Finding a venue

LSChic · October 2014

How do we go about finding a venue for under $50/person. Right now I feel like I'm just randomly searching venues and checking prices. At this rate, it's going to take me forever to find the right venue for the right price.

Is there a way that's more efficient?

CMGragain · October 2014

Change the time of your wedding to a late morning ceremony, and then serve brunch at your reception. Not only will it be half the cost of a dinner reception, but people don't drink as much in the daytime, and you can serve mimosas instead of a full bar.

LSChic · October 2014

That's really not the issue. The issue is that I just don't want to call/email all the venues in our area. I wish there were some way to know which venues were the cheapest so I could just contact them.

I know this site has venues listed by "$"'s. My problem is that each dollar sign is a pretty big range.

beethery · October 2014

LSChic said:

That's really not the issue. The issue is that I just don't want to call/email all the venues in our area. I wish there were some way to know which venues were the cheapest so I could just contact them.

I know this site has venues listed by "$"'s. My problem is that each dollar sign is a pretty big range.

If you want the prices, you're going to have to get in touch with them. Make a spreadsheet with their rates, that way you can keep track more easily.

MobKaz · October 2014

It might help to narrow your search down by location or number of guests. If you are having only 50 guests, some venues will not accept such a small number. Conversely, if you are hosting 200 guests, there may be a limited number of venues that can accommodate a large group. Checking venues based solely on "$50/person" will also be misleading. Each venue may include different items within that per person cost. At some venues, that cost may include a full bar, your cake, and even some decor. At another venue, that per person price may barely include your entree. Unfortunately, selecting the right venue takes a lot of time and research.

CMGragain · October 2014

No easy way to do this. I found that most venues will not give prices out, even over the phone. They want you to walk in so they can give their sales pitch. This will take a lot of time and effort on your part.
The venues listed om The Knot are there because they PAY to be listed. Don't accept being listed on TK as a recommendation. Google is your friend.
Don't forget to include taxes and tips in your cost estimates. My daughter's wedding cost $32 pp., but by the time you added in room fees, local and state taxes and tips and drinks, that cost was much, much higher! We paid about $9000 for a brunch reception for 135. This was a bargain in the Washington, DC area.

NYCMercedes · October 2014

LSChic said:

How do we go about finding a venue for under $50/person. Right now I feel like I'm just randomly searching venues and checking prices. At this rate, it's going to take me forever to find the right venue for the right price.

Is there a way that's more efficient?

as PP said, make a spreadsheet. Ask your friends and acquaintances. Research online and start sending emails. Make phone calls. Eliminate most of them and start visiting and calling the ones that are likely prospects.

esstee33 · October 2014

Echoing what PPs have said, in that you're just going to have to suck it up and start calling or emailing. Some venues will have their rates listed on their websites, but many won't.

Another idea is to post to your local board. Depending on where you are, there many be many venues in that price range, or very few. Posting to your local board that you're looking for a venue around $50 allows other Knotties to recommend places to start your search in, at least! And you'll likely end up with some venues that aren't listed on TK.

jenna8984 · October 2014

I agree with kobkaz that there are other factors. You should look on websites to narrow it down a little. Example- a place with a garden ceremony, an indoor reception space, offers a consumption bar, accommodates 125 people with a dance floor.

Use whatever items you are interested in obviously, but then take the 10 that meet that criteria and just call them for prices. Don't start calling 300 places for prices if they might not offer other things you're interested in.

lyndausvi · October 2014

Sorry to say but you have to have to actually work to find a venue. Even the Ritz has a $50 per person food option, but you have to ask to get it.

Almie425 · October 2014

There are also some regional editions of certain magazines (like The Knot, New England etc.) this will also allow you to gather more ideas. I agree with PP to post on a local board for more suggestions. Other than than, I spent a ton of time on google, and visiting, calling, emailing potential venues.... Some wedding coordinators may offer a free consultation, they have a wealth of knowledge regarding specific areas and may be helpful, especially if you hire them as a wedding coordinator/day of coordinator. Alternatively, you can research wedding planners in your area, they may have a blog section on their website detailing weddings they have worked and where they were held. You can use this for ideas, but it won't give you the price. Lastly, you can go to some bridal shows in your area.

