All Things Budget…

We get it, this is the EXTRA boring part…

Again, depending on your personal finances/who is paying (or helping) with wedding costs.  It could be extremely important to set an overall budget, before you start booking vendors.

 I wanted to share a few general industry standards that may be helpful

• Quality photographers generally start at $1,800. That’s not always “top of the line” photographers. Oftentimes that represents semi-professional photos as a starting point in terms of budget. Others may have more cost-effective pricing because they don’t use it as their full time income. So this isn't a “one size fits all” scenario.  Most of the photographers showcased on the Oehme Oasis website range from $1,800-$5,000. 

• Quality DJs usually start at $850+   I would caution hiring a DJ for less than this, unless they have a lot of great reviews or come highly recommended from another vendor you trust. I would expect a quality DJ at this level NOT to include too much in terms of specialty lighting. (In case that is important to you.) *Note: DJ Ryan gives our couples a HUGE discount, so if you come across his pricing online that says $2,300+ DON’T panic or assume he is out of your price range. He currently Djs at Oehme Oasis for around $1,000 and he has one of THEE best setups we have seen. PLUS, he has double of everything and he includes it in that price. Meaning he doesn’t need to move his equipment from ceremony to reception space! Ryan also brings an additional setup for our patio area so guests hanging out there can listen to all the music/announcements. (No other DJ has ever done this) He works the crowd & he isn’t just a DJ, he is an amazing Emcee! **There is a HUGE difference between the two.**

• Catering for 175 guests starts around $2,800 with our preferred vendor for a menu of: chicken, potatoes, vegetable + salad and ranges to approximately $4,000 with your higher-end menu like beef-tips, etc. You could absolutely spend more than this if you include china or higher end options. This is representative of what most of our couples select, not the complete range. *Note: If you decide to get your food from a licensed kitchen and their company does not directly come onsite to serve your guests, (ie: chipotle, applebees, costettas, etc) you will need to add that service through Oehme Oasis directly. Reach out if that is something you are curious in learning more about. 

• The total alcohol/beverage bill is often between $500 - $800. *Please note, that is because almost all of our couples choose to host beers, a seltzer & an NA beer for their bar menu. A full open bar will be higher than this estimate. *Think mixers, cups, ice, straws, liquor bottles, doubling everything if you want it served at the inside bar as well as the outdoor bar, etc*  For budgeting purposes, the most expensive wedding bar we have had here at Oehme Oasis was $1,700, and that was 400+ guests

• If you hire a planner you have two (common) options - Full Planning or Day-of Coordination. Full Planning is often $3,000+ and an outside Day-of Coordinator (really starting 1 month before the wedding) is usually $1,000+. There IS value in hiring a full planning coordinator. They often do things like help you review and negotiate vendor and hotel contracts, handle most of the emailing/communications to vendors, etc. After some inquiries from past couples, Oehme Oasis has now added their own option for IN-House DAY of Task Management for our couples, at about a third of the cost.  Oehme Oasis’ DAY of Coordination would organize the chaos of the ceremony on your wedding day, and will help with many other wedding day activities–Such as: Restocking sweets table, corralling guests, (as well as the wedding party) help maintain the couple’s timeline, hand out tips/payments and more. *Perk: They have full access to the venue’s property, house, team’s personal walkie-talkie system, etc. Therefore their accessibility to be able to help is rather endless. Some activities that DAY of Task Management does, could be items our staff may lend a hand with, but the ones specifically listed here are not typically directly covered by the Oehme Oasis Wedding & Events team; as they will have their own checklist of duties to make your day a success! 

• Officiants generally start at around $300. 

• Invitations - This can be wildly different based on your provider and preferences. 

• Postage - Generally this item is forgotten! Typically almost $2 per invite for the outgoing invite and RSVP envelope, PLUS thank you card. *ProTip: If you are doing any postcard style/size RSVPs, invites, or thank yous,  don’t forget there are actual “postcard stamps” which are currently about .20 cents less per-stamp. Don’t waste a “Forever Stamp” on postcards. Also, if you give guests the options to RSVP online, don’t feel you need to PRE-STAMP your RSVP return cards.

• Quality videographers generally start at $2,000. Make sure you are asking some of the questions that are in your “Vendor Questionnaire” document. We have heard of countless couples being upset with their end results, most which could have been avoided with a few additional questions. Check out some past videos here: https://www.oehmeoasis.com/videos 

• The average small floral budget when using REAL flowers is around $1,000. Some of the more floral heavy weddings you’ve seen pictured ranged up to $3,500. *Perk: Depending on the time of year, Oehme Oasis can provide you access to add real HOP-VINES, which can add an INSTANT pop, at a fraction of the cost. Lings Moments Flowers have also been a HUGE hit with our past couples. Beautiful, affordable, so many options, plus they last a lifetime. 

