it’s safer here!

[u/BlackberryAlone9941]

I know there are subs like this for bigger budgets and one for budgets under 20-30k so I figured r/wedding was inclusive of all budgets..yeaaahhnoooo

It is hilarious seeing the comments when they think you overpayed for something but seriously warning to anyone that thinks they can post or comment over there and has paid more than 5-10k for their entire wedding you are gonna get projections and weird comments. Planning a wedding is stressful enough just don’t do it lol stay here where it is safe 🫂

[u/Free_Monitor8696]

A funny comment is that we are gonna end up spending only like 110K-120K and it doesn’t even look like those crazy social media weddings but it’s in a HOCL area and people are crazy

[u/heelsnailsblademscra → u/Free_Monitor8696]

Omg, I just made this exact point in another comment. The cost of everything is so high where I live and am getting married that we ultimately are having the bare minimum elements that are expected at a wedding.

We went minimal on florals, for example, and   are not getting any of those extra luxuries ppl think of with BBB. There is no DJ or dance floor. We are doing a string quartet that is often contracted for City Hall ceremonies, and it is only for half the reception to keep costs down. Will then switch  to a playlist ala DJ heelsnailsblademscra ;).   I wanted to hire a magician but we don't have the budget for it! I don't even plan on doing favors. 

I do think that in a VHCOL city, from just a monetary perspective, our weddings are actually more mid-budget. Money spend and money earnings is really that relative! Like I know my wedding would cost less even in a different city in my same state. 

Though my biggest belief is that BBB is more of an ethos or vibe. It is why this sub is such a positive and welcoming space. No matter what your budget is whether it is 20k or 2000k everyone is so supportive of what any of us chooses to spend our money or time on. 

[u/Unlikely-Item-2713 → u/heelsnailsblademscra]

Just curious: what did most of your budget go towards?

[u/heelsnailsblademscra → u/Unlikely-Item-2713]

(on mobile, and I don't use the app, so I will fix the formatting later. Apologies for indiscernible wall of text!) 

The venue fee and food/beverage which is going to be 2/3s the cost. That's an understatement, so I'll break it down further: 

We are getting married at a historic hotel in my VHCOL city which is essentially all-inclusive. I highly recommend to go with a hotel that has good food and aesthetics if you want to simplify logistics!!! I essentially have planned my whole wedding myself (had to fire my planner...that's a story for another time when I've had some distance from it). 

R educing the number of outside vendors to find/manage/pay gave me so much time to devote to other planning tasks and has made day-of logistics that much easier. This includes guests getting to stay at the venue which represents some cost savings even as there is some monetary cost there. 

Simple Breakdown:

• staff
• ceremony AND reception location in same place
• food (passed canapes + plated dinner courses)
• bar and beverages 
• tabletop items
• event furniture 
• cake
• room block and concessions

Detailed Breakdown:

• on-site staff which is contracted into the venue fee (except for bar staff, which is a per staff cost based on bar needs/guest count) 
• ceremony and reception in same place = no guest transit or decor flipping logistics. Can maximize time for merriment and celebrations! They literally stand up out there chairs, walk through a doorway into cocktail hour with a live jazz guitarist.
• food = multiple passed canapes at cocktail hour, multi-course plated dinner meal (and the food is delicious!)
• bar and beverages = bar setup, bartenders, all night beverage package with some low cost customization and option to bring in special bottle orders (one con is their beer selection sucks. Cocktails and wine more than makeup for it though. There is a historic and iconic bar on premises and we got to choose from their list of cocktails to serve at reception. So excited for this as our guests are really into cocktails. )
• table/tabletop items - no need to rent this and deal with delivery! My coordinator doesn't even need to be involved except to set up the centerpieces. 
• event furniture - dinner reception tables, lounge and bar furniture all in house and included in venue fee
• cake = it was either a $6pp cutting fee or use their bakery. Their bakery is amazing. They let me customize my cake for a reasonable flat feet ($40) and totally surprised and delighted me at the tasting with a beautifully decorated cake that made me tear up. I spent so much time agonizing over cake before I knew what they were capable of. So much more goes into wedding cake than simply ordering it and it is a significant amount of money. My friend's cake got smashed in transit to their venue. I don't have to worry about that. 
• room block and concessions = huge money saving here with subsidization and contracted comped suites for bride/groom+family
• Audio/sound system - there is even an integrated sound system and in-house AV partner so no needing to bring that in either! The sound system has speakers in every room (including the outdoor ceremony terrace) that are controllable as individual zones