Thoughts on BYO venues?

My venue supplies all the tables and chairs and that is it. Literally.

We have to bring in a caterer and therefore bartenders.

When you are looking at venues, be careful! For instance, our venue does not have a stove.... SO your caterer would need to bring a stove and that is A LOT of money. Luckily they have an ice machine, if not that is another hassle. Unfortunately, (in the south east) a lot of the venues I was looking at were either restrictive on caterers and bar or very open but supplied little for those people to do their jobs.

It is not necessarily a bad thing to do a BYO venue. It does require more planning and work for you. We hired a Wedding Coordinator/Planner and she is helping us do everything. Huge life savor.

Our venue provides a lot, but you bring in your caterer and booze, although you use most of their servers. It's been great, honestly, not having to worry about a lot of extra coordinating. They provide tables, chairs, set up, decorations (you pick from their rooms if you want, although don't have to), signs, napkins, runners, etc. It has been great that I have a variety to choose from, but don't have to go out of my way to track it down.

I am using a BYO venue because I really want to plan every little aspect of my wedding. I am saving money this way but it is a lot of work!!! Work I don't mind doing but I couldn't imagine doing all of this from a distance. Every vendor I am using is from my tri-county area so anytime I want to see or try anything in person it's less than an hour away. If I weren't pooring so much time into research I know it would end up costing me considerably more than a more inclusive venue.

I didn't have a BYO venue, but I planned my wedding from across the country. You have to be very organized. There were a few things we forgot. I would recommend making a list early and keeping all wedding stuff together.

I don't like having a venue that you have to bring everything, It has been so stressful, but I've made it work. Our venue provides tables and chairs, has a stage for the dj (our venue is an OLD dance hall) and they have a bar that only serves beer and soda, so not only do I have to have a tab for that, I had to hire an outside bartender. FH and I recently just changed our caterer as well, which come with bartenders, but we have to supply the alcohol, which I'm really hoping that doing it this way will save just a bit of money. I did a tally the other day of how much it has costs us so far and JEEZ... less than 6 months to go!

We started out looking at a BYO but when DH realized how much it was going to put on me in the planning aspect he said no way it wasn't worth it. We did an all inclusive and it was wonderful.

We have a BYO venue and I'm really not that stressed about it. Hire pros that you trust. All my vendors have done weddings either at my venue or at similar venues and they make it sound like a breeze. I'm saving a hefty amount on booze, the catering is similarly priced to what several of my engaged friends are paying at all inclusive and I like that we had plenty of options.

I do have to say, if I wasn't local I'd probably choose an all inclusive that has rave reviews.

It's a lot of work and there are a lot of small details that you have to make sure to remember. It can save money and gives you the flexibility to do whatever you want. I do wish I looked into more all inclusive options but I don't really think I would of made a different choice.

My venue is BYO everything except for tables and chairs. Loving it so far, there is a little more work involved but a good planner or coordinator is key to making everything work out. Ask every single question that pops up in your head. Doesn't matter how stupid it may seem, ask.

Thanks for the feedback, guys!! Lots to weigh here. The venue includes a full prep kitchen, secure parking lot, DJ (the owner also owns a DJ company), photo booth, and chauffeur--the decor and caterer are the big things! Wedding planner sounds like something we would def need to do if we go with this place though. Again, super helpful tips, thank you!!