Winterthur Weddings

[Deleted User]

Are there any Winterthur brides on here? I have desperately fallen in love with winterthur and I fear I may not be able to afford it. Has anyone had a budgeted wedding there? I want to do the ceremony at the reflecting pond and reception at the visitors center. I'm looking at 100 people and I'm trying to keep it around 20,000. Is this even possible? It would be very bare bones, no upgrades. Has anyone had any luck with this? Anyone book winterthur for the ceremony and gone else where for the reception? I'm not in love with the visitors center. 

Any other suggestions for a cheaper winterthur like aspect? Has to be a garden and the staircase was a huge selling point for me. 

Any suggestions from anyone who has been through it would be great! Thanks

wicked+faery

i looked into it when i first started planning a few years ago...all i can tell u is that the space rental alone (depending on which area) is between $2,000-$5,000 for areas that can hold 100+. then food is about $100 per guest for food.

so for 1 of the cheaper areas, u're looking at $2,000 + ($100 x 100) = $12,000 for just space and food. Then the rentals (linens & china, lighting, chairs) will be additional as well as anything more than a "basic cake" which from experience means the base cost of the cake (usually $3 per slice worth) without anything in the way of design. from there, a simple design is an additional $2 per slice & a custom/intricate design is an additional $4 per slice. so that's free for 100 servings of cake, $200 for a simple cake, & $400 for a "specialty" cake.

Rentals for 26 people, at my wedding came to just under $600 (not including chairs, cause mine were free), so it'd be safe to assume that rentals for 100 people would be at least $2,400.

so now u're estimate is looking like $2,000 (space) + $10,000 (food) + $2,400 (rentals) + $400 (cake) = $14,800.

then add in estimated costs for flowers, ceremony decor, DJ, Photographer, Videographer, Attire, hotel rooms, transportation, etc...

MrsPnky2B

I looked at Winterthur when I got engaged this past March (2011.)  By phone the coordinator told me that it was $20k minimum for Friday weddings, $25k minimum for Saturday weddings and that was for food and beverage ONLY.  This does NOT include room rental as wicked+faery mentioned. Since I wanted my whole wedding to be $20k that was out of the question.

You'll also have to pay for chair rentals most places if you plan to hold your ceremony and reception there.

Alternative option for you is Greenville Country Club.  It's right across the street from Winterthur and I think it's beautiful and elegant but cozy. It's where I'm having my wedding in a month Linda the coordinator is WONDERFUL and you can negotiate pricing (add or delete wine w/ dinner or the cake or # of h'ors d'ouevres) to bring the price down.

The pictures below don't do it justice. Visit the space to form an opinion.

**CLICKY**

obxlaurak

I don't know what the minimums are at Winterthur but I think you can do a photography session there even if you aren't getting married there.  We are considering doing this.  

[Deleted User]

Mrspnky $20 is about my maximum too. Greenville looks beautiful! Was it beautiful for $20,000?

Santorini2011

I called to do photos and was told that I had to have the wedding there.  Even though they couldn't hold the size of our guest list, they wouldn't budge.

I am not sure about the current cost of Hagley but it is a beautiful location too.

MrsPnky2B

@kegger13 - I definitely think it's beautiful at $20k and even better is that Linda the coordinator is FABULOUS and willing to work with you! I cut out a lot of things (desserts, wine with dinner, stationary h'ors d'ouevres) to get my pricing down to $16k (150 pple) for the reception. Having your wedding there will cost you about $2 per guest for their chairs.
Go for a look and decide for yourself.

MrsPnky2B

I should mention that we're also serving filet and salmon. You could save $ by not having an open bar (~$25pp), ordering a cheaper entree (~$10pp)

KelleyMarvel

Hello!
I am getting married at Winterthur this coming May and our budget started around $20K and we had to bump it slightly to $24 when we decided on Winterthur. The minimums are sketchy and depend on what time of yeaer you are lookig to get married, we were initially told 16,000 for a friday night but ended up at 12,000 which works out fine for our number of guests. Your cake is included and is actually very nice and they dont charge for linnens and tables and chairs unless you are looking to add extras. I should also mention instead of having a seated dinner we are ding a cocktail reception which helped with the cost .  Its worth calling and going for a tour! Good Luck!

[Deleted User]

MrsPnky2B we went to look at it this weekend. It is beautiful! and Linda is fabulous. She seems like she is really willing to do anything to help you and isn't trying to pinch every penny. It is definately on the top of our list! My fiance loved it! We are excited to show our parents and hopefully will end up there. there was a bride who was there getting ready when we were there and she just raved about it too. I'd love to see your pictures. How did you set up the reception? I dont know if we would do all outside or move to the inside space for dancing.