotiating for a Friday night price for the saturday, or get them to throw in a Vienesse hour or something. Yeah, bands are WAY more. Ours was about $9K, so we couldve afforded 8 DJ's for that. Photography can go from about $3K--10K++ so you need to do your research and call around. Luckily, you have plenty of time.

cherylanddan0706

ditto girls on the venues and photographers.Our DJ was 1495 for a Friday evening, I didn't even look into bands because I have a preference of not having them at my wedding (and even if i did we couldn't afford it).Welcome and happy planning!

acablitas

Welcome!! My friend is having her reception at the Mill a week before my wedding   As pp's said, chances are most prices are usually set unless you want to remove stuff from the menu & that can definitely help lower the price.  OR if anything, they can add extras for you if you're looking @ other places that offer something a little bit more.Bands are normally higher than dj's.  We decided to go with a dj b/c we're both not really into bands.Photographers.  It all depends.  The range can vary.

uppereastgirl

As everyone has said, prices for photographers REALLY vary.  A rule of thumb is that it should be 10-15% of your overall budget (but you can decide whether to take it or leave it).  It is something that a lot of people like to splurge a bit on though, because you'll have your photos forever, for better or worse.

Laurms15

I think that everyone has given you great advice. Just one more thought. Since you are looking at Summer 2011 if you book things now you can still get 2009 or 2010 rates which could help a little.

justkris10

The thing that helped most with us on negotiating per person was that we were booking 5-6 months out from our date so they gave us a sickk deal but we were very flexible and open to dates so that's thatOur DJ was $1,300 and awesome I would HIGHLY recommend him (if you're looking for a rec)Photographers -- for example I paid $1700 for mine, he shot us ALL day, I mean 12 hours and we got 550 proofs and then all the images online and on a diskbut we were disappointed with our photos - they were nice but there was no style to them at allso you get what you pay for - I would say look to spend at a minimum of $2500 all the way up to $7k or soWelcome to the Knot - you'll either love it or hate it here (lol) its an over abundance of very useful information

kelhayes1

Thanks so much for the advice and help everyone, much appreciated!!!