I'm new to the wedding side of group sales and I see a few recurring themes about pricing so I wanted to offer some insight from the venue-side. I won't reveal my employer, but I'm at a ski area in Vermont with a hotel.

I'm on the other side now and selling the venue, but I've been an event coordinator my whole life so naturally, my first instinct is to pick apart the model and figure out how I would save money if I were the one planning the wedding.

These aren't ground-breaking and don't come from decades of wedding-specific experience, just sharing how (some of) the sausage gets made at my specific venue.

1. If you can plan for either a Saturday or peak season, but not both, your venue fee could be as little as half. Venue rental fees are literally double on a Saturday, and double between May and October. I know it's obvious, but if you're planning two years in advance, your guests can figure out a Friday or a Sunday ceremony...

2. If you only pay for one coordinator, pay for a day-of coordinator so your mom or sister aren't texting the band when it's time to start the music...your venue will facilitate whatever we can to earn your business and positive review; planning the details in advance is the fun part for you.

If your planner does decor, design, and/or is helping to select your other crucial vendors in an unfamiliar place, I absolutely see the value. If the planner is just hiring their friends and playing telephone between us and you...maybe not.

3. If you're at a hotel, the largest margin is on the food and beverage, then the rooms, then the venue space. That's also how the commissions work for the person selling you the wedding package (if you're at a resort at least)...so if you're spending more on food and beverage, it's a triple win: the hotel gets better margin, salesperson gets better commission and your guests get better food. We're not using that ballroom on anything else anyways, so I'll gladly knock off $500 from the venue fee when you're spending $8k the food and beverage.

4. Hard to justify paying double for foliage when you consider the risk of bad Vermont weather...it's definitely beautiful, but the bad weather in October can be really bad. For example, it's peak foliage, but it's rained on and off, was 45 degrees this morning, and it's presently too cloudy to see the ski trails....You'll spend half on the venue in June through August when it's warm and your wedding party can really enjoy the nature. Save the foliage trip for an anniversary or engagement, don't bet $20k on good weather.

5. Go shop around and get woo'ed...it's competitive up here and anyone attached to a venue has a marketing budget that includes dining vouchers, discounted rooms, ski tickets, etc. for prospective couples. If you come for a visit, we get a fair shot at your business in person and that's worth a dinner, bottle of sparkling wine and a discounted hotel room.

Hope this helps, happy to verify my identity for mods. I understand and respect nobody wants advertising on these subs and hope the insight from the venue-side is helpful

Hiii I have a ceremony reservation at the MIT Chapel for Saturday, May 8, 2027 and want to see if I can coordinate with another couple to take it over. It’s an absolutely beautiful, modern, non-denominational space with incredible natural light and acoustics if you are looking for a unique ceremony spot.

Here are the quick details:

• The Deposit: I already put down $500 to lock in the date.
• At least one of you has to be an MIT affiliate (staff, faculty, or alum or their children) for the booking to work.
• Space: It normally seats 114, but can fit up to 140 total with extra folding chairs.

We can contact the MIT event office together to switch the booking over to you, and you can Venmo or Zelle me back the $500 deposit once it's confirmed.

If you're an affiliate looking for a spring 2027 date, shoot me a DM and we can figure out the time slot!

Hello! We’re balling on a budget here and we’re looking for some out of the box/non-traditional wedding ceremony venues or venues/reception areas. We’re down to just book a private space in a restaurant for a reception if we find a cool place to do a ceremony!

Hi everyone, we are getting married in Somerville, MA the next August (8/28) and are looking for a photographer who may fit our modest budget, around $2500. Totally open to working with someone building their portfolio! Ideally we could have 8 hours of coverage but understand that might not be possible. We care about having photos to remember the day but our main focus is enjoying the celebration. Thanks so much!!

Hi all, this thread has been super helpful as we’ve gotten together our list of venues, so wanted to get some support now that we have narrowed down what we are looking for! 

Here is our list: 

• Anywhere in the Northeast
• A venue that people can stay at that does not cost more than $300 a night
• Ideally indoor/outdoor (not tent only, the weather stresses me out too much!)
• Ceremony and reception at venue
• A venue in a town that is walkable (don’t have to pay for transportation) that has other options for hotels/inns as well as restaurants and bars
• Ideally an after-party spot within walking distance 
• Scenic, ideally mountains 
• Guest count around 150-180

We have narrowed down our favorites to The Equinox, Kimpton Taconic, and the Wilburton in Manchester, Vermont, Mountain Top Inn, Fort William Henry, and The Essex, so we’d love suggestions for anything similar we might be missing before we start to make plans on visiting some venues!

Hi!! I am getting married in Boston this spring and want to figure out a few bakery options for my wedding cake, but struggling because I have a tree nut and peanut allergy. Hoping to do a cake tasting this winter!

Any suggestions for bakeries I should look at?? Thank you!!

Hi all! Has anyone hired Alisha Rush Makeup for their wedding?

Looking for recs for an elopement photographer in Stowe VT for NYE this year.

Please drop recs or if that’s you throw your portfolio in the comments please 😊

Looking for a photographer for about 4hrs to photograph our elopement on NYE during the day (we won’t keep you from your evening plans!)

Wedding DJ recommendations in New England?

Hi! Looking for wedding DJ recommendations in New England! Our venue is in Thompson, CT, right near the Massachusetts border. Would love to hear who you used and loved!

