Just started planning would love to hear from you!

Clbrand03 · August 2011

Hello all,

I am in the very beginging stages of wedding planning, and as I am sure many of you know this can get pretty stressfull! I have been looking at all inclusive packages through Beach Ball and 11th hour events. I would love to hear form those who have worked/working with them. The packages seem to good to be true. I am worry about the quality.. cake and food taste ect. We have a modest budget 12k I have also looked at other venus, but was concerned about cost when using multiple vendors. I would love to hear from others doing multiple vendors and how it is working out for you! Plus, we are doing destination, so I am not familiar with the area. Multiple trips to OBX are also something we are not able to do. So many questions.. I know it will get better! Love to hear from you!

Phillyboy06 · August 2011

Clbrand, welcome! I can take pride and say that i'm the only groom on our OBX board(pounding my chest like Tarzan, LOL).

Reading your post, makes me feel like i'm looking at our situation in the mirror! My FI is on the board too in case you ever see a post from her(Ksj10032782) We too have about a 12K budget and are at the "beginning stages" of the anticipated September '12 wedding. As we can't make multiple trips either, we do go every year during Labor Day week, so this year is pretty booked with venue(Whalehead, Sanderling, Mallards Marsh with Beach Ball) caterer tastings(Coastal Provisions, Red Sky), and one cake tasting(Great Cakes) appointments. I have not checked out 11th hour events, but have been doing my research on Beach Ball Events ever since we found out about them this past Saturday. I have reached out to a few people that have done their event with Beach Ball at Mallards Marsh, and the consensus seems to be positive. That's not to say that we are "sold" on Mallards. I'm like you and a little scared of using all of their vendors. The most thing i'm worried about is the photography. However, depending on how many are on your guest list, we have 40-45, it can be cost effective. Mallards package is about $8K for everything, and it has the beach ceremony that we both desire. Not sure what we will do, but i'll be sure to let you and the board know when we decide on something which should be the week of Sept. 4th-11th. Just keep posting and reading. The women(yes ladies most props to you all) on here are fantastic, and will do anything to ease the stress and help you out. From a guys perspective, i'll do my best as well! Rest assured, that we will help if we can! Welcome again!

sarahebrown · August 2011

Welcome Clbrand & Congrats on your engagement!! Chosing OBX for your wedding is a wonderful idea! It's a truly beautiful place and unlike any other wedding destination. I know you will be happy you picked it. This board is very helpful and if you are on Facebook, we also have a group there where we all post- search "OBX 2011 Knotties" and send an add request if you're interested.

I'm sorry to say that I haven't interacted with Beach Ball or 11th Hour events myself so I'm not much help there but I have taken many trips down to the area and interviewed many vendors. So If you need other specific suggestions, I'm happy to help. Your budget is very do-able and I think you'll have no problems finding what you need at reasonable prices. We are not using a planner but are doing multiple vendors and our budget is 14k, which we are well within.

Here's some questions I asked myself when we first started planning that helped me narrow down our choices:
Did you have a date or season in mind? How many guests would you like? Do you envision a beach ceremony or indoor ceremony?

Hope this helps a little. Feel free to ask anything at all. We are all very friendly here and love to help

Clbrand03 · August 2011

Thanks so much Philly Boy! Excited to be here! Brave man..alone with the gals! lol!

The photography does worry me as well, although the whole package is a great price..add ons for the photography are pricey. I'm so happy to hear that there are others with our worries as well. My fiance and I both agree on a beach wedding ceremony. He is more apt to go and get other vendors, where I am more into the package deals. Pictures can be decieving, and I am sure all these vendors offer great locations, finding the one that suites us maybe difficult. We have 75-100 ppl so spending extras to decorate sites are not really in our budget, but by the looks of most sites the views and surroundings offer alot. With the amount of ppl we have doing a event home is out of our budget. I have looked at Janette's Pier and 108 Budleigh but just space rental eats up alot of cash..then we have to worry about catering. I have not looked at catering prices for our guest amount, but I imagine its alot..but I could be wrong. Looks like i'll be here researching longer!
Good luck on your trip down there! Can't wait to hear what you guys decide.

