Recently Engaged/Looking for affordable venue near the water..HELP!

ddeyorio

Hi Everyone!

My boyfriend of 9 years and I are finally engaged!! You would think I would have more ideas (seeing I have had plenty of time to think about it lol) but I feel totally lost!
My family and I have spent every summer down in RI and we have a HUGE sentimental attachment to the area. My mom even moved to Charlestown a few years ago to be closer to the ocean. We have started to look at venue spaces and but it has been kinda stressful. We are trying to find a venue that has views of the water but it also affordable. We have looked at a few in Newport but the price is a little intimidating. (However, we do love Belle Mer and would even consider doing a Friday so it would be more affordable). I guess at this point my fiance and I are just looking for some advice or any ideas of venues that locals/RI brides may have. We are looking to have around 125-150 guests.

Thank you in advance

dberrett

I had my reception at Regatta Place in October. Did you look there? They're literally across the road from Belle Mer. Definitely more affordable, too! It is on a dock overlooking Newport Harbor. You can get package deals (in 2010 when I was looking, anyway, lol) for $75/person. Unfortunately, Newport does tend to be pricier, especially when you want it near the water. Regatta Place was amazing - check them out! We did ours on the Sunday of Columbus Day Weekend and saved quite a bit of money b/c it was a Sunday.
Also scope out the Atlantic Beach Club. It's technically in Middletown but it's right on the beach overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Very reasonably priced and a beautiful spot!
Keep in mind that many places will work with you to stay in your budget!

URIsweethearts

I am having my September wedding at the Atlantic beach club. We are having about the same guest count as you and as dberrett mentioned, it's very reasonably priced with a beautiful view of the ocean. Her venue, regatta place is also. Nice spot, in a tent on the water. We would have looked there as well but FI said no tents! Haha. Good luck.

BelleandIzzy

First and foremost, congratulations!

Secondly, shortly after getting engaged my fiance and I were searching for the same thing. Affordable but on the water. We are having our reception at The Towers in Narragansett right on the water. Since we are on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend we are paying significantly less for our rental fee ($1950 for Fridays or Sundays as a non-resident versus $2600 for a Saturday).  

What is great about the Towers is that though you pay a rental fee and must rent your tables/chairs from them, you then have your choice as far as caterers which can help you save a LOT of money.  Whereas many all inclusive venues have some flexibility in their menus/packages, they also have a bottom line they won't go beneath to ensure your event is worth booking out their venue for that day.  When you book your own caterer you can go as simple or extravagent as you like. Additionally our caterer lets us provide our own booze which is saving us about $3,000 off what it would have cost to have a similar top-shelf open bar provided by the caterer (plus we can keep/return anything left over). Compared with other things we are saving on we are doing our entire wedding for about $20,000 cheaper than the quotes I received for several all inclusive venues across the bay in Newport.  

Of course the one downside to renting out a place like The Towers is that if you are not on top of everything (the rentals, plus catering, etc.) it can wind up costing just as much as going with an all inclusive venue.  For me, I have worked in catering/events before and I have enjoyed comparing linen prices, working with our caterer to customize our menu, etc.  But it's not for everyone.  

I have also heard great things about the North Beach Club House in Narragansett but I think their max is 100.  

Oh and one more tip, whatever you decide, when meeting with venues make sure to check if they have vendor claues in their contracts.  Some places only let you use certain vendors and/or require that you book your vendors through them.  At the end of the day that can also tack more onto your final bill because you may wind up paying more for a photographer or other vendor because they only let certain vendors work on site.  Just another thing to keep in mind before choosing your venue. 

Take deep breaths...you will find the absolute perfect place for you and you'll know it when you see it.  Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions about the Towers!  

tclopes

Welcome and congrats on your engagement!

There are plenty of great places in Newport on the water - all at different price points so I think you will definitely find a place you will love.  The Atlantic Beach Club, the Regatta, etc. are all great!  Have you also considered the Hyatt?  They are right on the water as well.  Great views!

I am getting married at Belle Mer (the Salon) and can't say enough great things about it!  It will be a Friday night (most Saturdays were already booked) and our band was only available on a Friday night as well (the band was a must lol!).  By having our wedding on a Friday we saved ALOT.  And I was able to negotiate with them on the price.  Our wedding coordinator there has been fabulous and wonderful to work with.  So I say you should reach out to them and see if they can work with your budget  - you never know.  

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions about Belle Mer!

ddeyorio

Thanks for all the information ladies! I have actually inquired to many of the places you guys have mentioned. I was thinking about going to the bridal show that is at the Towers this weekend so I could see the inside. I think there might be a few other venues there as well. I wouldn't mind going through a caterer as long as they guided me in the right direction BelleandIzzy: is there an outdoor area that is part of the venue space or is most of it up in the towers? Does the caterer help you figure out what you would need to buy things for your own bar? I would probably be clueless lol tclopes: I noticed you said you were able to negotiate the price at Belle Mer. Were you able to reduce the minimum event price? We loved the Island House there and the coordinator seemed really nice! It had everything I was looking for (including my fire pit that I have always wanted!!) but I wasn't sure if there was any wiggle room with them. Thanks again!!

