Super Budget NoVa Wedding Ideas

suzyq517 · October 2009

Help!I am newly engaged and am so overwhelmed with the whole thought of wedding planning, I don't even know where to start!! I have a very tight budget but a very, very large family and oodles of friends. I'd love to hear anyone and everyone's ideas for a big, informal, inexpensive northern virginia wedding! Lay it all on me, as I need all of the help I can get. The big question is the reception and/or ceremony site, but then comes all of the other details... I'd prefer it to be next October or December... but am open to change.Thanks for your help in advance!

tracy_k · October 2009

I know this sounds kind of weird, but the Knights of Columbus hall in Arlington is lovely, HUGE, and very reasonably priced... plus you can bring your own liquor, which always saves a bundle.It's very large room with windows down one side, a stage at one end, and you can dress it up or down as you like. You can have both the ceremony and reception there, there is free parking, there are plenty of hotels nearby (in Crystal City), it's not too far from the metro, and you're near Clarendon for a cool after-party. :)Their regional headquarters are on the premises, in a gorgeous stone manor house (which would be great for taking pictures).Check out their website! http://www.kofcedw2473.org/facilities/weddings.shtml

tidetravel · October 2009

Try the budgeter tool at www.weddingwire.com (its more user friendly that theknots) Plug in your budget and your estimated guest count. This will give you an idea of what you have to spend in each area. From there you can allot more or less money to areas that are more/less important to you.Keep in mind that the best way to control your budget is to cut your guest list. Food/alcohol is the highest cost of any wedding. Try to choose an off season/day. October has become very popular for weddings, especially in the mid-atlantic, so you may find cheaper prices in Dec. Having a Fri night or Sun afternoon wedding would be cheaper. It is an off day, so you are more likely to get the venue that you want, usually at a discount. Also, more vendors will be available so you have more people to choose from, and may get a discount as well. If you have a lot of out of town guests, or a large guest list in general, SUN would be easier than FRI for them.If you have the wedding at a non-meal time, you have more options. You can serve just cake/punch in the morning/early afternoon, have an informal brunch/lunch reception (BBQ is an inexpensive favorite) and/or serve heavy apps for a reception later in the evening.The one thing that helped me was to focus on a few things that are REALLY important to you/FI and be flexible on the rest.

ChristineBride2Be · October 2009

Congrats! We also have a VERY large family and tons of friends with a smaller budget. So I'm right there with you! We're having our reception in May at the American Legion in Fairfax. I was 100% against even seeing it when my mom brought it up because I could only think bingo hall! SO not the case. It has a large ballroom with high ceilings and a smaller room with a bar for cocktails with a nice porch. I was really surprised. Dinner is only $25/pp and we're having chicken cordon bleu and prime rib! It's crazy, I know. The legion is a not for profit site so they dont have to charge crazy amounts of money. You can also bring your own liquor. The website does NOT do it justice. I recommend visiting it in person. There are added costs if you want to rent their linens and things like that. If you want the contact info for the manager let me know, he's really great to work with. Good luck!

spuliafico · October 2009

I'm doing a major budget wedding aswell...we're coming in right around $8,000. Instead of listing everything on here that I've done/am using, if you want the info you can e-mail me at spuliafico at hotmail.com. I already sent a bunch to another Knottie and it'll be easy to forward! But it can be done!

Hulz2000 · October 2009

I feel your pain! I've been engaged for about 2 months now, and have not done much planning at all because it's so overwhelming! I'm planning a 100 person wedding next November on a $10,000 budget. I have done lots of research though, and agree with Christine that the American Legion in FFX is one of the best values I have found so far. Also check out Fairfax County historical properties at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/hprs/. You can rent a location for around $1500 and then bring in a cheap caterer.

m_masino · October 2009

I'm getting married at a church--St. Thomas More in Arlington--there's no charge--they say you can make donation as do most churches but from what I've seen that can be $100 and up so it's relatively cheap. I'm having the reception at the Sheraton Crystal City. I'm getting married in July on a saturday. The prices are the same for the day/night. I'm paying $70 pp including four hours of beer/wine, cocktail hour, cake cutting fees, two bartender fees, buffet or plated dinner with two entree choices, white linens, and all taxes/gratuities. If you wanted a four hour open bar with the liqour it would be about $90pp. I researched EVERYWHERE!! It really depends on the time of year. December you may have better luck. October seems to be peak. July August were not peak, and neither was January, feb and first two weeks in march.

nooniesinlove · October 2009

I second the Knights of Columbus hall and the Cathedral. I'm bringing in BBQ catering from Urban BBQ, and it's going to come to $1800 for a 150 people buffet (and we're planning for LOTS of extra food!). I found PhotoBisou, a decent-looking photographer on Craigslist, who will do a full day of photography for $500. Davis Deejays was having a booking special for weddings occurring early next year for $579 (I think he does this fairly often). I'm getting a smaller wedding cake from somewhere in the area and then getting sheet cakes from Giant for most of the guests. I looked for invite kits today, and Michaels had Martha Stewart kits on clearance for $9.99 for a 48 count box. That's as much as I've done, but I am in the exact same boat. It can be done!

cms4mf · October 2009

Knights of Columbus is gorgeous- I'm not sure if its always outside catering or if you can get it through them, but I'd recommend outside if there's a choice. We went to a wedding there last year and the food was terrible! They may have had a bad caterer though. The grounds there have some great spots for pictures too

nooniesinlove · October 2009

The catering thing is interesting. They officially want you to use their caterer unless it's a food that they can't do well. If you use their caterer, the hall fee is $1,800. I'm doing BBQ buffet, and we had had our hearts set on it from the start. Jesse, the events manager, claimed that it counted as a food they couldn't do well since they didn't have a smoker. The fee for the hall when using an outside caterer is $3,000, but Jesse said that he would be our go-between person for the caterer. He said that he would buy the food from the caterer and have his guys serve it, charging us for the food cost and $1,800 for the hall. That was my experience with the KOC. The grounds *are* really pretty, and the hall itself is decent for the price.

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