OBX2011 · August 2011

Hi Clbrand and welcome to the board! You have come to the right place as all of us have been very helpful to one another along the way and have also become a very close knit group.

I too have not had any dealings with Beach Ball or 11th Hour, but have heard wonderful things about them over the past year or so that I have been on the board. We too are working with a budget of $12K and that is for about 100 guests...well actually we thought it would be around 80 but apparently, everyone really wants to come to the wedding, so it will be a fun night for sure! Since our list jumped, I think our $$ jumped up by $1,300 but we have that covered. Your budget is defnitely do-able for a destination wedding. How many guests are you thinking of having? Have you ever been to the area? When is your next trip down there? I have been vacationing in Nags Head for as long as I can remember and know that place like the back of my hand....so if there is anything you need at all, please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us. We did not use a planner either, my mother and myself are the planners and so far, so good!

Our wedding is on the beach (in 1 month!!!!) at MP 15 and we rented a "non-event" home since we aren't really having an event at the house persay, yet on the beach....and a non-event home is A LOT cheaper than an event home. Since you are doing your reception at a venue, you will not need to worry about an event home anyways. Our reception will be at 108 Budleigh in Manteo and we are using multiple vendors from photography, catering, cakes, flowers, etc. so it is definitely do-able in case you wanted to research other venues. Also remember that a wedding during the week is usually cheaper than a Fri or Saturday. We chose to get married on a Friday with a Sun-Sun rental so that we can sleep in on Sat and relax and recover with friends and family. Having to get married and then rush to check out the next day did not sound like fun to us, so we opted for Sun-Sun.

Hmmmm...what else to tell you? Ohhhh! Anything you can DIY will save A LOT of money along the way. Our colors are teal & tangerine with white & khaki accents....perfect for end of summer wedding....and we made our invitations (which rock btw), centerpieces (sand and shells w/candles), programs, etc. Most of us have DIY'd a lot for our wedding, so feel free to ask for anything and we will be more than happy to share.

Ok so give us the details: how long have you been together? proposal story? wedding colors? Your gown? BM's gowns? We love hearing the details in these parts.

This is a very happy time in your life, so enjoy it to the fullest! Remember to take deep breaths along the way and a sip of wine every now & again!

Congratulations and we all look forward to getting to know you better!

OBX2011 · August 2011

Ohhh and like Sarah said....don't forget the FB group, we tend to chat a lot on there about all of the details

Clbrand03 · August 2011

Thanks Sarah! I will def hook up on facebook. I would love to hear about your other vendors. Heres the basics.. Ceremony: Beach.. Reception: negotiable, but must be around the water. Guest count 75-100. I would like to look at vendors but are not sure where to start. Still researching, but you have inspired me to take a closer look at using multiple vendors, Ill have to start calling around. Weddings up here cost so much, its scary to think that I can get certain things without them costing alot. Thanks so much for your insight!

Clbrand03 · August 2011

Thanks OBX2011!
The 108 Budliegh is beautiful I was really interested in that site. I have never been to OBX..crazy I know, but I have always wanted a beach wedding, and I am a shore girl. My Fiance has been to OBX and loves it! But we are really not familiar with the area. We have discussed a weekday wedding, and it is a def possiblity..either thurs or friday. I am DIY type of person, and its great to hear from so many brides who are so inviting and helpful. Look forward to hearing everybodies wedding details!
Congrats to all brides!!

OBX2011 · August 2011

The Outer Banks Wedding Association is GREAT reference that is full of real weddings for inspiration and details, also is full of all vendors you would need. I strongly recommend attending the wedding expo the 1st week of Jan 2012 as it will give you tons of info....meet with vendors, look at venues, etc. You can also enter to win lots of free goodies and discounts if you attend the expo through certain vendors.

www.obxwa.com

And also look at obxbrides.com

I am going to send you a PM (private message)

tcigal · August 2011

CONGRATULATIONS on your engagement! And welcome to the BEST message board on the knot. These girls are amazing, and we're all definitely here to help! Obxwa.com was definitely my bible, but I wish I had stumbled across this sooner, because the girls here have great reviews and recommendations. I recommend checking in here before booking things, because I found anyway that sometimes people had better/cheaper recommendations. Keep that budget STRICT and in mind with everything- things add up and tend to be more than quoted, so that bit me in the ass a little bit, but I've done a good job at cutting things down.
If you're not at all a DIY bride (seems like most OBX brides are though!) then the all-in-one package seems perfect. Otherwise, it's sometimes a little much to keep track of an organized (esp b/c in our budgets we usually can't afford a planner!)

