Willow Heights Mansion offers a beautifully-manicured lawn with panoramic views of San Francisco Bay. The Golden Gate Club, located in the Presidio of San Francisco, is an unsurpassed wedding venue with classic bay views. The Log Cabin is a treasured rustic gem, while San Ramon Waters features grand, picturesque Willow Trees and an oversized cozy fireplace. Cross Creek Ranch is an all-inclusive wedding and events venue near Tampa Bay and the downtown Tampa area.
22 All-Inclusive Bay Area Wedding Venues include wedding photography, videography, and full-service packages for couples to prepare for their big day. Some popular San Francisco Bay Area elopement packages include help choosing the best place to elope, photography, officiating, flowers, bridal hair and makeup services, and videography.
The cost of wedding venues in Northern California can vary widely depending on venue location, size, and amenities. On average, couples can expect to spend anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 or more in the region. Some of the more exclusive and high-end venues can cost upwards of $25,000 or more.
Napa/Sonoma Wine Country offers 22 All-Inclusive Wedding Venues, including the Golden Gate Club at the Presidios Main Post, Santa Rosa Golf and Country Club, and The Lodge at. Some of the top 10 best all-inclusive wedding packages in San Francisco Bay Area, CA include Dominics at Oyster Point, Preservation Park, and The Mountain Terrace.
Our all-inclusive wedding packages are 100% customizable to fit any wedding, and we help couples create their dream wedding in California, from Wine Country to the Bay Area and beyond.
📹 14 Amazing Bay Area Wedding Venues
EDITOR’S CHOICE: We’ve handpicked the best of the best Bay Area (California) wedding venues to help you pick the right one for …
Where is cheapest to get married?
The courthouse is a good choice for affordable ceremonies. Civil ceremonies at city halls or county clerks offices cost only a small fee in most cities and are free in some areas.
Keep track of your spending in one place.
Have a low-cost or free ceremony and reception at your home or that of a friend, family member, or neighbor. You can get married anywhere.
How much does a 100 person wedding cost in California?
Wedding Cost Estimate for California: 50 to 100 guests. The ceremony is at the beach and the reception is at an event facility. The wedding is beach-themed and pink. This type of wedding costs between $29,844 and $36,476. Wedding Cost Summary What is the average wedding cost in California? It’s a spring wedding with 100 to 150 guests. The wedding is fun, garden, romantic, rustic, or vintage. The color theme is gold. The cost is typically between $20,880 and $25,520.
Attire & Accessories (Wedding Dress, Suit, etc.); Bakery (Wedding Cake/dessert); Event Food Service, Catering, Bar Service; Event Location/Venue; Flowers & Decorations; Photography & Video. NOTE: The average cost of a wedding in California is based on the answers to your questions and spending of other couples getting married. This includes new and used items. This includes services from professionals, family members, or friends. Every wedding is different and the cost can vary.
What is the cheapest day to book a wedding venue?
Guests need time off, so a midweek wedding is best for a small wedding. If you’re having a small wedding, a small venue would be perfect. If you want a casual wedding, a pub is a good choice. Teachers and school professionals can have a midweek wedding. If you can’t get married midweek, you can often save money on a Friday or Sunday wedding. When you’ve found a few wedding venues near you, get quotes and compare. Even the time of day you marry can save you money. A morning wedding followed by a brunch or lunch lets the venue host an afternoon/evening party and they can do you a good deal. If you don’t want a DJ or after-party, a morning wedding might be better. Consider a twilight wedding!
Which is the cheapest place for destination wedding?
Here are our top 6 affordable wedding destinations in India: Pondicherry. The city’s amazing beaches make it a dream wedding location in India. … Daman & Diu. … Goa. … Uttarakhand. … Rajasthan. Every couple in India has thought of having a destination wedding. But these weddings cost more, so most couples don’t have them. But we at Portfolio Studio believe you should get your dream wedding, no matter the cost. We’ve put together a list of affordable places in India for destination weddings. India has everything, from beaches to resorts. You’ll only have your close friends and family at the wedding, which helps you have a budget-friendly destination wedding. Here are our 6 favorite affordable wedding destinations in India: The city’s amazing beaches make it a dream wedding location in India.
