Trying to choose a wedding reception venue?

Question

I'm pretty low on funds, so I am trying to find a low cost venue for the reception but I have no ideas! Most places I have checked run over $1000 not counting the catering. Any ideas on how to find somewhere easier on the pocketbook? Thanks!

Answer 1

churches, civic centers even parks could all be cheaper and fun

Answer 2

Do you live by water?  If so know anyone who belongs to a yatch club?  It only cost me $500 to rent the room.  The deal was we had to use their food, but it was actually quite affordable and good!

Answer 3

Rent a church basement. If someone has a big house, have it there.  

Answer 4

Hi

There are some good answers that have been posted above. Have you tried local Scouts, Girl Guides, Lions, local but small sporting clubs like that or even (don't laugh) old age facilities like respite centres, nursing homes. I worked for one such respite centre and they purposely had a hall for such activities other than to hold the usual functions for the old people. It was a source of extra income to hire their hall out when not needed and this aided and assisted in giving better care in lifestyle for their clients. You may even find some old ladies would be even helpful in assisting with the catering or decorating of the hall for you? We had all the finery for weddings etc when we needed to get the hall ready.

Hope you find one.

Cya

:)

Answer 5

$1000 sounds about right.  Most of the place my fiance and I booked ran about $100 per person for all inclusive catering (including unlimited open bar) and $1500 for the room rental fee.

Even places that were run by the city (like nature centers/heritage buildings/museums) were a bit cheaper to rent the rooms, but then we would have had to pay for our own liquor license and insurance to have a bar, and that brought the price back up to above $1000.

If you can't find any places cheaper to rent, try saving money on the catering costs by having your wedding on a Friday or Sunday.  We got venue/catering quotes that were 30-50% cheaper per person (for our wedding of over 100 people we saved $5000!) just by having it on a day other than Saturday.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

ifkg

Answer 7

Go off the beaten path.  Call museums, hotels, restaurants and anyone with a banquet hall or meeting facilities.  I don't know where you live, but I live in Chicago.  When I got married, we found that just by moving our wedding one county over, we got a much lower tax rate and could afford a lot more for our reception.  You may have to trim your guest list, depending on how large it is.  If you're getting married in the spring or summer, do you know anyone with a big backyard that will let you have an outdoor reception?  Do you have any type of arboretum or botanical gardens nearby?  My cousin had an absolutely breathtaking wedding at a state park.  They were married outside in a gorgeous area and they had their reception inside in a very nice hall with floor to ceiling windows.

Answer 8

ur wedding day is not supposed to break the bank. look into public places; city parks, churches(assuming u get married in 1 most know u'll be there awhile), state parks(lakes, etc.)if some1 has a big backyard that may not be able to get u sumthing asked for their help with that. have ur dad, uncles or whoever to help clean up if necessary. congrats and good luck!!!!!  

Answer 9

Hi.  Yes, as others have suggested, try local "service clubs" like VFW Halls, Elks Clubs, Lions Clubs, Amvets, etc.

Sometimes some cities/towns even have rentals...like township halls, etc.  

Answer 10

Try the local club lodges, like the Elks club, or Moose lodge, etc. They usually include the bar, and most aren't in it to make money, so you get a great deal. Then look into grocery store delis for catering. You can get great prices on roasted chicken, great side dishes, and salads there. My fiance and i are having our favorite restaurant cater. It's a BBQ ribs place, and the catering prices (and food!) are fantastic.

Or have you looked into the facilities at your local county parks? They're usually pretty affordable too. Plus, you've got the beautiful setting. I know the ones around here have great banquet halls.

Good luck!