1. Hold your wedding on any day other than Saturday. Saturday’s are priced at premium rates so try a Friday or Sunday instead
2. Negotiate with your vendors. They might be willing to cut the rate if you’re willing to go without some of their services that aren’t essential
3. Share décor/supplies with another bride
4. Provide liquor yourself from a wholesale store, like BevMo, Sam’s Club or Costco
5. Purchase a used dress from a site like OnceWed.com, PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com or the WeddingBee.com Classifieds
6. Purchase a bridesmaid dress as a bridal gown
7. Create your own bouquet with store bought flowers. Check out DIY Instructional videos like this one here
8. Get ready at home and don’t pay for a hotel room
9. Drive your own car and don’t rent a limo
10. Get married at a public place with little or no rental fee like a local community center
11. Shop for décor at the dollar store. Just be aware that they might have a better in-store selection than online
12. Wear borrowed jewelry from a friend or family member to add a free personal touch
13. Wear shoes you already own
14. Don’t use flowers on the reception tables. Use other items that are less expensive but that have just as much character, like feathers, moss and books
15. Don’t give out favors. Guests usually throw them away anyway, making them a general waste of moneyDon’t rent chair covers. Use the chairs that come with your venue. In most pictures the guests will be sitting in the chairs anyway
16. Don’t rent chair covers. Use the chairs that come with your venue. In most pictures the guests will be sitting in the chairs anyway
17. Skip the aisle runner
18. Buy Christmas lights on clearance after the holiday and use them to set the mood at your wedding
19. Use weekly coupons mailed from craft stores like Michael’s and Jo-Ann Fabrics. Each one is usually good for about 20% off
20. If you’re purchasing the flower girl dresses, look for them during or right after the Easter holiday for deep discounts
21. Instead of expensive gifts, give your attendants handwritten notes of thanks
22. Put the money you don’t need right away in a CD to allow the money to grow for you with little effort. Check rates on a site like bankrate.com
23. Purchase décor from an auction site like ebay.com
24. Visit sample sales at local dress boutiques to find your bridal gown
25. Instead of buying bridal magazines, check them out from the library for free

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Technorati Tags: Bridal Gown, Bridesmaids, Budget, Caterer, Decor, Favors, Food, Venue

We had our first tasting on Friday night at the Museum of African American History where our reception will be held.

First of all, shame on me for not taking a picture of the food before we ate. I was extra hungry and the picture was obviously the last thing on my mind.

Here’s what we had:

• Garden Salad Served with Italian Dressing
• Baked Chicken with Tomato and Basil Sauce
• Beef Tips with Parslied Rice
• Garlic and Chive Mashed Potatoes
• String Beans with Red Pepper Butter
• Rolls with Butter

Overall, I’d call it a 7. Not outstanding, but better than most wedding food I’ve tasted.

The salad was decent because it was mixed greens and not just iceberg lettuce. The chicken wasn’t dry.  The rice, mashed potatoes and string beans were actually really good. The beef tips were a little tough though. And the rolls weren’t good at all. They tasted cold, and bland like they were straight off the Sysco truck.

So that’s the food. Now, let’s talk about organization for a minute. Our tasting was originally supposed to be at 6:30. I emailed to confirm, but never heard back from them. So I called and they said, “Oh, we need to make it 7.” So on Friday, we showed up at 7pm starving with our stomachs touching our spines. We didn’t start eating until 7:30. Not cool.

And although I’ve had issues with their communication and organization the entire time I’ve been working with them, they are actually better than both of the other caterer contenders. Again – not cool.

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Technorati Tags: Beef, Caterer, Chicken, potatoes, Reception, rolls, saldad, string beans, tasting

As I may have mentioned before, our venue has 4 approved caterers and we have to choose one of them. One of them is out on price alone. So we are left with caterers #1, #2, and #3. This post is about caterer #3. And don’t be fooled kiddies, there’s definitely a reason they are numbered in that particular order. Right.

So caterer #3. We’ve heard great things about their food, so I was really excited about them being a good prospect. I called them up and told them we might be interested and asked about the next steps. We were told we could come pick up a carryout plate from their kitchen. The day we were supposed to pick it up, I was busy with a dance performance and it was my fiance’s responsibility. Well, he forgot and I forgot to remind him. When I called the caterer to apologize, I was told there was no way we could get another plate. They were going to give us the plate on the house the first time so we even offered to pay for the plate the second time around. No haps. They basically said, “F you lady, you get no more chances!” The guy even made it sound like we’d ruined it for every couple that came after us. We figured, if they didn’t care enough to give us another plate, they must not want our business. So for a long time, they were out of the picture.