What is the cheapest month to get married?
The cheapest day of the week for weddings is: Choose an off-season month and have your dream wedding on a weekday. Many venues offer lower rates for weekday weddings, which can help you save money. The cheapest months to get married are typically in the winter. January, February, or late October to November. Get married off-season and save money. At Anticipation Events, our event planners can help you plan your dream wedding on a budget. Contact us today.
WeddingWire, Top 5 Most Popular Wedding Months, weddingwire.com/wedding-ideas/most-popular-wedding-months.
What is the least expensive month to have a wedding?
The cheapest day of the week for weddings is: Choose an off-season month and have your dream wedding on a weekday. Many venues offer lower rates for weekday weddings, which can help you save money. The cheapest months to get married are typically in the winter. January, February, or late October to November. Get married off-season and save money. At Anticipation Events, our event planners can help you plan your dream wedding on a budget. Contact us today.
WeddingWire, Top 5 Most Popular Wedding Months, weddingwire.com/wedding-ideas/most-popular-wedding-months.
How much does a 200 person wedding cost in Florida?
The guest list is between 150 and 200. The ceremony is at a church, and the reception is at an event facility. The wedding is intimate, romantic, and simple. The cost is between $23,018 and $28,134.
How much does a 200 person wedding cost in California?
The average cost of a wedding in Los Angeles is based on other couples’ spending, not vendor prices. This includes new and used items. This includes services from professionals, family members, or friends. Every wedding is different and costs vary.
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What is the least expensive month to get married?
When is it cheapest to get married? If you want to spend less on your wedding, get married in January, March, or November. Many venues and suppliers offer discounts during the off-peak period, which is ideal for those looking to get a wedding bargain. The fire at Rise Hall in winter is a good distraction from the weather. Booking during these months will also make your honeymoon cheaper because it’s out of peak travel season. Bonus! If you’re going long-haul, January is a great time to go on a tropical honeymoon. When is it most expensive to get married? Month.
Who pays for guests at a destination wedding?
2. Travel and Flights: Guests. Guests usually have to pay for flights to your venue. Guests pay for taxis to the airport, parking, flights, and transfers from the airport to the hotel or venue. Guests usually pay for this when they attend a destination wedding. You can help cover the cost of transport from the hotel to the wedding venue. This could be a coach that picks up your guests and takes them to your venue. This is easier for your guests and a nice way to cover this expense.
3. Accommodation: Guests usually pay for their own accommodation. Guests pay for their own accommodation. When choosing a destination wedding, consider your guests’ financial situation and what they can afford. Offer a range of options to make it easier for them.
How much is a wedding in Tampa?
The Wedding Report says the average Tampa Bay wedding cost $24,072 in 2021. That was the highest it’s been in five years, up from $17,700 in 2020.
Know a lot of people getting married this year? You’re not alone. The U.S. is seeing a wedding boom, with couples who had plans during the pandemic. The Knot’s 2021 survey said 2022 would be a record year. Most couples plan to wed in the summer and fall. Tampa Bay is no different, especially with the beautiful scenery. But as prices go up, so do wedding costs. Wedding planner Kimberly Hensley has seen costs rise since 2020. Vendors now have higher minimums. Before the pandemic, she could get $300 worth of rentals for a small fee. Now, those same orders cost $600 to $800, and some companies won’t deliver them for small fees, especially because of gas prices.
📹 The PERFECT Venue: All-Inclusive vs. DIY Wedding Locations
The PERFECT Venue: All-Inclusive vs. DIY Wedding Locations There’s still room in the CLUB: MASTER PLAN CLUB …
We went all-inclusive because a) our wedding is in a different state and b) I’m a full-time student (and I work) and I didn’t have the mental space to coordinate so many things. We definitely made sure to visit a few places, ask TONS of questions, and stay within our budget. (We also learned that some of these DIY venues in central TX aren’t actually cheap when you start crunching numbers).
