Dawn DeMario, owner of the Spa at Roop’s Mill in Westminster, helps model Abby Rutter try on a wedding gown in the spa’s bridal shop.
Written By Scott Braden, Photos by: Phil Grout
There is nothing more beautiful for a couple in love than their upcoming wedding, or in many cases, nothing more expensive.
After the two lovers have pledged themselves to one another, next comes the hard part – planning the wedding.
According to Brittany Golden, of Westminster’s A Gourmet Affair, catering alone can run from approximately $3,000 to $64,000 per party.
“We wear many hats here,” said Operations Manager Robert Lazarus of Martin’s in Westminster, “I’m also a wedding coordinator. Every little girl grows up dreaming of a big wedding, and here at Martin’s, we can deliver on those dreams.”
Considering themselves “The Wedding Experts,” Martin’s of Westminster staff caters approximately 200 weddings per year. In fact, weddings make up 50 percent of their business. Lazarus declined to estimate the cost of an average wedding event.
“We deliver the silverware, linens, and the cake,” said Lazarus. “The only thing that the bride has to do is get a bridal gown and the groom has to get his tuxedo. In fact, we make it affordable for the couple to get a wedding cake at a discount.”
“Martin’s can make an elegant wedding affordable,” said Lazarus. “We want every bride in Westminster and Carroll County to be a Martin’s bride because of our affordability.”
Regarding economy, one might also consider A Gourmet Affair. Co-owner Robert Brown counts weddings as half of his catering business, which, according to Golden, amounts to about $110,000.
Golden said that an inexpensive wedding costs anywhere between $9 – $12 a person. And that does not include alcohol, which is a whole other ballgame.
As for food, pasta is usually the cheapest. It gets expensive when red meat and seafood are included.
“For a inexpensive wedding, we could do a big ziti,” Golden said. “The ziti [a baked Italian casserole] could be made with meat or vegetables; whatever the customer prefers. Then there’s rolls with butter or garlic bread, as well as a garden salad. Garden salads are the most popular. We also serve Caesar salads, but that’s a little more expensive.
“The inexpensive wedding dinner also includes a side. The side dish could be green beans, asparagus – which is what I prefer – or a roasted Yukon Gold potato.
“It would also include paper products. If the customer prefers upscale paper products, that would be more expensive. There’s a flat rate for all of this, keeping in mind how many people are attending the wedding.”
As for more expensive weddings, Golden remembers a huge wedding last October in Westminster for which the customer wanted locally sourced food.
“We got meat and chicken from Bullocks,” said Golden. “We served more expensive vegetables like squash and beets. (We also serve Maryland crab cakes; those are pretty expensive.) The wedding party also wanted upscale plates, which have an embossed golden rim on them. The total came to approximately $64,000, or approximately $200 a plate, which includes the bar and the servers.”
For those who have a sweet tooth, there is Shannon Clarke’s Starry Night Bakery and Coffeehouse in Westminster.
“At weddings, we’ve done cupcakes, cakes and desserts like coffees, cannolis and cream pies, among others,” said Clarke. “We can create an attractive dessert display.”
“The most economical route is to do sheet cakes,” said Clarke. “Another option is cupcakes, which we can create with different flavors and tier them up so they look pretty. We also do a $300 wedding cake special that feeds 100 people.”
Food is one thing, but what about the floral arrangements?
“Weddings probably are a quarter to half of our work,” said Wendy Vaught, manager of The Flower Box II. “We do quite a bit, but it’s definitely a seasonal thing. May, June, September and October are big wedding months. In the last couple of years I have also done some in August. I have also have seen couples schedule Thursday and Sunday nights because the place is cheaper.”
According to Vaught, The Flower Box II organizes 50 to 70 weddings per year.
“I work with the cake people in the area, said Vaught. Sometimes they put the flowers on the cake. At other times I’ll do it. A month ahead, we meet to find out who am I supposed to speak with. Sometimes it’s a wedding coordinator who works through the place. At other times it’s the wedding coordinator the couple have hired themselves.
“Basically, it’s what the bride and groom want. You can give me a budget, or you can tell me what you want and I’ll go from there.”
“It’s all creative,” said Frank Tunzi, co-owner of Union Bridge’s Buttersburg Inn and a florist himself. “You use pictures to give the clients an idea of what they want, then put your own touch on it.”
When they do wedding work, organizers find that the bulk of the money goes to the centerpieces. If you have 10 to 20 tables, and they all have centerpieces, things get expensive. A centerpiece can run from $35 to $80 apiece, depending on what the couple (usually the bride’s family) wants to spend and what flowers they want. When a bride has seen something on TV, she can get ideas about what she wants to do. Brides have been known to go hog-wild. And that can cost as much as $300. Realism is a good benchmark when it comes to wedding flowers.
“Again,” said Tunzi, “It all depends on the flowers you want to use. Roses, orchards and lilies will cost you. Inexpensive flowers like Gerbera daisies are really pretty.”
And do not forget the tuxedos and bridal gowns.
“As a formal wear professional consultant,” said Michael Krichten of Benn’s in Westminster, “you need to listen to the couple and what they want. It’s not your position to tell grooms no, but if somebody is looking for a pink vest combo, he has to ask himself what he’ll be wearing five years down the road. ÔIs that what you want?’ I’m here to make the day their day. I’ll make it the best possible occasion.”
Then there is the bridal shop and more.
Dawn DeMario, owner of the Spa at Roop’s Mill, who also runs a bridal shop, does approximately $500,000 in business between the shop and the spa. She also helps the bride and groom prepare for weddings: approximately 150 of them a year.
“We provide the gown, tuxedos, bridesmaid dresses, said DeMario. “We also do make up, pedicures and manicures before the wedding, and much more. We also cross-market all the time between the spa and the bridal shop. We like to think of ourselves as a one-stop shop for the families of both the bride and the groom.”
Although a dream wedding is what every couple wants, Golden reminds then to consider the economy.
“The economy has definitely take a toll on weddings,” Golden said. “The number of people attending will be smaller due to the cost.”
