Budgeting for the Big Day!

Planning a wedding can be daunting. If you haven’t helped a friend or family member plan one before, it can be hard to know where to start. One of the biggest challenges is just how many options you’re given in each of the areas of your wedding – venue, ceremony, catering, décor, photographer…the list goes on. When each category has a seemingly endless number of vendors to choose from, you definitely need to weigh your criteria. What’s most important to you and your event? Is it cost? Convenience? Appearance?

Of course, there are couples who know exactly what they want and who they want it from. But the average couple is just looking to create a fun, memorable, budget friendly event that doesn’t require them to make wedding planning a second job for the months leading up to their day.

Photo: Xandra Photography

So, where to start? According to weddingwire.ca the average cost of a wedding in Canada is $29,450. Meanwhile, Global News says that 87% of couples believe that a more reasonable price tag is $20,000. Keeping that in mind, we realize that it may be a bit of sticker shock when we tell our couples that the minimum total to have a wedding at Pineridge Hollow on a Saturday is $15,000 – “that’s 75% of the reasonable budget! And my budget planner says that the venue should only cost 9% of my budget (also thank you, weddingwire.ca)!” But we want to set the record straight on how exactly the process works at Pineridge Hollow and how spending your money in one location means creating a totally seamless, stress free planning experience that could really save you time and money.

Alright, $15,000. What exactly are you getting for that? Here’s the absolute basics that you will be charged:

For the purposes of this blog we are basing all costs on a wedding of 150 guests.

Tent rental fee - $5 / guest = $750

(Includes option of long or round tables, white or ivory tablecloths, choice of napkin colour, Mahogany Chiavari chairs, white string lighting & chandeliers.)

 Photo: Mary Margaret Magyar

That’s it. That’s the ONLY mandatory charge when booking your wedding in our banquet tent. The rest of the spending is up to you. That means you will have the freedom to spend the rest of your $15,000 in whatever ways are most important to you. Have you dreamed of a day filled with lush florals & romantic décor? Maybe you’ve been envisioning a foodie’s dream feast with passed appetizers, a 4 course menu and an indulgent late night snack? Whatever you choose, the money spent on those items can contribute towards your minimum price tag with us.

Here’s a breakdown of the average cost of the rest of our services – keep in mind that weddings are so personal that no two are ever completely alike, which is what we want to be able to offer you.

So let’s talk about all of this.

Venue

PRH: Probably the most noticeable difference is in our venue fees. Our venue fee is quite low by comparison to many other wedding specific venues.

Other Vendors: At the end of the day, a typical venue rental really doesn’t get you much more than a room, table and chairs and if you’re lucky – linens and basic décor (for the record those Chiavari chairs can cost you $7/guest at a venue that doesn’t include them).

 Photo: Laina Brown Photography

Catering

PRH: Menus are very specific to each couples needs and likes. In general our pricing is comparable to many catering companies.

Other Vendors: You can expect to be paying for travel fees or additional costs like dishware/glassware rentals or service staff costs depending on the company you book with.

Bar

PRH: At Pineridge Hollow you have the option to have all of your alcohol service taken care of by us, or pay a corkage fee and buy the alcohol & liquor permit yourself. Corkage covers the cost of glassware, ice, garnishes and mixes for your bar. Of course there is always the option to offer your guests drink tickets or a cash bar as well, it all depends on what is right for you and your crowd.

Other Vendors: If you have a venue that doesn’t have an onsite caterer, you’re more than likely going to be paying for something similar to our corkage bar option, and potentially also paying for things like glassware and bartenders through an outside source or your catering company.

 Photo: Chopp Photography

DJ

PRH: Pineridge Hollow works with Crystal Sound to offer experienced, professional DJ services to our couples.

Other Vendors: Again, costs are going to range depending on who you book with, but that’s another vendor you’ll be coordinating on your own at many places.

Cake

PRH: Wedding cakes are typically works of art! We are lucky to have a very talented pastry chef who loves taking on custom orders for our couples. Prices are always dependent on what designs & details you’re wanting and how large a cake you need.

Other Vendors: Once again, you’ll pay delivery fees or be picking up the cake yourself from your own vendors. Typically, venues will also charge you for the use of their plates, cutlery and napkins to serve a cake to guests that was not made by the venue or their preferred vendor (this is true for cakes ordered from outside vendors at Pineridge Hollow as well!) and costs roughly $1.50/guest.

Wedding Planner

PRH: We recognize that there is a difference between a hired wedding planner and a banquet manager, but because Pineridge Hollow typically provides many different wedding services for our couples, we often take a lot of that off our couples’ plates. Instead of sending separate messages to your caterer, cake designer, florist, venue coordinator and DJ, you’re sending one email to your banquet manager, Alyssa. She can answer all of your questions at once and will be there the day of your wedding to seamlessly coordinate all of these services for you, instead of you worrying about them yourself. Having assisted 40+ wedding couples a year, she’s also got a ton of knowledge and experience with timelines and wedding details. Not to mention, you aren’t running around the day of or before your wedding picking up the flowers, cake & alcohol to avoid delivery fees.

From time to time we do see professional wedding planners at our venue to help couples who want a little more personal attention like wedding theme design or helping corral the family for photos. We are always happy to work with a wedding planner together as your team!

 Photo: Laina Brown Photography

So, where did our cost breakdown leave you?

You’ve got your ceremony & reception venue, dinner, bar, & basic décor, DJ, wedding cake and an onsite wedding coordinator and your total is $14,260. That means you have $740 left to spend with Pineridge Hollow to meet your minimum and you’ve planned half of your vendors for the big day all in one place! That money left can be used to add appetizers for cocktail hour, additional décor for the tent, or even favours for your guests! Also important to note that our minimum of $15,000 only applies to Saturdays; Fridays are $12,000 and Sundays are $10,000.

As we said earlier, each of our services is flexible, so if you choose to upgrade to that prime rib dinner for your guests and pass on a wedding cake, that choice is yours! You can do as much or as little as you like through us and we’re here to help you figure it all out.

For more detailed information on any of the topics in this blog please contact events@pineridgehollow.com!

Click to see the Wedding Wire & Global News articles we discussed.