I’m having a wedding with a complete all inclusive package- Ceremony and reception space, catering, drinks, staff, rentals, celebrant, photographer, DJ, florals, decorations, hair and make up, wedding cake, Wedding coordinator etc. We did have multiple choices for photographer and celebrant and we worked with the vendors personally to add a few things. If it sounds like you’re thing I really recommend going down this path as it has taken all the stress out of planning 🙂
I love that you made a article about all inclusive vs DIY. My fiancé found our all inclusive and amazing wedding venue. I’m so happy he did because it fit our budget, wedding reception needs and we love the atmosphere. We’ve officially booked it! We also love the stress free planning of it and the constant availability of help offered. Wishing all current/future couples out there the best with wedding planning. You got this y’all!
We’re choosing an “all-inclusive” venue because it is the most affordable for what we want! It includes 8 hours of rental time, all tables, chairs, linens, dishes and flat wear, etc. and we can get 5 apps for cocktail hour, 2 entree choices, 2 sides, salad, and rolls for $37 per person and the meal is plated! Their staff works with us to personalize decor (we can bring our own or rent some from them) and they set up and break down everything! They have bar service but we bring all of the alcohol, which will save us a lot of money. Other than that, we’ll be getting the rest of our vendors. It’s a perfect balance for us!
We found a DIY venue with a recommend coordinator. We hired her, told her our colors, what kind of food we liked and she planned everything down to the tiny details. We literally just showed up and it was perfect. She was also surprisingly affordable, would definitely recommend going that route as an option.
My fiancé and I chose to do all inclusive through Wedgewood Weddings. The whole process has been fantastic, especially where I’m planning the whole wedding. Having Wedgewood Weddings has really helped that process feel easier, and I’m blessed enough that it’s the NH location so it’s not super strict with COVID, while still upholding the states guidelines. And even though I didn’t chose my florist or my DJ or my bakery I feel as though I got to feel connected to each of the vendors. I honestly can’t say enough about the whole process (and it’s 44 days out and counting)! 🥰
Jamey, I have to give you a massive…MASSIVE thank you for all your advice and help. Ive been perusal you for about 2 years now and you have helped me plan my wedding this whole time, which is in one week!! Omg its coming up so fast. We have an all inclusive venue, its actually our second venue as our first shut down due to covid, but its honestly kind of been a blessing in disguise, the new plave is amazing, and I have diyed all of our decor, save the dates, invited, my flowers for next week, everything, even tho I know you’ve said to not diy too much but hey, i almost made our wedding cake too until my lovely fiance talked me off that ledge 😂 but ive been diying my pretty little fingers off (as you say lol) especially lately. Anyways, you have helped me so so so much and to the point that im actually planning on becoming a wedding planner now! Right after my wedding I have my best friends wedding that ill be planning and her (soon to be sister-in-laws) wedding right after! I seriously cant thank you enough for all your help. 💕
We’re doing an all inclusive wedding. Originally we were’t but I was getting so overwhelmed because of work (I have a very demanding job) and the stress of 2020. It’s nice to have most things taken care of. We only have to worry about a handful of things and it’s helped my mental health greatlyyyyyyy.
Loved this! We switched from an all inclusive venue to a DIY venue 4 months out. Now getting married in less than a month and I’m a little stressed with getting things in order, but I’ve only had 4 months to do it haha it also ended up being a lot more expensive, but my old venue was ridiculously cheap (and it showed.)
We went all inclusive, because I’m in medical school and do not have time to be planning a wedding lol. They are taking care of all rentals, florals, dj, catering/desserts, photography, bar/alcohol, planning/coordinating, paper items (invites, menus, etc) basically everything except dress, tuxes, any extras I want (like favors) and hair/makeup! I definitely think it is more expensive, as our 80 person wedding is going to be around $20,000 all in. I do think we could’ve done it cheaper. But then again my wedding dress was $1500, and that does include the rehearsal dinner, and a $2000 articlegrapher which was not included with the venue. To me it is so worth it to have everything done for us!!
