Are All-Inclusive Wedding Venues Cheaper? 7 Ways This Option Can Save You Money
The hefty price tag might make you hesitate to commit to an all-inclusive wedding venue. You think, surely shopping around for vendors and services will help you minimize the overall cost of your wedding.
You might be surprised how easily the bill can climb to unwieldy proportions when you choose to create your wedding from scratch.
For many couples, booking an all-inclusive wedding venue turns out to be the less expensive option. This can be true for you as well.
Twenty Mile House reveals how couples can save money by choosing an all-inclusive wedding venue. Granted, that is not always the case. We’ll explain how different circumstances may affect pricing and how you can make an accurate comparison of the costs for an all-inclusive vs. a traditional wedding.
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Is It Cheaper To Do An All-Inclusive Wedding?
Depending on the couple’s needs and preferences, an all-inclusive wedding venue can certainly be cheaper than the alternative. If you book an all-inclusive venue, you streamline not only the whole planning process, but also the cost of services that make for a harmonious wedding experience.
Twenty Mile House, an all-inclusive wedding venue in California, can help you create the perfect wedding with minimal anxiety and more value for your investment.
What’s Typically Included in All-Inclusive Wedding Packages
Different all-inclusive wedding packages may not offer all of the same services, but in general, you can count on the following at the very least:
Use of the venue for your wedding ceremony
An event coordinator, who handles logistics for the wedding day
Basic furniture (table/chairs/linens) and minimal decorative accents
Catering for your reception meal
House wine and beer
You’ll need to verify specifics with your prospective venue, but many all-inclusive venues also provide:
A DJ (and sound equipment) or suggestions for other local entertainment
Floral decorations
A wedding cake and associated services (cutting, plating, etc.)
A photographer or photo booth
Use of the venue for your reception
Table and place settings
On-site accommodations for the wedding party and/or guests
To confirm whether a service is provided at the venue in question, just ask. Many all-inclusive venues offer a basic package and include these as add-ons, so it’s important to clarify what is covered and what isn’t. Twenty Mile House is generous in its service offerings, which include all of the above.
How Traditional Wedding Venue Costs Add Up
Although all-inclusive wedding venues may seem highly priced, they give you the advantage of less complicated, more accurate billing upfront. A traditional wedding venue provides only the location for your wedding; every other service is up to you to secure. Not only can this become a logistical nightmare, but it means extra costs for each service. This is because each vendor will likely charge:
A deposit
A delivery fee
Service and rental fees
Clean-up costs
Fees for overtime
If your traditional wedding is in a remote location, you may have to arrange for transportation for your guests from their lodgings to the venue. The cost for this, at an all-inclusive venue, may be bundled into the overall cost.
When a vendor gives you a quote, they may only mention the cost of the service itself, giving you the impression that you will spend less than you actually will, once fees, transportation, and gratuities have been factored in. Always read the fine print of the contract to determine whether you are fully aware of the final price.
7 Ways All-Inclusive Wedding Venues Can Save You Money
#1: Bundled Services
All-inclusive venues often negotiate cheaper rates with preferred vendors so you don’t have to worry about securing all of your vendors individually. This means you won’t have to pay a separate bill to each vendor that includes delivery, set-up, clean-up, and other fees.
Whether you choose the Signature Weekend, Signature Midweek, or Perfectly Custom package at Twenty Mile House, you receive the services of our trusted vendors as part of the package price. Our vendors include:
Caterers of locally grown, sustainable food for vegetarians and meat-eaters
A baking team that can serve up cake and other delicious desserts
An artistic photographer
A stimulating DJ to warm up and entertain your guests
Expert florists who des
#2: Fewer Hidden Planning Expenses
All-inclusive packages already have everything included in the overall price, and all extra fees are outlined. You won’t be disappointed after the fact by further charges for issues or items you didn’t anticipate having to pay for, such as:
A reception tent in case of rain at an outdoor wedding
A longer-lasting reception
Legal permits for getting married in a public place
Extra lighting and back-up power
Transportation needs
Portable restrooms
A dance floor
#3: Lower Coordination Costs
Many all-inclusives include an on-site coordinator so you don’t need to hire a separate wedding planner or day-of coordinator. This person helps you navigate the planning process and guides you in making decisions to personalize your wedding. A coordinator who is familiar with the venue is also more effective at ensuring that all the vendors work smoothly together.
