New Jersey

North NJ venue help!

Hi fellow knotties! Newly engaged and so excited to start the planning process. My fiancé and I are both from northern NJ and plan to have our wedding at a venue in this area. We are in the process of starting to make appointments to see these venues but I was hoping for a guide on pricing on some of these places before hand. We are looking at dates available in May 2016 or also September/October 2016. Hoping to come in between $175-190 person including tax and service charge, our guest list is currently over 250 people. We plan on slimming it down to 250 max. Being realistic we know the venues we are looking at will be over budget for Saturday night weddings during prime season, although Saturday is ideal we aren't opposed to Friday evening or Sunday as a last resort. Venue options.... -the Venetian - the westmount cc - the rockleigh cc - the grove - park savoy - florentine gardens - pleasantdale chateau (would be a dream come true but I am certain it is far out of budget) It would be awesome if you could share your quotes at these venues just so that we can have an idea of where we stand budget wise. Thanks so much and happy planning to you all!!!

Re: North NJ venue help!

  • Hi! While I'd love to offer advice, I'm in Alabama so my advice would suck. Try your local board. This is an international board so while a few posters are local to you, you will probably have more luck in a local board.
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  • The park savoy will cost you 250 a head..at least..for those months. The price will go down in November and december. We got a great deal (in your budget) on the Saturday before easter for 150 people. They do Thursday Friday and Saturday weddings. We booked with them 16 months out though because they are in high demand.
  • Pleasantdale will be out of your budget on a Fri/Sat, not sure about Sunday, but we had the same budget and had to go on a  weekday to get the price we wanted
  • First congratulations on your engagement!!! Try Crystal Plaza in Livingston...
  • The Hilton in Short Hills is beautiful.  It has more of a hotel feel obviously, but its worth a look.
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  • Thank you all! Helpful advice :)
  • I was the MOH for my best friend's wedding The Westmount back in 2012.  They booked in 2010 and I think their rate for a Sunday night was somewhere around $165. Gosh I can't believe that was 5 years ago now that I think about it.  Their prices may have gone up though.  Would you consider a Sunday night?  Sunday's give a little more budget room than Fridays but I know it can be tough for many guests with work on Mondays.

    We're actually looking to book Nanina's.  I can't tell you what their May / Sept / Oct prices are, but I can tell you that a Thursday night wedding is $120 a person (so $156 with tax and gratuity). They also own Park Savoy.  I think their prime season rate is $250 a head, all inclusive. 

    Just a thought... I've read a lot of brides who negotiated a lower rate per plate but guaranteed a higher head count.  Since you can easily top 250 guests from your post, I would consider looking at their rates at a 200 person guarantee, and then see if you can negotiate if you bring the count up to 250.

    Most venues have a set cap that they look to make on a given night in a given season. You can calculate that by mulitplying their minimums by the cost per person (with tax and gratuities).  Many brides have been able to book a venue with a lower guest count by negotiating to use the difference in add ons... if that venue would already be making their minimum at 200 people for a Friday or Saturday (The Ventian has 200 person minimum for a Friday) then you might have a negotiation point to get a lower cost per person if you add another 50 people on top. 

    Do the math- 200 people at $250 a person is $50K.... 250 people at $200 a person is $50K. They still reach their minimum and you get the venue.  This won't always work, but I've seen many brides say it's worked for them!
  • I am getting married at the IL Villaggio in Carlstadt.  The place is beautiful and the food is TO-DIE-FOR!!!   They were very professional, accommodating and they will work with your budget.
  • The Westmount will be in your budget for a Friday night and possibly a Saturday as well.  The Seasons will too (same owners as the venetian)

     

  • I just went to Westmount for pricing for a winter wedding and I believe they said their prime rates are $175 for a Saturday plus 22% service and 7% tax. Not sure what tip was and not positive about a Friday. Although my wedding will be in the winter, I am most likely going with Seasons! It is beautiful
  • Il Tulipano is definitely in your price range as well as the Tides Estate and The Palace at Somerset Park - maybe try checking those out. Most of the places you mentioned are well over $200 for Fridays and Saturdays in the months you are looking at (I have found that Fridays are treated pretty comparable to Saturdays so there's not usually a huge difference). Also, I was quoted in the "high 200's" for a Saturday at Crystal Plaza for May 2016. I know Florentine Gardens has a minimum headcount of 175 for Friday and 200 for Saturdays, so maybe use the negotiation factor to your advantage here (especially for a Friday). 
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