We fall somewhere in between… Our venue is “all inclusive” as far as the food, bar, DJ, waitstaff, set up & break down, uplighting AND Photo booth!!! BUT We also have bathrooms to use! Lol The only thing they didn’t include was linens, decor, signage and centerpieces. We were able to hire our own Officiant, florist and photographer as well as baker 👩🍳
I’m from New York (NYC/Long Island area) and I have only ever been to “all inclusive” weddings and never a DIY one. My fiancé and I are getting married July 2021 and we are having our ceremony in a church in Queens, NY and the reception in Long Island,NY. Typical all inclusive for this area (and what we are having) includes the food, alcohol, rentals, staff workers and even the cake. Depending on the reception hall you go to will depend on the price per person and there is usually a minimum you need to meet in order to secure a date (For example, 200 person minimum for a Saturday night event or 150 person minimum for a Friday/Sunday night event). Also, the more “extras” you add on like additional stations at cocktail hour, upgraded dinner meal, Viennese hour for dessert, exit station can up the price. From what I experienced, the typical price for a wedding in my area would be $150-200 per person.
My venue is all inclusive and its so helpful! It includes the getting ready suites and breakdrown/setup team. It also includes a variety of different colored linens and glassware for us. We have the liberty of choosing our centerpieces, photographer, DJ, and other small details. I can just enjoy my engagement and work more hours to help pay for the venue! I also was able to get 50% off the facility because of a special promotion!
We’ve chosen to go with an inclusive option after budgeting everything out & realizing neither of us can pull off a DIY wedding. Our venue doesn’t charge to use the place itself, we’re just paying for the food/services/linens/chairs/tables/etc & they help us coordinate and plan. We can bring our own flowers, desserts, some decorations, & DJ (they don’t have specific vendors to choose from which was great for us) so we can personalize it as much as possible. I just am personally not creative and don’t have the time nor energy to be completely DIY lol
We just found an amazing venue for such a reasonable price (less than a $1000 CDN because we’re doing it on a Sunday). It includes a ceremony in the beautiful japanese garden (with white folding chairs), as well as the reception. There’s a separate room for the cocktail hour with big windows overlooking the golf course/mountains/ocean and then the banquet room is very similar (lots of windows and pretty views). Both rooms have a huge deck! Tables, chairs, table cloths/napkins, glassware, plates, cutlery, bartender/staff, podium/wireless mic/projector + screen, set up/take down, etc are all included! The catering is done through them as well as all the drinks. So it’s mostly all inclusive but I have a lot of creative control in terms of decorating and can choose the photographer, articlegrapher, DJ etc. I’m very excited!
I’m doing an all-inclusive venue. It’s called Pine Hill in Julian, CA. They do the table, linens, flatware, glassware, and catering. They do the set up, the break down, and they have a lot of the base decorating stuff included. Stuff I probably would have picked out myself anyway. We also get the venue to ourselves for the entire day (literally like 10-11 hours). They have a list of 4 DJs we have to choose from, but the other venders we can pick and choose who we want. The DJ we picked is super nice and he’s discounted because of the deal he has with the venue. The biggest reason we picked them is that they allow “amplified instruments” every night of the week. My fiancé is a professional tuba player and the only thing he desperately wanted was a live brass quintet to play during the ceremony… But horns can be loud and not surprisingly a lot of venues (both DIY and All-Inclusive) were like “Horns? A Tuba? Trumpets? Hahahahahahahaha yeah right. There’s no way.” Some of the venues we did find that were cool with it only allowed brass on Saturdays. We’re getting married on a Thursday (St. Patrick’s Day actually) so those venues obviously didn’t work for us either. The parts we want to customize, the venue is cool with (brass quintet, unlimited churros and ice cream instead of cake, and so on).
My wedding in November is at a venue that is all-inclusive optional? Lol you can book the venue and the man who runs it also works with multiple other wedding companies (a catering company, various rentals, etc.) so he offers all the various things and you choose what you want! He even offered to write an itemized list based on what we wanted of what everything would cost so we could cost compare and decide what we wanted to do through the venue! It was super amazing. I think if we didn’t have that option we would do diy because of cost.