BelleandIzzy

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_rhode-island_recently-engagedlooking-affordable-venue-near-waterhelp?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:122Discussion:f109701a-f84e-4d57-812a-7edfae00eb86Post:c1976358-f89d-4c63-9be2-657c650e63f9">Re: Recently Engaged/Looking for affordable venue near the water..HELP!</a>:
[QUOTE] BelleandIzzy: is there an outdoor area that is part of the venue space or is most of it up in the towers? Does the caterer help you figure out what you would need to buy things for your own bar? [/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>Definitely hit up the bridal show to see The Towers in person; we planned and booked our venues from 3,000 miles away (we had family members visit and take additional pics for us) and it took my breath away when I finally saw it in person this past October!  </div><div>
</div><div>There is an outdoor courtyard that they use for the cocktail hour and then the rest of the reception is usually upstairs.  There is also a small deck with french doors from the upstairs that looks out over the water.  If you wanted to do you ceremony there too I know that some brides have as well and they have options for that.  </div><div>
</div><div>As for caterers, most are pretty experienced with off-site events (meaning they are used to advising their clients on what they will need at a space like the Towers, providing your own bar, etc).  The Towers has a preferred vendor list only in terms that as a historic building they need to ensure your vendors, particularly the caterer, have the correct insurance and know how to set up in a historic place (the load in/out is sort of tricky and they need to set-up ice and other things in a way that won't damage the wooden floors, etc.)The Towers coordinator Kate Vivian is helpful (though can be hard to get a hold of at first) and will provide a list of about 12 caterers they prefer that have worked there a lot. You can also submit other caterers for approval though too.</div><div>
</div><div>For us, we booked with <a href="http://www.westbaygourmet.com/" rel="nofollow">West Bay Gourmet </a>and K.C. BIshop (the owner) has been fantastic.  She worked with us to develop a menu within our price point and was helpful with budget saving options (such as serving mini beef wellingtons during cocktail hour versus steak as an entree).  We had our tasting in October and it was delicious! Their prices may go up in the coming year but we booked the basic bar service which is $5.95 per person (for the whole night, not per hour) and includes ice, mixers, bartenders, and insurace (the biggie; that's the area of catering my fiance and I have worked in as bartenders and you want to ensure they have insurance).  K.C. has advised us on how much to purchase of each liquor, etc. based on our guest list but we also have experience as that since we have worked as cater bartenders.  There are also helpful charts/calculators online too, such as this one: <a href="http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/weddings/wedding-wine-liquor-calculator-00000000008314/index.html" rel="nofollow"> http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/weddings/wedding-wine-liquor-calculator-00000000008314/index.html</a></div><div>K.C. has also advised us on rentals (plates, glasses, etc.) and we discovered that purchasing our linens was cheaper than renting. </div><div>
</div><div>If you do decide to go this route, researching brides who used The Towers, Kinney Bungalow, or the North Beach Club House helped me in my planning because those are all "raw" spaces in terms that you and/or your caterer have to supply everything.  But again, most caterers who have worked at these sites are more than familiar with this and will assist in advising you on alll of it. </div><div>
</div><div>Hope this helped and feel free to shoot any additional questions my way!</div><div>
</div><div>Erin </div><div>
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tclopes

Yes I was able to negotiate the event minimum I know a few others were able to do the same. The worse they can say is no so it's worth asking. Good luck and I really hope it works out for you!

LOMLBOAT

Congrats on the engagement!!!

I am also getting married at Belle Mer!  I am having it in the Island House, they negotiated the price for me to the off-season rate, even though I was in May (the beginning).  They also reduced the site fee.  Honestly, with all the food/drink, we have easily reached our event minimum (although we have 180 guests).  We worked with Nichole Wardle and she was nothing but INCREDIBLE!!  She was emailing us at 10 pm to answer all our questions before even booking.  Now we are working with Emily who is always available and trying to help us think of out-of-the-box ideas.

I saw about 10 places in Newport and did all the reseach, but my FI and I just realized that no matter what, we need the place that felt right and Belle Mer did that.

GL and let me know if you have any other questions!!!

bells24412

Congrats!  I am getting married at Quidnessett CC i think it is beautiful and it is affordable compared to a lot of places i was looking at. They have 2 rooms. Also, i know you want to get married in South County, but look into the Warwick Country Club, it is right on the water beautiful setting. There is as everyone else mentioned the ABC club, the Tower which is very beautiful.

Goodluck and happy planning!

tclopes

Lomboat - I'm working with Emily as well.  She is absolutely FABULOUS!!!!

LOMLBOAT

Yes she is!!  I've had like 3 different event coordinators and she has been just wonderful to us!

LooLooBell1

Erin,

We are also looking to get our liquor supply independent from the caterer to save some money. Could you pm me and let me know who you are using?Thanks!

BelleandIzzy

Message sent

kristin1007

If your'e willing to travel go to Mystic CT...the seaport is right on the water

RoyalOrient

Congrats and welcome to the board! If you have time, please don't forget to "register" on the Knottie Intro thread stickied at the top of the forum. 

As for venues by the water, Easton Beach Rotunda is right on the water with a spectacular ocean view. You will need to use your own caterer but it is relatively budget friendly.A few otherr venues not always on the radar is DeWolfe Tavern and Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol. 

http://www.cityofnewport.com/departments/enterprise-fund/ballroom/home.cfm

http://www.dewolftavern.com/

http://www.herreshoff.org/schedule_event.html

amhill87

We are having our ceremony at Colt State Park in the Chapel by the Sea and then our reception is at Jackie's Galaxy right in Bristol.  We have the same size guest list and it was reasonable.