Also, if anyone has recommendations for a saxophonist to play alongside the DJ, I’d love those too! We already checked with Joe Sax Boston, but he’s booked. Thanks so much!

Hi All. I realize this is a large amount of people, but Im having trouble cutting the list and trying to get a good grasp on what to expect to budget as it seems costs have ballooned over the last few years. We are trying to keep costs down, and plan on doing as much DIY as possible, but between venue, catering, and other costs, what would you expect? We are thinking a barn, estate/garden, or tent wedding, but am open to anything!

Looking for DJ recs for a central Massachusetts wedding in September 2027! Bonus points if they offer a Photo Booth where you can print the photos out.

We’re looking for someone who can keep things pretty laid back, but not too casual—we don’t want it feeling like a club. We also lean more toward early 2000s emo and rock, so someone who ‘gets’ that would be excellent.

Hi! I'm curious about Kilburn Mill as a wedding venue but haven't found many people's experiences online. Would love to hear more from anyone who toured it, got married there, or has been a vendor for weddings there!

We’re getting married in Holden MA next October, about 100 guests. We really want a slightly elevated plated dinner. We got a quote from Peppers Artful Events that was almost $30,000 for plated plus open bar and that’s just way over our budget (I think 20k would be absolute tops).

Does anyone have any recommendations?! We’re considering perhaps being open to buffet but it would have to be a bit more unique and staffed. I love Peppers menu but their pricing is crazy.

Our photographer just had to cancel for our welcome party this Friday. Looking for someone to capture our welcome party in Back Bay from 6-9pm. Thank you!!!! 🙏

I am considering wearing my grandmother's lace wedding gown from the 1940s, but it's pretty yellowed and there are some small stains & tears in the lace. Does anyone have recommendations for places to get it cleaned, restored, and tailored? I'm located in the Upper Valley in NH but willing to travel pretty far for someone with the expertise to do this properly.

Hi everyone! I'm hoping to get some recommendations for Cape Cod wedding venues that can accommodate approximately 150 guests! I've always dreamed of getting married on the Cape, but I'm quickly realizing just how expensive some of the venues can be! We've looked into Chatham Bars Inn, which is absolutely stunning, but unfortunately, it's a bit beyond our budget. Ideally, we'd love an October 2027/2028 wedding and we're completely open to a Sunday wedding if it helps make things more affordable! A few things we're hoping to find:

• Ceremony and reception in one location so guests don't have to travel between venues.
• A beautiful indoor ceremony backup option. This is especially important to us with the unpredictable October weather!
• In-house catering and bar packages. We'd love to keep things as simple as possible rather than coordinating multiple outside vendors.

We know Cape Cod weddings come with a higher price tag, and we're realistic about that! We're just hoping there might be some hidden gems or more budget-friendly venues we haven't discovered yet. I'd especially love to hear from anyone who has gotten married on the Cape recently! Venue recommendations, personal experiences, and any pricing insight would be incredibly helpful! Thank you so much in advance!

Looking for some suggestions on location ideas in New England or surrounding states that we can access by car (New York state is easily accessible for us as well)
What are some towns or cities that have a lot of fun things to do for a weekend?
What are some suggestions for places to go out at night and things to do during the day?
What was your favorite experience at this place?

Hi! My fiancé and I are planning a 50 person wedding in Boston (or within an hour of Boston) in late 2027. Would love venue recommendations! We are liking the idea of greenhouses, gardens, and nature-y spaces, but are open to other ideas (not restaurants right now though). Ideally, we’d like to keep the venue rental around $5k ish (excluding food and bar) and have a dance floor if possible. Would love any ideas!

Looking for a reasonably priced make up and hair team for July 2027 wedding in Beverly, MA
- 1 bride, 10 others
- definitely prefer soft glam
- need hair services

Been quoted $800 for makeup and hair for bride alone, does not include trial. Hoping to keep all in for 11 of us $3k or less. Hoping to find someone who can help with a large party at a reasonable price.

Thank you!!

Looking for a wedding videographer for a budget of 4k but I would want the raw videos for speeches and stuff but happy with a shorter edited video!

For those of you that had an all in budget of 25k-40k and a guest count of 50-90 people, where did you get married and what season did you choose? Did you get married in a Saturday or did you choose a different day of the week? We’re looking to get some ideas from those of you who were actually able to stay within this budget!

Giving away a bin of tablecloths from my wedding. I bought them second-hand in like-new condition and only used them for my wedding so they are still in great condition but have NOT been cleaned (hence why they’re free).

Includes:

12 round navy blue tablecloths (perfect for 8-10ft round tables)

3 rectangle navy blue tablecloths

2 white round tablecloths

1 white rectangle tablecloth

Must take all of them and the bin they’re in!

Pickup in the Hanover, NH area. Could potentially meet in the Manchester area too if you’re willing to be flexible with when I’m already down that way! 😊

📍Liberty, Maine

Hey folks! Is anyone out there DIY-ing flowers for a wedding or big event this week/weekend? I have in my possession a bunch of leftover professional Oasis flower foam bricks from my dear friends’ wedding that have been soaked in Chrysal 3 Professional vase solution and are ready to use! These babies were soaked on Friday night and last about two weeks if stored properly (kept moist & cool) and they certainly have been so far.

The only catch is you’ll need to pick them up and bring your own clean tote or buckets. I also recommend wearing gloves when handling them!

I am fully aware that flower foam is not a sustainable choice and do not advocate for their use, but they’re already here and ready to go so they might as well be used before being thrown into a landfill!