Wedding at Black Swan Inn?? Anyone? (San Antonio, Victoria: rental, outdoor wedding, to live)

[Chaka]

Dim - I tell you, they all nickel and dime you on the silliest things. That's why the spreadsheet helps! I kind of like spreadsheets too Actually, the cakes were something we spent $$$ on (from Metropolitan - now closed - oh lord those were heaven!), so NOT having a cake cutting fee mattered.

dmarie - I'll send you the spreadsheet tonight. I looked at the Black Swan's menu options, and except for the cheapest option, that was significantly more than we paid pp. Granted, prices will have changed in 4 years, but I do recall looking at the Black Swan at the time and nixing it due to higher prices, though it wasn't on my final 5 list.

I had the same thoughts as you - I at first shied away from any of these 'fancy' places, then I looked more closely....

Also consider non-traditional places like art galleries. Many have excellent wide open spaces and are quite a cool setting. The $$ can add up as everything is individual, but if you have connections for some things, could save a bundle. We looked at a couple, but didn't go that route because we had so many kids present it just wasn't a practical setting (that, and you can't guarantee what art will be on display at the time). The Joan Groana Gallery at Blue Star is a perfect space for about 75 people in a cocktail sort of setting.

It may or may not work out to be cheaper, but at least you will have made an informed decision. There were things we did that others may not which made a difference - like we wanted 'imported' beer (can you believe Shiner is considered imported?!!!). The difference between some places was more than $100 per keg, with the fancier places offering it at less. Also, if alcohol is served some places require security, which is another $50-100 per guard. The 'fancier' places tend not to, as that's all in. Another issue we considered was that though we wanted to provide an 'open' bar, we couldn't afford a full bar, so it was limited to beer, wine and margaritas. However that we were 10 steps away from the hotel bar meant guests who wanted something else were able to walk over and buy it themselves. It was a good compromise.

Other things we did to save money were to use vendors who were just starting out in the business and willing to do things free or at a reduced rate for the advertisement/portfolios. This is of course a risk, but it worked out fabulously for us. It helped that we were pretty flexible about most things. We also made our own invitations, among other things.

In the end we didn't pick the cheapest option, but the one within our budget that worked well for a variety of reasons. Not bare bones but certainly nowhere near the average for a 'typical' wedding in San Antonio. In the end, our locale could not have been more perfect for the guests we had, despite some of the issues we had. They just LOVED the historical aspect and the location.

[the_dimwit]

Wow, Chaka. I'd never heard of something like a cake cutting fee. Not that it surprises me--weddings and babies are two of the biggest rackets out there. I sure picked the wrong career!! Should have been a wedding planner and/or a baby shower planner.

--Dim

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by the_dimwit

Wow, Chaka. I'd never heard of something like a cake cutting fee. Not that it surprises me--weddings and babies are two of the biggest rackets out there. I sure picked the wrong career!! Should have been a wedding planner and/or a baby shower planner.

--Dim

Having just had a baby, I hear ya on that! trick is to recognize you don't NEED everything they tell you are must haves. Babies actually need very very little. Or maybe my kid is just deprived?

[dmarie123]

Dim,
I think it is ridiculous as well, but cake cutting fees are standard. $50-$250 are the usual in the 100 websites I've looked at. I guess it's to pay the staff member's salary for 5 minutes and the water to was the forks.

[the_dimwit]

Originally Posted by Chaka

Or maybe my kid is just deprived?

I hate to say it, but yes, your kid is being starved of all the things a growing child needs. I mean, I would have been a much better person if I had been pushed around in a $500+ stroller, strapped into a $400+ car seat, and then watched a purple dinosaur or two children speaking Spanish prance around on the 27" LCD hanging from the ceiling of the $50k+ minivan.

It amazes me what we've spent on such things for our two little ones over the past 4 years...

--Dim

[the_dimwit]

Originally Posted by dmarie123

Dim,
I think it is ridiculous as well, but cake cutting fees are standard. $50-$250 are the usual in the 100 websites I've looked at. I guess it's to pay the staff member's salary for 5 minutes and the water to was the forks.

Perhaps you're right, dmarie. However, a couple hundred dollars for such little time and water strikes me as a complete rip-off. But, as wedding magazines prove, many (not all) women will go to great lengths for that "perfect event," even if the costs make no sense to a person with a clear head...

Just my male-oriented two cents...

--Dim

[slaleman]

I'll second the comment about checking out the knot...my wife spent a lot of time on the forums there and got a lot of help/advice about vendors when we were looking. We asked my aunts to cut the cake for us, and it worked out just fine.

And the rooms...shop around. You can get some really good deals. I think that's probably the biggest thing. Most of my family made it down from the midwest for our wedding because it was easy to get here and inexpensive to stay.

[sanantonewbie]

Have you thought of maybe The Vineyards out in Gardenridge? I got married and had my reception there 2 years ago and just cannot say enough good things about them. They were so professional and I got rave reviews from all my guest about how much they loved the location, food and how well everything flowed and was put together. They can also help you get a DJ and flowers and handle all of that for you on the day of the event. I had lots of out of town guest too but I got discounted group rates at the Hampton Inn on 35 and 3009 so it worked out well.
Again, I just loved my wedding there and just had to let you know that. I HIGHLY recommend them for any occassion.

[dmarie123]

My head is going to explode! Little white chapel in vegas here we come! Just kidding. Thanks everyone... I'm going to go check out those sites! I have some many other things to spend my money on!

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by dmarie123

My head is going to explode! Little white chapel in vegas here we come! Just kidding. Thanks everyone... I'm going to go check out those sites! I have some many other things to spend my money on!

haha! That's the joy of wedding planning!

Try to think of it as a fun process, checking out places in SA you've never seen before

I second The Vineyards. We went to a wedding there (ceremony and reception) in the autumn and it was just lovely! There are many wonderful locations throughout SA. Just depends on what you want/need. There was one place Mr Chaka nixed just 'cause he didn't like the way the catering agent acted towards him (ignored him completely) and to me, that's a good enough reason to weed out a place. I nixed a couple because I didn't like how the agent worked either...