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Planning a wedding/ reception at King's Gap--need some help

badams79badams79 member
First Comment
in Pennsylvania-Central
My wedding and reception are going to be at Kings Gap State Park in Carlisle, PA. I need some help trying to find a caterer and a place to rent a tent for the reception. My budget is on the low end since we are expecting about 125 people, I cant afford to pay $60 a plate. Also, I do not really care for a DJ, but would like to play music..any advice?
I have until May, but the only thing left to do is feed the guest which is pretty important.
Any suggestions would be great...

Also, we are renting the rooms at the mansion for the weekend, has anyone ever stayed there before?
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Re: Planning a wedding/ reception at King's Gap--need some help

  • kathleenmaevekathleenmaeve member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    High Peak Rentals will rent tents in the area.  Apparently, if you go with their gold and white striped tent (it does NOT look like a circus tent; it's actually very pretty.  I've seen it set up for weddings in photos) it's around $660 for a 40x60. 

    As for catering, I've heard good things about Chef Exclusive based out of Boiling Springs.  They're doing free tastings for people getting married in 2011 and 2012.  I priced out a sample menu for myself and it's definitely not around $60 a head.

    Good luck; I toyed with the idea of the mansion earlier in the planning and I bet it will be gorgeous!
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  • leigordleigord member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I was there this July for a weekend. Very pretty.  The wedding ceremony was outside and they held the reception in the mansion (I think there were about 100 people there).  I know the wedding party stayed upstairs in the mansion.  However there is no air conditioning in the mansion and it was extremely hot b/c it was the middle of July.
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  • knottie53daf9dde994016cknottie53daf9dde994016c member
    Eighth Anniversary 10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    As for the music, if you have a lap top you can create a play list using itunes, windows media player or win amp (best in my opinion) and rent/borrow some good audio equipment, and have a friend monitor the computer every once and a while. They offer a lot of wedding friendly compliation disks in stores or even shop on itunes. Best about it is you get to play what you want to hear (oh the horror stories of bad DJ music at weddings!) If you want disco lights and such, you can always find something like $10 or less at walmart or party city.  Personally, I think a DJ is a waste of money considering the DIY method above.  I've known people who would find a friend who likes doing audio/music stuff and ask them to be the DJ in lieu of a present.  This can save $500.00 +/-.  However, consdiering your 125 person wedding, I don't know if your sound needs may be met with a DIY method but I would test it out in your backyard or something and see if it's worth it.
    ~*~ Lord and Lady Lombardi ~*~ Wedding Countdown Ticker
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  • DolphinsGirl1DolphinsGirl1 member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    i am going to a wedding there in the beginning of October. I will let you know how it turns out!!
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  • Virgo68Virgo68
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I'm getting married at King's Gap in June 2011, and we have signed with Chef Exclusive out of Boiling Springs. Julie Dibble does the chef's scheduling for him, and she's great to work with. The prices seemed reasonable -- we are only having 50 people but still wanted to keep things as simple and inexpensive as possible. We had a tasting a few weeks ago with salmon and chicken and the food was amazing.

    We are going to use Event Central in Mechanicsburg to rent china, flatware, etc. I don't know how much their tents cost, but they do have pricing online, or you can call or stop by their showroom. We'll be eating in the dining room so won't be renting a tent.

    Also, I don't know anyone who has stayed there, but I do kind of know someone who works there, cooking when they have training, meetings, etc. They do a lot of repeat business, I think, which is a good sign that you get good service!

    Best of luck!

    Jen
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  • badams79badams79 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    thanks for all the advice. i will definately look into all of them
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  • pinklady717pinklady717
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Jen, it sounds like we are having a very similiar wedding!

    I am also using Event Central for tent, dance floor, tables, chairs, china etc.
    And I am using Chef Exclusive as my chef, and so far they have been a pleasure to work with. They are affordable, and I had a private tasting at my home where Chef White and another Chef came and prepared my wedding dinner for myself, my fiance, and my family. It was delicious!! Hopefully the food at the wedding is just as good as the tasting. I was looking for someone who had had Chef Exclusive for a wedding before, just to find out how it went.

    My wedding is June 25th, when is yours?
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