#4: Discounted Catering and Bar Packages
In-house food and beverages, or packages/deals already decided with local vendors, can be more affordable than hiring your own outside caterers. Even if you can’t fully customize this choice, there may still be several food/drink options to choose from.
#5: Reduced Rental Fees
If you’re preparing for a traditional wedding, you’ll need to think about some small but essential items that contribute mightily to the elegance and beauty of the atmosphere. These include decor, furniture, dinnerware, linens, utensils, etc. Thankfully, an all-inclusive venue typically includes these in the package price, and you can forego several rental fees.
#6: Less Risk of Budget Overruns
Fixed pricing makes it easier to stay on budget and predict final overall expenses by avoiding unexpected costs. If you try to secure your own vendors, it can be difficult to muddle through the paperwork, keeping track of the if clauses, and knowing without a doubt the exact price of the services provided. At an all-inclusive venue, you can let go of that worry and know in advance what you’ll be paying.
#7: Time Savings That Translate to Financial Savings
Managing fewer contracts not only saves you time and stress. It helps you avoid:
Overlooking hidden fees
Paying for services not documented (and then not receiving them)
Costly scheduling conflicts
An all-inclusive venue may have fewer options than you’ll find scattered throughout the neighborhood, but this isn’t necessarily a negative. You can avoid the hassle of visiting multiple vendors over the course of several weeks and complete the major planning in one session.
When All-Inclusive Venues Might Cost More
Though you can definitely save money with an all-inclusive venue, there may be some circumstances that lead to an unexpectedly higher bill. For example, if the venue you’ve chosen is in a luxury or high destination area, you can expect prices to be higher.
Or, you might choose a higher-tier package that includes more than just the basic services. If so, there’s no guarantee that a traditional wedding wouldn’t be cheaper.
Factors That Determine Which Wedding Option Is More Affordable
Ultimately, the comparative size of your bill will depend on:
The size of your wedding: Pricing for a venue is often either a flat rate for a given number of people (e.g. 50 or 100) or calculated per person. Depending on how the particular all-inclusive and traditional venues calculate the guest count charge, one may be more expensive than the other.
Local vendor pricing: How much would your vendors of choice charge? Their costs, for both services and fees, may turn out less expensive than an all-inclusive venue. A detailed cost comparison is necessary to determine whether this is the case, as different vendors’ prices may be highly variable.
The location of the venue: All-inclusive venues at popular destinations may end up being more expensive than a completely traditional venue at a more obscure location.
The time of year: Wedding venues are in higher demand during peak wedding season (May–October), so an all-inclusive venue booked during that window may cost more than a traditional venue during a less popular month.
Your preferences for customization: Choosing to outsource certain services at an all-inclusive venue for the sake of developing a customized feel can add costs that would otherwise be covered by your booking with the venue.
Tips for Accurately Comparing Wedding Venue Costs
A cost comparison requires attention to detail and a willingness to press for clear, thorough information, as you’ll need to:
Request detailed cost breakdowns.
Review contract terms carefully.
Ask about additional charges.
Compare total wedding budgets, not just venue fees.
If you attend to these details, you can rest assured that your cost comparison is accurate and that you won’t encounter any unanticipated budget constraints.
Discover the Beauty of All-Inclusive Wedding Venues When You Plan Your Day With Twenty Mile House
If you want to save money and still have the wedding you’ve been aspiring to create, consider an all-inclusive wedding venue. Go a step further and make it the wedding that you, your spouse-to-be, and your guests will remember for its natural beauty, elegance, and peacefulness. That’s what you’ll find at Twenty Mile House.
The stunning landscapes featured here are the perfect place to situate your wedding, whether you want a forest, garden, mountain, or river backdrop. Besides making our proven, excellent vendor partners available to you as part of our venue packages, we give you and your guests the run of our 200 acres, including historic spaces like the Miner’s Cabin.
Call us today to schedule a tour of the grounds and learn which of our wedding packages is right for you.