Ask Liz: Is it The Venue Or Is it THE Venue? - The Broke-Ass Bride: Bad-Ass Inspiration on a Broke-Ass Budget

Ask Liz: Is it The Venue Or Is it THE Venue? - The Broke-Ass Bride: Bad-Ass Inspiration on a Broke-Ass Budget

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Andie Freeman PhotographyDear Liz,My fiancé and I are in the very beginning of planning our wedding. Naturally, we started with the venue hunt. But now we have a small problem.I found a beautiful venue, it barely needs decoration, and it's sooo unique. However, they only have one exclusive caterer, and they don't impress me. With our budget we would only be able to afford a small buffet, and most likely, we won't be able to serve alcohol.On the other hand, there's venue number #2. It's a cafe that serves a huge buffet of delicious Italian food, with complimentary and unlimited alcohol!. And,it's about the same price as venue #1. The space is also beautiful, even if it isn't as unique, but we would have to do a lot more work to make it look the way we want.What do I do?Sincerely,
Venue Blues

Dear Blues,

Are you having the same dilemma choosing between two different venues or vendors? Let me know in the comments below and we'll figure it out. And if you want to find out more about me and my corner of Wedding World, go to www.silvercharmevents.com.

I figure I don't have to tell you that you're going to get more for your money with venue #2. So, if you want confirmation of that, there you go. You like the food, alcohol is included, and you can afford it. If those are your biggest concerns - the wedding bar has some powerful guest-expectation mojo - My head says go for #2, and figure out how to make it work and make it pretty. That is, after all, why God invented Pinterest. Pinterest and preferred vendor lists.

But there's something about venue #1...and it sounds like that might be where your heart is, which totally overrules my head. If I'm right, we have a saying in Wedding World, "When in doubt, play it out." Before you make the final call, crunch the numbers and all the options. Is it the food at venue #1 that you don't like, or that there won't be enough of it? There's nothing wrong with a small buffet, as long as you have enough food for everyone. You don't have to offer five entrees and three side dishes. Most guests will only pick one entree and go through the line once, very few of them will go back for seconds. No one is going to fume because there's no salmon or truffle mac and cheese, or whatever. You can keep it simple. If it is the quality of the food itself that's a problem, talk to the caterer about alternative menus and pick one or two that you're more okay with. Another benefit to a small buffet - if the food isn't good, at least you're serving less of it. It never hurts to ask, always ask. The same goes with alcohol. You can set your guests' expectations. Can't afford a full bar, cool, just serve beer and wine. Why, someone might ask? Because that's what you're serving. Again, people don't care if there's everything, just as long as there is something. Or, if you really were looking forward to cosmopolitans and tequila shots all night, find out exactly how much that will cost, and more importantly, how long you have to decide to do it. I'm pretty sure it doesn't have to be right now. If you love the place, don't give up, yet.

See you at the end of the aisle,

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