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Venue Search Sucks

monnnstermonnnster member
10 Comments
in Wedding Woes
California?  Hawaii?
Who cares?
that's how I feel at this point.  I am totally overwhelmed by the Wedding Industrial Complex.  Is it impossible to find a pretty indoor/outdoor ceremony and reception venue that won't end up costing a fortune?
Will I have to go to Timbuktu to get it?
HELP!!!!
I know you can throw a big celebration for 100pp for less than 20k.
It just can't be a "Wedding".
Is anyone else sick of seeing the wedding markup?  Doesn't anyone notice or care that a family reunion of the same number of people on the same saturday in the same location will have a site fee that's practically half of what a "wedding" costs?
ARGGGH!!!
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Re: Venue Search Sucks

  • *Barbie**Barbie* member
    Knottie Warrior 5000 Comments 500 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited December 2011
    1) what about it
    2) ditto #1
    3) i sure don't
    4) depends on your definitions of pretty and fortune
    5) I've never been there, so I couldn't help you with that one
    6) everything is marked up
    7) then tell them you are hosting an "event" and don't specify the nature of such... 

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  • Butter CookieButter Cookie member
    2500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    You know I recently read an article about a bride who called a caterer and let her know she was planning a family function for 100. She got a quote, and agreed to meet with the caterer. At the meeting the caterer found out it was a wedding, and immediately cancelled because the bride was "not being forthcoming"

    Which is kind of BS, because you're right, they do mark it up extraordinarily simply because it's a wedding.

    You can do a wedding for not an arm and a leg, you just have to find the right venues, caterers, etc. Don't be dishonest, but don't take crap from them either.

    You could have your wedding in a park, renting out the amphitheater/covered picnic areas/what have you and they're not going to ask if it's a wedding. You can have your wedding catered by a local family owned restaurant and they'll work with you more regarding cost.

    It can be done. It just takes considerably more effort and searching, so decide if it's worth the cost to do so. For me it was definitely worth the cost to do it myself (with the help of friends and family) and not buy into the WIC.
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  • quotequeenquotequeen member
    2500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Doesn't anyone notice or care that a family reunion of the same number of people on the same saturday in the same location will have a site fee that's practically half of what a "wedding" costs?

    My venue has banquet menus and wedding menus.  For a wedding on a Saturday evening you are required to use the wedding menus.  But if I tried to create a package that included everything that's in the wedding menu out of the banquet menus, it would cost more than my wedding package.
    Married 10/2/10
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  • HeffalumpHeffalump member
    Knottie Warrior 5000 Comments 500 Love Its First Answer
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_wedding-woes_venue-search-sucks?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:47Discussion:63e79843-fdb3-4ea1-b335-ff6ab9c1360dPost:25bbbddc-11f5-4ae7-abb5-45ac0147a532">Venue Search Sucks</a>:
    [QUOTE]California?  Hawaii? Who cares? that's how I feel at this point.  I am totally overwhelmed by the Wedding Industrial Complex.  Is it impossible to find a pretty indoor/outdoor ceremony and reception venue that won't end up costing a fortune? Will I have to go to Timbuktu to get it? HELP!!!! I know you can throw a big celebration for 100pp for less than 20k. It just can't be a "Wedding". Is anyone else sick of seeing the wedding markup?  Doesn't anyone notice or care that a family reunion of the same number of people on the same saturday in the same location will have a site fee that's practically half of what a "wedding" costs? ARGGGH!!!
    Posted by monnnster[/QUOTE]
    Wedding Industrial Complex?  Seriously?
    �
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  • awesome-sauceawesome-sauce member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Heffa, I had the same thought.

    Monnnster: If you can't figure out how to plan a great wedding for -100 people on a $20k budget, i'm not even sure what advice to give. You may be better off hiring an event planner that can at least give you some direction and advice. $20k budget is plenty.
    .
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  • monnnstermonnnster member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I couldn't help but notice that none of you live in California.  Did any of you get married in California?
    And, yes, I said Wedding Industrial Complex.  I'm not so one dimensional that I don't question the intentions of magazines and websites and their responsibilities to their advertisers.  Haven't you noticed vendors playing to the emotional spin of the event?
    As for wedding planners, very few will touch any wedding that's less than 40k.
    If anyone has any SPECIFIC advice for a California bride, short of moving to the very much cheaper southern US, please share.
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  • awesome-sauceawesome-sauce member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I couldn't help but notice that none of you live in California.  Did any of you get married in California?

