Hi guys! We are down to 2 venue choices - our backyard or a hall in the local town. My absolute wedding dream is dancing under the stars and ending the night with a bonfire (he proposed during a bonfire). However, both our wallets much prefer the indoor hall. He also would prefer not to have the added stress of doing landscaping projects, which I personally don't mind doing/hiring people.
Expected guest count to be around 200. It will take place in mid-June in Michigan.
I am going to word vomit all of my thoughts below - and PLEASE give me any feedback especially about things I may not have thought about. Bear with me as this is L-O-N-G.
Outdoor - Picture this, 30 tables and chairs along with dance floor are set up on a grassy flat area of the yard with large mature trees surrounding 2 sides. 1 side of the reception area is directly adjacent to the back deck which will house the bar along with cocktail tables. Nearby, there is a large bonfire pit and yard games to be played. Restroom trailer will be set up halfway between bonfire and reception areas. Catering folks will have access to our kitchen which is directly off from our back deck. Parking will be located about 100 yards away with some closer VIP parking for wedding party/elderly. The plan is to have overflow parking on the road and also politely ask neighbors if we can use a portion of their yard for overflow. Our yard should be sufficient, however in the case that uninvited people show up after dinner (common in our area).. we want to be prepared.
Now, this requires us to have a tent rental on standby for rain (~$1500 if used), bathroom trailer ($900), rent tables ($405)/chairs ($400)/linens($450), lighting, dance floor 15x15 ($370). I was thinking about having a day-of coordinator since there are more variables to think about vs the indoor venue and to take some stress off my family/bridal party - this is something I haven't checked prices on yet.
Finally, something else we have to consider is yard work/projects. We were already planning on replacing our deck this year, but I would like to do some additional landscaping and plant new grass in some areas where we've cut down trees/grinded stumps. We will put in a new fire pit area complete with landscaping pavers. I should be able to recruit help with these projects from my family. But this is where it becomes overwhelming for him. I am budgeting $5000 for these things. And, these are projects that would eventually have to be completed anyways.
Indoor - Indoor hall with cathedral ceilings with enough room to hold 360 people. We have access to free tables, chairs, and linens. There is a bar area set up. Kitchen is available for the caterer. There is nothing too crazy special about this place, but it is nice and fairly newer. I will be asking the venue coordinator if he would allow us to have a bonfire behind the building along with some string lights outdoors. We know him, and he knows us.. I don't see this being an issue as long as we have an attendant near the fire.
The venue itself costs $1500.
Recap - So outdoor venue is everything I could dream of, but will come at the cost of added stress and thinner wallets (about $4000 more + cost of outdoor projects + day of coordinator). Indoor venue, is nice and includes everything we need aside from vendors.
So what do you think? Help me work through this. My heart says outdoor, but my mind (and FI) says indoor!