Napa Valley, California Weddings on a Budget

I got married in Napa Valley on October 6, 2007. It was the PERFECT Indian summer day with clear blue skies, 75 degree weather, a warm breeze, and the air smelling of crushed grapes. I had put in a ridiculous amount of time and energy into planning this day and at the end of it, I was at peace knowing it was worth every last drop of blood, sweat, tears, and pennies. One of the best parts was that we were able to have our dream Napa wedding without going bankrupt. Here are some tips that will help you plan your beautiful Napa wedding while keeping costs low.

1. Have your Napa wedding reception at a hotel/inn or restaurant.

I know it is so incredibly tempting to have your Napa wedding reception in a classic old wine cellar of a world-famous winery. Trust me, it won't be so tempting once you see the price tag on just renting the facility. Napa Valley has plenty of drop dead gorgeous rental rooms in boutique hotels, luxury inns, country clubs, or even restaurants where the fee will be half that of a winery. Remember, this is the fee just for renting the place out for your beautiful Napa wedding and doesn't include cost of food and beverages!

2. Have your Napa wedding during the day.

I struggled with this one at first too. Mainly because I did not want to wake up at 5 in the morning. However, in all honesty it turned out perfectly and I loved it because a) we were in the middle of Napa Valley where the surroundings were just breathtaking and could only really be enjoyed during the day and b) we got to celebrate the whole day away with everyone we loved.

When you have your Napa wedding during the day, both the rental fees and sometimes cost of food and beverage will be lower than in the evening, helping you save thousands of dollars. Plus, if this is a destination wedding then you get to spend the whole day with everyone. After your daytime wedding reception is over, you might be able to arrange for everyone to go out for drinks after, or have dinner at a quaint restaurant.

3. For your Napa wedding, find a florist that buys flowers wholesale, and use flowers that are in season.

I ended up working with an amazing florist and was so happy to have found her after months of shopping around. A lot of other florists I consulted with were extremely over priced. They also often tried to get me to add a lot of extra things that I never thought about wanting and that also put me over my budget.

After stumbling upon this website one day, www.flowersbyanne.com, I did a ton of research and was pleased to see many rave reviews. My free online consultation showed that the same exact flowers I asked other florists about came out to 1/3 of the price! It turns out that this vendor was much cheaper because she bought flowers at wholesale and did everything in house, keeping overhead costs low.

Every step after that was effortless and seamless. When I met with her for my first consultation, she helped cut costs even further by suggesting to replace some flowers I had chosen, with similar flowers that were in season. She was definitely one of the best vendors to have worked with as the cost was just right, she was prompt, and had everything under control. My suggestion if you are having a Napa wedding on a budget is to go with Anne.

4. For your Napa wedding, have a cupcake tower instead of a cake tower.

I had 120 guests at my wedding and a wedding cake to feed that many people would cost me a minimum of $600. That blew me away. Half the time guests don't even eat the cake! So I started looking into cupcakes and found this bakery in downtown Napa that did cupcakes for just $1.00 each. They even put a little heart shaped design on top of each one! In addition, we ordered one round cake so that we would have one to cut. It all came out beautifully and best of all, it was under $150. The cupcake tower and separate round cake set up looked fun yet elegant and everyone loved the cupcakes!

So don't despair. I know at first it might seem like a Napa wedding could easily leave you with close to empty pockets, but if you do enough shopping around and research, you can find several ways to cut down on costs. You can definitely still have the beautiful Napa wedding of your dreams without breaking the bank and have a day of memories that will last you a lifetime. If you have any questions about anything regarding Napa weddings, feel free to shoot me an email and I'd be happy to answer best I can. Good luck and congratulations on your upcoming wedding day!

Source: Personal experience