HELP! Need all inclusive wedding for 250-300 guest budget $5000

burnsd8 · August 2011

Looking for an all inclusive wedding venues in Atlanta (no outside). Guest number 250-300 and wedding is next year in September 1 or 2,2012 depending on price. Are any of you familiar with:
Pristine Chapel
KTN Ballroom
Puritan Mill
Eleven 15 Facility

These are some other brides I have spoken with. Need help bad.

HYDROPHILE · August 2011

Wow - good luck trying to do all-inclusive for 250-300 with $5000. Unless you have a cake/punch reception, I don't see it as possible in/around Dahlonega unless you have it at a church hall

burnsd8 · August 2011

@ Hydrophile...thanks so much. I figured $5,000 budget is pushing it. But do you have any suggestions of places in Atlanta I should look that would at least accommodate the guest size with good food? I'm just trying to find all in one deal kind of :-) I've been a bridesmaid in 2 weddings and a MOH in one. Now it's my turn and I'm about to lose it. But thanks for responding.

chrissyinatl · August 2011

I hosted a corporate event at KTN and was very pleased with it. I looked at it for my wedding also. BUT their rental fee will be somewhere in the neighborhood of $2500-5000 depending on the weekend you choose. THEN you have to add a caterer, decorations, etc.

I am not trying to be negative here, but I don't see how you are going to have a wedding that size for $5000? I

Check out Winfield Hall in Duluth - they have an all-inclusive package but it's probably going to run you more like $15K unless you have a nut and mint reception.

Can you widdle down your guest list?

HYDROPHILE · August 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_georgia-atlanta_need-inclusive-wedding-250-300-guest-budget-5000?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:58Discussion:fcff7457-3182-4ad9-8ba7-fe148d3ee81dPost:341081c0-2c90-4683-bebf-d13391b1371f">Re: HELP! Need all inclusive wedding for 250-300 guest budget $5000</a>:
[QUOTE]@ Hydrophile...thanks so much. I figured $5,000 budget is pushing it. But do you have any suggestions of places in Atlanta I should look that would at least accommodate the guest size with good food? I'm just trying to find all in one deal kind of :-) I've been a bridesmaid in 2 weddings and a MOH in one. Now it's my turn and I'm about to lose it. But thanks for responding.
Posted by burnsd8[/QUOTE]

Not for $5,000 and that many people. Venue rental fees (for a party that size) will be somewhere between $1,000 - $5,000 on their own with packages generally starting around $30 per person (all-inclusive.) A more realistic budget would be $8,000 - $10,000.

To put it into perspective, our wedding has a final total of 67 guests. It cost us between $5,000 and $5,500 for our wedding and reception (includes florist, officiant, venue rental, beverages, dinner, cake, photographer, and DJ.)

ellone400 · August 2011

what about destinys ballroom they can hold up to 300 people
not sure about the rastes though

chrissyinatl · August 2011

Like Hydrophile said, maybe it would help if I tell you about what mine is costing.

Our total budget for an expected guest count of 140 (I'm not 100% sure yet, as my wedding is in November) is about $18K. This includes everything from my dress to flowers to DJ and all of the zilliion things between.

My reception alone is costing me about $12K for food, drinks, rental, etc.

When I started planning, I had literally no idea what a wedding would cost, so hopefully this will help you.

KnaijaQueen · August 2011

Yeah, it's definitely not going to happen at $5000. My guests will be somewhere around 225 - 250 and food and drinks alone is coming in around $4000. And that is with me bringing an outside caterer that I was able to find to do food at $14/head.

It's difficult to get much cheaper than that for a full dinner. Good luck!!!

burnsd8 · August 2011

Oh Wow! a very huge eye opener....thank you all ladies. As I mentioned I'm so lost when it comes to all of this. I know our guest list is the biggest issue,which I have reworked to get down to 250 or less. But both sides of our family is very big as well as our bridal party :-( BUT I'm going to keep doing some research. After speaking with some other brides they told me the food and beverage is where the cost inflates. But I think I will try to stretch my budget to at leat $8,000. I'm cutting cost on the flowers,invitations (doing myself),cake,and photographer.

