Ok so im starting to panic and I know ive got plenty of time left but still the panic feeling wont go away!

I have priced 80+ venues over the last month and only 2 came within our budget - both of them my h2b didn't like. Thinking about them properly I must say I was compromising on a lot of things to like the venue too.

I just dont know what to do!

We're looking for 40 day time and 80 evening guests. We're wanting to get married, hold the reception & stay over at the same venue (as theres people come from scotland and liverpool)

We've tried lowering numbers but it will upset families if we do.

I'm gutted! Went to see the 2nd one last night and when we did I just felt like crying! Its not as if we have a tiny budget - for the venue part of the wedding we can push up to £4k which I thought would be enough!

Has anyone had any similar experiences?

Does anyone know of anywhere in Northumberland/Tyne & Wear *please ignore this part if Im not allowed to ask*

I really need some help!

Please :) x

Sign up for Groupon. They have some amazing deals, the only snag is as the deals are only on for 24hrs, you have to have the cash ready to pay the balance in full there and then.

i totally understand how you feel as i am in the same boat. We have people that live abroad aswell so we have to be somewhere that we can stay. Most venues we have looked at are really expensive the lowest was £6000!!! I have now started looking a little further out in the hope we find something. I cant help you with your area i am afraid but i hope you find somewhere x

Yes, a friend of mine has booked hers through Groupon, at a Hilton hotel for 80 guests, for under 2k. The deals dont come through that often but with 21months to go you have plenty of time.

I will do thank you Mrs Mann.

Our total budget for the wedding at the moment is £7500. In this is our dream £2k honeymoon which neither or us are wanting to give up.

I have already bought my dress so thats a cost I dont have to include.

Flowers 200
Photographer 795
Men's suits 400
Bridesmaids dresses 150
Honeymoon 2000
Rings 400
Registrar 100

Is the lowest quotes ive found so far so it leaves £3455 for the venue, ceremony, food, drinks - this can be pushed to £4000.

The ones we've seen are like £5k plus so it means finding that extra £500 then an extra £1000 or more!

Its really getting to me as I think £7500 - £8000 is a decent budget for a wedding :( x

If you can have you thought about week day weddings the price comes down by loads! Just need to work out what is more important to you both, Its hard but u'll get there! Were having no honeymoon and having the wedding we want but everyone is diffrent. xx

Definitely get yourself on groupon, thats how we got a photographer!
Looking at your budget, you've got £100 for a registrar, are you having a civil ceremony? If so, it might be a wee bit more than that!

Our venue is council run, country park. £3k all in, ceremony room, carvery for 50, evening do, hot pork cobs for 90.
Maybe look for somewhere to have the wedding etc, that has a hotel nearby, rather than a venue that does all in one. and the room you have the reception in, don't panic if it doesn't look right now, ask the venue what you are allowed to do to it to make it all pretty, ask them if maybe they are decorating in the near future, ask to see photos from some one elses wedding there as well. Another bride might have been able to polish it up lovely, and it could give you ideas!! If you aren't having the ceremony at the same place, look at event venues, rather than wedding venues, as it gies you more options and is cheaper!!!

your total budget is realistic, ours was £7500, and with lots of creativity we are going under £6k. It can be done!

Hope you get it sorted hon xxxx

our budget was the same huni and we managed it

we are having 50 day guests and 100 evening, don't get me wrong we aren't paying for the car, honeymoon or cake as they are wedding presents from our parents but we have come in under budget i think for everything we just picked packages that are within budget we are only giving our guests an arrival drink and some toast wine

u just need to cut out the un neccesary things and keep looking rather that settling with the first supplier you find

bridalmiss - my h2b wont get married in a church as hes not religious. So this isnt an option.

We've looked at having the wedding at diff venues, but a lot of our guests are getting the train up, so its then how do they get from venue to venue, we looked at car share but we dont have enuff drivers! So we priced coaches etc been down all avenues.

I feel like im making excuses but im just not. We can all agree that u want ur day to be amazing, and nothing that we've come across in our budget so far is amazing its just "okay" and id rather wait another year than get married somewhere we both dont love. I just would hate to think of having to put the wedding off another year :(

Sorry im in a right moaning mood today.

