Everything you need for a Midwest wedding

Anyone here from a small town in rural America? I could really use some quick help 🙂

Betty Foster8 said:Anyone here from a small town in rural America? I could really use some quick help 🙂

I'm not actually from a small town in rural America myself, but I know my way around one quite well...

I'll shoot you a PM then😉

Perhaps I might be able to offer some assistance as well 🤷

Are you heading out today?

Gotta go 🙂 sending a PM 🙂

neonridge38 said:Hey, did they take over the entire property or just the hall? We're still debating whether to book the hall itself. Does anyone know what the new Admiral's deposit looks like? Is he more expensive than the previous guy or actually cheaper? Thanks in advance!

We haven't made a final call yet; they say to decide about three months out.
Why the hesitation?
It’s purely the cost for me... Midwest weddings tend to be massive, which means a huge amount of money hitting at once. I don't think we'll go all-inclusive; we'll probably bring our own catering and meats since we have those connections. I'm still undecided on the desserts... if you go all-inclusive, they provide them from that bakery in a small town nearby.
I believe the deposit is at least $400, pretty much the same as the Admiral downtown.
What do you mean, just the hall? You can't just rent the space? You have the option of $75 a per-person rate, or $140 per head.

Hannah Bailey6 said:I'm heading out to Svatovi on September 25th, so I’ll finally get to check everything out in person. If the vibe is right, I’ll probably pull the trigger on a reservation this Sunday. Right now, June 11th is wide open, and that date looks pretty good on my calendar. By the way, how's the food? Is it actually decent?

Everything was decent enough, though the smoked meat 😁
wasn't homemade. One should account for that...
They served platters with three types of meat and four sides.

One concern, however... you mentioned about 250 guests. Won't that new hall feel too cavernous? It holds 600 people. I worry your group might get lost in all that empty space... perhaps a smaller venue in the city would be more appropriate?

Midwest ladies, I really need some advice here 🙂

I am looking to pick up a truly stunning, lush bouquet to give as a gift over in Indianapolis, but honestly, I am completely at a loss as to which local florist actually delivers on their promises.

Thanks
🙂

Betty Foster8 said:Gotta go 🙂 sending a PM 🙂

So, did the shopping trip actually pan out?

Kimberly Davis10 said:Midwest ladies, I really need some advice here 🙂

I am looking to pick up a truly stunning, lush bouquet to give as a gift over in Indianapolis, but honestly, I am completely at a loss as to which local florist actually delivers on their promises.

Thanks
🙂

There's one good spot I know called "freesia"...

rustybadger9 said:Hey everyone!
So, I’m currently staring at a blank page trying to actually "set a budget" for this wedding we're planning...
Is there any kind soul out there who can give me a little "guidance" on how to tackle all this?
Here’s the deal... we’ve already got a nice little fire station hall booked up in a small town in rural America.
But now I need EVERYTHING—from the tiny details down to the suits—and honestly, where’s the best place to shop for all this stuff around the Midwest?
1. How much food should we even get? Like, if we’re doing lamb and pork, what’s the right ratio for about 200 people? And what kind of ballpark figure am I looking at just for the catering side of things?
2. Drinks and booze
3. Videographers and photographers
4. Decorations (for the hall, the church, ribbons on the cars, etc.)
5. The band (please, send your best recommendations!) and obviously, they'll need to include those traditional musicians to play for the bride during the entrance
6. Invitations
7. Suits and the wedding dress
8. And basically anything else I haven't thought of yet... and PLEASE, let me know roughly how much certain items cost. THANKS! =)

anyone else interested in chipping in with more info? roughly how much does it cost you guys total per guest at a venue where EVERYTHING (food and booze) is included?

Angela Ross3 said:So, did the shopping trip actually pan out?

sort of...
I found most of the stores, plus a few extra, but my mother-in-law didn't really find anything she wanted 🤷
but hey, my husband picked up a shirt, so that's the main thing 😁
thanks a ton for the help 😘

eh... so, I guess I'm finally jumping into the fray too.... spent some time lurking and reading through everything you all have been saying... because my guy and I finally pulled the trigger on a wedding date, July 30th, 2011..... we're just messing around about the actual day, obviously, but we've already run into two massive headaches..... finding decent musicians and a photographer... ladies, please, I am begging for some advice...

Kyle Parker4 said:eh... so, I guess I'm finally jumping into the fray too.... spent some time lurking and reading through everything you all have been saying... because my guy and I finally pulled the trigger on a wedding date, July 30th, 2011..... we're just messing around about the actual day, obviously, but we've already run into two massive headaches..... finding decent musicians and a photographer... ladies, please, I am begging for some advice...

