Meeting Really Nice Strangers (Otherwise known as Wedding Venue Coordinators)

Wedding venue coordinators are really nice.  I mean, really, really, really nice. I don’t know what I was expecting when I started reaching out to set up viewing appointments. I guess, indifference on their part?

Naive, I know.

Coordinating your wedding is easy for them. I mean, sure, it’s your big day, but these people deal with “big days” all year round. They’re professionals. Your “big day” is just another day of work for them, which leads me to my next point. They want your business, and will work hard to get it. Making a sale, ya know?  

Peter and I made appointments to see the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse and Airship37. We chose them because:

-       The price was right

-       Both allow for onsite ceremonies

-       You can bring in your own booze

-        You can DJ yourself (as long as you pay the $70 SOCAN fee)

First stop? Enoch Turner Schoolhouse. The venue has a cutesy schoolhouse/old church basement vibe that we loved. The washrooms are very clean (important!) and the building is accessible.

My photographer/fiance took this picture. It doesn't do the decor justice. I guess this is why Google Image Search exists. Also, my parents are in the picture. They came along for the ride. Also, I'm carrying a sweet Pizza Underground tote that I subsequently lost that day on the TTC.  

The coordinator let us spend as much time as we needed in the venue, and had a massive book featuring pictures from previous weddings at the Schoolhouse. If you’re a venue coordinator and reading this, I suggest you start your own venue booklet. It was great to see the different ways the room could be dressed up.

The one downside? Lighting. My cousin who is a photographer warned us about this. Once we were in the venue I definitely knew what she meant. It wasn't the greatest. But, Peter and I weren’t about to let a little tungsten get in our way. We left armed with their preferred caterers list so we could price out a dinner.

After a quick lunch of grilled avocado/brie sandwiches (great wedding venue hunting sustenance) we made our way to Airship37.

The venue is located at the back of an industrial building. It took us a couple of tries to figure that out.

Airship37 has a very modern look. In fact, someone who enjoys wearing peasant skirts and beaded necklaces from a local fair might describe it as “funky”.

Funky. 

The washrooms were clean, the building accessible, and the lighting fantastic. We were impressed. When I mentioned ipod DJing, the coordinator dropped a big bomb. That’s allowed, but there’s an $800 AV fee. Ouch. What's included in the fee? The use of their sound system, a person to set up the PA system etc. etc. I suddenly realized there might be a few more fees than we initially realized. The coordinator said she would put together a sample quote for us and send later that day. 

Peter and I went back home and fired off a few emails to caterers while waiting for the wedding coordinator to get back to us. 

Side note: Sorry this post is a few days late! I was in Minneapolis for my cousin's wedding! I had an amazing time and will tell you all about it in a few weeks!  

The B Word

I love stock images. 

Budget.

It’s not a very fun word, is it? Budget is that friend that discourages you from spending $300 on a pair of jeans, ordering a round of shots at the bar, or splurging on a lamp from Pottery Barn. She’ll also insist on taking transit home instead of splitting a cab. Budget is responsible.

Budget and I have a tumultuous relationship. I like to have fun (read: spend money frivolously), but I also drive great satisfaction from saving and watching my investments grow.

Lately, I prefer to do more saving than spending. I chalk it up to my fiancé. He is the original spendthrift in our relationship, and since shacking up I’ve adopted many of his wallet friendly ways.

Peter budgets EVERYTHING – from spending money to monthly transportation to groceries. And when he runs out of his monthly spending money, instead of heading to the bank to take out more, he utters a powerful sentence.

“I can’t afford that.”

Me? I avoided that phrase for YEARS. I did not want to admit to my friends, and more importantly myself, that there was (and still is) a limit to my disposable income. I was afraid of what other people would think. Weird, right? Instead of admitting my limited funds, I made up excuses, or swallowed the expense with a credit card.

All of that changed a few years ago after a conversation with my friend Jason. We both were sick of our overspending, and decided to stop lying to ourselves about our spending habits. It was time to take charge of our finances and start telling the truth – I can’t afford that.

It was freeing and I haven’t looked back. As for the fear of judgemental friends? That was completely unfounded. People get it and move on.

Over the past few years Peter and I have saved our pennies, invested our funds, and accumulated zero debt. That’s right – we are debt free, and that’s including credit cards. We don’t want to jeopardize our debt free status by throwing a wedding we cannot afford. Plus, we want to have some cash leftover to splurge on a pretty sweet honeymoon and after that, invest in a home (or condo). 

So! What is our magical budget for a party of 128 people? I’ve mapped out our rough estimates below.

$2800 (venue)

$5000 (food)

$ 1000 (bride and groom clothing)

$ 1500 (alcohol)

$4, 700 (photography, makeup, hair, other expenses)

-----------

$15,000

I must admit, I was hesitant to share our proposed budget. What if people thought it was not “spendthrifty” enough? What if people thought we were cheap? What if people looked at our budget and thought, “LOL yeah RIGHT. They will be spending WAAAAY more than that.”

At the end of the day, it’s our budget, it’s what we can afford and we are sticking to it. Now, off to look at some venues.