Non Traditional Venues!?

mklynch216

My fiance and I recently became engaged (yay!) but we are SO discouraged about the options we are finding in CT. We looked at the Barns at Wesleyan Hills, and fell in love, but its tipping our budget at 20,000 just for the site and food, not including dj, dress, photographer, etc. I was hoping to keep the entire event around 20,000. We cant imagine getting married in a traditional banquet hall facility, and I'm all out of ideas! Any suggestions?!?

lulu4150

First, congrats!

How many people are you looking to have at your wedding?  We got married at Mahan's in Wolcott in October.  We had 90 ppl and our entire wedding cost about $17,000.

http://www.mahanscatering.com/ordereze/default.aspx

Christine9866

Congrats!!!

I am getting married at The Barns at Wesleyan Hills in April, FI and I also fell in love!!! Did you check out their sister site The Pavillion at Crystal Lake, I would also take a look at Webb Barn.

SB1512

I am getting married at Grassy Hill Lodge in Derby.  Prices are reasonable, and they already include tax.  There is no service charges either.  With tip, it will probably work out to be around $105 per person I think.  It could be cheaper, but we are opting to add hand passed hor dourves during cocktail hour. 

MichelleBee773

We are getting married at the Webb Barn in Wethersfield. We will have about 100 people at the wedding, and the Webb Barn fit into our budget better than other rustic venues. Also, if you are having 80 people or less, check out Dudley Farm in Guilford. They have a barn and farm to rent for weddings for only $1,500 as a site fee (Webb Barn is $3,500). Both the Webb Barn and Dudley Farm allow you to bring in your own caterer, so you can save a lot there! Good luck!

JodiAriel

I got married at Wickham Park in Manchester.  It was gorgeous.  Rustic log cabin, beautiful gardens.  We did our wedding for ~$20K too.  The catering group Log Rolling/Delaney House has package deals that include the park fee.

Katred08

How about the carousel at Lighthouse Point in New Haven?  It's definitely non traditional...costs can add up since you have to bring EVERYTHING in, but depending on catering choices you can also keep it pretty budget friendly as well.   

MoonlightSilver

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_connecticut_non-traditional-banquet-hall-venue?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:65Discussion:a32b5956-da33-4d39-9e5c-be6ccb961be8Post:4596c37d-0a00-4058-afa5-87de1a5c3e0b">Re: Non Traditional Venues!?</a>:
[QUOTE]I got married at Wickham Park in Manchester.  It was gorgeous.  Rustic log cabin, beautiful gardens.  We did our wedding for ~$20K too.  The catering group Log Rolling/Delaney House has package deals that include the park fee.
Posted by JodiAriel[/QUOTE]

<div>Congratulations on your adorable little babies!!</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>OP - my H and I got married at Mystic Aquarium, which is about as non-traditional of a venue that you can get! The Mystic Seaport also does weddings. Some other good venues are Lighthouse Point Park, Norwalk Aquarium, St Clements Castle (this one is expensive), and the barns mentioned above.</div><div>
</div><div>If prices are still too high, consider having a Friday / Sunday wedding, or a wedding in the "off season" (late fall, winter, early spring). Good luck!</div>

mklynch216

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_connecticut_non-traditional-banquet-hall-venue?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:65Discussion:a32b5956-da33-4d39-9e5c-be6ccb961be8Post:4596c37d-0a00-4058-afa5-87de1a5c3e0b">Re: Non Traditional Venues!?</a>:
[QUOTE]I got married at Wickham Park in Manchester.  It was gorgeous.  Rustic log cabin, beautiful gardens.  We did our wedding for ~$20K too.  The catering group Log Rolling/Delaney House has package deals that include the park fee.
Posted by JodiAriel[/QUOTE]


Thank you EVERYONE for your responses! Looking on the website for Wickham Park it says that the cabin is for dancing and the dj, but people sit under the tent? Is that weird?

JodiAriel

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_connecticut_non-traditional-banquet-hall-venue?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:65Discussion:a32b5956-da33-4d39-9e5c-be6ccb961be8Post:ae17e040-2c2b-4080-baf2-89fbbb7edc0d">Re: Non Traditional Venues!?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Non Traditional Venues!? : Thank you EVERYONE for your responses! Looking on the website for Wickham Park it says that the cabin is for dancing and the dj, but people sit under the tent? Is that weird?
Posted by mklynch216[/QUOTE]

No it worked out great because tge dance floor wasnt in the middle of everything but you could hear the music (at a reasonable volume) under the tent. The cabin and tent are attached.

<a href="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/2/6/b20d949b-ad4c-46db-8616-83ac71cad20c.large.jpg" title="Click to view a larger photo" class="PhotoLink"> <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/2/6/b20d949b-ad4c-46db-8616-83ac71cad20c.medium.jpg" alt="" /></a>

Ignore the cheesy grin but that is the connecting space between the cabin and tent.  Let me know if you have more ?'s or want to see more pictures

TwoPourGuys

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kendel99

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_connecticut_non-traditional-banquet-hall-venue?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:65Discussion:a32b5956-da33-4d39-9e5c-be6ccb961be8Post:1364f9d8-882f-498f-9076-d0b09454e1d8">Re: Non Traditional Venues!?</a>:
[QUOTE]Congrats!!! I am getting married at The Barns at Wesleyan Hills in April, FI and I also fell in love!!! Did you check out their sister site The Pavillion at Crystal Lake, I would also take a look at Webb Barn.
Posted by Christine9866[/QUOTE]

Hi Christine, what are the price ranges for them?

Kaleigh816

I was also looking for a non traditional venue and am working with a similar budget.  I ended up choosing the Boathouse in Hartford.  Its on the river and has nice views of the city.  Also has a large covered deck (which was a big selling point for me - wanted outdoor space!)  

http://www.riverfront.org/boathouse/photo_gallery/