Anyone want to talk weddings again?!

[tacom]

I'm getting in the mood, lol.

I stumbled across this place on yelp, and it has great reviews: www.prairieproduction.net/#a=0&at=0&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=0&p=0 

I also briefly discussed my concerns with some grad school friends, and one of them recommended this place (with no prompting from me) for being nice but still MM, so I feel even better about it!

Details:

• BYOB!!! YES. 
• No preferred caterer's list! (I need a license, but I'd like to inquire if I can get my own personal event license for a couple hundred and skip the caterer altogether. Maybe.)
• $5k to rent the space

I love how simple it is. Not too frilly at all. Close to the city. I was thinking we could block some hotel rooms downtown (very close to our apt) and then rent a trolley for the night to make a loop so guests can leave as they choose (google says it's a 10 min car ride or 23 min on the train)

So now I have some weird ideas that are partially because I think they fit our personalities but also appeal to me for the $$ savings. Is it totally tacky for a young couple to throw a "Chicago" wedding and serve deep dish pizza and 312 beer? lol.

Disclaimer: I'm okay with this being a more offbeat wedding since we're covering all of it ourselves and it's more for us than our parents. My family is all low key (my aunt got married in her backyard), so I'm not worried about impressing them. Our friends are mostly in their twenties and just getting started or still in graduate school. Basically, I don't think anyone has crazy expectations for us and I'd like to embrace that, lol. My hope is that if we make it a fun enough party no one will care that we didn't serve fillet. 

So here's a brief breakdown of what I'm thinking so far. Please give me your honest opinions. You will not hurt my feelings.

estimating 140 guests.

**updated budget pg. 2**




Stuff: $9,635

• Venue rental $5,000 (9am-midnight)
• Trolley $1,000
• Event license $200
• Dress $2,500. No veil. FI will wear a suit. 
• (Simple!) bridal/bridesmaids bouquets: $300
  
• Gifts for wedding party: $40 x 10 = $400
• Momento for parents: $40 x 4 = $160
• Marriage license $75

People: $8,500

• DJ $1,000
• Photographer and all prints - $5,000
• Officiant $500
• Planner $2,000 (?)

Decorations/furniture: $3,250 

• Flowers $400 (would like to go to Costco that week and fill some ball jars). This Chicago  bride: www.budgetbrideschicago.com/search/label/my%20wedding spent $140 for wild flowers at whole foods)
• Lights/candles $200
• Furniture, flatware rental: $2,500. Will get linens on the tables to dress the place up
• Rustic frames filled with family and friends' photographs, throughout: $150

Alcohol/drinks: $3,021 www.uncorkitchicago.com/beer.html

• Beer: $821 for 4 kegs, totaling 560 pints of beer, or 4 pints pp. Should I get more?
• 312 Keg x 2: $394
• Sam Adams keg: $208
• Stella keg: $219
• Wine: $1,100 ($10/bottle x 100 bottles. Four pours per bottle = 400 glasses of wine, or 2.85pp)
• Water/soda: No idea. $300?
• Liquor (a few bottles of gin, whiskey, vodka purchased from costco - nothing high end): $300 - I don't really care about this, but maybe people would expect it?
• 2 bartenders: $500

Cocktail hour: I have no idea. $1,000? I don't have ideas for apps yet, but I'm tired of thinking of things for now. lol

Reception food: $2,653. Served buffet style. Includes 10% tax + 20% tip. www.loumalnatis.com/

• 40 Deep dish pizzas: $1,040 (serves 160)
• 35 orders of garlic bread with marinara (split each order w/ 4 people): $179
• 17 mixed fruit/Goat cheese/spinach salads (serve 4-5 people each: $249  (serves 85)
• 20 Chicken caesar salads (serves 4-5): $285 (serves 100)
• 3 servers to clear plates, rotate out food: $900

Dessert: $1,524  www.getbakedchicago.com/home/menu/

• Would like to do a dessert table.
  -$620 for 12 dozen cupcakes (tons of options!)
  -$277 for 6 dozen raspberry cream cheese brownies (cut in 1/2 to make 144 servings)
  -$277 for 6 dozen turtle brownies (cut in 1/2 to make 144 servings)
  -$350? candy bar. Will create an assortment in glass jars where guests can serve themselves.

Paper: $690

• Save the dates $140
• Invites $300
• Wedding program $150
• Table name/escort cards: $100

TOTAL: $30,273


Am I forgetting anything? If I really could keep it to $30,000 I might think of trying to add some fun stuff, like a photo booth, etc. We'll see!

Things I'm not interested in: favors, a traditional wedding cake, videographer (will ask my brother to do this as he is free; won't expect much). 

