Plan Your Wedding: It Starts by Choosing the Right Venue!
by Laurel Winzler
SF Bay Area Floral & Event Designer
We all think of June as the month for weddings. In fact, here in the SF Bay Area the fall is more popular, due to the good weather we experience in September and October. No matter when your wedding is; it all starts with choosing the right venue!
Start Planning Your Wedding
If you’ve recently planned any type of party or social event, you understand how expensive it is to entertain in the Bay Area. The cost of venue, food, rentals, flowers, photography and entertainment is far beyond what most people anticipate. Many a bride finds herself immediately torn between the idea of the “dream wedding” she’s always wanted and the hard reality that it may exceed her budget.
No one can expect to “have it all” despite the costs. A wedding involves the efforts of many talented and experienced professionals, and the fees they charge can’t be negotiated away. Nor can the costs of materials, labor and transportation be compromised on.
No matter how much a bride wants top quality, unless she’s prepared to pay for it some trade-offs will need to be made.
It All Starts with Selecting the
Right Wedding Venue!
The first thing that every bride does is select a location for her ceremony and reception. Every other aspect of the wedding is dependent on the venue, so making this first choice be the right choice is extremely important.
Event venues come in two types: commercial entities like hotels, restaurants and private clubs; or free-standing event spaces like mansions, social halls, art galleries, etc.
Commercial spaces offer the advantage of one-stop shopping, where things like food and beverage, rentals, audio-visual and cake are part of a package at a per-head cost for each guest. Independent venues (called “off premises” sites) typically offer nothing more than an empty space where every item for the wedding needs to be brought in by an outside vendor.
Many people opt for the all-inclusive approach because it means less leg work and fewer decisions. The disadvantage is that there will be less variety and flexibility in what’s offered, and it may seem less “personal” to the couple.
By contrast, an empty mansion offers endless possibilities for food and decor, but also many more details that need to be addressed and coordinated. And therefore more work and stress for the couple.
Understanding your personal priorities will help you make the right choice at the beginning of the planning process.
Do It Yourself Wedding Planning?
As a result of financial pressures, many couples are saving money by working with family and friends to “do it yourself” on some aspects of the wedding. Many wedding magazines and other media are also encouraging this approach – which has its pluses and minuses.
On the plus side, you can reduce spending by creating your own floral decor, or by eliminating flowers altogether and opting for other types of decorations such as paper garlands, candles, lanterns, etc. to fill the space.
The downside of do it yourself is that you may be taking on tasks that are more complicated or time-sensitive than you realize, which will definitely add to your last-minute stress. You also may be burdening family and friends by pressing them to help out, thereby reducing their enjoyment of the wedding.
There’s a reason why professionals charge what they do. It’s important to balance the aggravation and stress of DIY ideas vs. the cost of having someone else carry that burden for you.
Striking a Balance with the Planning
of Your Wedding
Without a doubt, the best way to contain costs in planning a wedding is to LIMIT THE GUEST LIST !!! This has the biggest impact on overall expenses, since the costs for venue, food, alcohol, rentals, cake and decor are directly tied to the number of people who will be attending. By keeping the head count fewer than 100 people, a bride has a better chance of getting the quality of event she wants, and has many more creative and interesting options to choose from.
As is so often the case, the best approach may be moderation. Determine what your priorities are – food? music? flowers? – and allocate a realistic amount of your budget to cover those elements. Decide where you can scale back your expectations, to have what you need but perhaps not what your “dream” would be.
And always keep in mind that you’re planning a party, so keeping it fun for you and enjoyable for your guests is the highest priority of all!
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Category: Relationships
About the Author (Author Profile)
Laurel Winzler left a career in the legal world to establish her successful San Francisco floral and event design business, Laurel Designs. She has built a reputation for innovative and exciting designs, serving clients from Bay Area brides to the San Francisco Symphony. Drawing on years of experience as a performer and artist, she specializes in working with each client to enhance the beauty of their homes, offices and special events.
Laurel is a preferred vendor at many exclusive Bay Area event venues, and donates her time and talents to many organizations, including San Francisco Opera, Special Olympics, Make-a-Wish Foundation, the Community Music Center, Project Inform and the Junior League of San Francisco. In addition, she is a sought-after speaker at hospitality industry events. Please visit her website, flaurel.com, to learn more.
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