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I'm a wedding neophyte! Help!

QueeninertiaQueeninertia
First Comment
in Louisiana-New Orleans
 Hey everyone!
I always thought girls who spent years dreaming about their weddings were from a space dimension full of tulle and diamonds, but now that I'm faced with the task of actually planning my own wedding, it's pretty clear they were the smart ones. I have no clue how to do it!
My fiance and I are both longtime NOLA residents but not natives, and we're having wedding in New Orleans which means we've got a lot of folks coming in from New York and DC (our respective places of origin.) Our budget is not huge, but we're crafty and we've got some nice arty friends who want to help. Neither of us are religious nor do we have religious relatives to cater to, so we're having the friend who introduced us preform the ceremony.
So far the venues we're looking for the ceremony are:
Beauregard-Keayes House- I've been peering through that little garden window for years, and it's just so beautiful. Does anyone know how expensive it is? I'm trying not to fall in love with it because I have a sneaking suspicion it's outside our price range. 
The African American Museum: It's really gorgeous, they have events and they're a great insitiution in need of some money right now. I've emailed them, but I haven't had much luck with a reply. 
The Pharmacy Museum: I'm not crazy about this one, only because I don't think there's any on-site place to get ready and I'm afraid that if I have to travel from place to place before the ceremony I'll be late.
Also, for ceremony/reception combined: New Orleans Jazz Quarters, it just looks lovely, but I've never heard anything about it.
For the reception we'd like to rent out the Old Iron Works on Piety St. We live in the Bywater and it's a cool, convienient place but it has no wedding support at all- is that bad? I hear it can become expensive and/or be a big hassle. 
This is so long, I'm sorry. These are my basic questions:
1: What areas should we not skimp in? A friend told us the things she regretted from her wedding were not hiring a professional wedding photographer and not hiring a day-of planner, what would you guys add to this?
2: If venues/vendors don't call back when they say they will, what is the appropriate time frame for calling again? I don't want to be a pest.
3:What are some nice, not too pricey places you'd reccomend for a pre-wedding party? I'd love to have everyone get together the night before, but not at, say, our local dive bar. We're trying to be marginally classy without blowing all of our money.

Thank you so much, I need all the help I can get!
-Rae
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Re: I'm a wedding neophyte! Help!

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    ZeroOrchestraZeroOrchestra member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper First Comment
    edited June 2012
    1. We splurged on photography and second line band. Hired a day of coordinator, highly suggest it if your venue does not have someone to help you. Did not have a videographer, do not regret this. 2. I would say 3 days to a week, max. Nola timeframe is generally a bit slower than everywhere else. 3 I'm no help on, we had a bar crawl from Molly's to gato negro to R bar to The John. Good luck!
    photo stringerbell_zps0f292e80.jpg Married! in New Orleans
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    ChrissyBeachBrideChrissyBeachBride member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    Hi Rae!

    I also really liked the Beauregard-Keyes House.  I can send you the information I got from them if you send me your email address.  Though I think we're ultimately going with Montegut House and getting ready at the hotel less than 2 blocks away.

    Response times are definitely bit slower than up here.  I spent a month  and a half trying to reach people and do this on my own, and then I hired a wedding coordinator and got my life back =).  I wanted to do welcome drinks at the Carousel Bar but they weren't willing to reserve a space for us-- just first come, first serve.  So right now I'm thinking welcome drinks and apps at Nola unless or until my coordinator comes up with something more brilliant.

    Our splurges are food, decor and entertainment/music.  The stuff guests will taste, see and experience =)
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User]
    First Comment
    edited June 2012
    1.My opinion is to not skimp on food and the music because it's the foundation of any good wedding reception, IMO.
    2.I think 2 weeks is the max on a time frame to wait on a response, except for a coordinator, which you said you weren't hiring anyway. Coordinator's should be quick. My florist Christina O'malley has excellent reviews and is very knowledgeable and creative, but takes about 1 1/2 weeks to respond sometimes.
    3.What area of town? Elizabeth's is cool. Earthy and laid back. Or, if you want classy, the Bourbon Orleans has a cute room with an attached courtyard that I think you may be able to negotiate a good price on.
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    egm900egm900 member
    First Comment
    1. Don't skimp on the food and drink, I think everything else depends on what you like and what your guests like.  For example, my crowd is not into dancing, so we were able to save money on music (one live musician to provide background music, we want it to be pleasant, but it doesn't have to be the best musician you can find).  You can get away without a DOC depending on how much set up and actual day of coordination you need.

