Gothic Weddings

my vision and sad budget...

Sooo... I want to have a Halloween themed wedding in a castle/goth like location somewhere in NY, NJ or even PA. I wanted to originally have it in Salem but that's harder than it seems and might be a bit too far for most of our guests. Anyway, we're thinking about 150-200 people but we have a sad budget of only 12,000-ish :-( 

I'm more than ok with a caterer who does family style dinners. I think a buffet might be a tad too tacky or annoying but family style is a good enough compromise. I'm an artist so I'm capable of making almost everything myself as far as decor, favors, ect so I'll save $$ there.  Basically what I need advice on now is finding a caterer that's fairly cheap in the tri-state area (or PA) who will serve family style dinners (hopefully around $50 per person or less) and a location that's fun and gothic and Halloween that will let me bring in this mysterious caterer. 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated :-) 

Re: my vision and sad budget...

  • Well, I have a friend who has a smaller budget than that. I'm not exactly sure how much she was paying, but if you're okay with NY/NJ, Connecticut might be another option. Where she's planning on having the wedding, and with a similar size, at a place called Bill Miller's Castle. They put their price as $$/person. Catering is on site and what not.
    Visit Gothic.weddings.com image "The death of a beautiful woman, is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world. " - Poe
  • I would maybe check out this place:
    http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/stokesay-castle-reading/website/96e97c0d40f89ee4.html
    I have no idea what pricing is but through the grapevine I heard it was reasonable.  I was going to check them out but when the PA Rennisance Faire was in my budget I jumped on it.
    Even if they are initially not in your price range, remember EVERYTHING is negotiable! :)
    ~*~ Lord and Lady Lombardi ~*~ Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • $12,000 isn't a small budget. I'm spending around $6,000 for a wedding for 120 people, so it's definitely manageable. I'm paying $12/ per person for food (It would be $13 if I chose family style though, but since we're having round tables I don't want to do a family style meal because there would not be enough room for the food on the table), the price is so cheap because I found a great location in a small town that's a little bit out of the way for guests, but we're having the ceremony in the same town so it works out perfectly. 
  • Have you taken a look thru any Weird NJ articles or hit up the Bureau of Tourism in Jersey?  
    I know there's a fantastic location down along the way to Princeton that's an old house with a rolling lawn down to a lake. It's part of the Parks Department and can be rented for on the cheaper side.
    Contact some of your favorite local restaurants about catering/take out. You can almost always find servers on Craigslist or the like if you decide not to go the tuxedoed buffet service route.
    I'm sure you'll be able to pull of your Halloween vision for your budget in New Jersey if you're willing to do the legwork. Best of luck! Let me know if I can be of any other help.

    Visit Gothic.weddings.com Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • I'm definitely willing to do the legwork! Thanks so much for everyone's responses :-)

    I'm going to check out Bill Miller's castle and the PA ren faire sounds awesome! 
  • That's a pretty cool idea to have your Halloween wedding in Salem!--but it made me sad when you referred to buffet-style receptions as "tacky" . . . our goth wedding budget is even smaller than yours, and unfortunately, our reception will have a buffet-style arrangement of num nums. I don't feel as though it's tacky--but to each her own, I suppose. =(
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