The Houstonian

kriskh

Hey ladies! My friend got engaged this weekend and was thinking of having her wedding at the houstonian! Shes not into forums and boards so i thought i'd try to get some info for her! Does anyone know what their rental/valet/ and food and bev minimum is?? The more information the better, thanks!!

amy40311

I looked there. They were pricey I think their least expensive package was $70/per person. But I was only interested in the buffet dinner so seated might be less expensive. Tell your friend good luck!

mtsookasem

Seated dinner is typically more expensive than buffet - FYI.

sweet__pea

[QUOTE]Seated dinner is typically more expensive than buffet - FYI.
Posted by mtsookasem[/QUOTE]

Um, actually, not true.  Plated dinners are usually more economical, as the plate is portioned, as opposed to a buffet.  Depending on the food setup (hotel catered vs private caterer) your costs will vary depending on the number of servers you will need to waitstaff.  In your case, at the Houstonian, the staff is already there and you would still have to pay for them, so the cost of a plated dinner would be more economical, since it is a portioned meal.  I hope this makes sense!  :)

mtsookasem

All of the venues I have come across charge more for seated dinner, but I see what you are saying. Thanks for correcting me!

kriskh

so is there also a rental fee along with the 70/per person fee?

sweet__pea

[QUOTE]All of the venues I have come across charge more for seated dinner, but I see what you are saying. Thanks for correcting me!
[/QUOTE]

It will depend on the whether it's a hotel or not.  In this instance, The Houstonian IS a hotel and they already have the staff, so a plated dinner would be more cost effective.  In a different setting, where a private caterer is contracted, then it ends up costing the same or more due to extra waitstaff needed vs servers at buffet station.  ;)

sweet__pea

[QUOTE]so is there also a rental fee along with the 70/per person fee?
[/QUOTE]

What do you mean by rental fee?  In every venue/caterer, you will be charged a fee per person (food, etc.), but in addition, a service fee + taxes.  Keep in mind, this does NOT include alcohol or soft drinks.  It will vary per company, so basically you have to read your quote and/or contract.  Hope this helps!

amy40311

In Response to <a href="http://houston.weddings.com/Sites/weddings/Pages/main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-houston_houstonian?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:121Discussion:0f2f413e-33b8-426b-9729-10bc865f078ePost:10abf0d9-ee82-4889-acfd-0706736e195e">Re: The Houstonian</a>:
[QUOTE]so is there also a rental fee along with the 70/per person fee?
Posted by kriskh[/QUOTE]

<div>From what I remember (I toured back in February), there was no additional rental fee per se... I think it's all bundled in the per person price, but if she's planning on having the ceremony on location there are set up fees and ceremony fees as well as chair rentals (if your friend is going to have the ceremony outdoors), so that's where they get you. Also they charge for audio/sound system set up even if your DJ is the one to provide it.</div><div>
</div><div>The $70/per person did NOT include the bar, so if she's planning on having alcohol at the wedding look at an additional $30+ per person over 21 depending on what level of liquor she gets.</div><div>
</div><div>The one nice thing I will say is that The Houstonian does not charge for self parking, lots of hotels will make valet the only option and that's an addition $7-10 per car. They will reserve 3 levels of their parking garage for your guests only, at least that's what I was told.</div><div>
</div><div>The reason I didn't go with the Houstonian (even though it's gorgeous!) was the value for what I was spending, the size of the reception ballroom itself (I thought getting 250 in there was a SQUEEZE), and also I didn't want random hotel guests milling around during my ceremony (there's really no logical way for them to block off the space), but Jim (the event manager) was fantastic to work with! Can't say enough good things about him, he broke everything down and really took his time during our initial tour. GL!</div>