ShesSoCold · October 2014

LSChic said:

That's really not the issue. The issue is that I just don't want to call/email all the venues in our area. I wish there were some way to know which venues were the cheapest so I could just contact them.

I know this site has venues listed by "$"'s. My problem is that each dollar sign is a pretty big range.

Um. Call me old fashioned but I believe you need to ask questions to get answers. It's really very easy - you call or email a place and say, "I'm in the beginning stages of planning a wedding and your venue looks beautiful. Could you please send me your banquet menu and any wedding packages you offer?" . And bam. Done. Depending on the size of your guest list, you could also look at restaurants. They tend to be cheaper and don't include extra charges. I got married at a beautiful upscale downtown restaurant and food and bar was 100% of the bill. No other fees.

beethery · October 2014

ShesSoCold said:

LSChic said:

That's really not the issue. The issue is that I just don't want to call/email all the venues in our area. I wish there were some way to know which venues were the cheapest so I could just contact them.

I know this site has venues listed by "$"'s. My problem is that each dollar sign is a pretty big range.

Um. Call me old fashioned but I believe you need to ask questions to get answers. It's really very easy - you call or email a place and say, "I'm in the beginning stages of planning a wedding and your venue looks beautiful. Could you please send me your banquet menu and any wedding packages you offer?" . And bam. Done. Depending on the size of your guest list, you could also look at restaurants. They tend to be cheaper and don't include extra charges. I got married at a beautiful upscale downtown restaurant and food and bar was 100% of the bill. No other fees.

YES to the bolded. A closed mouth don't get fed. Get in touch with vendors. I don't like calling people, so I emailed as many as I could and got very fast responses with rate sheets. Took no time at all. When I had to call places, I gave them my email address so they could send me the rate sheets. Wasn't a long drawn-out phone call.

blabla89 · October 2014

beethery said:

ShesSoCold said:

LSChic said:

That's really not the issue. The issue is that I just don't want to call/email all the venues in our area. I wish there were some way to know which venues were the cheapest so I could just contact them.

I know this site has venues listed by "$"'s. My problem is that each dollar sign is a pretty big range.

Um. Call me old fashioned but I believe you need to ask questions to get answers. It's really very easy - you call or email a place and say, "I'm in the beginning stages of planning a wedding and your venue looks beautiful. Could you please send me your banquet menu and any wedding packages you offer?" . And bam. Done. Depending on the size of your guest list, you could also look at restaurants. They tend to be cheaper and don't include extra charges. I got married at a beautiful upscale downtown restaurant and food and bar was 100% of the bill. No other fees.

YES to the bolded. A closed mouth don't get fed. Get in touch with vendors. I don't like calling people, so I emailed as many as I could and got very fast responses with rate sheets. Took no time at all. When I had to call places, I gave them my email address so they could send me the rate sheets. Wasn't a long drawn-out phone call.

I'm going to add to this: make sure you ask about any other fees that aren't included in the pricing information they give you. Then make a spreadsheet of all the different costs for each venue so that you can compare the total cost.

You might also want to look for venues that allow you to use a caterer of your choice, and caterers that will do the food within your budget.

CMGragain · October 2014

If you don't want to do all this work, you can always hire a wedding planner to do it for you.

Knottie56437995 · February 2015

You could also find an off site caterer that you like and ask them for recommendations.

LabLove86 · February 2015

You either have to do the leg work to get the answers or do as @CMGragain says and pay a planner to do so.

I did a lot of research online, the places we were interested in I emailed and asked for pricing. Once we had all of the pricing (there was one place that would only give pricing during a consultation), we made our decision on which venues to visit from there. I think I emailed about 8 places; we visited 3. The last place was the top of our price range but it fit our wedding vision perfectly.

Wedding planning in general is going to be a lot of research and decision making.

Finding a venue

Re: Finding a venue

Choose Another Board

Search Boards