[Deleted]

I would LOVE to go to a wedding that had deep dish pizza and garlic bread, but I'm maybe a weird one At any rate, I think it is great to do it in your own style.

Who is setting up and cleaning up the venue?

If you're going to do liquor, you would need ice and mixers and lemons/limes/etc., which would add to the cost.  And depending on who your bartenders are, they may need equipment like shakers and cocktail napkins and stirrers.  

Invitation budget seems really low, particularly if it is meant to include postage.  

[gogreengowhite]

I would love a pizza and beer wedding as well!

Weddings don't have to be stuffy. Have fun!

[jigsy]

I am not on the fancy wedding bandwagon...I mean, our actual ceremony had 12 people, and I spent less than 4K (not including flights and hotels since it was a DW). My in-laws threw a local reception which was also super cheap...we hosted it at a campsite.

However...I feel like your event is a little split personality. Beer and pizza is really casual to me, but then you have tent cards, table numbers, programs...those are a bit more formal. But, I am a firm believer that other peoples expectations should not force you to do something you don't want, so if you and your FI want 'za and beer, with assigned seats and programs, by all means, do it! (Also, insominac had awesome programs that are a little more fun and casual than your traditional ones, so they could kind of fit.)

The only expense you have that I would totally scratch is a planner. It sounds like your event will be fairly low key, so a planner would be a waste I think. If you get a good DJ, they will be able to keep events moving along at the reception.
We baked cupcakes for our "wedding cake" and they were fucking delicious. I did go for a cake tasting though, lol.

[hocus2]

I think you're going to need more than 3 servers with 140 guests, even buffet style. Overall I'm not sure about pizza as a wedding food when you're planning on having a fancy 2K dress but if you like it then go for it. You also haven't estimated the costs of glasses, plates, silverware. Even disposable will add up. You'll want for more plates per person that you have guests if you're doing it buffet style.

[njohnson1972]

I actually like the idea. A bit unique and sounds fun.

No wedding cake?

[lime]

I'm not a traditionalist either. I think the pizza/beer/wine combo is great if that fits your personality.

We skipped a lot of traditional stuff and I'm really glad that we made that choice.

[cajunmom]

I have no input b/c we got married at the JOP's office with just my parents and DSS, but I'd love to come to that wedding. It sounds fun and not fussy, which is great.

[Deleted]

Aug 16, 2013 13:03:52 GMT -5 jigsy said:

The only expense you have that I would totally scratch is a planner. It sounds like your event will be fairly low key, so a planner would be a waste I think. 

I actually think that a planner (or at least a day-of person) would be a necessity for a wedding like this.  Otherwise, who is setting up and such?

[Deleted]

I actually think this is a fantastic idea! Ditto v, just check to see who will set up and clean up for your wedding (even if people are going to serve themselves for dessert, who will set it out for you?). Check with the venue whether your caterer/whatever needs to provide proof of liability insurance. Our venue also didn't have a preferred list of vendors but they all had to provide proof of insurance.

I don't see hair and makeup for you unless I skimmed past it. Also, don't forget about the pre-wedding events either. What about your dress for your bachelorette party, dress for a bridal shower, etc. Also, what about rehearsal and rehearsal dinner? Who is paying for that? Honeymoon? I'm throwing these extras in there since you say that you are paying for it yourself (so did we). The bachelorette and bridal showers were hosted by friends but the rehearsal dinner, my mom offered to pay for but we were planning on paying for it ourselves. Honeymoon we also paid for.

[ijack]

My main worry is that pizza isn't awesome luke warm (I either like it hot or cold) and heating and serving that many seems difficult. I like the idea in theory, but in practice I'm not sure how it would work.
I also agree that I think you need more staff and a higher budget for mixers, soda, etc. And I wouldn't scratch the planner, because you're going to want someone to coordinate set up of the ceremony and reception, along with keeping the food moving and stuff.

[Deleted]

Aug 16, 2013 13:08:32 GMT -5 v said:

Aug 16, 2013 13:03:52 GMT -5 jigsy said:

The only expense you have that I would totally scratch is a planner. It sounds like your event will be fairly low key, so a planner would be a waste I think. 

I actually think that a planner (or at least a day-of person) would be a necessity for a wedding like this.  Otherwise, who is setting up and such?

Agreed, I think a planner is really important for this type of event.

[SJ]

oh how fun!! I think that is a really cool venue, but with those places you will definitely need someone to set up and tear down and handle the logistics. They are pretty much "blank slate" places. We went to a wedding at Greenhouse Loft which looked very similar.

I am not snobby and think that the Chicago pizzas sound like a great idea! What does your FI think? Another option I have seen would be to bring them in as a "late night snack"- however, deepdish is so filling, I think you could totally pull it off as the main dinner. It's also so "Chicago" which would be fun for your OOT guests.