Good luck and keep us posted! Don't stress, enjoy parusing through the different vendors and reviews and imagining what you want- don't leave out FI either, I was always surprised how much input mine had (and wanted to have) and how much easier it made things :-)

sarahebrown · August 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina-outer-banks_just-started-planning-would-love-hear?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:598Discussion:157f579f-c2d0-4140-bf8b-a9026965a35ePost:c8a45331-1ad1-473b-8320-36e18202d4fd">Re: Just started planning would love to hear from you!</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks Sarah! I will def hook up on facebook. I would love to hear about your other vendors. Heres the basics.. Ceremony: Beach.. Reception: negotiable, but must be around the water. Guest count 75-100. I would like to look at vendors but are not sure where to start. Still researching, but you have inspired me to take a closer look at using multiple vendors, Ill have to start calling around. Weddings up here cost so much, its scary to think that I can get certain things without them costing alot. Thanks so much for your insight!
Posted by Clbrand03[/QUOTE]

Glad to help! Here's my vendor list:
Venue/Food- The Pearl (long story but I wouldn't recommend them unfortunately)
Photog- Ginger Harvey of GingerSnaps (<a href="http://www.gingersnapsphotos.com/">www.gingersnapsphotos.com</a>)
Cake- Great Cakes of the Outer Banks
Flowers- SugarSnaps (<a href="http://www.sugarsnapevents.com/">www.sugarsnapevents.com</a>)
DJ- Mike Smith (obxdj.com)
Linen Rentals- Ocean Atlantic (oaevents.com)
Makeup- Bombshell's Studio
Hair- Having my friend do it

You can definitely do what you are asking for within your budget. And as the other ladies said, many things can be done DIY or re-purposed. The prices are a little higher in OBX because the vendors basically have a monopoly on the area. I would shop around venues first, since you know your budget and guest count you should be able to narrow it down. Happy searching! Feel free to ask anything about what you find. There are many brides on the board marrying in different locations so you're bound to find someone using whichever venue you have in the running.

Phillyboy06 · August 2011

And remember, if you need a GROOM'S point of view about life, sports, "boy" types of things, ideas for your FI, or just a man's POV, just ask me! I'm sure the other ladies can attest to the fact that i'm pretty fair about my opinions and love to participate!

****I LOVE being a Rooster in the Henhouse**** LOL!!!!

roseygb · August 2011

Ahhhh this board is the BEST board on the knot. Everyone is so helpful. I don't have a ton to add since I'm still sorta in the beginning phases as well (we've only booked the photographer and done some decorations/wardrobe/cake things). But I will say that I think you can totally pull off a great wedding with your budget in the OBX without going with an all-in-one package. I've heard good things and then really terrible things about them and it just scares me a little. From what I've heard from people it's like everything was great BUT the DJ was terrible, or we loved everything but our photographer had no clue, that kind of stuff. I feel like there are some vendors that you would feel more comfortable vetting and choosing yourself, you know? For photography we really wanted to hire someone who had their own business, had a creative eye we related to, and had a vested interest in doing a great job (rather than being a part timer who gets contracted out for random weddings and never gets to know the couple and could be swapped for who knows what if an emergency came up).

jendem8 · August 2011

Congratulations! The OBX will be an amazing place to have your wedding, no matter what you choose to do. I am also a "Budleigh Bride," and I can't say enough good things about how beautiful the space is and how easy Bonnie is to work with (our date is June 22, 2012); the space requires very little decoration, and chairs/tables are included in the rental fee. Just so you're aware though, 108 Budleigh is not directly on the water, so if that's very important to you, then you might want to look at other places.

