North Carolina-Outer Banks

Narrowing down a venue

Hi Ladies.

So we still have not 100% decided on a wedding in the Outer Banks vs. a wedding at home, but I would like to get your advice on something. 

In weighing our decision of where to have the wedding, I'm trying to come up with a spreadsheet to keep track of places I've contacted, talked to, what's included, etc.  Hopefully this will help us see if it is indeed more cost affective for us to have an OBX wedding or if for what we want we will still be spending just about the same amount of money either place we decide.

On my spreadsheet so far I have the following criteria and just wanted to see if there was anything else I wasn't considering when weighing our options for where to host our wedding.  Your help is greatly appreciated!!!
The criteria I'm weighing so far are: rental price, what's included in rental price, menu pricing per person, alcohol included?, and contact information

That seems like not very much information for weighing options of venues.  Is there anything else you took into account when selecting your venue?

Thanks so much!!!
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Re: Narrowing down a venue

  • Some venues do not have catering on-sight, so that's something else to consider (and something that can save you a bit of money).  I'd also look at how many hours you'll have the venue (we had ours all day which made it a nice backup plan in case of rain).
    image June 22, 2012
  • Hello!

    This GENTLEMAN(Sorry couldn't resist, all too often the ladies think that men aren't on here or traverse The Knot, but not true! Laughing )  has spent lots of time with spreadsheets and making them for our Sept. '12 wedding.  I made one for Event Homes and one for rental homes.  I agree with Jen and would look at catering as well.  I would probably set up the spreadsheet with several tabs on the bottom so that you have everything in one place(if you haven't done this already).  One tab for venue, one for catering, one for photography, ceremony music/DJ, Flowers, Cake, etc.  That way you can keep everybody organized and in one file folder on your computer.  I would also maybe add a "notes" column to each tab so that you can note anything you might have liked or disliked with the contacts at each venue or interaction with each person you encountered.  I can tell you from our personal experiences, after talking to several vendors/contacts, the people and conversations can become convoluted and start to meld into "Was it this person that was super accomodating, or rude or that person?"  Know what I mean?

    Me and my FI, Kelly(KSJ10032782) were considering Event homes until the expenses of them started to add up, so in the end we decided to visit Mallards Marsh in Manteo(One stop shop), The Sanderling Inn in Duck(Spa and Resort), and The Whalehead Club in Corolla (Beautiful, on the Bay).  I was set on The Whalehead Club, while FI was set on The Sanderling.  Guess who won?  :-)  So we will be married at The Sanderling Inn on Sept. 7th, 2012.  GREAT place, a little pricey, but really gorgeous.  Also, how many are on your guest list?  That can be a big determining factor as well.  Some venues can't support several 100.  Some will only book if you have a certain amount, etc.  Some popular venues would be 108 Budleigh, The Sanderling Inn, Janette's Pier, The Whalehead Club, and some others that are slipping my mind.

    We are all here to help you out, and answer any questions you might have!  Yep.....even the Guy ones. Laughing

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  • My sincerest apologies PhillyBoy!  I remember reading that there was a gentleman on here and just totally overlooked it.  I will be much more aware of this fact in my greetings from here on out :-)

    Thanks so much for your advice on the spreadsheets.  I totally hadn't thought about some of those ideas and will DEFINITELY be adding them to mine.

    Sidenote: Sooooooooo cool that you are so into helping plan your wedding.  My FI is excited, but he would be okay going to the courthouse too.  So the details will be run by him, but for the most part - my mom and I will be sole decision makers. 

    Thanks again for your help on the spreadsheet.  My world could seriously be planned out on a spreadsheet - it's kinda sad, but it defnitely helps keep me organized - haha!!!
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  • edited August 2012
    No prob soon to be! It was IMPERATIVE that I be involved in planning our wedding. This is my second marriage, and I wasn't given an option in my first go around. I was not happy. Most men don't like to get involved in the wedding planning process. Not me. I'm an organization person too. Spontaneity is great; but planning an event like this is big and something I believe should be shared, if possible. Kelly has an advantage though. She's an events manager for her job, so she's used to this. :-). Keep the questions coming! Oh and happy 1 year knot anny!
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  • Something else to consider would be whether there is any coordinating help from the venue. Some people have decided to hire their own coordinator, which is a pretty significant expense, so if that's included in the cost of the venue, I would keep that in mind!
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  • I completely agree with all PP's.  Btw.. random thought... wow, Kelly and Rick, your wedding's right around the corner. Woohoo!

    Anyhoo- back to the question at hand, I think a lot of it depends on your guest count and the vibe you want. Are you looking for something elegant or more casual/laid back? Either way, the OBX can accommodate either. But, then again, we all might be a little bias :)

    Something to consider regarding alcohol can be how you pay. Our caterer was able to do it several ways. It could have been 1) us purchasing the alcohol and them serving, 2) an open bar, or 3) pay based upon consumption. 

    No matter what you choose, make sure it's what you want. If you're thinking you want an OBX wedding, but aren't sure about the budget... I say go for the beach. You only get married once. You'll always manage to make your budget work for you. Everyone here always has great ideas to help with that. Good Luck!! Let us know what you decide. :)
  • Thanks again.

    I think either route we decide to go with wedding planning, I'll be a regular here - if that flies with all of you!!
    I've always been an OBX vacationer and loved the idea of getting married there, but now that it's the real deal - I do have reservations about not having everyone there, which is the sacrafice you pay with have a DW.

    Hopefully we will have our minds maid up very soon.  I'll definitely keep you all posted :-)

    You guys and gals seem like a super fun bunch and regardless of if I get married there, I would love to share ideas and see all the great ideas you all come up with for your special days.  As you can tell - my local board is not very active :-(

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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_narrowing-down-a-venue?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:598Discussion:f8d2d5c5-eb4d-42d9-abb4-3cee8ca4adefPost:e5f8e3e7-091f-42f5-936f-7244db435340">Re: Narrowing down a venue</a>:
    [QUOTE]Thanks again. I think either route we decide to go with wedding planning, I'll be a regular here - if that flies with all of you!! I've always been an OBX vacationer and loved the idea of getting married there, but now that it's the real deal - I do have reservations about not having everyone there, which is the sacrafice you pay with have a DW. Hopefully we will have our minds maid up very soon.  I'll definitely keep you all posted :-) You guys and gals seem like a super fun bunch and regardless of if I get married there, I would love to share ideas and see all the great ideas you all come up with for your special days.  As you can tell - my local board is not very active :-(
    Posted by soontobeamrs2012[/QUOTE]

    Whatever you decide, we are more than happy to help out in any way that we can!  I really hope you do decide to go with an OBX wedding as it will something you will never forget! 

    Keep us posted!

     

  • We are from PA and we were having the same issues with trying to decide on OBX or home...We just sent our deposit in for the venue today though!!  We are doing everything at The Pavillion at Pirate's Cove on 9/20/13!!!!  If you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend you do!  Heather is SOOOO nice and very helpful...You have an inside and outside spot (so you're good, rain or shine)...It is very reasonably priced - You have the property for a full 24 hours and it includes tables and chairs...
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