We've started looknig at hotels in our city centre, theres no grounds that come with them for photos etc so we will have to compromise on that part and see what the surroundings/inside is like for photos. H2b is very particular about photos lol! Its quite weird ha!

x

the maj of venues we've seen include like table plans and if not my brother is going to do it for us. Hes also going to do the invitations so that saves us on that. The flowers my lovely friend amy is going to do them at cost price for me so it may not even be 200 as all im paying for is 2 x bridesmaids bouquets and 6 x button holes - shes doing the rest free for me as a present bless her. centrepieces are either done by her or alot of venues include these in the packages.
ive just thought of chair covers - not sure if they are needed or not though! may have to pass on that!

ive just got an email back from a city centre hotel - the vermont newcastle. They seem ok priced and include a lot in their package and shes said we can use their rooftop or the castle keep across the road for photos - so theres sum nice backgrounds available but they can hold up to 2 weddings a day, im not sure how i feel about this - i think as long as we got in first we'd get the rooms we want and hopefully not see the other party that day!

Theyve got it set up for a wedding this saturday both ceremony and breakfast so we can pop along and see it :)

Fingers Crossed! x

Good news - another possibility is your local town hall or courts for the ceremony, or even I've heard of some people getting married in a theatre! Then see if there's a space nearby for your party?

country hotel weddings aren't always what they seem, they tend to smell like p00p most of the time and you have to watch where you walk hahaha

Beamish Hall looks nice, and as an option, why don't you have a later wedding - they just changed the law a couple of weeks ago allowing couples to marry later in the day (I think you used to have to be married by 5pm) - this way you can have a late afternoon wedding say 5.30pm, then go straight into your reception with the evening meal/buffet with speeches and a party - so you don't need to pay for a wedding breakfast and an evening buffet - I looked at the 2012/13 wedding insert file and you can have a reception there from 6.30pm for 70 guests for 1550, and it's only 10 per extra person - there's rooms to stay over for your guests and then you'd have plenty left to organise a place for your ceremony (or you can have it there too)

and watch out for p00!

If i am reading this correct you are about £1500 short for your dream wedding have you thought of asking for money to go towards your honeymoon as a wedding gift ? instead of traditional gifts. It might be that you would get the extra £££ and still get married the year you want to.
We are asking for money to go towards our honeymoon as we have been living together now for 16 years (we met when i was 17 and we have set up house and dont need anything from a traditional wedding gift list ) and although we are lucky enough not to have to save for our wedding or honeymoon as it was left to us.
our guest kept asking what we wanted as gifts so we decided to say money for honeymoon I have a big family and they have already said together how much they are putting in. Could this work for you to maybe ask a few family members or close friends see what they think you might be supprised. x

I dont know about the date - we agreed on that as if we go for the cheaper option *sunday* it means we're off the monday so no guests from our workplace have to worry about that. Saturdays are looking more expensive.
Karen thats a good idea but do people not just put money in a card? therefore we'd still need the money months before to pay the wedding off!
we've got one option but my parents turned their nose up at it as its a 45 min drive - erm so what? we cant afford our area so why not go a little further out?
h2bs parents think we shouldnt even be spending that much on a wedding at all - thinks we shud just have a registry office wedding and go for a little meal afterwards and not bother with the honeymoon - which is nice for some people but its the only time im going to get married and its just not what I want neither does h2b x

no venue ive looked at offer that, they only do it instead of the evening buffet and its more expensive hun x

Exactly and we were going to get a coach for all of them to come so itd be like £5 return per person, which is NOWT to be honest!
Cost more in a taxi to go 5 mins down the road and back!
SOME PEOPLE! lol!

im just getting myself all upset and i think i might have to stop looking at the moment cause the more i find that we cant afford the worse im feeling :(

Theyre giving us £5500 towards the wedding (well tbh its paying for the wedding) as they knw we cant afford to save up much per month! They dont have a say as such but i want them to like it. We haven't seen this other venue yet, going on tuesday night.
It is an option to lend, even just to put remainder on credit then pay it off - but its whether or not we end up getting money - u know wot some guests can be like - u say money and they still bring a present lol!

Hoping this venue on tuesday is what we want cause i am getting sick of looking and then moaning ha!
x

we travelled 45 miles for my cousins wedding and it cost us £5 each for a mini bus for 16 people and the bride didn't organise it we did, i don't get what the problem is!

its your day and you'd be surprised what guests are willing to do to be there

Thats great news :) All the best of luck with the venues xx

Thats what were all here for to help others when needed! Always best to have a good old moan sometimes makes you feel better afterwards :) I know ive had a few on here Lol x

Yay, hope you get sorted!
My h2b has issues with venue carpets too! lol

I have issues with carpets and curtians! x