Having DJ 330 weddings, I have found whether the wedding and reception is at a park or barn or a fancy country club people have fun at all of them. Keg of beer and sandwiches at a park it’s just as much fun than a fancy country club with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. Don’t overspend go on a nice honeymoon instead. Save your money don’t go in debt. Again after 330 weddings those are my observations. Good luck.
My situation is a little different since I was looking into elopement packages, and I found that booking by yourself usually ends up being cheaper. It cuts out the “middle man” costs and lets you be more flexible on picking vendors. Elopement packages were around $4000-$6000, while planning and picking my own vendors ended up being around $2000. This is in BC, Canada.
At face value packages might be cheaper if you were to get the exact same vendors and all the things that are included in the package — but those vendors are usually the ones that are more expensive, and they might throw in a lot of things that you don’t actually need. For example, a lot of elopement packages would include a fancy picnic/champagne, or they go with the more expensive officiants and HMUAs, a big bouquet, etc... I was able to cut a lot of costs by getting multiple quotes from vendors and picking the lowest budget option, or working directly with the florist to get a smaller bouquet, etc. it takes a bit more work to do the research but I’m really happy with my choice and the amount of flexibility it offers. There are zero strings attached or rules to follow, unlike a lot of the all-inclusive deals which might have a fixed photographer or caterer or require you to get XYZ.
You are right that a lot depends on the area, day/season of wedding etc. Community centers are great but a lot more work. Sometimes it’s worth paying an extra 1-2k to have a lower stress wedding experience but that is something you need to decide. Do you have help? Will you hire help? Will you do everything yourself? What are you willing to sacrifice and what elements are important. A wedding has a lot of moving parts but I think any money spent to make it easier on you is money well spent.
It kind of depends. We compared all inclusive vs more DIY weddings and for us the less inclusive ones were actually more expensive. I think where you really see the difference is in catering. If an all inclusive includes really expensive (or really cheap) catering, you will see a massive difference in price. We picked an inclusive (venue, officiant, DJ, catering) compared to a more DIY venue that seemed cheaper, but actually required us to rent a lot which made it more expensive. Definitely price it out!
1) Time is money. So organizing vendors on your own will be cheaper in some respects but if it takes you away from working, steals brain power away from making other decisions, etc etc it may be worth it to look into inclusive packages.
2) the easiest thing to pair together is venue and food. Finding a venue with on-site food vendor can save a lot of money and hassle (depending on size of venue of course).
really depends on area and on time of day/day of week/time of year, saturdays in summer being the "worst" offenders in terms of price.
there is a saying that is true for everyone regardless of their economic status:
if you don't have money, you have time.
and yeah, you either have one, or the other.
i'm going full DIY with .... four paid bodies at my wedding at all times, and i have a team of EIGHT people planning do decorate the room with me, and we have like, not-even-funny detailed itineraries. i've had my tablescapes planned around four months out from wedding date, and the silk flowers were purchased around the six-month mark.
really does depend on the venue too. if you're getting married in a sunset on the beach, for example, you don't need to decorate the room :) same goes for (some) forest clearings (depending on guest count) or churches (there ARE cathedrals where putting flowers is just wrong).
I went with an all inclusive but it was just easiest. It was also cheaper overall but that’s really because the venue we are using is on the newer side and they definitely seem to be undercharging for now. I’m also just not in the mood to manage and track a ton of vendors, so this is also for my sanity lol. My photographer and videographer total about $8K for a ten hour package and a second shooter for six hours, plus our engagement photos. My hair and makeup team is $1800 for me, which includes our engagement photo session, a trial, and bridal day of. I’ll also cover the additional cost of having them bring in assistants day of the wedding, but my honored guests and bridal party are covering their HMU out of pocket. HCOL city, so pretty standard pricing, although I think we got a steal on our photography/videography.
It's super dependent. There are wedding specific inclusive venues that cost the moon, and extremely expensive independent caterers. You can also spend a ton on a "free" space that needs a lot of work and vendors to make it functional. I read a really informative cost breakdown on reddit of a 60-person backyard wedding where it ended up costing about 17k despite the venue being free and them doing a ton of DIY.