    Not sure about the OP's, but what's your point? Does the "Wedding Industrial Complex" only apply to those in California. Shew, glad I missed out on that.
    .
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  • TheDuckisTheDuckis member
    Seventh Anniversary 5000 Comments 25 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited December 2011
    20K is not much for a wedding in Orange County, but you probably wouldn't have much of a family reunion for 20K in Orange County either.

    I did not get married in California, but I did get married in a very high COL area. We saved a few bucks by having the reception outside of the big city. Also our venue negotiated a lower price with us because we were willing to have the wedding in an off-peak month.

    FWIW, I found the price discrepancy between weddings and other events to be mostly myth. If a place could charge so much more for weddings, they wouldn't bother renting it out for cheaper things. The reason family reunions are cheaper is because you don't need fancy flower arrangements, cake, limos, etc.
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    Crap...I Mean Crafts
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  • awesome-sauceawesome-sauce member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    As for wedding planners, very few will touch any wedding that's less than 40k.

    Also, are there absolutely none that will at least point you in the right direction? Most planners have several different packages, even if they don't plan the entire thing from beginning to end, most can/will help you set a budget and plan, then go from there. (Holy long sentence.)
    .
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  • Butter CookieButter Cookie member
    2500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_wedding-woes_venue-search-sucks?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:47Discussion:63e79843-fdb3-4ea1-b335-ff6ab9c1360dPost:20cc8c38-2b2c-4461-b853-c29764b738e5">Re: Venue Search Sucks</a>:
    [QUOTE]I couldn't help but notice that none of you live in California.  Did any of you get married in California? And, yes, I said Wedding Industrial Complex.  I'm not so one dimensional that I don't question the intentions of magazines and websites and their responsibilities to their advertisers.  Haven't you noticed vendors playing to the emotional spin of the event? As for wedding planners, very few will touch any wedding that's less than 40k. If anyone has any SPECIFIC advice for a California bride, short of moving to the very much cheaper southern US, please share.
    Posted by monnnster[/QUOTE]


    Well I apologize my advice was unhelpful based off the fact that I'm from the southern US. Perhaps you would have more luck on your local, where everyone understands your needs and wants.

    Imma juss sum country bumpkin aint understandin them there expensive hitchin's. On down here in the south we gots arselves some right fancy hitchins what with them twankly lights & somma that o-possum la-zag-na.

    Certainly someone from the south can't understand working with a budget, and everything in California is more expensive. A backyard wedding would cost 4x as much in California as it would here, in the southern united states. A family run restaurant would charge you 4x as much to cater said wedding.
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  • monnnstermonnnster member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    My intention was not to hurt any "bumpkin's" feelings.  My intention was to request specific advice about how to pull this wedding thing off.
    To be fair, Cali is a very expensive place, and many places are straight up about charging a $4500 site fee for a wedding but $1600 for a "private event", trust me I've looked at a lot of places.
    I was told that The Knot Boards are a constructive source of information for brides from brides....
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  • Butter CookieButter Cookie member
    2500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_wedding-woes_venue-search-sucks?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:47Discussion:63e79843-fdb3-4ea1-b335-ff6ab9c1360dPost:eaade77c-ba36-41be-a732-1c63bd0b6396">Re: Venue Search Sucks</a>:
    [QUOTE]My intention was not to hurt any "bumpkin's" feelings.  My intention was to request specific advice about how to pull this wedding thing off. To be fair, Cali is a very expensive place, and many places are straight up about charging a $4500 site fee for a wedding but $1600 for a "private event", trust me I've looked at a lot of places. I was told that The Knot Boards are a constructive source of information for brides from brides....
    Posted by monnnster[/QUOTE]

    You got good advice. Go to your local. I am in North Carolina. It doesn't make me a redneck, or unaware of how expensive a wedding can be, it simply makes me geographically unable to help you with specifics.
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