"Q" is for Q & AHow much does a wedding cost in the San Francisco Bay Area?

"How much will we have to spend on our wedding?" is one of the very first questions a newly engaged couple should ask when planning their wedding. Determining the overall budget is crucial, and it will affect every single aspect of the planning process. Those who care about how they are spending their hard-earned money will want to be as frugal and creative as possible, while getting the biggest bang for their buck. Throughout the entire planning process, it is wise to refer back to the original budget, in hopes of spending reasonably within your pre-determined means.

The Venue
Often, clients come to me (and other wedding planners) when it is too late to create a realistic budget, since many times they have already selected the venue. It's really important to keep in mind some key tips when choosing your venue, as the choice could impact one's wedding budget negatively if not selected carefully. There could be hidden costs that are not mentioned during the initial (and emotionally exciting) tour of the property. Surprises may present themselves later, such as up charges on rentals, per consumption bar bills, required vendor lists, or cake cutting fees.

That's just one reason it is a good idea to contact a certified wedding consultant, prior to establishing the all-important budget. Professionals in the industry are familiar with these quirks, and can help couples avoid making very costly mistakes.

How to Establish a Wedding Budget
Here is a little something I show my clients to help them plan for the costs associated with weddings in the Bay Area. All of these samples are from actual weddings I have done in the last two years, right here in and around San Francisco. The costs are indicative of what reputable and established wedding vendors in our area currently charge. Typical weddings in our area begin around $30,000. The more elaborate affairs can go up to and over $100,000. In the beginning of my career as a wedding consultant, I also planned a few weddings in the $10,000 range. (Though they cost the couple a lot less money, they were twice as much work, and quite a bit more stress. This is because it means having to bring in family and friends to pull it off.)

Of course, this is just an example of what things cost, and is meant to act as a guide for couples trying to determine their Bay Area wedding budgets.

150 Guests: 3 Different Weddings

Budget #1
TOTAL = $35,700
ITEM COST
Facility Rental $3,200
Cake $900
Catering/Bar $15,000
Officiant $200
Musician $300
DJ $800
Flowers $3,400
Lighting/Drapes $200
Photographer $2,500
Videographer $1,000
Stationery $1,500
Transportation $600
Dress $750
Headpiece $150
Shoes $100
Hair & Makeup $300
Consultant $2,000
Grooms Attire $200
Wedding Rings $600
Misc $2,000

Budget #2
TOTAL = $65,000
ITEM COST
Facility Rental $4,500
Cake $1,200
Catering/Bar $19,500
Officiant $250
Musician $1,100
DJ $1,200
Flowers $8,000
Lighting/Drapes $3,500
Photographer $5,000
Videographer $2,500
Stationery $2,250
Transportation $850
Dress $1,250
Headpiece $300
Shoes $175
Hair & Makeup $575
Consultant $3,000
Grooms Attire $550
Wedding Rings $5,750
Misc $3,550

Budget #3
$121,600
ITEM COST
Facility Rental $12,000
Cake $3,000
Catering/Bar $30,000
Officiant $500
Musician $3,500
DJ $1,800
Flowers $9,000
Lighting/Drapes $8,000
Photographer $10,000
Videographer $10,000
Stationery $5,000
Transportation $2,000
Dress $6,000
Headpiece $500
Shoes $300
Hair & Makeup $1,000
Consultant $5,000
Grooms Attire $1,000
Wedding Rings $8,000
Misc $5,000

I'm Liz Guthrie, from San Jose Wedding Consultants. I 've established solid relationships with reputable wedding vendors throughout the Bay Area. I can help find a vendor for every type of couple and every type of budget. Matching clients to vendors (by budget, style, and personality) is an important part of my job, and one that I take very seriously!

Love,
The Soup Maven

"B" is for Big Fun DJ

BIG FUN Disc Jockeys

Woody Miraglia, Henry Kim

BIG FUN Disc Jockeys started in 1989 playing college parties at Stanford University. In the early 1990s, the company started focusing upon weddings, corporate functions, private parties, and community events. They now play more than 200 events per year in the greater Bay Area.

