Catering and other expensive vendors! Help!

1. I think you could definitely get your own equipment for less thatn $550, depending on what you want. I just bought 100 person set of dinner plates, cake plates, forks, knives, spoons, and cups off of Amazon for just under $90. They're all hard plastic that you can't even tell is fake other than it's much lighter than real tableware. Our linens were purchased from linentablecloth.com and were a lot cheaper to buy than they would have been to rent.

2. We don't have a videographer, but I would assume that one would be enough. We are having two photographers, which was a must for me simply because one person can't be in two places at once. While I'm getting ready, I also want photos of FH getting ready and of our DOC setting things up. I want photos from both ends of the aisle when the ceremony begins and photos during cocktail hour while we're having our posed photos taken after the ceremony.

3. I opted for all artificial flowers and don't regret it at all. I bought all of our bouquets/corsages/boutonnieres from Amazon and bought more flowers from Ling's Moment to personalize my own bouquet and use for décor. I also got artificial baby's breath from Walmart and Hobby Lobby. Plus I get to keep my bouquet after the wedding. I'll always advocate for artificial flowers!

If catering is way too pricey, I would look into having your ceremony at a non-meal time and hosting just a cake and punch reception, maybe with a few light snacks like meat & cheese platters or fruit & veggie trays. Ex. ceremony at 2 and reception ending by 6 so people can go get their own meals after the wedding. Best of luck!

I mean, in terms of prices part of it depends on where you live, but I would say $550 for equipment is fair. I spent between $600-$700 on plates, cups, silverware, linens, etc.

I think the need for second photographer/videographer depends at least a little bit on how big the space is. I had a second photographer for 3 hours to cover the start of cocktail hour/the reception so that way our photographer could be taking the bridal party photos and her assistant could be taking photos of guests and reception details at cocktail hour.

1. Definitely provide your own, $550 sounds ridiculous for that



2. For photographer, yes definitely get 2. Especially during the ceremony, having more than 1 angle is sooo important (there’s no way to get both of your first reactions to seeing each other down the aisle if you only have one photographer!) My photographers actually don’t even offer a package with 1 photographer because they say they can’t possibly guarantee you their best work with only 1 person.

For video, I actually wanted 2 but settled on 1 because of finances and also the videographer we wanted to use only works alone lol. And actually it was fine just having 1, because he can still set up another camera elsewhere. He had 3 cameras recording different angles of our ceremony. Granted, since he couldn’t manage all of them at once, some angles had someone standing in there way of them at certain times, but the editing it together and cutting away from those parts resolves that lol.

Basically... imo, 2 photographers is an absolute necessity. 2 videographers would be lovely if possible, but it’s not necessary.

3. Cut out literally everything that doesn’t directly affect your experience or your guests’ experience. Centerpieces? Use a few candles (trust me, no one will notice!) Cut out favors, photo booth, decor, etc.

I was quoted over $1000 for plates, cups, utensils, and linens. That was around what gets charged in Denver area for 75 person count.

Depends on what "Equipment" covers. There's the plates, dessert plates, glasses, flatware, and some places also provide linens/napkins. It may also include the metal containers, serving utensils, warmers, etc. And if you figure up the cost comparisons, dont forget that many guests will go through more than one plate, fork, spoon, etc. You'd be surprised how many people forget!

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Great advice Gen!!

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Very useful advice, Amber!!

View Quoted Comment Thank you so much. I’m on amazon TODAY ordering these! ❤️

View Quoted Comment Thank you Gen. We are having two photographers and probably can afford to have two videographers TBD. Good advice on leaving other items unrelated to US out. ❤️

View Quoted Comment Similar here . I’m in the DC area .

View Quoted Comment Thanks for sharing. The cost is fair but I would rather have that go to food to accommodate more guests than spend on equipment! Still wrestling with options though ❤️

View Quoted Comment I need to ask them the details! Good point on non utensils being part of the equipment I can’t buy warmers lol

My dad set up a video recorder in the back of the ceremony for my brother´s wedding and the bride and groom were happy with that. Of course a professional videographer will be edited and special, but DIY is a way to save money if you know of someone minimally tech-savy and with enough recording space on their phone.

As for catering, talk with the caterer about ways to scale back or different options that might lower the price. We were able to get the cost of our reception cut in half by moving the wedding up 2 hours in the day, so maybe the caterer will work with a lower budget to exclude a carving station, cut out alcohol, etc. Another cost-saving technique is to go with ethnic food. A friend of mine selected a Greek restaurant as her caterer and another a Mexican restaurant in order to save money from traditional wedding meal costs. The extra benefit is that these included all tableware!