small, tiny, extremely tight budget. where should i go?

scissotron · August 2012

ok, so i am on a 1-income-with-a-kid-no-help-from-the-fam budget for my wedding, and im starting to research vendors/venues and everything else i will need. i think i have found a photog that is affordable and does GREAT work, im thinking about having the wedding at cellar222, which is $1200 for a friday. we are only planning on having a reception, no ceremony. i was wondering if any of you had solutions/recommendations for saving money on food and music. or if anyone has ever just had the ipod at their reception. if so, how did it work out? my biggest concern is food!!

please help!

yogiebhill · August 2012

Hello,
How many guest? Will the reception be informal?

scissotron · August 2012

very informal, and our invites list is about 100 people, so im assuming somewhere between 70-90 will show.

[Deleted User] · August 2012

I know KellyKU05, on here did use the IPod and said it worked out great. Look into HyVee catering and maybe doing dessert or just heavy apps for the reception. Also, HyVee will give you a discount if you do flowers and cake there too. Congrats and let us know if you need more help!

scissotron · August 2012

awesome, thank you!! i plan on doing my own flowers and cake. we may just end up cooking ourselves, too. i got a few friends that are pretty darn good bbq-ers, and my sister is all about doing it yourself to save money. haha. still trying to gather as much info as possible, though, so i can decide which is actually the better option.

scissotron · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_missouri-kansas-city_small-tiny-extremely-tight-budget-where-should-i-go?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:82Discussion:237b382c-e433-4a4c-83d1-9fd3735fb7b7Post:9d682241-e137-4adb-bfb1-cdc2a00c41fe">Re: small, tiny, extremely tight budget. where should i go?</a>:
[QUOTE]I know KellyKU05, on here did use the IPod and said it worked out great. Look into HyVee catering and maybe doing dessert or just heavy apps for the reception. Also, HyVee will give you a discount if you do flowers and cake there too. Congrats and let us know if you need more help!
Posted by Micaela2007[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>is there a way to tag her or anything so i can ask her for details about it? or is that impossible, or rude? haha. not so sure of the etiquette here. :)</div>

[Deleted User] · August 2012

Yeah, you can send her a Private Message (PM) and she should be able to get back with you pretty quickly!! One of her posts are still a sticky so you can use that one!! Your venue may require a catering license so I would ask before your decide you bring in your own food. A good majority of venues do require this when serving food.

meggiemo · August 2012

Most places will not let you bring in any "home cooked" food because it is a huge liability for them. I would check on that before anything.

We are going with pies from HyVee as opposed to cake... we wanted something a little different since neither of us like cake. We are also doing our flowers from HyVee and I honestly could not have done them cheaper myself. I've heard HyVee's catering is great, but we had a preferred vendor list for caterers that we had to use.

[Deleted User] · August 2012

Thanks, Maggiemo. It's always good to factor in the time and effort to the DIY projects. Sometimes it ends up being pretty close to the cost you would spending buying warehouse flowers.

caterpillar85 · August 2012

I'm recommending HyVee as well, not just because I work there but because they really are awesome. Just tell them your budget and they will work with you. They have unique options, like a baked potato bar. They also have low key options too, like cheeseburgers and grilled chicken (that's what I'm doing).

There are many restaurants that cater as well- sandwiches, pizza, mexican, pastas... it's all available. When you talk to someone, tell them your budget first and let them work around it. Ask them if there are any deals they can do as well. There's no harm in asking for a little discount. The worst they will do is say no.

As far as music, I thought about doing the ipod thing, but we decided to get a dj because we wanted him to keep the party going. They really know how to read the crowd and play songs accordingly. If you decide on doing the ipod, I suggest having your guests request songs beforehand, so you get an idea of what they want played. I did this and it's working out great. I put a line on the RSVP card saying "I promise to dance if you play___" you could do this or do something online, where they can type in requests.

I know you have a photographer, but there is a website called Wedding Turtle. It allows your guests who take photos to upload them onto the website. They also give you free cards with the website so you can put them on the tables at the reception for your guests to see. It's all free!

Good luck!

scissotron · August 2012

UPDATE : i found my venue. they will let us bring our own food, which is good cuz our families want to cook. the only problem is they dont have a sound system for my ipod. do DJ's normally have a sound system that they bring with them? i really, really didnt want to have to spend the money on a DJ, but with the money we're saving doing our own food, and with going with the less expensive venue, i guess we could swing it.

[Deleted User] · August 2012

That's great!!! Yes, the DJs do bring the sound system. But you could bring your own sound system if you have one or know someone that does? This could be alright depending on the size of the venue and the sound system brought in.

scissotron · August 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_missouri-kansas-city_small-tiny-extremely-tight-budget-where-should-i-go?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:82Discussion:237b382c-e433-4a4c-83d1-9fd3735fb7b7Post:32d30026-5303-4a82-8bbe-4ed31ac8c1e9">Re: small, tiny, extremely tight budget. where should i go?</a>:
[QUOTE]That's great!!! Yes, the DJs do bring the sound system. But you could bring your own sound system if you have one or know someone that does? This could be alright depending on the size of the venue and the sound system brought in.
Posted by Micaela2007[/QUOTE]

<div>i dont have one of my own, i was just hoping that i wouldnt have to go searching like crazy for a DJ that has their own. haha. </div>

lindsayjeremyloy · September 2012

I am wondering if you will share your venue location. I am having a super small wedding 2060 people and want to bring my own food.

HomesickGypsy · October 2012

As for bringing your own food, if your venue will not allow "home cooked" food because of the liability issues, check with them to see if they will allow food cooked in a certified catering kitchen. There are kitchens you can rent for less than $20 per hour.

scissotron · November 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_missouri-kansas-city_small-tiny-extremely-tight-budget-where-should-i-go?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:82Discussion:237b382c-e433-4a4c-83d1-9fd3735fb7b7Post:2a8d8bf0-3b21-48e2-8606-c163ecb3b507">Re:small, tiny, extremely tight budget. where should i go?</a>:
[QUOTE]I am wondering if you will share your venue location. I am having a super small wedding 2060 people and want to bring my own food.
Posted by lindsayjeremyloy[/QUOTE]

<div>we're getting married at basswood resort in platte city, mo. we're doing it at the hall, so we can have the ceremony on their pavilion, the reception in their hall, and we rented out the lodge (that sleeps 16-20) so us and the bridal party would have somewhere to stay. we paid around $1500 for the lodge for 3 days and the hall/pavilion for the day of.</div>

small, tiny, extremely tight budget. where should i go?

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