This article was perfect timing, currently deciding between a diy venue and some more all inclusive venues. The diy venue is my favorite choice because it’s a house with a manicured lawn and private beach overlooking the Oregon Coastline. I’m just having a hard time finding vendors within price range because it is so isolated from any major areas!
Commenting on old vids again, yup 🙂 We’re going for a mostly inclusive venue. (Australia). We’ll have the ceremony and reception at the same place. They do the set up of everything and clean up and serving of the food and drinks which they cater. No flowers or DJ or anything other than food, drinks, venue, table settings, and decorations. They do include an event coordinator and there is a lot of options to choose from their decor and their food by all accounts is wonderful (judging from external reviews of others who have had weddings there). It’s a more unusual event space in that weddings aren’t their main purpose but they are practiced at them. For us I think this works as even though I’m a creative and love to diy type person, the idea of DIYing our entire wedding flairs my anxiety and sends panic through me like no tomorrow. So thank you for mentioning mental health as a valid reason for not going the full DIY route. I feel we will have a lot of space to personalise the wedding through having chosen this more unusual venue (an inner city farm), and through the flowers and our decoration choices. Also still lots of decisions to be made around music and celebrant and all. We get to meet with the event coordinator to choose what we’d like where and how. But I do love that the basics of the day will largely be taken care of by people who know what they’re doing and I get to focus on being creative in the smaller things.
This is the article I needed. I’ve been going insane choosing between the two. I fell in love with a venue that does an all-inclusive package (food, alcohol, cake, florals, decor, staff, venue coordinator) but it came with a pretty shocking price tag. Did some research for a more DIY location and figured I would save a little, but I’m not sure whether I want to sacrifice my sanity and time with this option. My dad is paying for most of the wedding so I’m feeling really guilty for spending his money…
Going the DIY route! I am seriously soooo STRESSED out about it. 😅😂😂 I’ll narrow something down to 3 options for my FH and he hates all of them. Hahaha. Then I get mad and make him find the thing and then he gets stressed out. 😂😂 But, we don’t have the money for an all inclusive venue, otherwise that would have been the BEST thing for us!
I found a venue that includes tables, chairs, linens and tear down/set up of said items, 4 nice bathrooms, a dance floor, full access to the kitchen, and an onsite bar tender but allows us to provide alcohol, catering, etc. it’s the perfect balance between full service and a DIY. It’s also on a beautiful ranch and is essentially my Pinterest dream. We’re touring it tomorrow. Fingers crossed it’s not too good to be true lol
We’ve chosen a remote property on the edge of the Daintree Rainforest in Australia and just a piece of advice from a couple of massive vegan foodies: Remote locations have less choices of vendors! This seems obvious but if you’ve got a unique dinner concept like we do (all fully plant based, no mock meats, lots of veggies and bright colours on the plates) then REALLY look carefully at the catering options before booking any remote holiday house. In the end we found one guy (literally one guy) who offers what we’re looking for. Seriously if he wasn’t in business we would’ve had to change our whole wedding. So, if you have very specific requirements research all your options before booking a remote luxury holiday house!!!
Great article! Our venue is more on all inclusive style where we just pay per head that come to the wedding. It includes food, drink, the site for ceremony and reception, food for cocktail hour, and dessert table. We’re doing a cake, decorations, photographer and DJ on our own (we chose). Saved so much time and ending up being cheaper than the more DIY options. When we were looking at venues we made a spreadsheet to make it an apples to apples comparison to see what would actually end up being cheaper vs what seemed to be cheaper.
