So i just got off the phone interviewing a planner and she basically told me that my budget of 100k for 200 people is impossible to do in the city and it will be super tight. I mean is she for real? is it not possible to have a wedding for 200 guests under 100k? i was hoping to get mine closer to 70k but now I'm freaked out.

So now i'm thinking maybe I shouldn't have a wedding in the city. Any ideas on other venues in the bay area for 200 guests? i would like a place that doesn't have carpet - that's my pet peeve.

really? i just took a look at them venues you like and yes, those are the more expensive ones in the city but you have a pretty good budget, imo! i remember the bentley and flood masion are about 10k to rent, then catering w/ chairs/tables/linens rentals comes out to be about $200-250/pp (expensive side)...do the math and you'll see you're still within your budget (but more on the 100k side). i would do some research - if you have a venues in mind, call around to the preferred vendors and get an estimate. those were the estimates back in '09 when i was looking...

but there are plenty venues outside the city as well...good luck!

Ditto 38chi. I think your budget is pretty sizable and is totally doable!

Most of the places that fits your style would set you back around $10k-$12k, and you still have a lot to work with...although things can really add up. I think as long as you manage your budget wisely it's totally doable.

i had my wedding at beaulieu and i was originally targetting a budget of 80k for 100 guests. my planner pretty much gave me a look of impossible. actually she acted like it was doable when we first consulted, but once i hired her, she didnt do much in terms of keeping me within budget. in fact, she would refer me to some of the most expensive vendors in the bay area. i basically had to find my own vendors with more reasonable prices and had to tightly control where every dollar went. in the end, i planned a 100k wedding with 90 guests. i loved my wedding, but i did cut corners and did lots of DIYs to make it work. beaulieu is amazingly beautiful.

one thing to keep in mind with beaulieu, which is what happened to me and totally blew my budget is that it's outdoors and the only contingency is to rent a tent. and you are only allowed to rent a tent from a certain company. i thought i would be safe given the fact that it never rains in june in napa, but for my day, there was a forecast of 70% rain so i basically had no choice but to rent an extremely expensive tent ($15k). it didnt end up raining (thankfully), but i was an emotional wreck the days up to the wedding because of the eye sore a tent put on my wedding plans and the unexpected extra cost.

if i did a SF wedding, i would have loved the ferry bldg.  PLD who is the exclusive caterer of beaulieu, is also the exclusive caterer to the ferry bldg.  PLD is one of the best (and most expensive) caterers in the bay area.  you cannot do wrong with them.  the food is excellent and the service is top notch.  i received so many compliments that our meal was the best wedding meal that they've ever had.

Thanks ladies! I think i have a feeling that the planner probably only wants to use her tight network of vendors and they are probably pretty expensive.

Sparkle, Your wedding is gorgeous! So would you say that a full wedding planner is not worth it? I don't want to end up doing all the research finding my own vendors if i'm paying someone else to do it. I don't think it would be possible to do beaulieu or the ferry building for 200 people under 100k, especially with the high catering costs.

I found a wedding planner for about 5,500 dollars for full planning. I'm a little torn on whether or not I should book her. This is already starting to stress me out and I haven't even begun!

my planner's fee was 10k and in the end, she charged me more for 'overage' hours.  on top of that, i also had to pay for her accomodations.  to me, it was not worth it.  i literally did SO much of my own research and all she did was execute everything i instructed.  she attended things like the tasting, which i found she added no value.  for vendor rec's, she simply sent me what looked like her standardized list of vendors that she likes to work with.  it had nothing to do with what met my needs or budget.  basically, the only vendor of hers that i went with was the florist and officiant.  all others, venue, photographer, videographer, invitations, cake, furniture rental, string trio and more were from my own research.  i honestly felt that she didnt have time for me or i was pretty low on her totem pole of weddings since mine was on a smaller scale compared to the extravagent budgets she is used to.  i think we really werent a good fit.  i realized this early on, but i had already hired her and didnt want to lose out on my deposit and find someone else.  for me, a main reason i wanted a planner was to have someone to bounce ideas off of and someone to help me negotiate with vendors.  she was a good source to bounce ideas off of, but that is IF i was able to get a hold of her or IF she responded to my emails.  as for negotiating with vendors, nope, she didnt do any of that.  i wouldnt say a planner isnt worth it, though.  you just have to find the right one.  one of my friends had a great planner that helped so much and that she had so much praise for.  i think this is the typical sentiment of brides and their planners. 

Sparkle,

Can you share which planner you had? And also which one your friend had? That's unfortunate that you spent so much on a planner that did so little! :(

Thanks so much!

Kat

Have you looked into the following:

Julia Morgan Ballroom.  It does have carpet though.

SF Design Center.  A little more modern looking inside.

Palace Hotel.  Has some rooms that are gorgeous.

Conservatory of Flowers.  It is just a gorgeous place in my opinion.

The Regency Building.

Sorry to hear that the planner got you a little upset.  You can definitely stick within a decent budget if you decide where you want to put your money and where you can save some money.  I love adding a lot of candles around the centerpieces to add some romance and make it so that you don't have to do huge centerpieces.  Candles just add this special touch to a wedding.  Look for flowers that are in season.   If you like a flower that is on the expensive side...ask the florist what flowers have a similar look but may be less expensive.  Adding greenery and stock flowers to your centerpiece help to fill a centerpiece and help to keep the cost down too.  Consider chair covers over chivari chairs.  Hire a DJ instead of a live band........just some ideas to save a little money.  Good luck!

I think that your budget is totally doable! Alot of vendors like to stick within their tight circle of vendors...so the vendors that she knows may cost an arm and a leg.  Shop around for planners.  You can have a totally gorgeous wedding within your budget. If you're still looking for a planner let me know and I have some I can recommend to you.

My wedding was in the city and my budget was no where near 100k. I have attended a few weddings in the city and they were no where near 100k. It kind of makes me laugh that she told you that you couldn't do your wedding of 200 guests and a budget of 100k. Most planners charge you a percentage of your total wedding budget. I hired a DOC that charged me a flat rate no where near a percentage of my total budget. Remember in wedding planning, everything is negotiable. Please do not get discouraged about having your wedding in the city. You have a rather large budget and it's totally SF friendly. Your venues are beautiful and expensive but you have a fair budget for everything you want. Shop around for other vendors.