As OBX2011 mentioned, you get discounts for doing things on weeknights - even a Friday is cheaper than a Saturday (we saved on both the space itself and the DJ for choosing a Friday)... and weeknights are usually better options for out-of-towners.

Other money-saving tips: You can order flowers through Harris Teeter. I'm using a florist to do my bouquets, bouts, etc. but am DIYing my centerpieces and other decorations. Also, sometimes buying is cheaper than renting (and you can resell!), so keep that in mind. Craigslist and other classifieds are good places to look for candles, tablecloths, etc.

All-in-all, TIME is the key to planning a budget-friendly wedding. If you don't have a lot of time, then you might want to really consider the one-stop-shop places, but if you want to make a wedding that is uniquely yours and you have the time to do it, then pick and choose your vendors; plus, you have all of these girls (and boy) to help guide you when you feel lost/overwhelmed. There are SO MANY great restaurants and photographers (Chris Bickford!) and venues, that you're sure to find something that fits your personality and budget. Let us know what we can do to help!

[Deleted User] · August 2011

Welcome to the board!

Let me tell you, the girls (and the rooster. hehehe) on here are the best; they really know their stuff. Some of them live down there and others are down there so often it's like home away from home.

OBX2011 is the queen bee in knowing OBX stuff. If you have any questions, she's your gal!

As for multiple venues... so far, not a prob at all. FI and I are on a tight budget, but having multiple vendors hasn't been a problem at all. We're going with the 108 Budleigh building in Manteo. It's beautiful on its own, so you don't really even need much decorating. Bonnie is the contact person and she is amazing. She gets back to you within hours, maybe a day at the very most.

Recpetion: 108 Budleigh
Officiant: Pastor from home
Photographer: from home
Catering: not sure yet- thinking Red Sky
Rentals: Metro
Cake: TBD
Flowers: debating between having the lady from Herris Teeter (I can't remember her name) helping with this or doing them myself and having them sent from a wholesaler
Honeymoon: vacation home in Duck

We're in the earlier stages of planning, so we stilll have a lot to do to.
Best of luck to you. Happy Planning:)

RussoWill · August 2011

Clbrand-
I think a lot of us have the same budget as you and from what I can tell, we are all planning (or have had) very awesome OBX weddings. I think initially, it seems easier to do the all-inclusive because they will handle everything, but if you're opinionated about anything, it may not be the right route for you. Everyone on here has great ideas and can help you figure out your style and DIY decorations etc.
Vendors we're using
Venue: First Colony Inn (need a bigger guest list, as you have to reserve all 26 rooms)
Photographer: Matt Artx (Artz OBX)
DJ: Sue Artz (booked as a package)
Caterer: Lone Cedar Cafe
Cake: Great Cakes!
Rentals: Ocean Atlantic

OBX2011 · August 2011

Thanks Teach!!! I love being here for all my girls & rooster

Phillyboy06 · August 2011

I love being the Rooster. :-)

@Russo Did you get a discount using Artz for both Photography and DJ? Why did you go with that particular company? Was it for the Photog or DJ? I am interested in the "package" pricing for two services that I know we will need.

mmolson5 · August 2011

Hello!

I am having my wedding in a few months through Beach Ball Events at Mallards Marsh and have a GREAT experience through them. We are having 75-100 guests also and are able to stick to a budget under $15K. It would have been less but I wanted some extras.

Personally, Beach Ball has been a life saver. I live 3 hours away and there would have been no way for me to handle the stress of handling different vendors. The people at Beach Ball are WONDERFUL! They get back to me immediately and are always willing to listen to my questions. LInda Bradley is especially great. I've tried their food and cake and thought they were both yummy.

Both of their venues Mallards Marsh and Adriannas are GORGEOUS. YOu can't go wrong with either location. Mallards Marsh is more laid back with a bacin feel while Adriannas is more upscale with a black and white color scheme that overlooks the sound which is beautiful.

If you would like additional information I would be more than happy to send you a private message with more the details.

mmolson5 · August 2011

Sorry, I meant Mallards Marsh has a cabin feel, not bacin. My brain isn't functioning this morning yet!

Just started planning would love to hear from you!

Re: Just started planning would love to hear from you!

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