Ours is kinda in the middle – our venue has accomodation and includes drinks and a venue coordinator. They also have 6 caterers they regularly work with to choose from and they offer a huge range of options from feast style, to buffet, to food trucks! But flowers, dj, everything else we have to find. It’s been great knowing who they’ve worked with before but also great having the freedom to select our own. Favourite thing is that they have a cleaning/take down fee to get rid of everything at the end which will make our lives so much easier! They also have a lot of decor pieces you can hire from them like a champagne wall and vases, etc which is so handy! Would rather hire from them than have to organise my own – but great to have the option regardless
Hi there! We booked a venue that is on the DIY side. A beautiful rustic venue in the hills of Wisconsin (with toilets!) that is indoor-outdoor and provides tables, chairs, a bar area, kitchen area, and a cart for those who need the accessibility 🙂 they have a recommended vendor list but we can bring in whoever we want (outside of DJ). We are really excited for our wedding next October
Since most of the venues that had our capacity and things like bathrooms had (ridiculously expensive) preferred caterers (almost none were truly DIY), we went for a family-owned all inclusive place (tables, chairs, linens, semi generic decor they have collected over the years, food, waitstaff, bar, DJ all in house). We get to pick our own flowers, other decor if wanted, photo, article, etc. It has been perfect with the pandemic to have everything SET (and to only have to talk to two vendors if a change needs to be made). Since the booking fees and food costs are pretty in line with the other venues we were looking at, the price is really great for what we get, too. (No food and beverage minimum, even!) I feel super lucky and we definitely made the right choice for us right now.
Completely unrelated to the article but your bedroom decor is gorgeous! I love that window in your background 😍 I would also like to ask, as someone who worked in the So Cal wedding industry, ha e you ever worked at the South Park Center in DTLA? I’m strongly considering them but they are a complete DIY/blank canvas venue.
We are going with an “all inclusive”. So worth it. But just because its an all inclusive, it doesn’t mean that there is no more work involved. At least in our case. We didn’t hire a wedding coordinator, there’s a day of coordinator that comes with the package, but everything else is us as far as details here and there. But so worth is with an all inclusive venue.
Originally we were doing a all DIY route for Nov. 2021. It was supposed to be all indoors with~130 guests We paid venue deposits for both ceremony and reception locations and haven’t heard back from either since Feb 10th 😞 We are now looking to do all outside with ~14 guests. We are touring a spot this weekend that is all inclusive barring music and photography. It is much fancier but affordable with such a small guest count. Hopping it all works up especially now we are preparing to move the date up to April 2021 😱 I didn’t expect the wedding planning to get so messy (I know it is a tough job I just thought I had a smooth process going) but I’m starting to find joy in it again by switching to a better customer service place.
Our engagement is two years out but I think we’re heading toward an all inclusive. I definitely want to pick my own DJ, photographer and articlegrapher though. And I have a specific vision for how I want my venue to be decorated. However, I would love to have the food bar tables chairs and everything else handled by the venue!
We somewhere in between. Venue is a hotel and food, drinks, rent for Venue, china, staff, chairs, tables, tablecloths, electricity and cleaning is included. We’re taking care of organising a photographer (but she will not join the party, she’s just part of our ceremony, couple shoot and reception after the ceremony with champagne and wedding cake), DJ, flowers, decoration. We still have time until July next year, but the amount of work for us seems to be ok. I don’t feel stressed thinking about things we still have to do. We’re planning for 100 people and our budget is 15.000€ and probably we will need 12k
I would love a DIY wedding (thinking festival-style tipi wedding!), but I find it really difficult to know how much it would cost me considering few vendors put their prices online. Do others struggle getting a sense of what the budget for these diy wedding could/should be without having to actually commit to it first and getting quotes? I just dont want to book a venue to then figure out that getting the looks/things I want would just be way too expensive.
I am going the DIY route…though we are having toilets and power 😉 But indeed its quite a few things to think about…especially we gotta have a good and bad weather options…as we are renting a villa and wanted preferably if the weather allows it to do an outside garden ceremony and reception 😉 Who would have thought that renting chairs could be so expensive 😉
We went with a more inclusive venue. However, they did give us a list of preferred vendors in the area for other things like photography, DJ…etc. They’re charging us for the space, food, bar, linens and what they will and will not do the day of and day before. It works with us because my fiancé and I work a ton.
