For most things, including discount wedding venues, it’s true that you get what you pay for.
When it comes to saving money on your wedding, everyone is on board. The fact of the matter is, all elements of weddings can be crazy expensive. You’ll have to feeding a group and wear fancy clothes. There may be a million little decorations. Everyone wants quality photography, too. And of course venue fees can add up with a quickness.
Most of us really want a reduction in costs so we can have more in our budget for other stuff we’d like on our wedding day. Of course, we want this without added headaches along the way. This is why I’m going to take a deep dive into how some couples may book discount wedding venues and end up either stressing more or spending more in the long run. I’ll show you how to weigh the risks verses the costs. This will help you decide the right kind of venue for your budget (and sanity!).
Venue fees can become a hefty chunk of change. Because they are such an integral part of your wedding, it’s so important to analyze any potential pitfalls before you commit to a low cost option. It’s essential to look at the downsides of your venue before you book it. You need to ensure that you implement some risk mitigation and proper planning if you’re not paying for an all-inclusive location.
When you attempt to take short cuts to save money, there are risks. It’s not only easy to eventually spend more money than planned, it can become an anxiety inducing nightmare. When you book a wedding venue, analyze hidden costs, extra work, and overlooked considerations. Let’s go over how to make life is easier down the road, while still saving money.
For your wallet and your sanity, here you go:
HOW DISCOUNT WEDDING VENUES CAN COST YOU MORE
When you go and look at wedding venues, you will find a huge range in the prices.
Sometimes this is due to a venue’s reputation or brand recognition. For example, a high-end winery that has been holding weddings for decades will cost more over one that is just starting out. Sometimes a venue is expensive due to the package that is provided. You may only want to look at discount wedding venues, and that is totally fine. Just be aware ahead of time what you might be giving up for that lower cost.
Here are some common scenarios that may be too good to be true:
Scenario #1: Choosing a Wedding Venue That is Just Starting Out
Potential Pitfalls: Disorganization, limited photos of set up, venue may encounter issues that they have never had before, communication disconnects
Risk Mitigation Plan: Ask a lot of questions, and get all your requests clarified in writing before you book, and go with your gut feeling
Let me tell you a story.
I once had a friend of a friend book a venue for her wedding, and she had agreed to be one of their first weddings ever as this venue was offering a deal to the first few bookings.
This venue was in a super cool building, and the photos of the “planned” décor were absolutely breathtaking. I say “planned” because nothing was actually set up when this woman booked the venue. The gardens outside were supposed to be absolutely magical. They had colorful flowers and hanging greenery, complete with walkways and cute benches. With the mark-ups and descriptions, it was understandable when they booked the venue eight months in advance.
Beautiful garden for a wedding, don’t you think?
Flash forward seven months later. The rain had delayed the progress of the gardens. The inside of the building was missing many promised elements. Basically the inside was bare and the outside was mud. When this woman and her fiancé visited the location, their stress levels went through the roof.
Luckily, in the days right before the wedding, most of it came together. The wedding ended up being gorgeous. None of the guests could tell about the drama that ensued beforehand. However, the savings this couple gained cost them a few sleepless nights and a ton of stress that could have been avoided should they have just booked a more expensive venue that was already set up for weddings.
Scenario #2: The Wedding Venue is a Blank Canvas
Potential Pitfalls: Costs for all the needed elements add up fast, you may have to coordinate a lot more vendors
Risk Mitigation Plan: Perform a cost analysis before you book the venue, decide what’s more worth it to you
For some, a venue that is literally a blank space sounds like a dream. For others, it is truly a nightmare. Before you book discount wedding venues that give you cart blanche to design all your own elements, it’s so important to compare and contrast with other options.
Let me give you two extreme examples so you can get a better feel for what I’m talking about.
All Inclusive Wedding Venues
The first is a venue that has almost all services provided in the price. I’m talking set up, chairs, tables, stock decorations, food, dessert, day of coordination (which is so important!), flowers, and even a photographer and DJ. When you book this venue you literally just have to show up with the clothes you want to wear, any personal items you want to include, and the rest is taken care of for you. You don’t have to coordinate with any of the vendors, and you get to relax and enjoy your day.