So you're looking for a wedding band in the Midwest and a photographer... but what exactly are you looking for? Most of these people are booked up over a year in advance anyway. We're currently hunting for September 17, 2011, and even then, we've had zero luck. One band canceled on us right at the last minute, and we couldn't get the photographer we actually wanted. Now we're searching further afield, maybe even someone from a small town like 🙂.

Kenneth Bailey48 said:So you're looking for a wedding band in the Midwest and a photographer... but what exactly are you looking for? Most of these people are booked up over a year in advance anyway. We're currently hunting for September 17, 2011, and even then, we've had zero luck. One band canceled on us right at the last minute, and we couldn't get the photographer we actually wanted. Now we're searching further afield, maybe even someone from a small town like 🙂.

I think I finally tracked down a photographer... now we're just stuck looking for musicians... we need someone who can play absolutely everything... I mean everything... from top-tier party hits to rock... maybe some folk stuff too...🙂 we heard about this group from San Bernardino... still have to reach out to them... see if they're actually free...

rustybadger9 said:anyone else interested in chipping in with more info? roughly how much does it cost you guys total per guest at a venue where EVERYTHING (food and booze) is included?

That’s a tough one to answer. It really depends on what you're aiming for... Prices fluctuate quite a bit depending on quality and style.
You'll find wedding bands ranging from $500 up to $5,000 or even more. Same goes for photographers and videographers. For catering, your best bet is talking directly to the venue's chefs; they usually have the best handle on what's actually needed per person. Other costs vary too, depending on whether you buy everything or try DIYing things like invitations, favors, or decor...

Honestly, just sit down with your partner first. Figure out your vision and what kind of budget you can realistically manage. Once you have that, you can start making a detailed plan...

My total cost (everything included) will be around $125,000 $0.00. But we're getting almost everything through the venue...

Betty Foster8 said:sort of...
I found most of the stores, plus a few extra, but my mother-in-law didn't really find anything she wanted 🤷
but hey, my husband picked up a shirt, so that's the main thing 😁
thanks a ton for the help 😘

photo 🙂 😛

rustybadger9 said:anyone else interested in chipping in with more info? roughly how much does it cost you guys total per guest at a venue where EVERYTHING (food and booze) is included?

We actually rented the venue and the service staff, but we handled most of the other details ourselves... so based on our math for about 200 guests, it worked out to roughly $20 per head$0.00. That covers absolutely everything—soup, salads, platters with three kinds of meat and sides, lamb, pork, a late-night snack spread, all the desserts plus the wedding cake, and all the booze, including wine and spirits. Basically, everything you eat and drink... it was just like those classic menus you'd find at a nice hotel or an event hall.

As for the photographer, it really just comes down to what you're looking for and how much you want to set aside for it. Usually, they have different packages based on how many photos you get or how many cameras are shooting, so you can negotiate everything... just take a look at their work first, most of them have websites or profiles on Facebook. Our photographer ended up being $8,000, which included thank-you cards and a big album where they'll arrange all the shots.

For decorations—things like balloons, bows, and even boutonnieres—I bought everything myself at a local craft store back in Arizona... there’s a huge selection and the prices are actually reasonable, unlike some of the shops around here. Flowers cost us $2000 (this includes centerpieces, car decor, my bouquet, the head table, the dessert table, and boutonnieres/corsages for the wedding party). Of course, you could spend way less, but flowers are super important to me and I wanted a lot of them, so that’s why it ended up that way. It all depends on what kind of blooms you want and how many... you can even tell a florist your specific budget, and they'll try to make it work within that.

Band prices range from $8,000 up to $4000, but a decent average would be around $3333. You shouldn't skimp on this part. Reach out to bands, go hear them play live, or have them send you recordings of past gigs. And whatever you do, don't go reading those "Wedding Bands in the Midwest" threads... or honestly, don't believe anything you read on those forums.

For invitations, there's a great selection over at Adobe in Des Moines, and the prices are pretty fair too. They have their own site so you can browse their styles. For our thank-you notes, we used a photo from our photographer with the names, date, and a "thank you!" printed on it.
They came out to $2.25 each.

Anyway, sorry for such a long post, but I hope it helps... if you need someone's number or any other info, feel free to shoot me a PM.

Everyone prioritizes their spending based on what actually matters to them. Personally, I would never dream of cutting corners when it comes to the music, because in my eyes, that’s the soul of a wedding; meanwhile, the floral arrangements are probably the least important thing on my list.

We’re planning on covering the venue rental costs at $2667, plus we'll need to factor in $2.25 covers. We should have about $833 servers on hand to manage everything. As for the floral arrangements, they’re priced at $667.