Hotel Vs. Church hall?

Question

We're trying to book a place for our 2010 wedding. many of the places already have 2010 bookings. A few places for the same weekend that we want.

We're trying to decide between a hotel which will cost a little over 5 thousand to rent out including food. The perks of the hotel is it includes a room for us ( which we can upgrade to a suite for an extra $100) They also offer a room ( if available ) for gift opening or bridal shower.

The other option is a church hall. It's a large beautiful hall. It isn't our church or denomination. We're Anglican it's a Catholic hall. However it often hosts weddings from other denominations and both our maternal sides are Irish Catholic so who knows maybe us liking this hall is a subconscious way of honouring our duel heritage.

Upside is it is considerably cheaper by a lot. ( Rental is only $250 but not including food) Downside is we have to have food brought in by their caterers.

I would like to hear thoughts from people who have had weddings in both Halls and Hotels.

I know both places can be beautiful but I would like to know what are the good sides and down sides of both these places. Also if you were to attend a wedding which do you think would be a better choice.

If it makes any difference we're planning a Canadian Thanksgiving weekend wedding. ( October 9th 2010 )

Answer 1

I'm having my wedding reception at my church hall. There's a list of approved caterers, they're a little pricey, but it's made up for by the fact that the hall is inexpensive.

The church hall is nice because it's inexpensive and simple (which I consider a major plus).

The hotel is nice if you want something more elaborate. Their wait staff might be more formal, but then again that would depend on your caterer.

One thing to consider is parking - are your guests going to have to compete with people going to Saturday night mass?

Does the church hall have a proper bar? What about the coat check? Little details like that can make a big difference.

How many people are you having? I know that if I could get a hotel hall for $5000 I'd be saving money, because for 120 people I'm at $7000 for food and hall.

Answer 2

When it comes to planning a wedding the honestly most important thing is the budget. Determine to the penny how much you want to spend and go from there.

Both settings have advantages and both have drawbacks.

I had my wedding at a "hall" with a caterer; but we had to rent everything, chairs, linens, tableware and buy the alcohol upfront. Many "hall" type wedding tend to be more informal with buffet instead of butlered service and less upscale foods.

Hotels may move you from room to room for each part of the day. We were staying at an Historic Hotel in Mass and saw an entire wedding party and their guests have to walk up a flight of stairs to get to the reception. Hotels may have specific rules about what can and cannot occur at the reception

If you need a lot of help and advice then you probably want the hotel because it includes an ad hoc wedding consultant who will coordinate things on the day of the wedding.

Answer 3

We looked at both options and went with a venue rather than the hall.  Initially we thought the hall would be cheaper and easier as we had control over most aspects.  However...

When we worked through the budgets - completely - there were a lot of hidden costs with a hall such as hire of linen, extra tables, staff for serving of food, hiring of glass wear.  In the end it worked out roughly the same price and there was a heck of a lot more work / hassle involved in double checking everything.

Make sure you take into account every possible cost when you compare the two so you don't get a bad surprise toward the end of planning.

Answer 4

You might find that you don't save as much money as you suppose by going for the Church hall option. A hall will take an enormous amount of work and expense to decorate and you will need an army of people to do it right on top of your wedding. You are also committing yourselves to using a particular caterer...not good! You can check out lots of hotels beforehand and decide whose food you prefer but if the Church caterer doesn't meet your standards, you're stuck.

We looked into this carefully for our vow renewal ceremony. Because we have a large garden we considered using a Marquee and hiring caterers. It turned out to be more expensive and much more hassle than using one of the best hotels in our area. It's all the little bits and pieces that hotels already have that add up: linen, glasses, candelabra, nice tables & chairs.....

Answer 5

Unles you both are okay with bumping the song Holiday Inn and it being an inside joke then my advice is to go churchy!!

Hotels have a stigmata of negativity..or better yet...fun badness :)

Answer 6

When I got married, it was outside, barefoot and with only 10-12 of my closest friends and family. Then a month later we threw a big bash reception. And we wouldn't have had it any other way. FOrget the hall, and the church, Get married in God's true chapel, Nature. Cinderella weddings are WAY too much of a pain anyway. Congrats and Good Luck!

Answer 7

Some people prefer not to cook their own food,the stress of it all! That is why you go to  a hotel with a great "Name" for themselves,and you book a tasting!

Now if you are on a budget then use the church Hall! You just have to do everything yourself!

Answer 8

Hi.  Yes, I have been to both.

The "perks" are as you said.  At the hotel..you have a room and perhaps you will get a discount rate for any out of town guests also.  

The "perk" for the church hall is that it is considerably cheaper.  

That is a considerable savings!  However, for the church hall:

(1)  Do they allow alcohol?  (If you were wanting it).  Unlike other church halls, most Catholic Church halls DO allow alcohol.  (I'm Catholic...we like to party! lol)  

(2)  What about table linens?  That is one thing I would be concerned about.  Do they have them?  

(3)  What is this....you need to use "their caterers?"  You mean the church has a caterer that you need to go with?  I have never heard of that.  They usually let you pick your own catering.  But, if that is the case, then I would try to get a taste testing from that particular caterer before you decide.

I would not have a preference either way (hotel or church hall).  YOU do what you want.  They both sound beautiful.  

Good luck with your decision!  Sounds nice....and Thanksgiving weekend to boot!  How fun.