Engaged since dec 2018, planning yo get married hopefully spring 2023. Subscribe by to watch all of your articles 🙂 also I definitely want a wedding planner. Funny thing is when I was in high school I thought I wanted to be a wedding planner. Y’all do a lot more than I thought back then 😂 definitely helpful to brides I have a venue I feel like I want. They have caterers but I’m wondering if I’ll be able to switch up the meals or maybe bring in my own caterers. Something to find out. Not sure if it’s actually all inclusive or if it’s just available. It’s at a hotel.
We’re getting married in Jan 2022. We have done a few catering tastings so far. I know this won’t be true for all caterers, but in my experience, the ones that are “exclusive” or part of a “preferred list” tend to be so-so in quality and taste compared to those that are not. In my town (Orlando, FL), there are 3-4 big catering companies that kind of have a hold on most of the venues, whether with exclusive partnerships, or the venues have a preferred list that only contains the same 3-4 big companies. My theory is that because their business is basically guaranteed, they don’t really care as much. That’s why we chose a venue that had no vendor restrictions what so ever, because in my fiance’s words, “why don’t we go with a caterer that actually has to be good to stay in business?”
Luckily my venue offered 3 different tiers to book. Nothing included, setup/tear down included, and day of coordination, setup/tear down, and all rentals (including decor). I’m going with the later since I’m getting married in KY but live in AZ. I wish I could DIY more things like the florals to save money but due to distance I’ll have to book a florist for it. But we did make the all inclusive more affordable for us by picking a Sunday wedding date which is half priced.
Read the contract/ what the venue offers very carefully as well as the pricing. Choosing a venue that does weddings all the time rather than boutique style venues (restaurants, old homes, historic sites) seems to lower the cost and they do way more planning for you (much less work than ever expected wedding planning to be)!
I´m from Argentina and I´ll get married next year. In our country the all inclusive is used more. Our location offers us food, drinks in the table and open bar, dessert, desserts table, DJ and decoration. On our side we hire photography, cake, entertainment, and any additional decoration that we want.
When I first started planning my wedding, I wanted to go DIY, pretty inexpensive, small wedding. I wanted to have an in n out truck for dinner and an ice cream sandwich truck to come later for a midnight snack. But once it was time to sit down and discuss my ideas with my mom (who is paying for the wedding and VERY old school traditional) she said heck no! She wants fancy shmancy food and she wants to invite everyone in her family including people I’ve literally never met before but hey, she’s paying for it, so it’s fine. So because she wanted it to be more traditional, I opted to look for an all inclusive venue to handle the catering and the rentals and set up and tear down and all of that because I feel like I’d forget something. Also it stresses me out having to choose a catering company or a rental company. Like Jamie said, too many decisions. Whereas in my initial idea it was just gonna be a small little backyard wedding with a food truck, pretty easy. ANYWAY, I like that the venue I chose is all inclusive so I don’t have to make those decisions and string it all together. The only things I need to have a say in is photographer, articlegrapher, dessert and maybe florals. The venue I booked does include a florist but I do like their work so I’m okay with it. They also include the baker but if I do a taste test and don’t like them, then I’ll just hire my own (because you can opt out, you just have to meet a price minimum.)
I work in corporate event production, and I thought I would be a “diy bride” to save cost. NOPE. I realized I don’t want to work as hard as my day job for my wedding. I’m going the route of a resort experience and paying for the labor to handle everything except centerpieces. I’m working out a system for a consumption bar to keep the cost down (ie: 2 drinks on me, then switching to cash bar). It’ll be only $2-3k more than the “diy-type” venue, AND we get a comp’d honeymoon suite with the package.
(Semi)all-inclusive here! We realized the value of having a venue do all the setup and takedown after perusal your articles. Used to want a total DIY unique quirky wedding until we had a baby, and now micromanaging all those specific details just seems like a nightmare while keeping tabs on our toddler haha it’s crazy how our values shifted so much since we started planning!
I know it’s not the same, but we did an all inclusive venue for my sweet 16 and the DJ they gave us sucked sooo so much. Ruined the mood of the party and was so very upsetting. We spoke to him and he seemed cool, but come day of we regretted it very much. So please, make sure you approve of all their inclusive vendors they offer you.