When I asked Woody what he loves most about his job, here is what he had to say:
"DJ’ing is more than just putting on some headphones and playing music. It’s about generating energy for people at a party, creating fun and lasting memories for a couple at a wedding reception, using high-end audio equipment for outstanding sound quality, incorporating lights and effects to enhance the ambiance of a party, and assisting with coordination and organization when called upon. The whole experience is truly enjoyable. Our DJs love what they do, and it shows up in the finished product."

What is your favorite type of bride to work with?
"Brides and grooms are all totally different, which is part of the fun. However, couples that offer guidance and preferences, but don’t micromanage or dictate to the minute, usually have a better wedding day. Leaving the scheduling to an experienced coordinator, or letting the disc jockey “read” the dance floor to maximize the participation of the guests usually results in a more successful party. At the end of the day, most couples want their guests to say, “Wow, your wedding was really fun! I had a great time.”."




What has been your most unusual request ever?>"Well, we have played costume weddings, even themed weddings (everybody dressed up in cowboy/cowgirl attire). But the most unusual request was a couple that wanted to know if we could play their ceremony music underwater! I think they were scuba aficionados. We provided them with a solution, but they ended up getting married on land.".

Do you provide any special lighting packages?
"BIG FUN Disc Jockeys specifically addressed this question. We bring an advanced lighting system to every event we play (unless otherwise requested by the client). We understand that most couples don’t want a “tacky” DJ that is on the microphone all night, so we don’t do that. Instead, we create an incredibly fun and inviting ambiance, where your guests naturally want to come out on the dance floor. Sometimes, a bride will worry that her guests “aren’t the dancing crowd,” but we almost always have excellent participation at our events. We think the lights play a fundamental role in this. Check out some photos of our lights at http://www.bigfundj.com/wow"

How many weddings do you do per year?
BIG FUN Disc Jockeys plays about 200 events per year. About 70% of those are weddings.


What Does It Cost?Reception
$ 895 base rate of 4 hours
$ 0 lighting package (included at no charge)
$ 0 handheld wireless microphone for speeches and announcements
$ 0 emcee services
$ 0 setup labor (1.5 hours)
$ 0 teardown labor (1 hour)
$ 0 one hour advance "planning" meeting with you in person - we do not charge for a "planning meeting" with couples about 4 to 6 weeks before the wedding date. This timing generally turns out to be most productive since prior to this timeframe many details of your wedding reception are not yet decided.

$ 895 TOTAL FOR 4-HOUR RECEPTION (one equipment setup)
Additional time is $75 per half hour

Above includes setup and operation of sound and dance lighting including:
- setup of sound equipment in a single room
- background music during any non-dancing times (example: dinner)
- wireless handheld mic for toasts, speeches, and announcements
- emcee services for wedding party entrance, bouquet, garter, etc.
- full dance lighting and music
- pics and video clips: http://www.bigfundj.com/wow
- download song playlist: http://www.bigfundj.com/playlist.pdf

Wedding Ceremony
+$150 one additional hour (guest arrival music followed by ceremony, usually one hour)
+$150 second equipment setup, including wireless lapel microphones, microphones on a stand for readings, musician amplification support, etc.
+$ 0 additional setup labor (0.5 hours)
+$ 0 additional teardown labor (0.5 hours)
=====
$1195 TOTAL FOR 5-HOUR EVENT, INCLUDING CEREMONY ($300) AND RECEPTION ($895)
Additional time is $75 per half hour

Ceremony support includes:
- pre-ceremony music as guests arrive (CD or amplify musicians)
- processional music
- wireless lapel mics for groom/bride and officiant
- mic on stand for readings or soloists
- music during middle of ceremony proceedings (if needed)
- recessional music

Big Fun DJ can also provide additional services such as video projection equipment for slide shows.

