That's the same thing we're doing. We're ordering extra food/beer just to make sure we go over the "minimum" amount. It's actually not that bad of a deal.
Planning Ames Wedding
- Thread starter cloneteach
- Start date
That's the same thing we're doing. We're ordering extra food/beer just to make sure we go over the "minimum" amount. It's actually not that bad of a deal.
It's great I ate smoked beef, pork, Corn, cheesy potatoes and BBQ Baked beans for the following 2 months. I was really sad when the food ran out
Lol, isukendall has obviously never had to plan a wedding in a populated area
I was actually surprised at your $20k - I expected it to be higher!
Heck, I think 15 years ago we spent around that 8-9K area in your Podunk, iowa area. So 20K now in ames/des moines seems normal to me.
Breakdown is sort like this in most cases. What bride thinks is important -- 15K, what groom thinks is important -- 300-400 bucks. Rest -- what bride says that groom should think is important.
Breakdown is sort like this in most cases. What bride thinks is important -- 15K, what groom thinks is important -- 300-400 bucks. Rest -- what bride says that groom should think is important.
Lol, isukendall has obviously never had to plan a wedding in a populated area
As I'm "planning" a wedding now (watching my fiance plan it) in Charleston, I'm sure her parents would be beyond thrilled with only a 20k wedding :twitcy:
Open bar?? Now you just doubled your cost!! Unfortunately I'm only half joking here. Go drink tixs or you will have 5K or so wrapped up. You won't believe what people drink in an open bar situation. There will be bills for things you didn't even know existed.
Has anyone had/considered having the rehearsal dinner in the press box of Jack Trice? Pipe dream more than anything
I should add tha for ours at Hickory Hall we bought 2 kegs with a 3rd as an ption and I had an open bar for the wedding party only.
Did you end up finishing all 3? I was going to allocate 4 w/ some drink tickets....my friends like to drink
No only used 2 ,unfortunately the night before our reception NE Iowa (where alot of my family is from) had snow and approx. 40 people weren't able to make it.
Here is a suggestion, you might think it sounds sleazy or cheap, but I have been involved in a few of these, not as a groom FYI. Buy the two or three kegs, have one or two on standby. Inform your attendants that you are unsure of how many you needed and bought x amount and have a couple standbys.
Every time I have been around this, the groomsmen have each thrown in forty or fifty each and kept buying kegs. If we wanted to drink heavy, we paid for it and felt like not sticking the groom. We also felt like we were helping to throw the party for the couple. This helps to have enough, but also limits the amount out of your pocket.
So, just to give you some thoughts, here is what we did for our wedding in Ames:
1. Used the first Saturday (Labor Day weekend) football game for the "rehersal dinner". Just make sure to get everyone tickets for the game. Lots of guys still ask how I pulled this off as they can't believe a woman would go for this (my wife likes football, what can I say)!!! We had a tent rented and catered the food.
2. Sunday we had a small private wedding (family only) at a local park in Ames. Pretty cheap to rent a covered location and nice outdoor wedding. Just make sure if you put up any "decorations" that someone stays with the stuff so nothing gets ruined by others passing by.
3. Sunday night had a reception at Hickory Hall (lots of people invited!). Good deal, easy to work with, can do decorations (to a degree). We put at least 1 bottle of wine on every table and bought 4 kegs of beer and did a cash bar. Find a good DJ and it works quite nice for food and dancing. Found the cost to be fairly reasonable (~$2500 - $3000).
4. Reserved a block of rooms at a hotel (we used Comfort Inn and Suites) for Saturday and Sunday. Monday is holiday and everyone can drive home.
It was a great weekend!! Football, wedding, reception! No regrets, no complaints.
1. Used the first Saturday (Labor Day weekend) football game for the "rehersal dinner". Just make sure to get everyone tickets for the game. Lots of guys still ask how I pulled this off as they can't believe a woman would go for this (my wife likes football, what can I say)!!! We had a tent rented and catered the food.
2. Sunday we had a small private wedding (family only) at a local park in Ames. Pretty cheap to rent a covered location and nice outdoor wedding. Just make sure if you put up any "decorations" that someone stays with the stuff so nothing gets ruined by others passing by.
3. Sunday night had a reception at Hickory Hall (lots of people invited!). Good deal, easy to work with, can do decorations (to a degree). We put at least 1 bottle of wine on every table and bought 4 kegs of beer and did a cash bar. Find a good DJ and it works quite nice for food and dancing. Found the cost to be fairly reasonable (~$2500 - $3000).
4. Reserved a block of rooms at a hotel (we used Comfort Inn and Suites) for Saturday and Sunday. Monday is holiday and everyone can drive home.
It was a great weekend!! Football, wedding, reception! No regrets, no complaints.
Get married before the game and just tailgate. You could drink for free, I'd throw you a 12 pack.
Hmm. I think maybe the Octagon, but I'm not sure. There's a place out on the corner of 30 and 35 that is a hall, but I also don't know about there. And since I have no clue what the name of it is, that's not much of a lead...
We did the big Methodist church on Lincoln Way, which was awesome. We had the fire truck take the wedding party from there to the campanile for pics, then to Hickory Hall for dinner. I'm pretty sure our whole wedding was under $5K. We paid for 2-3 kegs and wine I believe. It's been 12 years, so it's a little foggy.
As for having a wedding on Friday, game weekend, doesn't sound like a good plan. Hotels are harder to find, makes it more expensive, your rehearsal dinner is on Thursday... None of this makes the people in your party happy. Also, remember that a fall wedding means that your anniversary will land on a game day every few years. That's always fun if your wife hates football as much as mine. Luckily my wife doesn't get to worked up over anniversaries and stuff.
As for having a wedding on Friday, game weekend, doesn't sound like a good plan. Hotels are harder to find, makes it more expensive, your rehearsal dinner is on Thursday... None of this makes the people in your party happy. Also, remember that a fall wedding means that your anniversary will land on a game day every few years. That's always fun if your wife hates football as much as mine. Luckily my wife doesn't get to worked up over anniversaries and stuff.