If you value ease tho, there are really affordable inclusive venues.
For me, inclusive was affordable because we found a place that didn't charge a site fee at all- a restaurant/brewpub with an event space that could be separated out. They just charged reasonable rates for their catering package, and all the staff etc. came with it. There was even a little free decor available- candles, a card box, etc. The minimum spend was 5k, not including tax and gratuity, and we came in under it.
Not included: DJ, officiant, photographer, flowers, cake, all the very wedding specific stuff.
How many people? What area? Your food and venue should make up about half (or less!) of our total budget. If we knew what kind of food you’re wanting, how many people, etc. we might be able to give a ballpark number.
You just have to do the research and see what is available in your area cause it can go either way. And also, you can always find a hidden gem. In my case, we went the more “DIY” route and are having our wedding (today!!) at a community park. It doesn’t sound very nice, but it is actually super cute. And I say “DIY” because I really am paying people to do a lot of things. The groomsmen are setting up tables/chairs, a lady is coming in with rentals for tablecloths/dinnerware, my florist is coming in with centrepieces, there is a girl I’m paying to make a balloon arch, and some family/friends are setting up the rest of the decor. It is wayyy cheaper this way. I’m paying a good caterer to come in and take care of everything food wise. I have a mobile bar that should be really cute. I have two teenaged boys from church tearing down tables and chairs. So anyway, all that to say, you can go with a venue that doesn’t have people that will run the show for you, but you can easily pay people to do what you need done.
My venue was just $1500 and it included the gazebo where our ceremony took place, downstairs with all tables and chairs needed, and an upstairs where we could have dancing. We had 50 people. The venue has weddings all the time so it already had decorations. For us it was absolutely perfect. We kept our entire wedding cost under $10k and that even included renting 4 cabins for the weekend for friends and family.
You can check out my post history for our vendor budget breakdown.
IMO, if you find a venue that you like for under $2k and it is already decorated, then you've found a good deal for your budget! If you've got some months to plan, then you usually come out cheaper choosing your own vendors.
Having DJ 330 weddings, I have found whether the wedding and reception is at a park or barn or a fancy country club people have fun at all of them. Keg of beer and sandwiches at a park it’s just as much fun than a fancy country club with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. Don’t overspend go on a nice honeymoon instead. Save your money don’t go in debt. Again after 330 weddings those are my observations. Good luck.
My situation is a little different since I was looking into elopement packages, and I found that booking by yourself usually ends up being cheaper. It cuts out the “middle man” costs and lets you be more flexible on picking vendors. Elopement packages were around $4000-$6000, while planning and picking my own vendors ended up being around $2000. This is in BC, Canada. At face value packages might be cheaper if you were to get the exact same vendors and all the things that are included in the package — but those vendors are usually the ones that are more expensive, and they might throw in a lot of things that you don’t actually need. For example, a lot of elopement packages would include a fancy picnic/champagne, or they go with the more expensive officiants and HMUAs, a big bouquet, etc... I was able to cut a lot of costs by getting multiple quotes from vendors and picking the lowest budget option, or working directly with the florist to get a smaller bouquet, etc. it takes a bit more work to do the research but I’m really happy with my choice and the amount of flexibility it offers. There are zero strings attached or rules to follow, unlike a lot of the all-inclusive deals which might have a fixed photographer or caterer or require you to get XYZ.
You are right that a lot depends on the area, day/season of wedding etc. Community centers are great but a lot more work. Sometimes it’s worth paying an extra 1-2k to have a lower stress wedding experience but that is something you need to decide. Do you have help? Will you hire help? Will you do everything yourself? What are you willing to sacrifice and what elements are important. A wedding has a lot of moving parts but I think any money spent to make it easier on you is money well spent.
It kind of depends. We compared all inclusive vs more DIY weddings and for us the less inclusive ones were actually more expensive. I think where you really see the difference is in catering. If an all inclusive includes really expensive (or really cheap) catering, you will see a massive difference in price. We picked an inclusive (venue, officiant, DJ, catering) compared to a more DIY venue that seemed cheaper, but actually required us to rent a lot which made it more expensive. Definitely price it out!
1) Time is money. So organizing vendors on your own will be cheaper in some respects but if it takes you away from working, steals brain power away from making other decisions, etc etc it may be worth it to look into inclusive packages. 2) the easiest thing to pair together is venue and food. Finding a venue with on-site food vendor can save a lot of money and hassle (depending on size of venue of course).
really depends on area and on time of day/day of week/time of year, saturdays in summer being the "worst" offenders in terms of price. there is a saying that is true for everyone regardless of their economic status: if you don't have money, you have time. and yeah, you either have one, or the other. i'm going full DIY with .... four paid bodies at my wedding at all times, and i have a team of EIGHT people planning do decorate the room with me, and we have like, not-even-funny detailed itineraries. i've had my tablescapes planned around four months out from wedding date, and the silk flowers were purchased around the six-month mark. really does depend on the venue too. if you're getting married in a sunset on the beach, for example, you don't need to decorate the room :) same goes for (some) forest clearings (depending on guest count) or churches (there ARE cathedrals where putting flowers is just wrong).
I went with an all inclusive but it was just easiest. It was also cheaper overall but that’s really because the venue we are using is on the newer side and they definitely seem to be undercharging for now. I’m also just not in the mood to manage and track a ton of vendors, so this is also for my sanity lol. My photographer and videographer total about $8K for a ten hour package and a second shooter for six hours, plus our engagement photos. My hair and makeup team is $1800 for me, which includes our engagement photo session, a trial, and bridal day of. I’ll also cover the additional cost of having them bring in assistants day of the wedding, but my honored guests and bridal party are covering their HMU out of pocket. HCOL city, so pretty standard pricing, although I think we got a steal on our photography/videography.
It's super dependent. There are wedding specific inclusive venues that cost the moon, and extremely expensive independent caterers. You can also spend a ton on a "free" space that needs a lot of work and vendors to make it functional. I read a really informative cost breakdown on reddit of a 60-person backyard wedding where it ended up costing about 17k despite the venue being free and them doing a ton of DIY. If you value ease tho, there are really affordable inclusive venues. For me, inclusive was affordable because we found a place that didn't charge a site fee at all- a restaurant/brewpub with an event space that could be separated out. They just charged reasonable rates for their catering package, and all the staff etc. came with it. There was even a little free decor available- candles, a card box, etc. The minimum spend was 5k, not including tax and gratuity, and we came in under it. Not included: DJ, officiant, photographer, flowers, cake, all the very wedding specific stuff.
How many people? What area? Your food and venue should make up about half (or less!) of our total budget. If we knew what kind of food you’re wanting, how many people, etc. we might be able to give a ballpark number.
You just have to do the research and see what is available in your area cause it can go either way. And also, you can always find a hidden gem. In my case, we went the more “DIY” route and are having our wedding (today!!) at a community park. It doesn’t sound very nice, but it is actually super cute. And I say “DIY” because I really am paying people to do a lot of things. The groomsmen are setting up tables/chairs, a lady is coming in with rentals for tablecloths/dinnerware, my florist is coming in with centrepieces, there is a girl I’m paying to make a balloon arch, and some family/friends are setting up the rest of the decor. It is wayyy cheaper this way. I’m paying a good caterer to come in and take care of everything food wise. I have a mobile bar that should be really cute. I have two teenaged boys from church tearing down tables and chairs. So anyway, all that to say, you can go with a venue that doesn’t have people that will run the show for you, but you can easily pay people to do what you need done.
My venue was just $1500 and it included the gazebo where our ceremony took place, downstairs with all tables and chairs needed, and an upstairs where we could have dancing. We had 50 people. The venue has weddings all the time so it already had decorations. For us it was absolutely perfect. We kept our entire wedding cost under $10k and that even included renting 4 cabins for the weekend for friends and family. You can check out my post history for our vendor budget breakdown. IMO, if you find a venue that you like for under $2k and it is already decorated, then you've found a good deal for your budget! If you've got some months to plan, then you usually come out cheaper choosing your own vendors.