Are any of you aware of the Puritan Mill, or Pristine Chapel?

Again I thank you all for your help.

chrissyinatl · August 2011

Yes, the food and beverage is what costs. I think mine is like $35/person for food and $35/person for beverages. We really had to be careful with our guest list - I think it started at 225 and we got it to 180 or so. You can expect about 75% to say YES, based on everything I have read.

If you can find a place that lets you bring in your own food/drinks, it will help you a lot.

Puritan Mill is a very nice place, I have been to corporate events there. I did not price it out tho.

tpueblo · August 2011

I went to a wedding at Pristine... beautiful venue, but DISGUSTING food. My suggestion to you would be to figure what is the MOST important to you. If food is the most important to you,then you can cut back on venue, decorations, photography, etc. My other suggestion is to do the budget calculator here on theknot.com to figure out how much you should spend on your wedding.

PuppiesAndRainbows · August 2011

I have a good suggestion for you for a place that will fit in your budget.

Check out the student center at Georgia Tech. The ballroom (NOT the Alumni House) can easily accommodate about 400 people. The rental fee for all day is $800. It includes tables and chairs. Just try to make sure that your wedding doesn't fall on a weekend with an at home football game, because that can screw the parking.

For catering, GA Tech catering is pretty affordable. As an alternative, look into the Oakwood Cafe. You can get a very good buffet about $12-$14/pp, and they will do it full service.

I hope that helps!

burnsd8 · August 2011

You ladies are just AWESOME. All of this really helps. I was so overwhelmed and was in for a rude awake. But thank you thank you. I will keep you all updated on what we decide. I've started cutting down on the list again....lol which I know you all have done plenty of times.

dollfaceatl · August 2011

Oh man, Tootse! I feel your pain, though!

I'll definitely say this, as a bride planning a wedding under $15k with people from all over the universe wanting to attend. Make three lists: must attend, okay to attend, would be nice to attend. And BE CRITICAL! Those ex-coworkers from your other job may fit on the "okay to attend" list... while your friend's aunt that you've shared tea with that one time would be on the nice-to-attend list.

Also, consider the day you have your wedding, too. Venues/caterers/etc are going to be cheaper on Fridays/Sundays than on Saturdays, and even cheaper Monday-Thursday. You can save almost thousands by going that route... we're saving almost $1500 by having the wedding on a Sunday evening rather than a Saturday-- and because of the time of day, having a dessert reception (at about $19/head for EVERYTHING) and getting some borrowed chocolate fountains and turning them into cheese fountains with a bunch of dippin's for the cocktail hour. I'll tell you honey, details are awesome. But remember, when all the cake is gone and everyone's gone home, its just you and your honey! Make that day based on you getting married, not paper or cloth napkins!

kenishias · August 2011

dollfaceatl is very right. Being flexible with the day and time will make a huge difference in price.

I checked out Puritan Mill, and it's about $4000 just for the location from what I can remember.

To save money, you may have to find a place that allows outside catering. Like others have said, you can find caterers (after LOT of research) that will provide food for around $15 a person. I can't think of any all-inclusive place in Atlanta with pricing that reasonable.

Speaking as someone who is overbudget, I completely empathize. (And, I am generally a very cheap person, so this is breaking my heart.)

Good luck!

[Deleted User] · August 2011

Hi,

I have two suggestions for helping cutting down costs -

1) The invitations packets are still expensive. I'm sorry, but to spend $40 for just 35 inviations (I know prices vary, but they were still a pain). These don't include the STD or thank you!

I created my own post cards for the STDs and printed them ($5 total plus postage)

Bought blank cards and envelopes (we went with black), and printed up the three information cards and put them on with ribbon holding them in. (50 cards/invitations for $10, printing for $8, ribbon for $3 plus postage - one for the card, a return postage stamp for the RSVP). Everyone has LOVED them and said they looked very enticing (we are doing a destination wedding, so they were designed to lure my guest away to a tropical paradise).

This was real DIY...not the kits. Including postage (the biggest price tag) we were under a $1 a card. We're doing the same for the thank you cards, so that might be close to a 1.75 for the STD, invitation, and thank you...damn you postage.

