Where to start

Hi Ladies!! I just got engaged this past Thursday and already the planning has begun.... And I am lost ... I don't even know what to do first.

We are not looking to go bankrupt with our wedding and my parents have already offered to pay for things, which will definitely help out. We don't have much money saved up and don't want a long engagement. We planning for October 2012.

I need some advice ...
What are the most important things to spend money on and what is ok to cheap out on?

What are some really good one wedding places that are under $100 a plate?

What are some things that you can save a lot of money on by DIY?

What is considered a good/reasonable price for photographer, florist, DJ and limo?

Before we got engaged I hadn't really looked into anything wedding related so there isn't anything I have my heart set on (except having calla lilies) so I am wide open to suggestions you may have.

hi! start looking at reception halls! once you have a set date you can plan everything else! im paying 88 a head (plus tax and 20% gratuity) for a fri night in aug at jericho terrace, October is actually more expensive, maybe you'd consider pushing your wedding more toward the winter when pricing drops a bit? but also fox hollow, the watermill and flowerfield are all great places also, ive been to these halls for weddings these past two years. im trying not to spend a lot on invitations and flowers. i have not done either one yet! IMO the DJ can really make or break a wedding so find someone you really love and pictures are so important to me so we are spending on those areas.

Good luck in your planning! the 2012 girls are really wonderful - if you have any questions just ask us!!

Welcome aboard and congratulations!!

Personally, I think the most important things for a wedding are (a) the food, (b) the music and (c) your pictures. People will be talking about the food after your wedding, good or bad. You want people to dance at your wedding and lastly, your pictures are the only memories you have! So in my opinion those are the items worth splurging on.

As for halls, we also had an under $100/pp budget and were looking in October/November of 2012. Check out the Fox Hollow, Westbury Manor, and the Riviera. If you want I can send you some price quotes that we got from those places for October through forum mail. :)

Good luck and have fun planning!!!!

Fridays and Sundays are cheapest. Chateau Briand, North Ritz,Watermill, Larkfield Manor all are within that budget and are very nice.
Start with hall first, then DJ, video/photo the rest can wait

Welcome and congrats :)

I would definately look for a place first, bc all your decisions after are based on that.

My second biggest priority was DJ.

Welcome and congrats on your engagement!!

Definitely start with your RH. October is a peak month so your definitely going to have to do lots of calling around to see what places you can get a good per person rate from. I'm not sure which day of the wk you set your date but Fri/Sun are much cheaper than a Sat. Something to keep in mind if your date is flexible. Def call the places your interested and get some price quotes and then you will be able to narrow it down to the places you want to go take a look at.

After your RH I would prob look into photo/video next. IMO thats the next most expensive (and to me is the next most important). They also book up quickly. You can look on the boards or on the LIW vendors list for recommendations. You can send out emails to those your interested in and get their price and package list so you can see what is offered.

Welcome and congrats on your new engagement! If you are good at DIY look into creating your own invitations - that saves a lot of money. Also, another way to keep costs down is the keep the guest list small. Don't be afraid to negotiate with vendors. I'm getting married at Harbor Links in Port Washington, and we got a great deal.

Good luck & happy planning!

Congrats and welcome! We'll be happy to have you join us on the '12 board!

I'd say your first step should be to look at some RH. As some people have said, October is one of the more expensive months so if you're really trying to save money, you may want to consider another month. Other options would be to do a Fri night, Sat afternoon or Sunday wedding. That's what we did in order to cut down a huge amount of the cost. There will be a lot of places willing to work with your budget esp if you are flexible with the day.

As far as other important things, I'd say photographer and music, but then again it's all about what you want.

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Posted by FNDRiese

Hi Ladies!! I just got engaged this past Thursday and already the planning has begun.... And I am lost ... I don't even know what to do first.

We are not looking to go bankrupt with our wedding and my parents have already offered to pay for things, which will definitely help out. We don't have much money saved up and don't want a long engagement. We planning for October 2012.

I need some advice ...
What are the most important things to spend money on and what is ok to cheap out on?
THIS IS ALL ABOUT YOUR AND FH PREFERENCE, WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS FOR YOU. FOR US THE MOST IMPORTANT WAS THE PLACE (FOOD) AND THE PHOTOGRAPHER.

What are some really good one wedding places that are under $100 a plate?
SANS SOUCI OF SEA CLIFF
STEWART MANOR COUNTRY CLUB
SMITHTOWN LANDING COUNTRY CLUB \
LOOK UNDER THE VENDORS TAB ON THIS SITE IT GIVES A FULL LIST OF VENDORS W/ ESTIMATED PRICING AND HALL INFO.

What are some things that you can save a lot of money on by DIY?
I THINK INVITES. I BOUGHT FROM MICHAEL'S ONE OF THE BRIDES DIY INVITE KITS AND SAVED A TON OF MONEY, AND I ACTUALLY LOVE THEM!

What is considered a good/reasonable price for photographer, florist, DJ and limo?
THIS VARIES SO MUCH DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU NEED AND ARE LOOKING FOR.

Before we got engaged I hadn't really looked into anything wedding related so there isn't anything I have my heart set on (except having calla lilies) so I am wide open to suggestions you may have.

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WELCOME AND HAPPY PLANNING!

Congrats & welcome! I am getting married the week before you- first thing is to look at reception halls.

