Posts Tagged ‘Planning a 5000 Wedding’
The goal is to find a very nice venue that has it’s own character. The golden rule of thumb:
- Just because it’s cheap – doesn’t mean it is IT
- Just because it’s seemingly “all in one” – does not mean It’s a good fit for you. Look deeper!
Imagine finding a place that’s inexpensive – that you hate, and will result in spending hundreds – or worse, thousands of dollars in enhancements – just to make the site and service palatable.
This is not what we want.
Price tag is very important, but we also want places that are lovely, unique, and enlightened – and also have the following qualities
- Less than 1 hour outside of Washington DC
- A low hourly rental rate ($100.00-$200.00/ hour on average) – with no, or a very low, hourly minimum
- Easy parking availability
- Near stuff – so guests have things to do relatively close. This is very important if your guests are coming from out of town
- No preferred caterers list. VERY BAD. We want you to have choice. CHOICE is very important when you are working with a low budget!
- Preferably allow all caterers – even non-licensed – to work on premises
- Have a kitchen – or at the very least – preparation facilities.
You must have vision. Places that are unknown as “wedding sites” might be great possibilities.
Next week, I am going to combine our series’ (Planning a $5,000.00 Wedding and Video Blog) and give you a tour of two sites that are excellent possibilities – and also have the qualities that we listed above.
Exciting!
Happy planning!
What’s more fabulous than loosing 1 hour of sleep this weekend?
Nothing that I can think of.
Don’t forget to set your clocks forward at 2:00 AM Sunday morning. What a joy!
PS
We have some fabulous content in store for this weekend. We are continuing our series, Planning a $5,000.00 Wedding, by talking about choosing the perfect venue!
Sweet!
Our newest video blog will explain what we have to offer – you and your families – as you start, or continue to plan your beautiful weddings.
Tune in!
Happy sleeping!
Unfortunately, I do not get the opportunity to help create dreams on a $5,000.00 budget too often. Why? It’s because most couples want to spend the money that they have on their wedding – and not hearing me rant, rave, and carry on!
Sad, but true.
Thing is, I think I have some really wonderful ideas on how to make this budget work and create an air of elegance and taste – which is one reason I decided to pursue this blog series. Why should I keep it to myself? With that said, when I do work with couples, I make sure to adequately prepare them before we sign the contract. There are a few fundamentals that must be understood before we venture on this exciting journey – because planning a wedding on $66.67/guest in the DC area is not easy. All of the preconceived notions of what a wedding is – needs to be thrown out – revisited – revised – stylized – and realized. Once the realization takes place – the possibilities are limitless.
What are the basic fundamentals?
- Forget about getting married in or around Washington DC. Just forgetaboutit! Not happening.
- Allow the dreams of a meal flow from your mind. Definitely not enough dough to do that.
- Long gone are the days of olde! Large wedding parties are out. It’s 2010 – and 1 attendant is in! Better yet, no attendants. Ask your guests to honor you by sitting in their seats and enjoying the day.
- The four hour reception is a no-go. Sorry! Short and sweet, a lot of spunk and sass – but always with an air of elegance, class and taste.
- Hotel? No.
- The big white dress – well that’s ify. I tend to venture on the side of quality rather than quantity, but others might not necessarily share my ideals. There are ways to get the large white dress on significant discount. Whats more important than that, is that the dress reflects the feeling and theme of the day! The Bride is, after all, the center of attention. All eyes are on her, and it’s her attire that will make a break a theme.
- Prioritize…prioritize…prioritize. Determine what you can live without.
Everything else – possible on $66.67/guest! Want to find out how? Come back next week (or everyday)! We will talk about choosing a venue.
Just a note:
I convinced my client to drop their guest list. We got a 15 person drop! Great going! So, now we are working with
$81.97/guest
Happy planning!
When you are planning a wedding on a really tight budget – every dollar counts. When you spend $50.00 here and $50.00 there, it really adds up. The guest list is very important when planning a wedding in general, but when you have a lower starting amount – a lean guest list is imperative.
Let me give you a practical example.
My clients want to feed their 75 guests hors d’oeuvres al fresco for $20.00 per head (excluding service fees, tip and tax – but we will get to that later) = $1,500.00
Because of what they want – I tell my clients to cut their list by 10 and 20 guests, respectfully.
Now, my clients are going to feed their 65 guests hors d’oeuvres al fresco for $20.00 per head (excluding service fees, tip and tax). = $1,300.00
Now, my clients are going to feed their 55 guests hors d’oeuvres al fresco for $20.00 per head (excluding service fees, tip and tax) = $1,100.00
$400.00 doesn’t seem like a lot of money – but with a 4-5K budget, it’s almost 10% of your wedding costs – just by trimming your list. You have done nothing else. Now, you can afford to hire an inexpensive DJ (instead of using your iPod), get your hair and make up done at the house, treat your guests to another hors d’oeuvre option, or treat yourself to relaxation for a few hours.
Imagine that!
See you next week.
Happy planning!
I have been hired to help a very nice couple plan their $4,000-$,5000.00 wedding for 75 guests. No, not for just the food, but for the entire event. Luckily, they are open to ideas – as I could not plan the wedding any other way. Still, it’s very difficult – the preconceived notions about what a wedding is supposed to be, the meals, the decor, the venue. Pressure from friends and family members – Pressure from the couple, themselves – it’s overwhelming.
When you are working with this type of budget, all of those preconceived notions of what a wedding should be need to fly out of the window. With a budget of $5,000.00 for 75 people- you are working with $66.00 per guest for the entire wedding. In Washington DC, it’s a huge challenge- especially because everything I do, I do with a very high expectation – and so do my clients. Luckily, I like a challenge!
So, where do you start? What do you do? What do you serve?
Good question!
I imagine there are others with similar situations, so I am going to warm your hearts by bringing you through the exciting process on how you plan a high end wedding for $66.67/guest in Washington DC Metro area!
It’s going to be an amazing ride!
See you next Saturday!
