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All inclusive vs. DIY Venues | Pearland Wedding Venues

Magek Photography

We thought of writing an article listing out all the differences between an all inclusive and DIY wedding, but we don’t think anything paints a story or explains the reality of things like reviews.

The reviews you will read below, have been sourced from Reddit.

They are GENERAL REVIEWS, that do not point out or talk about any single venue in particular. They are reviews that explain the general reasons why someone may pick an all inclusive vs. going down the DIY route.


All Inclusive Wedding Reviews

  • “So our wedding hasn't happened yet, but I can already tell you how glad I am we booked our all-inclusive venue.

    I did almost a year's worth of research and initial planning before we were engaged, originally with the idea that we would do everything ourselves to keep the budget low. We mostly looked at state parks, which only included tables and chairs, and, if we were lucky, basic linens. I was 100% set on booking and arranging everything else myself, possibly with the help of a day-of coordinator. And then we visited our now-venue on a whim. They do everything. We don't even need to buy/rent decor. And it's turned out to be a massive weight off of my shoulders. Because even though they do everything, it still feels like I'm doing a massive amount of stuff myself. Save the dates, invitations, seating charts, picking colors, flowers, etc, etc, etc. If I had to do all that plus arrange deliveries of rentals, collect decor, meetings upon phone calls upon emails... I'd lose my mind.” ~ via Reddit

  • “I am really thankful that we went with an all-inclusive venue, although a "mostly-inclusive" venue would be more accurate.

    It included set up, breakdown, ceremony, reception, catering, linens, tables, chairs, etc). We still had to book our own DJ, florist, and photographer. But it made it SO much easier on us that we didn't have to make decisions about every little detail. Plus, the catering team and coordinator were very familiar with how their own venue operates, so everything went very smoothly. I'm not convinced that a DIY venue will save money. I've had friends who planned DIY weddings thinking it would save money, but each little component adds up and can lead to other headaches. I'm sure it will be a beautiful wedding either way, but an all-inclusive venue is the way to go in my opinion.” ~ via Reddit

  • “Money is a big issue but so is sanity. We live a bit over an hour from our (mostly) inclusive venue and having it be inclusive has been amazing for me.

    I feel like I've gotten to focus on the ' fun' parts of planning and have been pretty relaxed so far. About me.. Horribly indecisvie and have a better imagination than I do ability to execute. We have only had to get photographer, dj, florist outside of what they offer and we've gotten all of those off their preferred vendors list.. Turns out they have good taste. Now while I'm paying more than I set out wanting to I also think that for what we're getting I no way would have been able to have for the same price coordinating it myself.. More bang for my buck. If money is THE issue and you have a hard cap but you have the time/resources to coordinate it all yourself then yeah go for that. If the money is a we'd like to stay around this budget but could go up and/or you don't necessarily have the time/resources to manage all the moving parts.. Comparison shopping.. Coordination.. Then the all inclusive may be worth it.” ~ via Reddit

DIY Wedding Reviews

  • “We are doing a DiY-venue. It definitely takes a lot of time to plan and research for everything.

    It's about 3 hours away too which is a bit of a challenge, but honestly with email communication is isn't that bad. We also really love the area and don't mind visiting. Some things to keep in mind DIY is best suited for those that have a very strict decisive vision in mind. Also for someone that can handle the stress of planning a big event. If you aren't these things then do all inclusive. I love the freedom I have with my venue, but I'm also blessed that I have a lot of family friends willing to help. It's helped to keep our costs low. We also are very casual people and that's the feel of our wedding. It definitely is overwhelming and while I'm 4 months out there is still a lot to do (plan for rentals, figure it alcohol, figure out florals, etc) that would typically be done by an all inclusive place.” ~ via Reddit

  • “I've heard from a lot of people that depending on what you want, DIY ends up costing the same as inclusive or near enough as to not compensate for the headache.

    I think the main reason to go with DIY is to get the freedom in selecting the vendors, menus, and aesthetic that you want. Unless you are having a small and casual wedding, I think you would be surprised at how quick DIY costs add up. But everyone is different, so it is worth trying to do some of the calculating on paper beforehand to compare and contrast.” ~ via Reddit

  • “We are DIYing because we have a tiny budget, our venue has tables and chairs and a bar but we bring food in, photographer, DJ, etc.

    For us it was perfect, being tied to specific catering, etc didn't work for us and all the venues that were like that were well outside of our budget.

    I think it depends on how formal you want your wedding to be. If you want all formal dinner and crockery and everything to follow the pattern that lots of weddings follow then all inclusive makes a lot more sense. If you plan to go outside the box, you want to be more creative with things (like we're having a pizza and pasta salad buffet for our meal because I asked my FW to be my girlfriend on a pizza box) then being able to select your options yourself is much better for freedom and also budget. There is no right answer or right type of wedding. I love planning, I found and booked my vendors with ease, I did a lot of DIY but did it well in advance and so it was all very enjoyable but my idea of a wedding planning dream is someone else's nightmare, so have a good think about what works for you!” ~ via Reddit


packages designed with you in mind

Couples searching for an all-inclusive rustic wedding venue or DIY packages have come to the right place. At County Line Event Center in Pearland, TX, we offer affordable, boutique-style wedding packages for that rustic bride who wants a completely stress free experience, or who simply wants to do it themselves!