    2. The longest I had to wait for a response from anyone was 2 business days.

    3. I like Salu on Magazine, good atmosphere, and I think their food (tapas) and drinks are reasonably priced.  I'm fairly certain they have a website with a menu on it.


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    louisianabluelouisianablue member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper First Comment
    I agree with others.  Make sure there is enough food to eat.  Nothing will make people complain more, except maybe a cash bar.

    I would have never considered having a wedding without a great photographer, but there are lots of options at different price points.

    The wedding second line and photobooth were a total splurge, but made the wedding so much more fun.  If you have room in your budget for either of these, I would try and fit it in.  I would opt for the second line over the photobooth if I had to pick one.

    The reception space you picked looks interesting, but will require a lot of work.  Renting tables, chairs, setting up.  Make sure you factor in all of the costs before going down that road.  It may be more expensive than booking a venue that is accustomed to dealing with weddings.
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    QueeninertiaQueeninertia
    First Comment
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_louisiana-new-orleans_im-a-wedding-neophyte-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:84Discussion:a1c4110d-1495-41a3-8e79-44b23aa9f8bcPost:e111de4e-c63c-4f55-ab5a-de77d71038a0">Re:I'm a wedding neophyte! Help!</a>:
    [QUOTE]1. We splurged on photography and second line band. Hired a day of coordinator, highly suggest it if your venue does not have someone to help you. Did not have a videographer, do not regret this. 2. I would say 3 days to a week, max. Nola timeframe is generally a bit slower than everywhere else. 3 I'm no help on, we had a bar crawl from Molly's to gato negro to R bar to The John. Good luck!
    Posted by ZeroOrchestra[/QUOTE]
    <div>Thanks! I needed some feedback on the day-of thing and it sounds like it's the way to go. We're also not really into a videographer, that just seems like it would lead to semi-forced viewings of home movies down the line which is never fun for anybody. I also completely support your choice of bar crawl, smart decision to end with The John, nothing good ever happens after those mason jar drinks...</div>
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    QueeninertiaQueeninertia
    First Comment
    Thanks ladies, 
    I think it's easy to get overwhelmed by such a big, emotion-frought undertaking and your advice is really helpful. 

    Based on what you've told me and what my wallet tells me here's how I think we're going to do it: 
    We've got 110 guests, which feels big, but I'm told is small. 
    So far: I found an awesome photographer-G.Chapin Studios, she responded in record time with what might be the nicest email I've ever gotten in my life. Her rates are really good, her pictures are beautiful and her packages are for the entire day, rather than hourly, which I haven't seen anywhere else. I'm sold on her, I just hope she' s available.
    We live downtown (thanks for the Elizabeth's reccomendation- I hadn't even though about them and they might be a great place for the welcome drinks/food thing!) and we're trying not to go too far up if we can avoid it, just for convienience. 
    Still no word on venues. I've added this place http://berrysweetorchards.com/Photos.html to my potential spots list, I'm not sure if they do weddings (I kind of think they don't) but it might be a cool day-trip for bridesmaids? it looks SO PRETTY. And I'm a fan of blueberries, so there's that.

    -Music-wise, we're going to go the i-pod and playlist route, which although flawed will save us money and prevent us from having to hear "Celebrate." or "Shout!." We still have to rent a speakers and whatnot, however which might be expensive.

    We're saving some money by doing a lot of things ourselves, I hope: Making our own invitations out of old maps, no live band, no second line, no bridesmaids dresses, homemade cake, no florist (we're just going to pick some flowers from our garden), and DIY decorations should help us keep costs down, but does anyone have any reccomendations for great vintage-themed rental vendors, off-beat wedding planners in the NOLA area?
     I feel like from what you've all told me, those are the places to spend what we've got in order to make a DIY wedding nice and cost effective.

    And finally (last question, promise!) can you hire a small catering company and provide your own food? and, if so, does anyone know of a good, not too expensive one?

    Thank you all so much!

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    Brooke4377Brooke4377
    First Comment First Anniversary
    I have to say I feel oppositely about the day-of-coordination.  It typically starts around $1,000, which just seems ridiculous to me.  You mentioned you're local, crafty, and that you have friends who want to help....I really think weddings come out just fine without this, and for me personally the money is better spent elsewhere.  (Plus many venues will have an onsite coordinator).  I guess it depends on how organized you are and how much help you have.  I wouldn't skimp on food and drink and music.  I have been married before and spent a fortune on a photographer for one picture in my living room (essentially- you can't have pictures of yourself all over your house, and the album ends up in the attic).  That said, pictures are still hugely important to me.  I've just realized I don't need (nor would ever order prints of) pictures of the programs, our rings, my shoes...stuff like that.  I would rather have a great photographer for a shorter time period and get photos of what I really NEED pictures of....the people!  that's just me, though, everyone is different.  I am no help on the pre-wedding party question....If you give a range for your budget you could probably get more feedback on venues that would be in your price range.  Good luck!!

    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_louisiana-new-orleans_im-a-wedding-neophyte-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:84Discussion:a1c4110d-1495-41a3-8e79-44b23aa9f8bcPost:d85c4642-99ed-4403-9c05-d719650fb7d4">Re:I'm a wedding neophyte! Help!</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re:I'm a wedding neophyte! Help! : Thanks! I needed some feedback on the day-of thing and it sounds like it's the way to go. We're also not really into a videographer, that just seems like it would lead to semi-forced viewings of home movies down the line which is never fun for anybody. I also completely support your choice of bar crawl, smart decision to end with The John, nothing good ever happens after those mason jar drinks...
    Posted by Queeninertia[/QUOTE]
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    ZeroOrchestraZeroOrchestra member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper First Comment
    On the catering, you can do it, you just need to look at the right places. There are only a few venues that allow outside catering. Once you get that nailed down, you just need to look into equipment rental and staffing, rather than the typical caterers. We were going to go that route initially but it was too much work with being OOT and all. The reason I suggest a DOC is for organization of the day. I was recently in a wedding where no one held the bride accountable to her timeline and it was miserable. But if your venue supplies an event coordinator, you could get by with that. Try Chaps for your PA system, they were around 150 when we were looking.
    photo stringerbell_zps0f292e80.jpg Married! in New Orleans
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    ChrissyBeachBrideChrissyBeachBride member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_louisiana-new-orleans_im-a-wedding-neophyte-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:84Discussion:a1c4110d-1495-41a3-8e79-44b23aa9f8bcPost:868c82f3-f2fc-44d7-bb39-38883ff06499">Thank you!</a>:
    [QUOTE]  So far: I found an awesome photographer-G.Chapin Studios, she responded in record time with what might be the nicest email I've ever gotten in my life. Her rates are really good, her pictures are beautiful and her packages are for the entire day, rather than hourly, which I haven't seen anywhere else....-Music-wise, we're going to go the i-pod and playlist route, which although flawed will save us money and prevent us from having to hear "Celebrate." or "Shout!." We still have to rent a speakers and whatnot, however which might be expensive....but does anyone have any reccomendations for great vintage-themed rental vendors, off-beat wedding planners in the NOLA area?
    Posted by Queeninertia[/QUOTE]

    That's hilarious.  I don't have a play list yet but I do have a DON'T playlist and "Celebrate" is at the top!

    Thanks for mentioning G.Chapin-- I'm loving her look.

    Honestly, renting chairs, tables and linens just seems like a lot of work and probably not much cost-savings in the end, unless you get a space that's super cheap to rent.

    I replied to your PM with some vintage decor and the BKH info.  It's probably more doable than you think!
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    louisianabluelouisianablue member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper First Comment
    G. Chapin was the second shooter at my wedding.  She was very nice and took some fabulous shots.

    There is a company called Mrs. Vintage that does rentals.  I'm not sure on the pricing, but there aren't that many companies doing them in New Orleans.
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    jnortzjnortz
    First Comment
    Hi Rae!!

    I'm glad I finally checked the message board!! Haha! It was so nice to talk to you today, your venue and your ideas sound amazing! Don't fret, I think you are much more organized and crafty than you are giving yourself credit for!

    My advice: take it one step at a time. Get the 'big' stuff out of the way and then work your way down to focusing on the details. But definitely don't overlook the details! They may need most of your attention, as it's the details that make your wedding special and unique. :)

    Let me know if you have anymore questions!!

    Julia

    Mrs. Vintage
    New Orleans
    504-301-9330
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