Photographers in the city may be a little hard to find for $5,000.00 but my BFF (based in the suburbs) would probably work with that budget. I can pm you her info.

Paper products might be a little more and don't forget about postage.

Personally I'd probably get more beer. Depending on your crowd, it sounds like you might be able to do just beer & wine. If you do want a hard liquor option, I'd focus on 1-2 signature drinks or basic cocktails, instead of trying to thinly provide a full bar (with "a few bottles from Costco") and running out of things or it being unclear what you do and don't have on hand.

[Deleted]

This reminds me of one of our favorite weddings, where the B&G got married at the park adjacent to the Brooklyn Bridge and their reception was at the now-closed DUMBO Bubby's.

We had BBQ! and PIE! and it was seriously so fun and so indicative of the B&G's personalities. Also one of my favorite group shots of our friends was there.

A different set of friends who live in NY got married, and they had STDs like these, but the NY version
www.etsy.com/listing/106894841/as-seen-on-style-me-pretty-chicago-black?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product_listing_promoted&utm_campaign=weddings_mid&gclid=CKbXvKHIgrkCFUqY4AodbjQA4w

and invitations that were more like
www.etsy.com/listing/122628816/chicago-illinois-wedding-invitations?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product_listing_promoted&utm_campaign=weddings_low&gclid=CMrx6M7IgrkCFdOj4Aodsg8AhQ

[IrishBelle]

I love the location and it sounds like a fun wedding!

[Deleted]

Aug 16, 2013 13:10:07 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

I think it could be kind of fun to serve deep dish pizza. My only concern would be having it get cold before you can serve it, but maybe you could get heat lamps or something? I would also consider having servers dole out the slices rather than making people serve themselves. Deep dish (or really any style pizza) gets messy and you don't want people touching the other slices to get to theirs.

I just thought of that too.

I think you'll need way more servers, and I'd guess (complete guess) that they'll cost more than you expect, particularly because it sounds like they may need to be insured (or at the very least, SOMEONE needs to have liability insurance).  Also, you may want to talk to Lou's and the venue about how feasible it is to heat stuff up at the venue and have it taste delicious.  Might be tricky if the venue doesn't have the right kinds of ovens, you don't want the pizza sitting around for hours before the event getting cold, but also you don't want to be waiting around for the pizza delivery to come mid-event. 

[SJ]

Also what about wedding rings? Honeymoon? I know those aren't always included in the wedding budget, but since you are paying they are important.

[SJ]

I am FIRMLY in the "you need a planner" camp, especially for a venue like that. A really good day-of coordinator might work fine too, but you will need someone to oversee the logistics and set up.

[dulcedeleche]

I think this sounds so fun!  It also sounds like a wedding that would happen with my friends who are all mid 20's.  DH and I got married 7 years ago (we were super young) and it felt like our wedding and the weddings we were attending were more formal. My friends who are getting married now are having weddings just like you described.  They are simple, casual, fun, and still beautiful. None of my friends have wanted anything fancy.  If it is what you want, I say go for it!

[sa]

Couple things off-hand:

1) Have one non-cheese salad option.

2) I know some places require some sort of liability insurance for bartenders. See if this is required.

3) I think three servers for 140 people is too little.

4) Don't forget coffee and tea.

5) A wedding coordinator is a good idea. Takes away the stress on you for the day.

6) Are you going to do the bouquets yourself or are you using a florist? Even inexpensive simple bouquets may be more than $300.

[Deleted]

Aug 16, 2013 13:14:32 GMT -5 sxia said:

It depends on how you want to do it and how much DIY you are into, but we did our own save the dates and invites for the cost of card stock, mismatched envelopes from the hallmark store and a caricature artist who did a drawing of DH and I in wedding attire.

No one says you have to spend hundreds on an invite that people are going to throw away.

If she's sending save the dates, invitations, and including postage on response cards to, say, 100 addresses, that's over $100 on postage alone.  Add in 300 envelopes and 300 pieces of card stock, and aren't you already in the hundreds of dollars range?

[wanderlustfoodie]

That space is very lovely, and I love when people have weddings that reflect their personality.

I'm not sure whether the budget was supposed to be comprehensive or just for the reception but you don't have budget lines for hair/makeup/nails/handbag/shoes/accessories/wedding party gifts.

I feel like the dress budget and photographer could end up being low. Also, I think the flower budget could be low plus you might want to see if you can pass this responsibility off to someone else. I doubt you will want to be making Costco runs a day before your wedding.

Also what would you do for music during the ceremony? Also the dj? If not, you would need to factor those musicians.

