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Budget Wedding in North Jersey

NorthJerseyBride99NorthJerseyBride99
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in New Jersey
Hi everyone, 
I am new to the knot, just engaged last week. While I'm so excited I confess that I'm quite worried about the cost of a wedding, especially one in North Jersey. I was hoping to do 100 people or less, at $20k or less. I was looking at alternative spaces - the Loew's Theater in Jersey City, the Women's Club in Ridgewood, maybe the NJPAC or something like that. I don't mind having a buffet meal, creating my own center pieces, hiring a photographer who's a student or does it on the side, don't plan on videographer...wondering if anyone has advice on venues/caterers or anything like that.

Thank you all in advance for your help. You're so kind to take the time. 


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Re: Budget Wedding in North Jersey

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    JoanE2012JoanE2012 member
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    20k for 100 people is absolutely possible!  You probably don't even have to look at "alternative" spaces if that's not what you wanted.  Have you considered off peak months?  That's what we did and we were able to save more.  If you are really flexible, you could consider Friday or Sunday or an afternoon wedding and save even more!
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    christin228christin228
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    Ours was less than $20k, including everything (centerpieces, programs, invites, etc) with 120 people. DIY helped a lot too! It's definitely doable, and you don't necessarily have to look in to alternative places just because of the price (a lot of times the alternative venues end up costing more because you usually have to start from scratch and bring everything in from linens to staff to food and drinks). Also agree with above poster, off months and days can save you a lot of money. By moving our wedding one week up (in August instead of the first week of September that we originally planned). We saved $5 per person, which is a lot when ou have 120 people. You can also save by doing it on an off day, like Friday or Sunday. Best of luck to you!
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    GiaspoGiaspo member
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    $20K is possible!  The first thing to do is set a budget in your mind and decide what means the most to you.  Is it the food/venue?  Music?  Flowers?  etc.  That way, you can see in advance where you can save money by doing DIY.  The DIY board on theknot is really, really helpful and will give you some great ideas...big budget savers are flowers, stationery, etc. 

    Date and time of your wedding is how we cut our budget - we got married on a Friday and saved $7K. 
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    jcg98jcg98 member
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    I agree with Giaspo, set up your budget so you know where you want to save or splurge, and how much you want to spend on each element.  Once you figure out how much you want to spend per person for the reception (I'm guessing 20K is your total number, not the reception only number, but I could be wrong) and go from there.

    Alternative spaces sometimes will cost you more money in the long run, especially if you have to bring "everything" in (food, booze, linens, chairs etc.)  That's one advantage to all-inclusive wedding venues.  But alternative spaces can be really lovely and different!  I can tell you that NJPAC will be pretty pricey, the rental fees are pretty high and you have to use their on-site caterer. 
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    klustigklustig
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    like everyone has said, totally possible. just prioritize, spend money on the things that are most important to you and don't get caught up in the "oh but you have to have a videographer/moon bounce/professional jugglers" mindset...
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    rlavachrlavach member
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    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_budget-wedding-in-north-jersey?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:90Discussion:a755ed48-7830-4bfc-81c4-c1e35a4d34a1Post:4d371268-a3d3-4ca4-9fd2-78d59fde1d6a">Re: Budget Wedding in North Jersey</a>:
    [QUOTE]I agree with Giaspo, set up your budget so you know where you want to save or splurge, and how much you want to spend on each element.  Once you figure out how much you want to spend per person for the reception (I'm guessing 20K is your total number, not the reception only number, but I could be wrong) and go from there. Alternative spaces sometimes will cost you more money in the long run, especially if you have to bring "everything" in (food, booze, linens, chairs etc.)  That's one advantage to all-inclusive wedding venues.  But alternative spaces can be really lovely and different!  I can tell you that NJPAC will be pretty pricey, the rental fees are pretty high and you have to use their on-site caterer. 
    Posted by jcg98[/QUOTE]

    Yep, all of this. We did the whole wedding for $15K for 80 guests, so it's definitely doable. We also found that it ends up being more expensive when you use non-traditional locations because you have to bring so many vendors in & often are only allowed to choose from a list. We looked into The Women's Club of Englewood & that was the problem. I also looked into NJPAC and the fees are very high. I don't think it would work for your budget, but I might be wrong. We went with The Empire Club in Little Ferry and were happy.

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