2) I wanted a very simple chiffon wedding dress. I ordered a bridesmaid in cream, cost under $200, including alterations. They have a ton of options, but I found the bridesmaid dresses really easy to embellish with a touch of sparkle and jewerly, as well as cheaper to alter.

As far as a reception place, I didn't look in Atlanta. But I would recommend if you can a dessert reception to help with costs. You can do a fondue fountain (supply it yourselves), as well as bake some baked goods before hand. Cheesecakes, brownies, cookies...whatever you and your hubby want. This way you would only have to get the cake. You could do a signature drink, as well as a cute coffee bar (think Irish coffee) or even an ice cream bar.Could be very chic and modern.

mrsbrantley · August 2011

I have to agree with pp that first step is cut the guest list as much as possible. Second cousins that you haven't seen in 15 years may not make the cut! But even if you can't, I wish you the best as that is tough.

The Trolley Barn is a quaint venue and they charge $2800 on a Sunday. I think it could fit your number.

I've heard good review's on The Master's Table catering, and that they were in the $15-20 a person range.

Another option too is to have an early brunch wedding. That would cut down on the cost of food a lot (and alcohol too

) And places are a lot cheaper too. It's a little odd but if you did it at The Trolley Barn on a Mon - Thur and were out by 3pm, the rental fee would be only $1200.

[Deleted User] · September 2011

Hydrophile: Congratulations on your recent marriage. My budget is $5,000 also. Would you mind sharing info on the vendors you used?

GreyFrog · September 2011

While I don't have a ceremony venue suggestion to help you cut costs, I do have one for the reception (which will probably be more helpful anyway since that's generally where most of the money is spent). That being said, I wish I had listened to people when they'd suggested that I have a brunch reception. It's much cheaper and as long as your guests aren't too late, and you don't mind having your ceremony in the morning and not serving alcohol at your reception, it could be very nice and charming. If yiou must have alcohol then bloody mary's and mimosas are relatively afforadable mixed drinks. All in all, you could have a wedding to accomodate that many people and you two can be whisked off to your honeymoon all before sundown1

dollfaceatl · November 2011

This might sound bootleg, but, I did it and my guests actually loved it. If you have a lot of your guests email addresses (or have the patience to get them all) go to punchbowl.com and send out a nice evite from there. It simulates an invitation actually being opened from an envelope and everything-- but its FREE! You can customize it just about any way you want to and you can send out invites to people you left off in a jiffy. We had to do this because we only had about a month to send out invites after finishing pre-marital counseling and booking the venue... USPS would have really put our out-of-town guests into a bind. Within three days we had evites sent out and the RSVPs started rolling in. Not only that, but it reminds guests to RSVP so they can get their lives together and do it so your numbers wont be off-- all without you having to bug anybody.

We sent out paper invites to those we know dont have computers/older guests that still like to stick wedding invitations into that big white bible they keep on their coffee table... which was only about 50. Davids Bridal has pretty nice ones on sale all the time... and if you're creative, go to a paperie, pick out some paper and envelopes and have at it. Go on snapfish, upload some of your engagement pictures and catch them on their 1-cent print sale and send a nice photo with your invites and bada bing! 300 invites for less than $50!

ebonyreaves1215 · October 2012

I NEED HELP!!! MY BUDGET IS 5,000$ with 150-200 guest. ANY IDEAS FOR CEREMONY AND RECEPTION? LOOKING AT BEACH WEDDINGS OR TRADITIONAL CHURCH WEDDING! FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ecr152@yahoo.com

Steffi36 · January 2013

I am looking for an all inclusive Venue for my wedding in Atlanta,Ga or surrounding counties in the amount of $5,000 for 100 ppl or less. we reside in jonesboro, ga though. My fiance' is overseas serving our country and we want to get married in September. It has been hard since my dad past in november of 2012, but I promised him and my mom I would be their first child to see get married and I am trying to have one. Any help is welcome and I thank you in Advance.

HELP! Need all inclusive wedding for 250-300 guest budget $5000

Re: HELP! Need all inclusive wedding for 250-300 guest budget $5000

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