Wedding Planning Tips: Picking a Location
I was reading a post on Project Wedding and one bride ran into huge budget issue. She picked Marvimon House which is located in downtown LA and has a very hip, urban, rustic vibe to it. She posted that her rentals were coming in almost 50% more than what she had budgeted and she was, of course, having a heart attack.
While Marivon House is gorgeous it is an “off premise location,” meaning there is nobody on site who caterers, and more importantly there is NO kitchen on site. What many Brides don’t realize is that it is very expensive to build a kitchen from scratch. The average cost is about a $1000, but if are doing a plated dinner (which requires a lot more room and tons of tables) or having a large guest count (more ovens), it could be more like $2000. In some locations, health permits need to be pulled which adds another $200 onto the budget.
To save money on kitchen rentals work closely with your caterer to come up with creative menus that will work well at your location. In the past, I’ve done food stations where most of the cooking is done on the floor. The cost of catering labor goes up (more chefs required) but at least you get an interactive and fun element to your event rather than three ovens you’ll never seen anyway. Alternatively, BBQs are very affordable and can cook a lot of food.
Keep logistical issues like this in mind when picking a location and you’ll save yourself a lot of heart ache down the road.
Tags: building out a kitchen, Kelly Oshiro Events, off premise locations, Wedding Planning Tips
