Intimidated by venues where you bring everything?

[Green with Envy]

Any experiences with venues where you have to bring in your own chairs, tables, lights, generators, etc.? (site at grounds of historic estate or state park) This just seems so intimidating compared to more expensive places that have all the "stuff" included in price. Should one def get a wedding coordinator to help with this if you choose a venue where everything is BYO?

Rockzilla- I know you must be busy since the big day is... this saturday... but if you see this... what have been your experiences doing reception at estate? recommendations or things you know now that would have done differently? Any specific names of vendors in LA who you used/love?

 

[panda08]

We''re having a wedding where we have to supply everything, as we rented a private estate.

In the beginning, the thought of having to BYO was somewhat intimidating but once I started the planning, it just came together. I liked the option of being able to do whatever I wanted, especially with the catering and alcohol. A rental place should be able to get you most of what you need in terms of chairs, tables, lighting, etc. My caterer will be helping with the set up for the ceremony and the reception.

I didn''t use a coordinator. I thought about it because we''re having a DW but it wasn''t worth the money to me, especially since our wedding is very small. I started by looking for a caterer, who then referred me to a rental place. I think after you take care of those two major things, all the other stuff (flowers, DJ/entertainment, etc) are details that can be slowly (or quickly, if you''re so inclined!) filled in.

Good luck!

 

[Inanna]

100% agree with Panda. I''m in a very similar situation. Like Panda, our "venue" is a private estate, so it includes a great space for events and 4 days of lodging for us and family, but nothing ceremony/reception related.

In my experience, the caterer was our secret to pulling it all together. I''d suggest that before you put down a deposit on your venue, look for caterers who are familiar with that venue and know its amenities, quirks, and setup restrictions. For instance, mine has done several weddings at the same estate (much larger scale weddings than mine will be), so I feel confident in her knowledge of the space. She is also providing all of the rentals and set-up.

While I was very intimidated at first, our caterer pretty much resolved all of my apprehensions about choosing a private estate. Then it was just moving onto the normal vendors every bride has to choose - photographer, DJ/Band, etc.

 

[Keepingthefaith21]

Date: 8/11/2009 10:34:22 AM
Author: Inanna
100% agree with Panda. I''m in a very similar situation. Like Panda, our ''venue'' is a private estate, so it includes a great space for events and 4 days of lodging for us and family, but nothing ceremony/reception related.

In my experience, the caterer was our secret to pulling it all together. I''d suggest that before you put down a deposit on your venue, look for caterers who are familiar with that venue and know its amenities, quirks, and setup restrictions. For instance, mine has done several weddings at the same estate (much larger scale weddings than mine will be), so I feel confident in her knowledge of the space. She is also providing all of the rentals and set-up.

While I was very intimidated at first, our caterer pretty much resolved all of my apprehensions about choosing a private estate. Then it was just moving onto the normal vendors every bride has to choose - photographer, DJ/Band, etc.

Great advice! Our venue is a museum - so we have had to contend with some very difficult restrictions. There is no kitchen at the venue and they have VERY strict rules around heating elements and fire (such as steno burners) for obvious reasons. Our caterer is experienced at this location so I know they can work around the difficulties. Additionally, they were able to suggest other vendors who have worked with our venue and have experience with the location as well as coordinate all the rentals - from the tables/chairs to all the linens and china/glasswear - my caterer has coordinated it all for us. They have even mapped out where the tables are going to be placed at the venue.

I have had nothing but positive, wonderful experiences with my vendors - prompt responses, willingness to do whatever it takes to get things accomplished but above all they have fantastic personalities which I love. Plus, everything is 100% customized right down to the stuffing used in the chicken breats - I do not have to stick to a limitation of 3 selections from a list of 8 choices - they sky is the limit and I love that! Yes, it''s a little bit more coordination on my end but working intentionally with small local business owners I have found that they will go above and beyond because they know that their business will survive based off word of mouth.

 

[Octavia]

Ditto KeepingtheFaith -- finding a caterer who is experienced at the venue is so important. Our venue is a historic mansion on the grounds of a state park, and while they do have tables and chairs available for us to use, we still have to put together everything else. Luckily, they allow pretty much any vendors and in addition to the fact that we love our caterer, he has done many weddings there before and knows exactly what needs to be done. The caterer coordinates with the rental company, so all the rentals (plates, silverware, glassware, tablecloths, etc) are actually done as part of our catering package -- basically the same as what KTF''s caterer is doing! We could have DIY-ed it if we wanted and perhaps saved a couple dollars, but it was much easier this way. It''s really not as much work as it sounds at first, and if you''re on top of everything, it should be fine. The only thing you might need a day-of coordinator for is if the venue or caterer doesn''t supply someone to set up tables and chairs, put out the centerpieces, and things like that.

 

[honey22]

It''s sounds a bit overwhelming. Can you hire a function/events company in the local area to do all that sort of thing. They can usually cover everything from the chairs to the lighting and table centrepieces. I don''t think I would trust myself to remember and organise all the fine details.

I remember a post a while ago about making sure there was enough powerpoints for lighting and ensuring they were not overloaded (to avoid the risk of a short circuit/power outage etc). These are things I wouldn''t want to be responsible for on my wedding day!