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Just engaged, would like to do OBX on $10k

ShelleyW2013ShelleyW2013 member
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in North Carolina-Outer Banks
I just got engaged on New Years Eve and would like to get married Sept 2013 (we're old, we need to get this show on the road! ;).  I am a complete novice about weddings, so I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed.  We got the list to about 60-75 guests and would like to get married on the beach and have a laid back reception (like bbq or shrimp boil) at a rental house.  Our budget is around $10k, and I'm willing to DIY as much as possible.  Any tips for a newbie?  Is this budget doable?  What else?  I don't really know where to begin.  
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Re: Just engaged, would like to do OBX on $10k

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    missm810missm810 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina-outer-banks_just-engaged-would-like-to-do-obx-on-10k?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:598Discussion:e6cf5459-7741-40bf-924e-baf6ce8e7bdaPost:f0ef23d5-eca4-4e8b-8c21-90f4428658f6">Just engaged, would like to do OBX on $10k</a>:
    [QUOTE]I just got engaged on New Years Eve and would like to get married Sept 2013 (we're old, we need to get this show on the road! ;).  I am a complete novice about weddings, so I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed.  We got the list to about 60-75 guests and would like to get married on the beach and have a laid back reception (like bbq or shrimp boil) at a rental house.  Our budget is around $10k, and I'm willing to DIY as much as possible.  Any tips for a newbie?  Is this budget doable?  What else?  I don't really know where to begin.  
    Posted by ShelleyW2013[/QUOTE]

    <div>I think it's doable, especially since you are willing to do a lot of DIY projects! A lot of us are DIY brides, as well. I think where I started was first looking through event rental homes and deciding how many people would stay in the "main house" (such as close family, bridal party, etc). If you want to do a rental home, it can get expensive especially with the event fees, but I know what some brides do is talk to close family/close friends ahead of time and see if any family members would want to go in on a rental house together or if people would be willing to "Rent" a room from your rental house. That way it saves them money on a hotel and it saves you some money in the end. So, think about how many close family members/friends you plan on accomodating. (We ended up we 3 houses, dear God!) But just come up with a budget and then start looking at houses. Call some of the rental companies. Read the boards on here to see some popular houses. </div><div>
    </div><div>After that I booked an officiant because they go quickly. A popular officiant is Rev. Jay Bowman. His schedule was really tight the day of my wedding and I didn't want anything to go wrong, so I went with Dr. Dave Keller who also has really great reviews. I think the next thing I chose was a caterer. I chose High Cotton BBQ because we wanted something fun and laid back and hey, we'll be in the south, so it's fitting! Next, I went wedding dress shopping. Then bridesmaid dress shopping. Next, booked a photographer (Coleman Shots) , then a violinist/DJ (Artz Music & Photography). I was originally going to do an ipod for music and rent a sound system for the reception and also use it for the ceremony but my mom and sister didn't like that idea and my Mom was willing to pay for a DJ and violinist, so we went with Artz Music & PHotography. (who are also very highly rated and very well priced!)</div><div>
    </div><div>Look on etsy and pinterest for ideas and inspiration. I found great beach centerpiece ideas on Etsy that I can definitely make myself. (Basically a candle jar or even a mason jar, filled with those gel beads, water, flower petals, shells or starfish and with a floating candle on top) Very pretty and a lot of those things you can find even at the dollar store. </div><div>
    </div><div>The last few things I need are: a florist, hair/makeup stylist, equipment rentals and a bakery for a wedding cake. </div><div>
    </div><div>There's lots of great suggestions on this board, just do a search for what you are looking for and you will most likely find that someone else had the same question you have. </div><div>
    </div><div>Oh, also get a wedding planning book/organizer. There's lots of great ones out there. That can help you prioritize and keep you on task. Also theknot.com has a nice online planner as well with checklists and whatnot. </div><div>
    </div><div>Hope this helps and happy planning!! </div>
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    ashleecrabbashleecrabb member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    Welcome and Congrats! I am also a September 2013 OBX bride. I'm getting married on the beach and having my reception at Jennette's Pier. $10k is definitely doable, especially with only 60-75 people. I WISH my list could get down to 75 (I'm currently at 120).

    I am also a DIY bride and recently found all of my centerpieces (black beachy lanterns) on craigslist for a great deal. I would definitely search craigslist once you have some ideas of what you want for your reception.

