** Fatafelice!! **

[Mandarine]

Hi!!! Thanks for your post on my "here I am" thread!

I will need your help!... so thanks for offering

I am finding it very hard to find something I like within my budget here in South Florida....so I started looking in St Augustine and then saw your post!.

Do you have any recommendations for places up there?. I looked at Casa Monica but I want an outdoor area and the only outdoor area they offer is in the pool and you can''t even have glass there...which just seems crazy!....what do they have? plastic cups?

Do you have any other recommendations?. I know you''re getting married in NC...that''s my other options but I don''t know if it would fit my budget!. Would you mind sharing some of your costs?

I''m getting so frustrated with finding a place down here!...prices are just crazy and the ones with decent prices just offer a ballroom with parking lot view!!!

Thanks!!!!!

M~

 

[fatafelice]

Hi, Mandarine!!! I would love to help as much as I can!

And maybe some other people will chime in as well.

First, some questions (I apologize if any of these were answered in your other thread, but this will keep it all in one place!):

How large of a wedding are you anticipating?

Do you want both the ceremony and the reception outside, or could you deal with an outside ceremony and inside reception?

What kind of reception are you hoping for? Buffet? Sit-down?

Basically, what would your dream wedding be?

And, of course, what kind of budget will you have?



(I''ll post again with my own info...)

 

[fatafelice]

Okay, my costs...Let me preface this by saying that I am hesitant to post this info because I never thought I would spend so much on a wedding, but if it helps you, then I am happy to do so.

I am getting married in Asheville, which is in the mountains in Western NC. We chose to get married at the Biltmore Estate because it is a special place to us, but also largely because we would have never convinced FI''s family that a NC wedding was justified otherwise. There are other, absolutely gorgeous places to get married in NC -- ones that would certainly be more my style -- that also cost less. So keep that in mind.

My venue is charging 2,500 for the space for the ceremony (in a courtyard) and the reception (in the restaurant). A sit-down dinner with full bar, champagne, and cake, will be 125/person. There is a 15,000 food/drink minimum for Saturday evening. I think, however, that this is considered pretty high for the area.

Even though we are spending a lot on the reception, I did not feel that I could cut back on the photos or the flowers, as both are very important to me. My photog will likely run about 3800 for two shooters, unlimited time on the day of the wedding, and the album. My flowers will be about 3000. Compared to prices around here (NJ), these are pretty reasonable, but they are definitely on the high end for Asheville. From time spent on the Knot, I have found that there are plenty of other talented vendors in Asheville for less, if you are trying to cut back. In fact, it seems to me that there is a lot of competition in the area (because it is a very artistic community), which should help in bargaining.

All that being said, if you do end up interested in place in Western NC, I would check out this site:
http://www.ashevillebridal.com/. All the local vendors aren''t on there, but there are quite a few who aren''t listed with the local vendors on the Knot. Oh, and make sure you "register" with the site, or your won''t get the full list.

 

[Mandarine]

Thank you Fatafelice!!!!

This does help, at least for comparison purposes!

My budget is 10-12K and we''re inviting about 80 guests...hoping for like 70 to actually come (or less if it''s not in South Florida!)...

I actually don''t mind buffet vs sit down...really whatever fits the budget when it comes to food. I was actually thinking of doing paella+tapas, but that is only if I find a place that "fits" this theme and allows me to bring an outside caterer. Sat Augustine would definitely fit the theme, but I don''t know if there are any "paella makers" up there like there are down here in South FL!. They make the paella in a HUGE pan, right there in the reception site!.

I would IDEALLY want a catholic wedding....but I''m finding it so hard to find a reception site, that I''m still not sure about the ceremony part. Either way, if we don''t get married in the church, we will eventually (we''re thinking we could do a mini-wedding in Spain to hold the religious ceremony and invite like 10 people only).

So anyway...so far no luck here in South Florida finding anything that fits the bill!!!.

I am willing to compromise when it comes to: my dress, flowers and food!. Not willing to compromise on having good music, alcohol, a unique/great place (at least a place with a nice view and/or terrace, garden, balcony!

I actually have someone in South Florida that will do the flowers free or at a very low cost. I can also find someone to do a cake for a reasonable price...

So. In essence, I''m looking for a small, unique, charming, cozy place for the reception!. Maybe something with a mediterranean style and with a view (or outside)!

Arghh....this is very frustrating!!!!

Your wedding sounds amazing!!!!!!

Thanks for your help!!!

M~

 

[janinegirly]

hi mandarine! so exciting to hear your early plans! i recommend hashing out a budget, and of course a big part will be depend on where you choose for reception.
we are also having a wedding for 80 and i also wanted a low key wedding. i can tell you after 3 mo''s of planning, that it is very difficult to meet a reasonable budget or the one you are aiming for if you want a standard wedding (photog, flowers, dinner, music), but it sounds like you have found some great short cuts already (flowers etc). Can''t wait to hear about the rest!

 

[fatafelice]

Mandarine, thanks for the extra info! That helps a lot!

I was waiting to say anything until I knew how big of a wedding you wanted, but I think 70-80 might be doable...

If I were getting married in Florida, it would probably be at Washington Oaks State Park, just south of St.Augustine, because I have been in love with the place since I was a child. It certainly wouldn''t be for everyone, but...

http://www.floridastateparks.org/washingtonoaks/default.cfm

The biggest problem is that it is a state park, and as such, they have a lot of restrictions. But look through the wedding pdfs and pictures and see what you think. I am not sure how much space there is for a tent,tables, etc, but if you are at all interested in the place, it is worth the trip to check it out. It is on the water (Intracoastal, though across the highway is the ocean) and there are formal gardens that would make for gorgeous photos and a fun place for guests to stroll. Not traditional, and you would need a caterer, rentals, etc, but a very cool place.

While you are on the state park site, check to see if any other ones closer to you allow weddings. I looked at a few other ones and so far Washington Oaks is the only one with a link for wedding info.

 

[fatafelice]

I am going to keep looking for some other reception venues for you, but as for the ceremony, St.Augustine has several catholic parishes, including the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Augustine. I don''t know much about how catholic churches deal with weddings, or if it would be possible for you to be married there, but what a beautiful and historical place to have a wedding...

 

[fatafelice]

I just found this site! http://www.staugustine.com/weddings/

Let me take a peek...

ETA: That wasn't very helpful...

 

[fatafelice]

How about one of these? http://www.staugustinehistoricalsociety.org/garden.html

 

[fatafelice]

Okay, I can''t find a good link for this, but I saw it mentioned somewhere that you can also hold weddings at the Government House Museum...

Also, a TripAdvisor poster mentioned an "Otttey (sic) Castle," but I can''t find ANY info on that...

Hope that helps for now!

 

[Mandarine]

You''re such a sweetheart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks!!!

I will look into all of these!.

I''m on a business trip this week, but this weekend I will be reseraching everything!!!

Thanks!!!!

M~