Venues

ilum516

Hi laides! In the end is it cheaper to have the reception at a venue that includes catering, dj and all that stuff or is it cheaper to rent a place that does not include that stuff? Oh and can anyone tell me about Magnolia Hotel? It looks beautiful.

dazyabbey

It is usually cheaper to find a place and do seperate catering. Sometimes you can find a place that does both that won't charge a rental fee though. Check out some of the local bridal shows. They have a lot of great ideas and great places and offer amazing discounts sometimes.

As for the Magnolia, I have heard amazing things about that location. However it is pricey. So it depends on your budget.

Chasity08

For us, it was cheaper to find a venue that allowed us to bring in our own catering.

 When looking at venues, it worked out to be anywhere from $15-$25 per person for catering when going with a venue that included catering, plus you had to pay a rental fee for the facility. I ended up going with Schierbrocks Catering located in Neola, IA and I got all of my food, plus plates, napkins, silverware, etc, on a served buffet, for $9.50 per person. When you have 200 people attending, and you save $5-15 per person, that is anywhere from $1000-$3000 savings just with food. And when you look at the cost of bringing in your own alcohol compared to having alcohol brought in....no comparison. At least 1/3 of the price.

We're using Legacy Hall as our venue. It's big, it's gorgeous on the inside, it has a bar, a warming kitchen, huge dance floor, and you can bring in your own food and alcohol all for a reasonable price. Definitely check it out if that's the kind of venue you're looking for =]