    I actually just booked my caterer for the reception and HIGHLY recommend them- Coastal Provisions. We are also having a laid back reception and will be serving BBQ. Definitely check out Coastal Provisions, they offer a BBQ feast for $11.99/person and beer/wine/soda's for $11/person. They also have apps for only $1.50/person which is a really good deal.  I am working with Kelly, she is fantastic and very flexible.

    I got engaged and was just like you, overwhelmed. I still am, but I have a little more control thanks to my research and this board. Happy planning!
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    ksj10032782ksj10032782 member
    First Anniversary Name Dropper 5 Love Its First Comment
    Hi- congrats on the engagement! You picked a fantastic location to get married at. I believe quite a few brides spent around that for their wedding, so I think you can do it for sure. What my husband and I did when we started planning was pick what our top priorities were for the wedding, and what we would be able to save on. One suggestion on a house rental would be to look for an event home that isn't ocean front, you can still have your ceremony on the beach, but the reception farther inland, and save on cost. I would suggest to look for your photographer around the same time as your venue because the popular ones will get booked up. Vendors you can wait till closer for would be hair/make-up if you decide to pay for it, and rentals. Some people have gotten cakes from Harris Teeter, as a cheaper option, and also for flowers, you could order online and have shipped to your house. Our budget originally was $12,000, and we stayed pretty close to that, not counting our honeymoon.

    Vendors were:
    Sanderling (venue & food)
    Matt Lusk Photography
    Great Cakes
    Club Violin (ceremony music)
    Sanderling (hair & make-up)
    Rev Jay
    Sugar Snaps (flowers)

    Let us know if you have other questions!
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    Springdaisy5Springdaisy5
    First Comment First Anniversary
    Our budget is 10k as well and we are getting married in Corolla at the end of May. The ceremony will be short and sweet on the beach, with casual reception at a private home. Here are some of our vendors:
    House: Brindley Beach
    Minister: Rev. Jay Bowman (He books up very fast, first person we booked)
    Photographer: Amy Allen from Raleigh, NC (she is very affordable and loves to travel to the OBX).
    Catering: Outer Banks Chef (surprisingly, having a private chef is very affordable)
    Rentals: Metro Rental (chairs and tables)

    We aren't having ceremony music, a DJ, or flowers to save on money. I am still working on finding a resonably priced baker for cupcakes....they all seem way to expensive to me! We will be doing all decorations DIY (we'll see how that goes, as I am not very artistic)

    I hope this helps! Happy Planning!
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    TKzillaTKzilla member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper First Comment
    My advice is whenever possible, book vendors on the other side of the bridge. Meaning, don't book everyone who is "obx local". Once you go over the bridge into the tourist area, expect to pay more. If possible, book outside but near OBX.
    image
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    ksj10032782ksj10032782 member
    First Anniversary Name Dropper 5 Love Its First Comment
    Springdaisy- did you check out Carolina Cupcakery? I know a few 2011 and 2012 brides who used them.

    http://carolinacupcakery.com/
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    Springdaisy5Springdaisy5
    First Comment First Anniversary
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina-outer-banks_just-engaged-would-like-to-do-obx-on-10k?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:598Discussion:e6cf5459-7741-40bf-924e-baf6ce8e7bdaPost:af6296f0-3ab6-4725-922d-b81d2cd9aa54">Re: Just engaged, would like to do OBX on $10k</a>:
    [QUOTE]Springdaisy- did you check out Carolina Cupcakery? I know a few 2011 and 2012 brides who used them. <a href="http://carolinacupcakery.com/" rel="nofollow">http://carolinacupcakery.com/</a>
    Posted by ksj10032782[/QUOTE]
     
    Yes I did call them....they wanted $375 for cupcakes for 50. That was out of our 300 budget for cake. I am speaking with a baker in Va Beach now (<a href="http://www.roxiescupcakes.com/)," rel="nofollow">http://www.roxiescupcakes.com/),</a> who is giving me more cupcakes for less price. Just need to taste them first :) Thank you for the suggestion.
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    ShelleyW2013ShelleyW2013 member
    First Comment
    Thanks!!  You guys are making me feel better already.  I have an officiant in my family so that's one exepense out of the way.  I don't think we would use a DJ, probably just ipod.  And I don't care too much about the cake and flowers, so I'll look at Harris Teeter.  Any other tips for shaving costs are welcome!! 
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    lgrunwerglgrunwerg
    First Comment
    edited January 2013
    Welcome!! I am a September 2013 bride as well, and we are attempting to stay in the $10k budget, too! We are using Budleigh, and Carolina Cupcakery. We are also going to be using Pigman's BBQ for our dinner. 

