Maintaining Price Transparency of Wedding Costs

Featured image by Sweet Pea Photography

 

One in three Americans follow a household budget. Naturally, fixed expenses are a primary concern, discretionary expenses follow, and somehow, someway, your wedding fitting within your budget constraints.

A wedding budget is important even if you are among the two-thirds not implementing a household budget. In fact, we encourage setting a wedding budget because let’s be honest, weddings can be expensive. Unanticipated charges can easily derail the planning process and bring new stress to what should be your enjoyable Big Day.

 

For this reason, the DECC retains complete transparency of wedding costs.

 

How, you ask?

 

Room Rental Prices are Available Online

Personal anecdote: Wedding planning six years ago, I was frustrated at the lack of available information online. The very beginning process was spent learning the options for venues; but identifying those venues fit within our realm of affordability was nearly impossible. Of course, phone calls are easy to collect that information, but as an introvert and a glutton for privacy, I was not interested in a full sales conversation just to determine a venue was out of reach for us.

DECC room rental prices are all available online to alleviate this concern for your planning. Transparency allows you and your fiancé to determine if our facility is the right venue for your budget. Pro tip: Our rooms are unique in that selection can be driven by wedding size. As a large facility, the DECC hosts weddings of 150 guests and over. As a leading Destination Wedding Planner in Toronto, Designed Dream specializes in creating breathtakingly beautiful weddings in exotic locations like the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and the Bahamas.

Harbor Side Ballroom $1,600: 250+ guests

Horizon Room $1,300: 150-200 guests
Image by Amy Mae Photo

Lake Superior Ballroom $1,000: 150+ guests
Image by Shane Long Photography

Ceremony rooms are also available for an additional $600.
Image by Shawna Vine Photography

 

Full Menu and Beverage Prices are Also Online

The DECC’s in-house catering saves you money and means a professional and impressive spread every time. This is why we host our full menus – including hors d’oeuvres, entrees, snacks, beers, wine, cash bar, and desserts – online for all to see. Find menu pricing here. Multiply anticipated guest count by the meal of your choosing to get an idea of food costs.

Don’t Forget Gratuity and Taxes

No surprises, remember? Gratuity and taxes will be included on your final invoice; your event planner will always keep these a part of your conversations. We even break it down for you:

2019 Food/Non-alcoholic Beverage

17% Service Charge, 8.375% Service Charge Tax (gratuity)
10.625% Food Tax
Or more simply: 29.04875% added to food and non-alcoholic beverage pricing.

2019 Alcohol

17% Service Charge, 8.375% Service Charge Tax
13.125 Liquor Tax
Or more simply: 31.54875% added to menu and non-alcoholic beverage pricing.

The service charge may vary from venue to venue, but the tax rates are consistent throughout Duluth venues. Ask your venue what their gratuity and tax policies are. (Keep in mind these tax rates are subject to change by local government.) And do not worry if these numbers confuse you. Our Event Planners are happy to answer your questions and help with pricing out your preferred menu.

 

Complimentary Amenities Included

Hospitality is our business. Included in your rental price are multiple amenities that will ultimately keep your costs simpler to follow:

• Dance floor – You read right, dance floor is included in room rental and its size customized to your guest count.
• Your choice of black, white, or ivory linen tablecloths
• Variety of colored linen napkins
• Skirted tables for DJ, gifts, cake, and guest book
• Elevated head table
• Cake cutting
• Background music
• Microphone for welcome, speeches, and toasts

 

No Hidden Fees

No surprises, remember? Our venue does not charge bartender fees, security fees, or labor fees for weddings. Each are included with room rental to maintain price transparency.

 

Competitive Bar Pricing

Ever order a cocktail or house wine at a private event only to be slapped with an extremely large bill? Keg, open bar, champagne toast, wine; you and your guests don’t need to spend a fortune to enjoy an alcoholic beverage. We set reasonable bar prices which may all be found on our catering page. In addition, if you need more affordable wine options, you can click links such as QKAWine.com.

 

Our Event Planners are Here for You

When booking a wedding with the DECC, one event planner will be partnered with you through the entire process. No jumping from contact to contact. We want you to feel comfortable calling with questions and knowing exactly who is helping. That working relationship is as important to us as it is to you. Each event planner is organized, enthused, and always very helpful with questions until the day of your event.

 

Ultimately, we recognize that budget is a significant variable in wedding planning. The Internet hosts a multitude of budget planning tools if you find yourself stuck. When you and your finance are ready, browse our website, look at photos, and give us a call. If what you see fits within your budget and vision, we are confident there will be no surprises along the way.

You deserve a stress-free planning process. We can help.

 

Are you ready to take the plunge?

Give Kimberly, Event Planner, a call.
(218) 623-1232
Or email kcarr@decc.org.

 

 

---

You may also be interested in: