WEDDING PLANNING: THE ULTIMATE DESTINATION WEDDING VENUE SPREADSHEET
Who would have thought that when I shared the details of our wedding planning trip to Cabo, I would get hundreds of messages asking for me to share my famous destination wedding venue spreadsheet. Basically, my Type A brain created a giant master spreadsheet of all of the venues we were interested in. Itemizing out the costs of everything from room blocks to the price per person of an open bar.
As I mentioned last year (before we had to postpone our wedding to 2021), we took a trip down to Cabo and looked at a ton of wedding venues before picking one for our wedding. My top priority was to make a spreadsheet and start noting all of the details. That way, I would be able to look at each venue practically and “assess the value”. Not to mention, skip the locations that were way over budget.
I’ve gotten a ton of questions about the infamous spreadsheet. Mostly people getting married in Cabo, hoping to get all of the details. I spent a little time updating the spreadsheet and making it user friendly for any bride with samples of Cabo venues and a blank spreadsheet you can use for any venue.
I broke everything down per hotel: room rates, venue fees, basic food pricing, bar pricing per hour, additional services resorts provide and the associated fees. I also added a section that priced out the rate per guest at the discounted room rates the resorts offer + an estimate of food & beverage per night per person (to get an idea of what the guests would end up spending before or after the wedding).
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MY WEDDING VENUE SPREADSHEET
For those of you who don’t know, I have a degree in finance. Which might clarify why I have such an extra, overly itemized venue spreadsheet.
My top priority was to make a spreadsheet to start noting all of the details. I broke everything down per location I was interested in: room rates, venue fees, basic food pricing, bar pricing per hour, additional services resorts provide and the associated fees.
I also added a section that priced out the rate per guest at the discounted room rates the resorts offer, plus notes on what was included in the rates & other random expenses.
The spreadsheet definitely caters to a destination wedding. I have a ton of individual spreadsheets for different parts of the wedding & even a master document. But this one was really helpful for picking the venue specifically.
Why can’t i share my final spreadsheet
Most of the emails I get ask me to share my spreadsheet to get the rates for each resort & general price breakdowns. Unfortunately, that’s not really possible. There are a lot of factors that determine rates & the quote you’ll get from a resort/venue. I’ll try to break it down…
- ROOM BLOCKS: The rate you’re going to get quoted for a room block (the price your guests pay for the rooms & your rate for staying) is going to change depending on the date & number of guests. If you get married on a weekday vs weekend, month to month & the number of people all change the rate pretty significantly. So the rate we got quoted for a room block was for our specific date & number of guests.
- VENUE: Here’s where things get CRAZY. Most of the wedding pictures you see on a resort’s Instagram are in their most expensive portions of the hotel. Some areas of the resort don’t have a venue fee, while others require a buyout. Not to mention, some areas are reserved for weddings over a certain size. If you’re only having 30 people attend your wedding, you won’t necessarily need to use an area meant for 200 people. So a big chunk of the wedding cost will be determined by the area you pick (whether it’s included or there’s an additional fee).
- FOOD & DRINK: Food & drinks (aka cocktails) are a huge factor. You’re going to pay a per person rate or rates. And most of the time it’s not a set “here’s how much it is to feed everyone” number. There are SO MANY options. You have to go through and itemize every aspect of appetizers, entrees, dessert & drinks. Do you want a buffet? Serving stations? A sit down meal? Top shelf cocktails? Open bar? After hours snacks?
- DECOR & DETAILS: A lot of this will be determined by a wedding planner & outside rentals. But all of the little stuff isn’t included. You’ll have to figure out tablecloths, napkins, chairs & candles on your own.
Make sense? As much as I wish it was as easy as giving you guys all of my hard work, you have to do some digging on your own. Once you send a few emails, it’s pretty easy to put your own destination wedding venue spreadsheet together – no matter where you’re getting married.
I sent each resort an email (basically just went to their website and found a contact in their wedding department). I told them the basic details of our wedding and they were able to give me more details to get an outline of pricing or a “pre-quote”.
The best way to get vendor contacts is by looking at the locations website. You can also call them directly and ask for a contact in their wedding department.
I’m also working with an amazing wedding planner who was able to send me a list of venues they recommend based on our budget & wedding vibe. Arianna & Carmen from Del Cabo Weddings are amazing. If you’re getting married in Cabo, I highly recommend reaching out to them. It’s definitely helpful having someone local bridge the gap for us & make stuff happen!
THINGS TO FIGURE OUT BEFORE EMAILING A VENUE
- Pick a date or a few date options (destination venues book up far in advance, so it helps to be flexible).
- How many guests are you planning on inviting? Make sure you have a tentative wedding guest list before emailing. I recommend creating a few lists of guests, that way you know what the rates will be depending on the size of the wedding.
QUESTIONS TO ASK RESORTS for your destination wedding spreadsheet
- Is the resort available on the date or dates you want?
- What other events are going on at the venue on the same weekend?
- Do they “double up” or only do one wedding a day?
- Does the venue have an onsite wedding coordinator?
- What location options do you have for your number of guests & what are the different venue fees.
- What are the minimum number of rooms you need to block out & for how many days?
- What is included in the room rate?
- What additional accomodations can be included for your guests?
- Are children allowed on premises?
- Are you able to have a rehearsal at the venue and a rehearsal dinner? Brunch the next day? What are the additional options & rates?
- What decor is included? What decor do they have for an additional cost?
- Can you see the furniture, tables, chairs, etc?
- Do they have on site hair & makeup?
- Are the ceremony and reception held in the same area? If same area, what can be expected for set up and take down to switch over from the ceremony to the reception?
- Does the venue provide an officiant or recommend one?
- How long are you able to have the area? What time does the party need to end? When do bars close?
- Do they have a “Plan B” in case weather changes?
- What are they different rates for food & drinks? Do they have open bar options?
- Do they offer transportation to and from the airport?
- Can they provide a wedding cake?What do they offer for music?
- What are the music options?
- What do they have for a sound system? Speakers, microphones, etc.?
- What time do they allow the music to play until?
- What it their cancellation policy?
- What are their room block rates for your dates?
- Do they include any upgrades for the bride & groom?
- Is there a wedding discount for blocks of rooms?
- Is there a discount if you decide to stay for your honeymoon?
HOW TO USE MY DESTINATION WEDDING VENUE SPREADSHEET
Alright! I created a template of my original destination wedding venue spreadsheet with 3 tabs. The first and second tabs are similar, one being simple and the other being more detailed. The third tab is blank. The rates I included in the sample templates are examples & not actual rates from the hotel.
My spreadsheet is obviously for Cabo, but you can use it for any destination. I had a general idea of our wedding timeline in my head before I put it together as well.
In the first block, you can add the room rates for room blocks. I included 2 columns in case you’re considering two different dates. Often, different dates will have different rates. There’s also a section to include notes, like what’s included in the room rate and the number of rooms you have to book to get that special rate.
The food block is where you can price out different food options. Most resorts have a TON of options. I recommend narrowing it down and picking one set of options. Example: price per person for the dinner that looks best, appetizers, dessert, cocktails, etc. Next to this block you can put the number of guests you’re planning on inviting. I added 3 options in case you’re not sure how many guests you’ll have. The spreadsheet will use this number to do the math for you and give you totals.
The “other” block is for other random costs. This will depend on the stuff you might want to add. For example, a rehearsal dinner, after wedding brunch, set up & cleaning fees, etc.
Venue Fees will vary as I mentioned above. It’s good to note different options here.
At the end, you can include links to quotes the venue sends, photos, menus, room photos, etc.
Inclusions are any other details the resort includes in your rate or with the wedding package. A lot of times you’ll get discounts on spa treatments for the guests, free room upgrades for the bride & groom, free transportation, etc.
You can also drag & drop some photos for inspiration and to remind you which venue you’re looking at.
If you have any questions about my “Ultimate Destination Wedding Venue Spreadsheet”, don’t hesitate to email me or send me a DM on Instagram! I’m also working on a wedding budget spreadsheet and some other wedding planning spreadsheets – if you’re interested, let me know! Stay tuned for more!
TO ACCESS THE SPREADSHEET, CLICK HERE OR ON THE PHOTO BELOW! ONCE YOU OPEN THE SPREADSHEET, MAKE A COPY OF IT SO YOU CAN EDIT THE DETAILS. YOU CAN EDIT INFORMATION USING GOOGLE SHEETS, OR PRINT IT OUT AND TAKE IT TO THE VENUE WITH YOU.
WANT MORE WEDDING CONTENT?
THE ULTIMATE WEDDING BUDGET SPREADSHEET
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ERIN & TONY: IMPERIAL SAND DUNES ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS PART ONE
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