Then, He says, well maybe we shouldn’t disclude them. They’re prices are really good and we haven’t even tasted their food yet. Sigh. Okay, so this time He went through the trouble of calling the caterer and they let him set up the plate pick-up, I guess cause they didn’t realize we’re the same people. We were to pick the plate up today at 5:30 and I was actually pretty excited.

Silly rabbit. We get a call around 3:30 stating that the caterers are out and no one would be there when we came to pick up the plate. At this point, I’m through spinning my wheels with them.

And then there were two.

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Technorati Tags: Caterer, Food, Reception, Venue

I thought I was done with progress reports in school, but I guess not.

Here’s where we stand after and including the last progress report:

We have

• booked the location
• booked the DJ
• booked the photographer
• sent most of the save the dates
• got a friend to commit design the invitations (more on this later)
• gotten 2 caterer quotes (more on this below)
• stored my dress for the last 6 months
• ordered the bridesmaid dresses

We’ll just go with this list for now. No need to bring attention to the mile-long list of un-done things.

The caterer situation is really in limbo right now. The tasting I thought we were going to have fell through because the event was cancelled. They have another big event coming in March. We can either wait to taste the food then (if the event is not cancelled again) or we can pay to have a private tasting before that. This happens to be the most expensive of the two quotes.

The other caterer sent us a very generic one meat-one starch-one vegetable-plasticware-coffee and lemonade quote. I really dont want run of the mill. Of everything at the wedding, I’m pretty dead set on this because I like food way too much to compromise. So I replied to them with this message and I’m still waiting for their answer. This, of course, is the less expensive of the two quotes.

I’m thinking all the other stuff not mentioned above in the back of my head. Right now though – it’s one thing at a time.

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Technorati Tags: Bridal Gown, Bridesmaid Dresses, Caterer, Checklist, progress, Reception, Save the Dates, Venue

So, our venue has a list of approved wedding caterers for us to choose from. I met with one of said caterers and had a long discussion about logistics, menus and the inauguration.

Although I thought she shouldn’t be concerned with some of the logistics items, like the dance floor, especially since we’re having a buffet, I did appreciate all the insight she gave me since she works at our venue often.

By the time our meeting had ended I had managed to draw an entire layout of our space complete with tables, dance floor, dj area, and buffet tables. I was even able to decide traffic patterns for our guest before, during and after the reception.

As for the menu, given our budget, she told me that the two things I should stay away from are filet mignon and lamb chops. Pretty much anything else is fair game. We talked about orzo with lamb (chunks, not chops) and asparagus, boneless chicken with the skin on (to keep the moisture in), string beans with red pepper butter sauce, and romaine salad with strawberries and mandarin oranges. These are all just ideas thrown around at this point, but I like the direction she’s headed so far.

We actually lucked out because we’ll get to taste this particualar caterer’s food at an event we were already planning on attending on Valentine’s Day.

I wish I had some pictures of her food to share. Maybe I’ll try to be incognito and take some with my camera phone at the event.

So far, she’s at the top of the list, but I have a feeling she’s not going to be the least expensive, so for now the jury’s still out.

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Technorati Tags: Caterer, Food, Reception, Venue

Flat 151 is a relatively new event loft in Downtown Detroit. If not a historical Detroit building, I was really considering a similar type of loft space. They’re all over metropolitan cities like New York, Chicago, Atlanta and LA but they are few and far between here in the motor city. With all the empty buildings we have downtown, you’d think those would be perfect for converting into event lofts for people to rent. Could be for parties, wedding receptions, meetings, or any other gathering.

So, Flat 151 was recommended to me through a friend of a friend. It’s located on the corner of Congress and Shelby, right near a couple of the popular downtown clubs. We went to visit on a Saturday morning during the summer and were ushered through security and escorted around the building.

Here’s the rundown:

• About 8000 square feet
• Locked, private restrooms
• Some form of front desk security
• No parking, so valet would probably be necessary
• There are big square columns about every 10 feet, blocking the view from several different angles
• Built in kitchen area
• Use caterers at the International Ballroom at the International Banquet and Conference Center
• Very modern feel with lots of windows and views of the city
• Rental fee – $3000+ (if I’m not mistaken… I’m a little fuzzy on this)

It ended up not being the right place for us because of the columns and the catering costs, but it could very easily work for someone else. This is all I can remember right now but if there’s something else you’d like to know, I’ll do my best to jog my memory.

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Technorati Tags: Caterer, Detroit, Flat 151, loft, parking, valet, Venue

Disclaimer: You know how you would read comics as a kid and all of the sentences would either end an exclamation point or a question mark? Well this post might feel a little like that.

——————————————————————

Well loyal readers, you can all release your collective breaths – we finally found a venue!

And we have a date!

We will be married August 22, 2009 at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History!

I’d of course considered the museum right from the beginning because it’s in the Cultural District and it’s a beautiful building. I’d immediately ruled it out because the website states, “Absolutely no dancing is permitted in the Ford Freedom Rotunda.” Well, pffftt to that! There’s no way we’d have a wedding with no dancing!

Months later, we saw someone’s wedding pictures posted on Facebook with -get this – dancing in the Ford Freedom Rotunda! Imagine my surprise. So He called up one of the event coordinators to get the scoop. We could rent the space, it was available on our date and we were allowed to dance in the Ford Freedom Rotunda as long as we rent a dance floor. I was at work, so later that night I checked out the other details, like the catering situation. I was all amp’d at that point but He told me, “Let’s not get too excited and shout it from the rooftop just yet. I don’t want to you to get your hopes up again.” So…that’s why I haven’t mentioned it till now.

Anyway, all three event coordinators were on what seemed like a 2 week vacation. Their voicemail said they’d be back today so I stalked the woman He’d spoken to like a hawk. I called her at 9am when they opened and left a message. She didn’t call me back, so I called her again at 10:15. By 11am, we were signing our contract!

We will get married in the General Motors Theater and the reception will be where else, but the Ford Freedom Rotunda.

We do have to choose from one of their caterers but they all have menus and pricing online and at least 3 of the 4 are very reasonable.

One of the most expensive things we were up against is the bar. We really wanted to have an open bar and now we can. The Museum offers two different bar packages starting at a flat $15/person. There is no tax I believe because they are a non-profit organization.

One downside is that we may have to pay for valet parking for our guests. It’s still up in the air, but if we decide to, it’ll come to around $700 for a guest list of our size. Still not too bad. I’ve seen worse.

If you’d like my contact’s information at the Museum let me know. She was really helpful and willing to accommodate our needs.

So, now that I am a completely happy camper, I can move on to the other parts of the wedding planning process. I’m thinking about booking the photographer next. What do you guys think? What should I conquer next, while I’m still feeling invincible?

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Technorati Tags: Caterer, Ceremony, coordinator, Detroit, Ford Freedom Rotunda, General Motors Theater, Reception, Venue

So I emailed the woman at the Guardian Building to find out if we just had a misunderstanding about the date. Turns out we did. 

Here’s the skinny on the fat:

• Capacity of up to 250 people
• Steep rental fee
• Can use own caterer
• Have to pay for insurance (?)
• Have to rent tables and chairs (?)
• Would have to bring own bartender or find a caterer with a liquor license

The above info is just for the 32nd floor ballroom. They also have an area, I believe on the first floor, called Rowland Cafe which is available to rent. Judging by the pictures, this is where that Guardian Building Wedding on a Budget took place. I don’t any details about this space yet, but I was given another persons contact info for more details.

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Technorati Tags: Caterer, Detroit, downtown, downtown detroit, guardian, guardian building, insurance, Reception, Venue

I feel like I’m on a plane at the airport taxiing on the runway. There is a definite endpoint to my travels, but because I’m stuck in this holding pattern, I’m not making any progress toward my goal.

All of my planning is pretty much on hold because I’m still trying to pin down a venue. Every time I think I’ve found one, I get my hopes up only to find that it’s not gonna work for one reason or another.

The worst part is, I feel like I can’t really plan anything else until this is resolved. I can’t do any Save the Dates or invitations because I don’t have a date or venue. I can’t look at cake cause the place we end up choosing might require that we use their baker. I can’t look at flowers or other decor, because the place we choose might have restrictions on what we can bring.

The list goes on, but you get the idea.

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Technorati Tags: Caterer, Decor, Flowers, Invitations, Save the Dates, Venue

Ok. Try as I might to avoid it, my venue hopes are up again.

This time I’ve got my eye on a building in Midtown Detroit.

The Pluses:

• They have preferred caterers, but we can still provide our own
• The building is beautiful and and historic
• They seem to have Saturdays available next August
• They seem to be able accommodate our guest list
• The woman I spoke with was both kind and helpful

The Minuses:

• None so far

I’ve been to this place plenty of times, though not recently and never for a wedding of course. And I’ve only seen pictures/heard of one person actually having there wedding there. So if this could really happen, remains to be seen. All I know is, I’m anxiously excited.

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Technorati Tags: Caterer, Detroit, historic, midtown, Venue