ETA: Forgot to mention you need to up the server number by a lot. You should plan on waiter for every 6-8 people not counting bartenders. One of the worst parts of weddings is having to wait for food or alcohol.

[Deleted]

I also would budget less for your wedding dress, maybe $1,500 max.
Also think about shoes/jewelry.

If you're going to have hard liquor you also need mixers - sour mix, club soda, tonic water

[Deleted]

Ok, so I added up everything, and for the reception, it comes to just about $100pp.

Aren't there any all-inclusive type places in that area that will cost you about the same, and not have nearly the amount of work/setup/coordination?

[Deleted]

I'd skip liquor for this event. It's hard to do well in a BYOB place.

Have you started wedding dress shopping? I got my dress for $1200 at Weddings 826. Great little shop with off the rack dresses at excellent prices. I loved my dress more than the dresses I tried on for twice the price at Marshall Field's (RIP).

[Deleted]

Aug 16, 2013 13:27:44 GMT -5 @mrsspunky said:

Ok, so I added up everything, and for the reception, it comes to just about $100pp.

Aren't there any all-inclusive type places in that area that will cost you about the same, and not have nearly the amount of work/setup/coordination?

This was another thing I was going to say.  Again, I love the idea of deep dish pizza.  But if you look at the budget, which is missing a bunch of things so it is probably unrealistic, you're spending a LOT of money for food that is very MM at the restaurant itself and you'll have a lot of stress during your wedding week from the DIY stuff.  Which shows why these DIY venues often are much more expensive than all-inclusive ones -- doing it in a way that won't cause major stress and that doesn't half ass a bunch of stuff really adds up.

[wanderlustfoodie]

Aug 16, 2013 13:34:53 GMT -5 tacom said:

Aug 16, 2013 13:00:51 GMT -5 v said:

I would LOVE to go to a wedding that had deep dish pizza and garlic bread, but I'm maybe a weird one At any rate, I think it is great to do it in your own style.

Who is setting up and cleaning up the venue?

If you're going to do liquor, you would need ice and mixers and lemons/limes/etc., which would add to the cost.  And depending on who your bartenders are, they may need equipment like shakers and cocktail napkins and stirrers.  

Invitation budget seems really low, particularly if it is meant to include postage.  

I'd expect the furniture rental place to set up/take down furniture. I don't know how it works when you rent dishes - can I return those all dirty??

I think I would have to hire two guys to come in for ~$200 to take out the trash and mop the floors the next morning. the budget bride blog I quoted above did that to make sure she got her full venue deposit back. thanks for the tip!

Given the extra cost and hassle, would it be ok to cut out liquor? I could add another keg or more wine.

You know your circle better than we do. I would think a bunch of twenty-something people wouldn't love going to an event without liquor, but you'd know better.

[tacom]

Aug 16, 2013 13:04:50 GMT -5 hocus2 said:

I think you're going to need more than 3 servers with 140 guests, even buffet style. Overall I'm not sure about pizza as a wedding food when you're planning on having a fancy 2K dress but if you like it then go for it. You also haven't estimated the costs of glasses, plates, silverware. Even disposable will add up. You'll want for more plates per person that you have guests if you're doing it buffet style.

ok, more servers. 

I estimated $500 for plates/dishes (included in the $2,500 for furniture/extras). Is that too low? I can bump that up. The bride I quoted above used a company that did furniture and linens for $1,500.

[jigsy]

Good point on the planner overseeing the set up and tear down. I guess since the venue is pretty much totally DIY, then you need someone there to make sure everything is getting done. (It does say that there will be prairie staff there for set up and break down)

And others bring up a good point about the pizza. It's either going to be luke warm, or get soggy, etc...it won't be fresh, which makes me think it won't be that good.

The website doesn't mention a working kitchen, only a workspace for caterers with a loading dock, so there wouldn't be any way to cook up fresh pizza.

Are there any pizza food trucks in Chicago that are good? We have a pizza truck here that has ovens in the truck, so the pizza is fresh all throughout service.

[tacom]

Aug 16, 2013 13:10:07 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

I think it could be kind of fun to serve deep dish pizza. My only concern would be having it get cold before you can serve it, but maybe you could get heat lamps or something? I would also consider having servers dole out the slices rather than making people serve themselves. Deep dish (or really any style pizza) gets messy and you don't want people touching the other slices to get to theirs.

Love that space.

I think you've underestimated the cost of bouquets, unless you plan on just buying some stems and tying them yourselves. And do you want your FI and groomsmen to have boutonnieres too?

Do you guys need/want any special transportation for yourselves?

Great point on the pizza. How many servers would you anticipate needing?

I really don't care about bouquets - I would be happy with tied stems. Boutonnieres are up to FI - I could go either way.

I don't want any special transportation, other than the trolley.