Martha''s Vineyard Cost for a Party of 25???

[wdavenport2]

Hello Ladies!

I am new to the forum and I was hoping that someone could help me with a few general questions that I have.

How much for an outside wedding with lighthouse/water/sunset for 25 people??

Suggestions for location/planners etc.?

Really any advice would be helpful. We are thinking Fall of 2011. Our hearts are not set on a specific date, but we''d really like to do it late Aug-Mid Oct.

Please let me know if you have attended a wedding at the Vineyard or had one there yourself. I would greatky appreciate any feedback that you are willing to give.

 

[Munchkin]

You would probably find much more specific answers if you went to the local board on the knot. I know I can't begin to guess at the cost, as there are SO many variables. You'll learn that even your choice of chair can adjust wedding costs by $10 a person!

I'm from MA but got married in Boston, so I didn't do any research on the islands. There are a few things to consider with vineyard weddings, though. 1. Most hotels have "minimum stay' requirements for guests that time of year. Your guests may be required to stay for 2-4 nights depending on the lodging. Financially, it may be better to have people "go in" on house rentals. 2. Anything that isn't available on island has to be brought over. My friend was married on Nantucket and had to pay ferry/freight/lodging costs for her band. 3. If you plan to use a church in the ceremony, you may need to become a parishioner. 4. Look into sound ordinances to be certain that you can have music at night if you plan an outdoor, evening wedding.

I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful, but there are way too many variables. As an example, we looked at mansions in Newport while planning, and the wedding estimates ranged from 75k to 200k for the same number of guests and same time of year! We also would be hard pressed to find a Catholic church to marry us (aside from the chapel at Salve, but they were charging a $2500 use fee and our guests couldn't fit) and we didn't want to burden our guests with hotel fees for 2/3 nights in Newport during the summer months.

I hope everything works out for you! The vineyard really is beautiful. It would be an amazing place to have a wedding.

Another thought if you aren't from there/don't have personal ties to the vineyard, Block Island also has amazing summer venues, and tends to be cheaper.

ETA: Just to clarify, when I wrote "same number of guests and same time of year" I didn't mean as you. We got different quotes for our wedding which, at that time, we thought would be 175-200 people. I realized after that it may have read it we were quoted 200k for a wedding of 25 people!

 

[Kellybell]

My photographer was based on the Vineyard, and it seems that most of the weddings she shoots are planned by Julie Hatt (http://vineyardweddings.net/) or With Grace (http://patriegrace.com/).

By the way, I know that you didn''t ask for photographer recs, but I have to pass along two names. I highly recommend either Kristen Leigh Conklin (http://www.kristenleighconklin.com/) or Joe Mikos (http://www.mikosphotographers.com/). I worked with Kristen, and she was amazing!

Good luck with planning!