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Chanelle
Frequent user September 2019 British Columbia

Frustrated with venues

Chanelle, on January 9, 2018 at 01:39 Posted in Plan a wedding 0 7
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We have to nail down a venue soon and I’m having a frustrating time figuring out a venue.

W e’re about 4.5 hours from where the wedding will be, so everything has been online. We live in Vancouver, the wedding will be in Osoyoos.

From all sets of parents, we have $12 500 towards the wedding, which is great since we are both coming out of debt. I really want to stay within this budget, maybe with $1000-$2000 to spare for our honeymoon if it’s possible.

I’ve reached out to at least half a dozen venues today alone. 2 of them I love and include almost everything, but they’re close to the top of our budget, leaving a very small amount for photographer, videographer, attire, flowers, etc.

Someone suggested the seniors centre enter which is beach front, has a patio, indoor hall and stage, kitchen, etc, and would be at least 1/4 the price of the fancy venues. But fiancé didn’t like this idea.

We also have access to a nice lakefront lawn/beach for free, but it comes with nothing, meaning I have to rent absolutely everything. I’m worried this will end up being close to the same amount as the all-in venues, just with me busting my ass for a year getting it all in line. Am I wrong?

Wedding are expensive, we all know, but my fiancé just doesn’t seem to understand just HOW expensive, and how much work it’ll be for me to take care of every detail. I’m worried it’ll stress me out and make the planning process unenjoyable.

Is/did anybody else have a hard time with venues and budget? Those who have already had their weddings, anything you’d recommend in terms of venue or budget? Those who did something unique and had to take care of every minor detail, was it worth it?

I guess I’m feeling like I’m at an impass here and have to make a decision quickly. I don’t want to make the wrong one.

7 Comments

Latest activity by Candace, on January 9, 2018 at 21:10
  • Candace
    VIP May 2019 Ontario
    Candace ·
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    Depending on packages that vendors offer in your area it typically works out to the same amount to rent everything and pay for everything vs finding a venue that includes most of it is what we found. Ultimately you are going to spend the money either way but finding a venue that includes a few things all in one price will help to reduce the stress of trying to organize every little thing all on your own.
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  • Maegan
    Super July 2018 British Columbia
    Maegan ·
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    Good! Glad i can help! At 100 guests you wont need as big of a tent or as many table and chairs so it should be much cheaper!

    The biggest way to save money is to have a smaller guest list Smiley smile
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  • Holly
    Expert June 2019 Ontario
    Holly ·
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    Venue and budgets almost always seem to clash. You have a set budget overall and for the venue and you have a dream of what it will look like. In our case we had the budget for the venue alone set and were determined to stay under it as much as possible. We narrowed down two venues. One that was $1000 under budget and the other that was the exact amount of the budget.. I was torn, I fell in love with the second one and I knew it was expensive so I said we could go with the other. After a lot of talking we said we were going with the more you expensive one, because it won't need much decorations, it meets every single one of our venue wants and we both fell in love and envisioned our wedding there. Sometimes it's okay to stretch it, as long as you can find a balance and control with stretching. If you love a venue it may be worth going for so that your day will be perfect for you
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  • Chanelle
    Frequent user September 2019 British Columbia
    Chanelle ·
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    That does help, thank you. We will have 80-100 guests so this gives me a good reference point.

    Im feeling a bit more at ease now Smiley smile
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  • Maegan
    Super July 2018 British Columbia
    Maegan ·
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    Renting tents tables and chairs are not cheap, but i think done correctly could still save you some money. I was shocked at how expensive they are.

    o give you an idea for 160 guests we are paying $1900 for a tent and another $950 for tables chairs and linens. Weve also paid another $150 for lights and still need to rent porta potties. So far we are in about $3000 in rentals to replace what would be included with a venue. And that hasnt touched on catering and renting dishes, cutlery, cups, and glasses. We will be doing our own catering to cut costs and buying plastic dishes.

    It is a lot of work to book everything individually yourself, but it lets us customize exactly what we wants so thats pretty cool Smiley smile

    Hope that helps!
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  • Erin
    Master September 2017 Ontario
    Erin ·
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    Access to a free venue is awesome! We got married at some family property and therefore had to rent everything and hire a caterer and an officiant but we managed a pretty decent budget. We had help from our families too. We cut down costs by making our centerpieces, making our favours, and making our own music playlist instead of hiring a band or DJ to name a few things. You don't really need to do that much more I think than when booking an all-in venue. We managed to plan our whole wedding in 9 months so you will still have time to relax.

    You can also keep persevering with your venue search as there is bound to be somewhere that fits the budget and makes you both happy. Searching for things like this is a game of patience sometimes.

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  • Stephanie
    Master July 2018 Alberta
    Stephanie ·
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    We were looking into hiring a caterer and renting tables, chairs, and a tent. It would've meant more time and recruiting people to help set up and take down (which my fiancé is against) I think it is a good option though if you don't want to blow most of your budget on the venue and food.

    Another option would be to look at a different day of the week or a different meal time. Some venues offer a discount for a Friday or Sunday wedding. And, supper is the most expensive meal. You could have a morning ceremony and lunch reception or an evening ceremony followed by appetizers or dessert.

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