    We are doing a lot of things DIY too, keeping flowers and decorations to a minimum (I am a big fan of paper lanterns and string lights, plus a few pennant banners); and the only flowers we are going to have are the boquets and boutineers! Luckily, we are friends with a lot of photographers, and Budleigh has a wired speaker system, so we are going to open up at playlist for our friends to add songs that they want to hear, keeping everyone happy as far as music goes! In addition to our cupcake tower, we are going to do a "dessert bar" and make cookies and brownies and have candy out for people who might not want cupcakes (but really, who doesn't like cupcakes?!). So, it is definitely do-able!! :)
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    kernanpnkernanpn
    First Comment

    Congrats on your engagement! We ended up saving on our caterer by going with a company that isn't locat to the OBX. We are going with a catering only company called Leon Nixon Catering. They are located in Edenton, NC and have a $120 traveling fee; but we are having BBQ (three different types of meat, pork, turkey, and baked chicken) with 4 sides, and appitizers for 85 people and it's only 13.95 a person plus tax.

    Good luck!

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    teva1522teva1522 member
    First Comment
    Hello,

    I am also a September 2013 wedding lol. Now after reading this I am little freaked that I haven't gotten an officiant yet. I was orignally just going to do a beach wedding at my rental house but I have now gone over the 50 people allowed. So there went my small and low key wedding SIGH.......  My cousin gave me some great tips for center pieces. You can get wine glasses at the dollar store, flip them upside down and put fake or real flowers under them and tea light candle on top. We recently did it for a chrsitmas fundraiser we did. They came out really nice. You can also get ribbon in your color and tie a bow on the top/bottome of the wine glass or add sea shells in them etc... We are having people buy wine, beer and liqour for a wedding shower instead of house hold items. Might not be everyones style but we have lived together for a while so we don't really need house items. I still need a cake, hair, make-up etc.......... It is so many details I am going crazy.  Good luck and If I find any good deals I will post and if you will do the same it would be much appreciated.

    Thanks,
    Alison
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    crjwilsoncrjwilson member
    Combo Breaker First Anniversary First Comment
    Hello!
    I'd just like to say that I am a future OBX Bride as well!  Thanks so much for posting information about having a 10K wedding in the Outer Banks. We are looking at the Nags Head area and hoping for October 2013!  We will be attending the OBX Wedding Expo this weekend.  PLEASE KEEP THE IDEAS GOING!  I am tickled pink to that I've found my prince charming, being that I am a divorced/single mom to four handsome boys, and will be able to get married in such a magical place.  My first wedding wasn't destination based and my family owned a restaurant/catering service, so all was easy.  This time around, not so much!  LOL.

    Congrats to US ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Christina :)
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    katiegrace7katiegrace7 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    I saw them mentioned already-but a big reason we were able to stick to 10K was Artz Music and Photography.  They were very affordable!  DJ, Ceremony Viloinist and photographer all in one packaged deal.  They also helped us by recommending vendors for catering, salons etc.  If we hadn't started with them, we would have spent too much on other areas of the wedding, because they were so in the know in the OBX wedding scene!  
    Check them out:
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    brooklynbtbrooklynbt
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    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina-outer-banks_just-engaged-would-like-to-do-obx-on-10k?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:598Discussion:e6cf5459-7741-40bf-924e-baf6ce8e7bdaPost:f0ef23d5-eca4-4e8b-8c21-90f4428658f6">Just engaged, would like to do OBX on $10k</a>:
    [QUOTE]I just got engaged on New Years Eve and would like to get married Sept 2013 (we're old, we need to get this show on the road! ;).  I am a complete novice about weddings, so I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed.  We got the list to about 60-75 guests and would like to get married on the beach and have a laid back reception (like bbq or shrimp boil) at a rental house.  Our budget is around $10k, and I'm willing to DIY as much as possible.  Any tips for a newbie?  Is this budget doable?  What else?  I don't really know where to begin.  
    Posted by ShelleyW2013[/QUOTE]

    Shelley

    Feel free to email/PM me, I have lots of ideas -- been planning an Emerald Isle wedding, also in September 13. 
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