Any advice to brides on how to save money?
"If there were a part of a wedding reception that tends to drag on, it would be dinner. This is an area where a couple can save time (and thus money) by being efficient. This might include doing toasts while people are eating (instead of before food is served) or only doing table visits (also known as “table toasting”) at those tables with people you don’t normally see. In most cases, guests will appreciate dinner not taking two hours (or more), and the couple will be able to either have more time for other festivities (dancing!) or have a shorter total time for their wedding reception."



What Type of Music Do You Play?
"We don’t approach events with preconceived notions about the music, so our “favorite” type of music for a young crowd might be Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, or T.I., while for a 30th year anniversary, it might be the Beatles or Rolling Stones. We are very passionate about our music collection, constantly maintaining it to be able to play to any crowd. If you want 80s music, we know to play Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” or The Outfield’s “Your Love.” If you are holding a Hawaiian luau, we can play excellent background music for the event. If you have a wedding where you want the parental folks to dance for a while, we can keep them out there with Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and even disco and funk."

Parting Advice:
"Select great vendors (photographer, DJ, coordinator, venue people, caterer), explain to them your vision and preferences, but then listen to the advice of your chosen professionals. While you may have been to ten weddings, your vendors have been to hundreds, even thousands. Listen to their good recommendations to ensure that your day will be the very best."

BIG FUN Disc Jockeys
19323 Phil Lane #101
Cupertino, CA 95014
800-924-4386
www.bigfundj.com

Love,

"Y" is for Yountville - Vintage Inn

A Wine Country Wedding


Nestled in the heart of the Napa Valley among vineyards between the Mayacamas Mountains and the Napa River, lies the town of Yountville. Nine miles north of Napa, it's an easy drive from San Francisco, and offers the perfect welcome to one of the most well known wine tasting regions in the world. Napa Valley's Wine Country is the ideal place to get married, especially for those Northern Californians seeking to impress their out of town guests. The picturesque town of Yountville is sure to leave a lasting memory, even for us bay area locals.

As for your guests, they'll never run out of things to do while here for your destination wedding. Yountville offers a variety of well maintained neighborhood parks that include outdoor recreational amenities including bocce, volleyball, tennis, basketball courts, children's play equipment and reservable picnic areas. It's a great place to eat and shop, and it is host to a variety of exciting events throughout the year. Learn about its history on the walking tour of hospital buildings and landmarks, or just relax on the outdoor patio of one of many great restaurants.

Click for Slideshow

There is certainly no shortage of amazing hotels and inns nearby, but one that sticks out in my mind for elegant weddings is the Vintage Estate. The 23 acre property is easily accessible from the main road, Highway 29. The Pavilion at the Vintage Inn Estate combines country casual with uptown elegance, evoking an feeling of actually being in Provence. Here you'll find a stunning, 16,000-square-foot outdoor space designed solely for weddings. Scattered throughout the property are elegant fountains, lush gardens and brick walkways. It's not hard to imagine yourself getting married here, with its French-Country inspired romantic atmosphere.

Photo Courtesy Mulberry Photo

The Pavilion area features a pair of large lawns, one terraced above the other, bound by fountains, arbors, and flagstone walls covered with ivy. Intricate brick paths divide the lawn into four quarters. The main path, which is the aisle that brides walk down, ends at a tall wooden arbor backed by a serpentine stone wall. Most often, this is where brides choose to hold the ceremony.


After the meal on one of the large manicured lawns, guests head to the nearby Historic Barrel Room. After meandering through a garden of whimsical sculptures and flowerbeds, it's a magical discovery.

Why leave Northern California to get married, when some of the most amazing venues are right in our own backyard? The Vintage Inn is a jewel among many jewels we plan to feature for you on The Soup.

Vintage Inn, Yountville
707/945-4549
The Vintage Inn

Now, I just have to convince my husband this is where we should go for our next wedding anniversary!

Note* All other photos courtesy of Here Comes The Guide *


Love,
The Soup Maven