Let me start by saying that I'm the kind of person who is really uncomfortable talking about money. I also really don't like the thought of my parents having to spend a lot of money on me for my wedding. Even though I'm the only girl and they only have to do it once and all that, I still feel bad. If I had the money I'd pay for it myself...but I don't. So when the budget came up I tried to make it as small as possible but that's turned out to be a stress for me becuase I'm constantly trying to figure where I'm at, how much have I spent, how much is left, etc.
My mom and I met with the manager of our reception site yesterday to go over food and layout of the club and all that.......and talk about costs. It was going great until he brought out a sample contract and what the cost would estimate to be. Oh you know, only like more than DOUBLE what we had budgeted for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm trying to cut everywhere I can now and it's so freakin stressing me out! Fiance and I are paying the alcohol portion of the wedding (my parents don't drink and it wasn't offered as part of the budget for the wedding) which is perfectily fine with me but fiance had a freak out of his own, totally different story for another time. So we had originally thought we'd have open bar the whole time but now we are thinking open bar for the cocktail hour and then beer and wine for the rest of the event. I'm hoping that's going to cut down the cost. And then we aren't doing a sit down dinner instead we opted for a pasta station, carving station, and some appetizers. Anyway I'm just freaking out about the whole thing now. I feel like I'm going to have a George Banks moment and start throwing hot dog buns on the ground!!!!
Yes, just watch Father of the Bride and think of Frank the little wedding planner and you'll smile! Your guests really don't care that much about beer, wine, food whatever-remember they are there to celebrate your new life with the person you love! Don't forget what the day is really about and try to take all of the budgeting/planning in stride because it will be a perfect day no matter what! Whatever you decide will be beautiful and festive I'm sure!
ReplyDeleteCould you make your own invitations and favors? That's one (well, two) of the things we're doing to help cut costs!
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you can find something other than floral centerpieces, you can save a lot there, too! Flowers are so darn expensive!
-E
Try to remember that it will all work out...a couple things that might help:
ReplyDelete- Will your reception site allow you to bring your own alcohol?
- Maybe do a signature cocktail with beer and wine?
- Try a "wine tasting" during the cocktail hour and then beer and wine for the reception. You could feature wines from places you traveled or just some new ones. People love this.
Good luck!!
Hello! I am so sorry to read your post and hear that you are freaking out! Money stuff is the hardest part of planning, and it sounds like you are doing an amazing job! Just remember to be upfront with all of your vendors. If that estimate was way beyond your means, let him know. My manager was a professional at finding ways to cut costs, but I had to give him a little "straight talk" :)
ReplyDeleteHave a great night!!
I know how you feel. We definitely didn't have the money, and I did a LOT of things myself (some with help) and managed to keep the total cost under 5k. (We got married in a friend's backyard, and had the reception there, my mom did the food with some help, I made the invitations and favors, and we did our own flowers, buying them from a wholesale market.)
ReplyDeleteSome of the other girls had some good suggestions to cut back on money, and I agree with them. Try and do some of the smaller things yourself (or enlist bridesmaids to help you!) and cut back where you can! If you want any help, let me know!
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ReplyDeleteI don't have a lot of time to write - right now, but I will be back soon. I just wanted to let you know - it will all be okay - seriously - it will.
ReplyDeleteMake sure you fully understand how the reception venue bartenders will be counting the drinks and how they count the final consumption. We got a little screwed on this. I think open bar for cocktail hour is great, then switch to wine and beer!!
ReplyDeleteThere are lots of little ways to cut corners... I totally understand this stress you're feeling!
ReplyDeleteAs far as the alcohol, does your venue offer a "package" - as in flat rate per person when you're talking about open bar? That's typically how it's priced out, but ask about doing alcohol based on consumption. This will really depend on your guest list as to whether it's a better option, but for me it was absolutely the cheaper route.
We seriously disected our guest list and marked everyone as "will drink a lot" or "may have one or two" or "won't drink." After doing that, it made WAY more sense for us to do consumption - plus with consumption you don't have to have set bar hours. Plus we were able to serve better liquors this way, whereas we could really only afford the lowest level with the package deals.
So that's a thought on alcohol.
One other big one - don't know what you're doing about transportation, but if you're looking at doing a limo as your getaway car - do a Lincoln town car instead. Same classic look, but they rent by the hour (for like $50) because a lot of people use them for business. Most limos have 3 or 4 hr miniums - which translates to several hundred dollars.
Best wishes to you!!!!