I've been reading the wedding blogs and conferring with wedding planners and it seems that a person can't host a wedding in California for under $20,000. Consider the Napa wine country and you might want to push that to $40,000. We're not talking about celebrity weddings or weddings of the rich and famous. These are weddings for the average person hosting a wedding between 85 and 150 guests.
A huge part of the variable is the cost of the venue. There are so many gorgeous, lush vineyards with mansions, castles, circus tents, etc. to choose from. There's even a cave blasted into a mountain-side that makes for the perfect candle-lit dinner. Then there are the public buildings-museums, historical buildings, former military posts-all of which are drop-dead impressive and equally drop-dead expensive. The idea seems to be that weddings can happen anywhere you can pitch a tent, install porta-potties and drive in a party rental company truck filled with furniture and tableware. Don't even worry about a kitchen. As I've been told on more than one occasion-caterers love to stage their own kitchens out in the middle of no-where.
With all that said and with no criticism of the trend, what about the brides and grooms out there who don't have that 20,000-40,000 budget?
I've read in the blogs that you should just elope. You can get an "elopement package" and have the time of your lives by yourselves. Who needs Grandma at the wedding anyway? She only remembered your birthday since you were born and babysat and bought your school fundraising products and watched your games...
If eloping doesn't make it in your family then figure out your budget and keep your venue search as close to home as possible. Look for places with reasonable prices that already have 90% of what you need for your reception-look at your local restaurants and event centers. Restaurants and event centers have a roof, a kitchen, bathrooms, tables and chairs, parking, staff, and a huge amount of experience in helping with all types of celebrations and receptions. Be upfront about your budget and let the in-house event planner or owner-manager explain what they can do for you within that budget.
A huge part of the variable is the cost of the venue. There are so many gorgeous, lush vineyards with mansions, castles, circus tents, etc. to choose from. There's even a cave blasted into a mountain-side that makes for the perfect candle-lit dinner. Then there are the public buildings-museums, historical buildings, former military posts-all of which are drop-dead impressive and equally drop-dead expensive. The idea seems to be that weddings can happen anywhere you can pitch a tent, install porta-potties and drive in a party rental company truck filled with furniture and tableware. Don't even worry about a kitchen. As I've been told on more than one occasion-caterers love to stage their own kitchens out in the middle of no-where.
With all that said and with no criticism of the trend, what about the brides and grooms out there who don't have that 20,000-40,000 budget?
I've read in the blogs that you should just elope. You can get an "elopement package" and have the time of your lives by yourselves. Who needs Grandma at the wedding anyway? She only remembered your birthday since you were born and babysat and bought your school fundraising products and watched your games...
If eloping doesn't make it in your family then figure out your budget and keep your venue search as close to home as possible. Look for places with reasonable prices that already have 90% of what you need for your reception-look at your local restaurants and event centers. Restaurants and event centers have a roof, a kitchen, bathrooms, tables and chairs, parking, staff, and a huge amount of experience in helping with all types of celebrations and receptions. Be upfront about your budget and let the in-house event planner or owner-manager explain what they can do for you within that budget.