Pennsylvania-Philadelphia

Venue Help in Philly Area (Too Many Requirements/I'm Sorry/Need Advice)

CineRokCineRok member
First Anniversary
edited December 2015 in Pennsylvania-Philadelphia
OK, first please don't call me crazy or say what I want can't be done. I've heard it enough from local friends. I'm hoping someone here has had a similar wedding or can help put my mind at ease.

I'm banking on an October 2016 wedding. No preference in weekend except it can't be the first or the last weekend. Other than that, all good. We'll be getting the ball rolling early in the new year. I know that isn't A LOT of time to plan, but one of my best friends went from proposal to VERY nice wedding in 6 months. I know I can do it.

Cheap is key, we are paying for this ourselves as I'm sure many people are. The three weddings I attended this year were all on a very tight budget and they all turned out very well, but of course I won't use the same venues as they did and the venues aren't in our preferred location anyway.

Here are my crazy requirements. Hopefully someone can suggest a few venues.

-Philadelphia suburb area preferred, within an hour or two radius. The closer the better.

-Somewhere with a parking lot (I know that sounds stupid, but I've been to a wedding recently where we had to be dropped off because parking was limited).

-Near a train station or bus would be great since I don't drive. This isn't a big requirement but it would be helpful. I imagine I will need to get to the venue a lot before the wedding to meet with people so getting there on my own would be a plus. Again, not a big concern.

-This is very important- Something that's in a hotel, next to a hotel, within a very short walk of a hotel. I don't want to do the shuttle thing. I'm sure many people have had great experiences with shuttles, but the few weddings I've gone to with shuttle service just ended up not working out as planned. I'd rather make it easy for people to get to/from their hotel and pop back in there if needed.

-Somewhere that will allow us to have the ceremony there too. 

-Not a big concern- but something that is dog friendly, or if in a hotel the hotel should be dog friendly. We have a dog and we would have no one to watch him. This isn't the biggest deal, but I would hate to ask someone to watch my dog because I'm getting married (and they weren't invited). 

-Something that isn't a very popular wedding venue. Obviously somewhere with a kitchen/bar and somewhere that either has preferred caterers or allows us to bring them. But I'm worried that everything for October 2016 will be booked up already. So a venue that doesn't do a lot of weddings, but can, would be helpful.

Thanks in advance to anyone who may be able to throw some suggestions my way! 
 

Re: Venue Help in Philly Area (Too Many Requirements/I'm Sorry/Need Advice)

  • Have you tried http://partyspace.com/philadelphia/venues ?

    That's how we found our venue - John James Audubon Center (about a mile to a hotel so doesn't fit your walking distance hotel requirement) However, you may want to check out any Jeffery Miller Catering venues :) I know the Lake House Inn has rooms there and its a gorgeous venue.

    The people are also great to work with at those venues! 

    Hope the information helps!
    Lauren W.
  • Not sure if Reading is too far but the Sterling Guest House is beautiful and very reasonable. Food costs are low, it's BYOB and Saturday wedding rental includes something like 14 hotel rooms in the guest house. 
    http://www.stirlingguesthotel.net/
  • Yes, totally agree with Knottie97004998 - check out http://partyspace.com/philadelphia/venues, if you haven't already. They have an excellent compiling of venues and you can search venues based on specified criteria like potential dates, guest counts, etc. My fiancé and I used this site to find our venue and it was super easy.

    Good Luck,
    Jackie
  • If you are looking for cost effective, the Lake House Inn will not fit. That was the first venue I looked at. It's gorgeous. It is the stuff dream weddings are made of. But for a weekend wedding during peak season, you must rent the entire inn and that was upwards of $10k. That is just the rental price. It does not include your food and drinks. Those packages began around $150 pp.


    You're best bet for getting the most for your money maybe to look in the Lehigh Valley area. Allentown/Easton/Bethlehem have some great golf courses, hotels, historic sites that accommodate weddings. The Mauch Chunk Ballroom is in downtown Jim Thorpe. There is an inn within walking distance (I believe it is pet friendly, but don't quote me). A bus line also runs through the downtown so you would be able to get there to plan. It will be gorgeous for October, but crowded so don't hesitate to start planning if you are interested. This is peak fall foliage season so both the ballroom and Inn will book fast.

    GOOD LUCK!

    Daisypath Wedding tickers
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