• Photo booths generally start around $900+ prior to providing couples unlimited instant prints. This will be pretty typical since one roll of paper is currently approximately $300. As always when you are searching for vendors, make sure to ask about additional fees such as, but not limited to: setup, teardown, props, customization, gratuity, etc.  Oehme Oasis currently has a partnership for the MirrorX photobooth (which you may watch in action here:>> Mirror X Booth at Events: A Wedding) *Perk: If using our IN-House services, you receive 50% off, making your investment only approximately $650, which includes: no setup or takedown fees, a custom designed name/date boarder, props, unlimited instant prints, access from post 1st dance - last call, PLUS a digital copy of all images taken. *Out of house services currently start at approximately $1,100. Please Note: The photo booth is rented as a 3rd party option and other couples/venues also have access. 

• Adding uplighting to your DJ service is typically in the $500 range.

• Hair and makeup generally ranges around $250 - $300 for the bride including trials. For additional bridesmaids, moms, etc. I would expect $150 - $185 per person for professional hair and makeup. 

• Hotels  - Hotels in the area can range between $90 - $180 per night. *Note: Many of our local hotels will NOT allow you to “block” rooms off. Much of this has to do with Cedar Lake Speedway’s race schedule, events happening at the amphitheater or even other venues. Therefore, we have suggested (with previous success) that couples who know they will need X-amount of rooms, book them themselves and transfer the names/money at a later date. One would need to block these rooms off on a credit card at the time of reservation; but you can cancel (currently free of charge) within 24-48 hrs if you end up not needing the rooms. But please do your own research. Our local hotels tend to BOOK UP QUICKLY! 

• Transportation  - Transportation is not always necessary, but can easily be in the $500 - $1,500 range depending on provider, preferences, and destinations. *Perk/Reminder: Oehme Oasis Transportation SHUTTLE is held for Oehme Oasis couples up until 30 days prior to one’s event, after such time, it is released to other venues/public. *Note: The shuttle bus holds 14 passengers per trip. If you are wanting Post-Party Bar Hopping or requesting a larger bus option through Oehme Oasis Transportation, you will want to book that ASAP, for those buses are not directly held for our couples and are already rented out to 3rd party couples & venues. There is a price difference for booking the party bus vs shuttle bus.

• Cake and sweets - This can also be wildly different based on your provider and preferences. Cake can pretty easily be $500+. Often couples purchase too much cake and a ton goes in the trash. Donuts are oftentimes less expensive, and specialty sweets go faster than cake. *ProTip: If you are doing cake, maybe choose a smaller option for the couple to cut into & have SHEET cakes (hidden in the back) to cut up and serve to guests! It makes serving a lot easier AND costs much less. *If you are deciding on cupcakes, the “smaller” ones have appeared to go over better than even your typical size. We suggest you buy a larger quantity, but you wouldn’t need to double it. (Cupcakes also freeze nicely) Moreover, we are typically all about shopping small businesses whenever possible, but the difference in cost from a larger box-office store vs baker has unfortunately become quite large over the last few years (.50$ a cupcake vs $2-$4 a cupcake) Therefore, previous couples have shared that they have had amazing results with our local Walmart, they have even brought in their wedding colors and Walmart has matched the frosting to their color. With that being said, WE CAUTION having cupcakes/cake with deeply colored frosting. All bakers, regardless of location, obviously need to put dyes in the frosting to color it. We have witnessed COUNTLESS weddings where guests are not touching the cake/cupcakes after seeing what it has done to another guest's mouth/teeth. Most guests haven’t wanted to wander around with stained blue, green, red, or whatever color mouth. 🙂 For this reason, we suggest sticking with your whites or pale colors.

• Gratuity - We urge our couples to make sure they are aware of what vendors are ultimately charging. (Preferably prior to booking with them.) Some vendors will already have a required 18-22% standard gratuity amount added into their invoice, for others it will be at the couples personal discretion. *Additionally, some vendors also add-in things like: setup fees, teardown fees, service fees, cleaning fees, travel fees, per-staff member fees, onsite fees, certain payment type fees, and MORE. So just a little heads-up from us to you:) At this time, to our knowledge JL catering and DJ Ryan Hall do not forcibly add any such gratuities or fees. (neither does Oehme Oasis) Therefore we encourage you to remember to still tip them so these great deals can continue for our couples, for years to come. 

• Wedding attire is a wildcard. You could buy a beautiful wedding dress for a few hundred dollars. (Azazie has been a great place for many brides & bridesmaids alike)  Or you could also easily spend $4,000+ on a dress, especially after alterations. As far as men’s suit rentals, one could expect to be in the $250-$350+ range. *Reminder: Most rentals will need to be returned the FOLLOWING day, oftentimes by noon. *Tip: You may want to check into purchasing “suit-separates” {Our personal wedding, the men were able to get their suit pants, suit jacket & white under shirt, that they would OWN for life, for under $175.} 

• Miscellaneous - We suggest putting 10% of your budget in a miscellaneous category. Sometimes things come up & prices could often change. 

• The average budget of a couple at Oehme Oasis, including venue rental, with our preferred vendors, is often somewhere between $11,000 - $18,000. We have had thrifty couples or smaller guest counts who have spent around 8,000. We have also had couples in the $30,000+ range who’s food was $35+ a plate, $5,000 dress, videographer, food trucks, etc.. If you are hosting an event with open liquor vs signature cocktails, on a Saturday, it can be challenging to be under $13,000 depending on your other vendors. If you have any specific questions, or need suggestions, please reach out.