Blank Slate Wedding Venues
The second venue provides almost nothing other than the space. You have to source and pay for all the other elements, and not only that, you have to communicate with them on where to go and what to do when they arrive. For vendors not used to the venue, this may mean they need a point person when they show up to direct them on thing like where to park and where to unload a bunch of tables and chairs, of which they may not set up for you. In this case, you’ll either need a coordinator to manage all of these folks and direct them on what to do, or you’ll have to do it yourself (which sounds awful on your wedding day).
The Verdict Between The Two
I think you get the picture that if you go with a blank canvas venue, not only will this be a lot more work, it can be very stressful if you don’t have a lot of time to coordinate and plan with vendors. If you have to it all yourself, you’ll have to research, meet with, book, and direct everyone – it can be a lot of time on the front end as well as on your wedding day.
Before you book a blank canvas venue, price out the difference.
For a moment, put aside the extra work and effort. Go ahead and list out how much everything will cost if you go all-inclusive over blank canvas. List out elements you’ll likely have to source such as tables, chairs, linens, decorations, flowers, food, beverages, a dance floor, dishware. Don’t forget essentials like restrooms (yes, some blank space venues are literally open fields), servers, and a set up and clean up plan. You’ll definitely want to add the costs of photography and a day of coordinator, unless you plan on doing it all yourself, or recruiting guests to help.
You may find that when you factor in the added effort, the costs of both wedding venues are roughly the same, or you even spend more on the blank canvas venue.
In short, it is very hard to save when you have to provide all the logistics at discount wedding venues. Yes, you can hire a professional to plan and coordinate with all these vendors and help day-of, but that too should be a major factor when you determine costs.
Scenario #3: The Venue Is At A Family Home
Potential Pitfalls: Not all wedding services are provided, layout may not be wedding-friendly, the “venue” owners may back out
Risk Mitigation Plan: Have a contract, clearly communicate all needs, considerations and visions and wants up front
Sure honey, have the wedding here! We have a large living room, and a great backyard. We’d love to help you host your wedding!
Famous last words, spoken by well meaning family and friends who want to help you save money at your wedding.
Of course, holding a wedding a someone’s home sounds like a great idea in theory. You get to save on the venue fees. Plus, you potentially have more flexibility on how late the wedding can go and who you can hire to be there. It really does give off a cozy and familial vibe.
This backyard would be awesome, too!
However, this venue plan can backfire with a quickness. Much like a “blank canvas” option, you’ll have to provide a lot of vendors to make even a mid-sized wedding happen. This means that the hosts, or you, or a hired professional, will have to direct people on where to set up and be.
Not only that, there are other considerations you’ll want to include in this scenario such as a cleaning crew before and after the event, professional movers to rearrange furniture, or someone to help direct guest parking. Additionally, a nice thank you gift for the hosts should be provided after the wedding.
The Potential For Drama And Miscommunication
In addition to having costs provided for vendors not included in the venue, you also have to factor in your own vision of the event and the host’s comfort level. Maybe you want the dance floor in the house, and the hosts want it outside? Perhaps you think the ceremony will flow better if they remove all their patio furniture and they aren’t on board. Or you would love to invite 75 people and they thought you wanted 15?
Up front, before you decide on a date and start communicating it with all your guests, you need to communicate with your hosts. Go over all the elements that you are thinking and find out what they are on board with. After you feel you have sufficiently decided on logistics, together, I really suggest getting something in writing to make it official. This communication plan, plus the process of getting it in writing (yes, even if this is your own parents, do this part!), will make it clear to all involved that this is happening and the “back out point” is becoming a piece of the past.
Well there you have it, friends. It is so tempting to back away from the traditional tried and true wedding venues, and go with the discount wedding venues. However, you really do have to factor in your own efforts, and peace of mind when making the choice on venues.
When in doubt, go with your gut, and plan, plan, plan!
More From Hummingbird Wedding Advice:
How To Have A Backyard Wedding With Minimal Issues
Discounted Wedding Photography (What You Need To Know)
How To Create A Detailed Wedding Budget
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