Cost of a wedding?

newbride11

Just got engaged, YAY!, & I'm just looking for some advice. We would like to get married late this year or spring time next year.
I have an idea in my head that I would like a marquee as we have plenty of room & the choices of hotels around me leave a lot to be desired.

So if we were to have approximately 300 people at the wedding how much would it cost roughly for a full sit down meal?

Also how many portaloos should I hire?

Is there anything else I should take into account when going with a marquee?

I've never been to a wedding in a marquee before so if anyone could give me a good idea of the pros & cons I'd really appreciate it.

Borderfox

make sure your sitting down when you get the quotes for the Marquee, a few years ago I photographed a wedding in a marquee for around 200 people in the brides back garden and the figures being thrown around were in the 50k range. You can get companies to manage the whole thing from start to finish, Where are you in the country? Places like Castle Leslie have their own marquee that they use for the weddings.

Cat Melodeon

It's definitely not a cheap option and I would say that the time of year could also go against you. It is still a tent and even in the height of summer they can be a bit chilly at night.

If cost is not a major issue and you're willing to risk the cold, I know someone who used Weddings at Home. It was a beautiful reception, they organised everything, but it did cost the couple three times more than what we paid for our standard hotel reception (2007 prices).
http://www.weddingsathome.ie

newbride11

Jesus that is way out of my budget. To be honest I haven't even sat down to work out the budget for it.
I really don't know whether we want a big wedding or a small intimate wedding. It's all being left up to me so I have a hell of a lot of thinking to do yet.

I would have liked a marquee but at that kind of money there is no way I could justify it.

Thanks for the replies guys.

Beruthiel

newbride11 wrote: »

I really don't know whether we want a big wedding or a small intimate wedding. It's all being left up to me so I have a hell of a lot of thinking to do yet.

If you're not bothered either way, then it makes more sense to have a small, intimate one.
Pros:
You get to spend time with everyone, (the people you actually care about)
Much less stressful.
More affordable.
More enjoyable.

We had 34 people at our wedding and it came in under 5k.
It was a lovely day out with the people we really wanted there. It was relaxed and stress free.

Borderfox

I did a job in the Residents Club opposite the Shelbourne and loved the interiors and the finger food was fantastic (they also have a restaurant). Would be a great venue for 30-40 people, St Stephens green at the doorstep.

newbride11

I've been thinking & I've decided to go with a small wedding or a wedding abroad.
I think I got carried away with the whole marquee idea to be honest.
I wouldn't even mind having the church part for family & have a buffet reception for everyone else. I'm a fairly private person so I'd like to keep the ceremony as simple & stress free as possible.

Does anyone know if there is much of a difference in price in having a buffet to a sit down meal?

Our problem is we know so many people & I know some people will be very put out if we don't invite them. So I was thinking of having an intimate ceremony & then a buffet reception for the rest.

Adding it up I'd say we would be looking at approximately 250-300 at the reception. That's if we go down that road.

It's only beginning to sink in now the amount of planning & decisions that will need to be made. Eloping is starting to sound very good!

Borderfox

newbride11 wrote: »

Eloping is starting to sound very good!

Thats the road I would like to go down, come back married and have a party

newbride11

Do you know of any good websites for getting married abroad?
There's no harm in looking anyway.

32finn

newbride11 wrote: »

I've been thinking & I've decided to go with a small wedding or a wedding abroad.
I think I got carried away with the whole marquee idea to be honest.
I wouldn't even mind having the church part for family & have a buffet reception for everyone else. I'm a fairly private person so I'd like to keep the ceremony as simple & stress free as possible.

Does anyone know if there is much of a difference in price in having a buffet to a sit down meal?

Our problem is we know so many people & I know some people will be very put out if we don't invite them. So I was thinking of having an intimate ceremony & then a buffet reception for the rest.

Adding it up I'd say we would be looking at approximately 250-300 at the reception. That's if we go down that road.

It's only beginning to sink in now the amount of planning & decisions that will need to be made. Eloping is starting to sound very good!

That is exactely what my wife and i did. We had the civil ceremony and a buffet at home, 2 days later we headed off abroad with some family and close friends and did it all again on the beach in Lanzarote.
Kept everybody happy and didn't cost us an arm and a leg.

The plans were all made by our local travel agent and a woman over there who is a wedding planner. She (Ann) is originally from Carlow so can organise as close as possible to a traditional Irish wedding as you may want.

sauvignon

Hi Newbride. My best friend got married last year in Spain and had a wedding party afterwards in her parents house. They did a really stylish buffet (cant remember the name of the caterers but I can find out if you like) and it sounds like it would suit your needs too. There were about 150 guests. She got all her stuff from a place called Caterhire in Sandyford - she rented everything from there even the linen. I remember they had really amazing high bar tables in fab colours. I used Caterhire myself after she did at Christmas coz I had about 25 for dinner and couldnt face the washing up!

sauvignon

newbride11 wrote: »

Do you know of any good websites for getting married abroad?
There's no harm in looking anyway.

I have a friend who lives in Marbella who does weddings abroad - himself and his wife are Irish and run the business over there. If you want to PM I can tell you more. Its called spanishdreamweddings.com