DIY vs. Full-Service Event Venues: Which Is Right for You?

When you start looking for an event venue, one of the biggest decisions isn't necessarily where to host your event.

It's how much you want the venue to do for you.

Some venues give you a beautiful space and the freedom to build your event around it. Others provide nearly everything, staff, catering, setup, cleanup and sometimes even planning and coordination.

Neither approach is inherently better, but they create very different experiences, budgets and responsibilities.

At The Fig Room, we're firmly on the DIY side. We provide the space and many of the essentials, and our guests decide what happens from there. While this works really well for some people, for others, paying more for a full-service venue is absolutely worth it.

Here's how to decide which one is right for you.

What is a DIY event venue?

"DIY" can be a slightly misleading term.

It doesn't necessarily mean you'll spend the night before your wedding arranging grocery-store flowers and ironing tablecloths yourself. Although, if you absolutely love arranging flowers, go for it!

It simply means the venue isn't automatically providing or managing every part of your event.

At a DIY venue, like The Fig Room, you may be responsible for choosing your own:

• Caterer

• Bartender

• Planner or coordinator

• Florist

• Entertainment

• Decorations

• Setup help

• Cleanup help

You can absolutely hire professionals to handle all of those things, or you decide which services you want to pay for. At The Fig Room, for example, we provide the venue along with tables, chairs, linens, dinnerware, glassware and other event essentials. Your cleaning fee is also already included in the rental price, so there's no additional cleaning charge added afterward. But we don't require you to purchase a catering package, use a specific florist or hire our event coordinator.

You build the event you want.

What is a full-service event venue?

A full-service venue takes more of those decisions and responsibilities off your plate. Exactly what's included varies considerably from venue to venue, but full-service venues may provide things like:

• Catering

• Bar service

• Tables and chairs

• Linens and table settings

• Setup and breakdown

• Event staff

• Venue coordination

• Security

• Cleanup

Some offer packages where you choose from a set of menus, bar options, décor upgrades and other services and for someone who doesn't want to coordinate several different vendors, that can be incredibly valuable. You're not just paying for a room or the space.

You're paying for people, services and convenience.

Is a DIY venue always cheaper?

Not necessarily and this is one of the biggest misconceptions about DIY venues.

The starting price may be lower, but what matters is how much you choose to add. Imagine you rent a DIY venue and then hire a planner, caterer, bartender, decorator, setup crew and cleanup crew. By the time you're finished, you could spend as much, or potentially more, than you would have at a venue that bundled many of those services together.

On the other hand, imagine you're planning a bridal shower.

You order brunch from a favorite local restaurant, bring in a cake, spend an hour decorating with your sister the morning of the event and create your own playlist.

In that situation, paying thousands more for a full-service venue package probably doesn't make much sense and that's the advantage of DIY.

You're not guaranteed to spend less. You simply have more control over what you spend money on.

When does a DIY venue make sense?

A DIY venue is often a great fit when you already know what you want. Maybe you have a caterer you love or a friend who makes incredible cakes. A flexible venue lets you use them rather than choosing from a required vendor list.

Maybe you just enjoy planning events.

Some people genuinely like choosing flowers, designing tables and putting all the pieces together. If that's you, you may not want to pay someone else to make those decisions.

You want control over your budget.

Maybe photography matters enormously to you, but elaborate floral arrangements don't. With a DIY event, you can spend accordingly.

Your event is relatively simple.

Not every event needs a planner, bartender, DJ and catering staff. A baby shower for 30 people has very different logistical needs from a 150-person wedding.

You have people willing to help.

Family and friends can make DIY events much easier, particularly when it comes to decorating and setup. Just be realistic about how much work you're asking them to do.

When is a full-service venue worth the money?

There are also situations where we'd recommend seriously considering full service.

You don't enjoy planning events.

If selecting vendors and coordinating logistics sounds miserable rather than exciting, outsourcing those responsibilities has real value.

You're planning a complicated event.

The larger the guest list and the more moving pieces involved, the more valuable professional coordination becomes.

You don't want family or friends working during the event.

This is especially important for weddings. Your mom may happily volunteer to refill the buffet or move chairs after the ceremony, but do you actually want her doing that? Sometimes paying professionals is worth it simply because it allows everyone you invited to be a guest.

You're planning from out of town.

Trying to coordinate multiple Jacksonville vendors from another city or state can make an all-inclusive or full-service option much more appealing.

You want to arrive and enjoy yourself.

There's something to be said for walking into a finished event and knowing someone else is responsible for what happens next. That's what you're paying for.

What about something in between?

This is the option people sometimes overlook. You don't necessarily have to choose between: Do absolutely everything yourself and pay a venue to do absolutely everything. There is a middle ground. You could rent a flexible venue and hire a day-of coordinator. Have a restaurant cater food, but do the decorations on your own. Hire a florist, but create the centerpieces. Have your family help decorate in the morning, then hire someone to handle the event itself.

This can be one of the biggest advantages of a DIY venue: you can outsource the parts you don't want to do.

What should you compare when looking at venue prices?

This is where things can get confusing.

Two venues may advertise very different rental prices without actually being very different in total cost.

Before deciding that one venue is "cheaper," find out:

• How many hours are included?

• Does that time include setup and cleanup?

• Are tables and chairs included?

• Are linens included?

• Is cleanup included?

• Is there a required cleaning or management fee?

• Is event insurance required?

• Is security required?

• Can you choose your own caterer?

• Can you provide your own alcohol?

• Is a bartender required?

• Is a coordinator required?

• Are there minimum food or beverage purchases?

• Are there required vendors?

• What taxes or service charges will be added?

We've actually compared the published pricing and inclusions at several Jacksonville event venues in our guide, How Much Do Event Venues Cost in Jacksonville? A Side-by-Side Comparison.

It's worth looking at the numbers because the differences between venues aren't always what they initially appear to be.

Which type of venue is The Fig Room?

The Fig Room is a DIY venue, but not an empty room. Our Jacksonville Beach cottage accommodates up to 49 guests and includes many of the things you'd otherwise need to source for a small event, including tables, chairs, linens, dinnerware and glassware. Cleaning is included in the rental price. You book

From there, the choices are yours.

You can bring in catering from a favorite restaurant or hire a full-service caterer.

You can decorate yourself or hire someone.

You can plan the entire event yourself or bring in a professional planner.

For a simple shower or birthday, you may need very little.

For an intimate wedding, you might decide to hire several professionals.

We're intentionally flexible because we don't think every 30- or 40-person event needs the same services. You can check out our current rental rates and exactly what’s included on our Pricing and Booking page.

So, which should you choose?

If you want maximum convenience and minimal involvement, a full-service venue may be worth every penny.

If you want flexibility and control over where your money goes, a DIY venue may be the better fit.

And if you're somewhere in between?

Look for a venue that allows you to hire help where you want it without forcing you to pay for it where you don't.

Ultimately, don't choose based on the rental price alone.

Ask yourself:

How involved do I want to be in planning and hosting this event?

Your answer will tell you a lot about which kind of venue you should be looking for.

Is The Fig Room right for you?

We'd rather help you figure that out before you book.

Read Why The Fig Room Might Not Be Right for Your Event for an honest look at situations where we'd recommend choosing another venue.

Think a DIY venue sounds right for you? Take a look at The Fig Room’s pricing and what’s included, or schedule a tour to see the space in person.