I looked at two one wedding at a time places in our search. Riviera & Floral Terrace with tax both would be over a $100/person for a Saturday evening but if you switch to an afternoon you may be under a $100. At the beginning of our search we had our hearts set on a Saturday night wedding but the price difference per person was huge. We booked with Jericho Terrace for an afternoon wedding in the Dome Room. The room is beautiful we fall in love with it & are paying under a $100/person w/tax for daytime reception. If you want some price quotes of places I got just let me know.

We booked our photographer/videographer & DJ next. You should book in the order of what's important to you. We still have to book florist ( I love calla lilies also definitely will be in my flowers
) and limos.

Congratulations and welcome to the boards.

To me, the most important things are photo, food, and entertainment. My advice would be to shop around and do not hesitate if you seem to be going with a vendor that is not one of the popular ones on these boards. Also, DIY projects will be a huge save as well.

First step is def picking out your venue! The venues will give you a list of their preferred vendors (which eat free where I booked!!)

The venues that fall in your range that I looked at are:
Lombardis on the Bay
Villa Lombardi's
Fox Hollow

Just remember that places are booking fast. I LOVED the North Ritz Club but they are above that range (165 PP including tax/gratuity) and they only had TWO dates available for next summer both of which were a Friday. They had June and August so we went with the Friday in August. Book soon so you have better options. Good luck :)

Also, I have booked two vendors since booking my venue. First I booked the DJ and last night the photographer. I'm working on the church this week.

First of all, welcome and congrats!!! The first thing to do (which it seems like you've done) is set up a budget and a rough guest list.

In my opinion, the most important things to spend money on are the reception hall (food/booze), DJ (music), and photographer (memories). It doesn't really matter if your RH has an ugly carpet or an outdoor lounge area or chiavari chairs... what really matters is good food, good music, and a good time. I got married at Jericho Terrace last May and they were under $100 per plate. Don't forget though that whatever price per plate they give you, you'll have to add a 20% service charge AND tax on top of it. They really get you coming and going.

Be careful with DIY. It's a great way to save money, but if you try to go for something and it doesn't work out, you're doubling your losses. I only had one project that didn't work out like I'd hoped but I definitely spent a lot of time, energy, and money trying to make it work and I regret it now. Some things I *don't* regret DIYing- everything paper- save the dates, invites, menus, programs, everything and anything was DIY.

Prices for photographers/florists vary greatly depending on what you want. For example, high centerpieces usually cost more than low centerpieces. Some florists charge more for certain flowers. It sounds like you know what you want with flowers, so find a picture of it and send it around to some of the recommended florists on here. They'll be able to give you a quote by e-mail and some will even make a sample centerpiece for you before you book. Same thing with photographer- some people want all the bells and whistles (engagement photos, sign-in board, parent albums, thank you cards, etc.) while some people just want their photos on a CD.

Don't worry and don't get overwhelmed. You have a full year to plan so just take it one step at a time! Good luck!

Welcome and Congrats!!!!

this site is awesome and will become your new crack (just a warning) lol but everyone on here rocks!


dont get too stressed right off the bat, just take everything one step at a time. if you look at the long list you will go nuts!

first talk to your FH about your budget, then get together a mock guest list. then start talking about what type of hall you are interested in, and if you want church wedding or get married at the hall.

when you do go looking at halls make sure you get EVERYTHING in writing, you would be surprised what the BM's will forget in the shortest time frame. even if its something stupid like 'yea we will throw in an ice sculpture' just get it in writing on your quote

but have fun looking at halls!!!!! its great everyone sucks up to you

Congratulations and Welcome!!!

Just remember, if you need advice/help, don't be afraid to ask........These ladies are wonderful!

My advice would be call around talk to many vendors......and deal with them!!

Congratulations!

I also did not want to have a huge wedding and go into debt.

Including my dress and the RD, we only spent $23,000 on our wedding. We had 115 guests

We didn't have a bridal party. Just a best man, MOh, and ring bearer

We got married at Sans Souci and had a buffet....the cost was like $65 pp plus 20%. They also included our wedding cake and we did not do a groom's cake.

Because we didn't have a Bridal party, we only got one classic car. They drove DH, BM, and RB to the church first, then me, my mom, and MOH...then took me and DH for pictures and to the RH. The BM and MOH just drove over with their families.

We used Variety for DJ, and booked a one man show. Is was simple and only included one person...not a DJ and MC. You can save money not doing uplighting and getting married Friday night or Saturday day....also and off season wedding ( winter). We had a day wedding and created a 'garden party' feel, which was lovely. Everyone had an awesome time.

Flowers we used B urton's and had callas. They did a great job for the money

I would not scrimp on photography. You will have those pictures forever.

We also had a small Shower, and no engagement party or Bachelorette. It's just not my scene and I didn't want everyone to spend more money.

The one thing we sprung for was a coach bus to and from the hotel/RH and to and from the after party, since we had mostly OOTers. That was a hit.

I just saw cute DIY invite kits in the clearance aisle of Michaels....you can save money doing that instead of ordering invites. Or you can order through Vistaprint for not a lot of money.

Good luck!

The best thing to do is set a budget and work backwards

You can't have a $22,000 wedding and invite 300 people...that sort of thing. If you keep it smaller (like under 130), you can definitely keep costs down as you can use a smaller hall