LOW COST VENUE HUNTING

Careful with "free/discounted wedding services." Make sure you have a contract. Friendors are always iffy.

I don't know you're area, but check out state parks! We are getting married at a state park next to the lake, and having our reception there in a great building with heating/air/huge stone fireplace, for only $300 a day.

Make sure to get contracts from the friends/family/whomever are "gifting" you services.

We've seen a lot of people who were promised things and had to scramble last minute to get vendors because said friends/family bailed.

Also, telling people how to post, or not post, is guaranteed to get you some nasty responses. Just so you know.

ETA: Best of luck finding a venue. Fall is a popular time to get married so you may have to push your wedding date back, or be open to later in the year.

I'm really not sure how much it is, but there's The White Room in Arlington: http://www.whiteroomtexas.com/

I've been to a wedding there and it was nice!

Nothing else is popping into my head at the moment, but if that changes I'll be sure to post more in here.

If you are just looking for a ceremony site, The Little Chapel in the Woods on campus at TWU is beautiful and less than $700. It can hold up to 110 people.

How is telling you to be realistic discouraging? You prefer people not be honest with you?

JFC I can't with people.

First, I'll post however I want. KThanks.

Second, have you looked into community centers at all? How about some sort of historical venue that requires only a donation?

I don't think cost is your biggest obstacle. Your date is going to pose more of a problem. A lot of the less expensive spots are probably already booked.

So your post basically comes down to-I want a pretty pretty princess day but I can't afford it and am making everyone work it. I am either self catering or potlucking it so no venue is letting me cause they don't want the liability. I can't find anything so someone please help???? And be nice to me I, don't want to hear how bad all my ideas are.

Is that about right?

I second a historical building, or even a park. We're getting married in a historical venue and it's only costing us $750 to rent the building for the day.

Please don't tell people how to comment--it only inflames the inflammable.

I would suggest looking at your cities parks and community centers. They typically rent them out for pretty cheap and are pretty backdrops.

How many guests? Does this budget include catering? Or are you trying to find an outside caterer?

I just got married in DFW...good luck with that hunt. You will probably have problems finding a venue for October (especially in your budget). One of the less expensive places I looked was The Plano Center.

http://www.planocentre.com/

ETA: The wedding packages include the room rental rate.

Hey Miss Dot, well Mrs Dot now, we were trying to remember the name of the fabulous place in Ft. Worth, Joe something, with the margaritas and great food and all. Maybe it's something Joe's. Can you help us? Sorry OP for hijacking!

eta: Joe T. Garcias, it just came to me--ty!

@Nonna - Joe T. Garcia's?

God forbid people are realistic!!! That is key to planning, and you cannot tell people how to post. Sure, three people will come here and tell you they are planning 200 guests on 6000.00, but when you scratch the surface, I have a hunch you'll find the absolute cheapest solutions to entertaining. That's a great way to treat your the people you theoretically know and love.

You're looking for a venue at the peak of high season; no bargains to be found if you can even find a place, and the inexpensive ones will book up fast. If you *know* they exist, you'd be able to find them. The reason you can't is because short of renting an ambulence corps building, you're not going to find anything. And when you do? You still have to rent linen, tableware, bring in catering and liquor and some kind of decor.

Stop relying on friends and family to give you free or discounted services. For starters, friends don't make friends work for free/cheap. Next, family should never work your wedding. Third, they can flake at any time and leave you stranded, and fourth, if they do show up they will be inefficient, slow, chaotic and will probably stop working at some point in the evening when they feel that they want to be guests.

Time to retool it.

Yes, Dot--love that place. We went to a RD there

Where is the dfw area? My venue is $950 but if I have them cator it would be $28 per person instead. Don't feel discouraged not everyone can spend thousands on one day it's called life and people shouldn't make you feel bad because you can't throw out Benjamins like they can

Ugh. Young Halloween bride no one is saying to spend thousands if you can't afford to. The courthouse with your immediate family and dinner after will not cost you thousands. If you want to have the big wedding you have to host your guests, and that's where it gets expensive. Don't invite guests if you don't want to host them.

DFW is a major metropolitan area (two large cities Dallas and Fort Worth) in Texas.

Costofwedding.com for Dallas is very accurate:

Number of guests less than 50 $10,538 - $17,563

Number of guests between 50 and 100 $16,046 - $26,744

Number of guests between 100 and 200 $25,626 - $42,710

Number of guests between 200 and 300 $33,051 - $55,084

Number of guests more than 300 $63,946 - $106,576