Bucks or Lehigh County Area reception venue

FutureMrsM0185

Hi All,

My fiancé and I are looking for a place to host a summer 2017 wedding and reception.  We're trying to look for somewhere budget savvy...we have a guest list of about 150-170 people our families are huge but we love them!  Is it possible to have a wedding sit down dinner for less than $13,000 with open bar and tax and gratuity included?  Newby wedding planner here obviously, any help would be much appreciated!  Ha!  Thank you in advance!

ernursej

Welcome! Area specific questions are best posted on the local boards for that area. General questions like budget (yes, it is possible to have a wedding for that price ... but depends on type of food, area you live in etc.) can be posted on the main boards.  

wandajune6

You may also have more success with finding venues in your area by checking out your local board.

lnixon8

Make a list of your priorities- you and FI. For many people its food, drinks, photography.  Others really care about gorgeous venues, being outside, having a band, flowers, having a photobooth, enormous guestlist, dress etc. Your guest list is big but probably still doable. Cheaper foods include pasta/italian, bbq, having your favorite restaurant cater, brunch or even a simple cake and punch reception.

Keep in mind DIY is not usually cost effective, and you don't need alcohol but if you choose to have it it must be free, all night, for as much as your 21+ guests want to consume. 

scrunchythief

It's definitely doable.  We had 140 people, open bar, Italian food on the border of Chester and Delaware counties, so pretty close:)  It came in around $9,000 for everything.  Our biggest savers were having the reception at a Knights of Columbus hall and getting outside catering from a restaurant.  We also DIY'd the reception music with Spotify and rented speakers and kept decor minimal and inexpensive (I spent $30 on fresh flowers; our centerpieces+a few extra silks and supplies were $100).  

In our area the all inclusive places were WAY more expensive (lowest I found was $60pp, before any decor or music), but you should check them out, since that may not be the case where you live.  If it had been cost effective for us, we would've gone that route to lower stress of planning.

Focus on good hosting and what's actually important to you and you'll find a lot of places to cut, while spending on what you and your guests will actually appreciate.