Private Estate/Blank Slate Venue Wedding Planning - HELP!

Well you have your venue and guest list so you are of to a good start. Hopefully you started with a budget. Start looking for caterers and photography next and DJ if you want one. That will put a big dent in it. Then all you'll need us deco and wedding party attire if you are having BMs and GMs.ETA: also is it going to be outside. You may want ti think about a tent and tables and chairs rentals as well.

I bought my daughter a couple of planners. She chose The Easy Planner. I kept the Loverly one. It has a chapter about Destination weddings and has a complete checklist. I feel will help a lot. There is another regarding outdoor weddings. Barnes and Noble just go and take a read. Good luck and Happy Wedding!

Do you have pictures of the venue? My guess is that you chose it because it is already beautiful in its own right, so I would advise you to not stress too much about decorations. As PP said, the caterer is going to be the most important when you are in a "blank slate" venue. We have this as well where we can choose any caterer. I'd recommend getting lots of quotes and making a spreadsheet to compare exactly what is included. The budget tracker on WeddingWire is also very helpful. Good luck!

If the venue regularly has weddings, they might already have some preferred vendors that you can start with as far as rentals (chairs, tables, linens, etc.), caterer, photographer, etc. If not, look for vendors who know the space/have worked there before. A caterer might have connections with a rental company and might even be able to coordinate with them. This can lessen your burden and stress.

Rentals are costly so budget for them now. Things like a dancefloor, lighting, table/chairs, etc.

Also you may need a generator for your catering or music.

Look into if you need any permits or liability insurance.

I started with a completely empty place as well. I'd google the venue and see if there are any pics online. I hired my doc early on & she was able to make recommendations even though I didn't hire her as a planner. When I hired vendors I got their professional opinion on things as well. My wedding venue had very little online bc it's a new venue for weddings (bc it wasn't technically a wedding venue to begin with). It took a lot of work, planning, & research on my part, but totally worth it in the end. Good luck!

So the basics are that you need a caterer, tables, chairs and linens. From there you can decide if you also want a DJ or any other additions.

How blank the slate is plays a role. I'm having a "blank slate" reception where all they're providing is floor plan (table and chair) set up. The decor, catering, etc is up to me, and they let me bring whoever I want. The first thing I did was ask if the place had any recommendations, which they did, and I started from there. Like it was mentioned earlier, many vendors know other vendors, so once you book a vendor (whether it be catering, DJ, photographer, whatever), you can ask them for reliable vendors, or do a google search for vendors in your area. It would help if they have worked at your venue before, but if they haven't then it would be helpful if you knew what amenitites your venue has (like whether it has a stove, a fridge, a generator, etc.).

And if you're having it outdoors you'll need a generator and probably a tent, so factor that in. Generators are relatively cheap to rent from Home depot, lowes or menards. Triple A is good for tents.

The good thing is that your guest list is 35 people, so depending on your budget you can go pretty far. You won't need a huge tent, nor will you need a lot of chairs and tables to rent.

If you're feeling in over your head, organize everything by important details first. The list I went by was:

1) Venue

2) Caterer

3) photograper

4) Honeymoon

5) wedding attire

6)DJ

7) photographer

8) florist

9) lighting/drapes

For the record, I've done 96% of the planning myself. Everything else has been mostly me delegating tasks to my cousin/DOC, relatives and my fiance. We really wanted to do some fun stuff for our honeymoon so we made sure we can budget it in. But make sure your must haves are done first, then try to fit in the extras/lesser priorities. That may help.

I have rented a private estate for my wedding and am having an outdoor tented ceremony and reception in the backyard. The estate functions mainly as a rental property for family reunions/vacations and only does about 6 weddings a year. I agree to look at the preferred vendors. The caterer I contacted had done quite a few weddings there and works with the rental company to make sure the tent is strategically located near power sources and close to the kitchen. Also my DOC will be touring the property with me next time I visit to help me decide ceremony location. Be prepared for your rental bill to be high. I did not think a tent would be as much as it was quoted and I didn't even think about having to rent a dance floor and mass amounts of lighting.

ETA: On a positive note, you get to choose everything! You aren't stuck with a certain size or shape for your tables and you don't have to use the hideous chairs that come with your venue. You can arrange everything however you would like. It's a control freak's dream come true.

I have no advice for you but I'll post in solidarity--I'm doing a blank slate too--the one in my profile pic! (As in--no tables and chairs, no preexisting flat solid surfaces, and no "preferred vendors list"...)

I have contacted a tent rental place that also happens to do tables, chairs, linens, catering equipment, floors, lighting, etc. They have been extremely helpful in figuring out what might be missing (some may read "helpful" as "upsell," but it's hard to argue with needing lights for an evening wedding...)

Even though I've never done this before, it gives me hope when I think about the fact that most people the vendor works with have also never done this before, and the vendor does it for a living--they want things to go well for you so they get a good review out of you, so let them help you!

Thank you everyone! My venue is typically a vacation rental but they have had a couple weddings. They didn't have much in terms of vendors except one rental company and two caterers. It is definitely BLANK SLATE..flooring, lighting, etc.

We have budgeted for everything and one thing we really want is great lighting. Lots of Twinkle lights as our ceiling...rental company doesn't do a site visit until AFTER you put down a deposit. I

t is gorgeous but Monterey County seems to have a lot of rules & permits regarding things like tents that I never knew about and I know there are outlets but no idea if they can handle all the lighting plus DJ...just wish there was a good list for semi-destination weddings.

Here's a photo of the outdoor space which is really a pretty driveway (which means loose gravel)...didn't have one without us in it : )

do you guys think instead of a planner an event stylist/designer would help?

I hired an event planning company that did catering, flowers/decor, cake and DJ. It really helped to have one vendor that took care of so much. They also helped me coordinate with my other vendors. Though not an actual wedding planner, they were a big help. Maybe check into any companies like that in your area? Also, don't forget about bathroom access.