Columbus Budget Reception?

Kate3silver

Hi knotties! I'm new to the website, and have been trouble finding a reception site that I can afford. I just want my wedding reception to be fun for everyone, but not trashy looking. Does anyone have any reception venue ideas that are classy and affordable for a lower budget? Most places we've looked at are at least 11,000 total. Non-traditional venues for receptions are good too, like parks. Any ideas?? thank you!!

tiffanydaniels

Do a search for venues on this board, you will find tons of ideas. 

I will give you the list of what we looked at:

Smith Brothers Loft (pricey), Via Vecchia (pricey), River Club (semi pricey), Pinnacle (pricey), Makoy Center (semi pricey), Columbus Athenaeum (pricey, a lot of rules), Arlington Swim and Racquet Club (budget, bring own caterer and alcohol), Olde Gahanna Sanctuary (budget, bring own caterer and alcohol), heimet haus (budget, own caterer and alcohol), The Big Room (budget, bring own caterer and alcohol)

For budget you probably want to find something where you can bring your own caterer and alcohol, because that will save you a ton. I think for our reception we are looking at 11,500 for 175 people, that is including venue, food, alcohol, bar set up, linens, centerpieces, candles, DJ, and cake. Much better than places that provide food and you are looking at the price for the room, food, alcohol, and service. 

Ajoyd

I would add the Clintonville Womens Club to the budget list. I did not visit it in person but in pictures it looks nice--not fancy but definitely not trashy. The decor might be a bit tired but they redid the floors and they are now wood and look much better. Plus it has nice high ceilings. The bonus is that depending on time of year you could get married nearby in the Park of Roses--that costs extra but so beautiful. The Womens Club also does outdoor ceremonies onsite. 

I think the Park of Roses may also have a shelter house (fully enclosed) that you can rent out.

Good luck!

csh96

I used the Jessing center which is also a bring your own alcohol place.  The caterer is mass appeal.  They provide the bar tender at no extra cost.  I had a 100 people and with food, room, and a wine/champagne/beer/soda bar, it was around 5k.

beckilee37

The Park of Roses does have a shelter house you can rent out. Its pretty plain, but a good rain date location. I liked the Clintonville Women's Club. It was really basic inside but easy to decorate. The ceilings were nice and high. And it is directly next door to the Park of Roses, which would be so beautiful for a ceremony.

Karadee1

There are a lot of great locations in Columbus that you can make work on a budget. It depends what your guest count will be too. We are going with the Columbus Athenaeum, but are going with a smaller room that has a lower minimum and low rental rate. We are planning around 100 people. The other thing I really liked about the Athenaeum is the room is so pretty (Oak Room) I won't be spending $$ on flower centerpieces, just the candles they will provide. If you want to add a lot of decor it can add up. They also have a few small rooms - the Athenian and the Hellenic - that have low minimum and a low rental rate, can fit around 130 people max.

menendez585

We are planning our wedding on a low budget as well. Wedding is in 22 days and so far we've done a great job of keeping costs in check!

We're using Little Bear Golf Course in Westerville. The rental of the place is the lowest we could find for what we're getting. The owners bend over backwards to help. We were having a hard time finding a caterer within our price range and they suggested Special Occasions Catering from Upper Sandusky (I would never have looked outside of Columbus on my own) who has been amazing and also within our price range. Next was alcohol.... we were going to have to close the bar down during dinner in order to stay in budget.... Bill (the owner) worked with us to come up with a price that would work without closing the bar down. We needed a place for rehearsal dinner - they offered us their lower level bar for a VERY low rate (we’re paying half as much as they usually charge)... and suggested a local pizzeria to bring in pastas, salad and pizza. Hands down, they have been the most helpful and amazing decision we made! And, the place is gorgeous! Definitely give them a look. They will honestly do whatever it takes to make sure you get what you want. Another place that we had looked into was the North Bank Park pavilion in the Arena District… the place is gorgeous and very affordable… but you have to enter a lottery to get the date you want… which just made me nervous so we passed that one up.  We looked into several others as well – but these were the ones that we really loved.  What we found as we were hunting around for places was that while one place might seem affordable… they will charge quite a lot for different services (bar, etc) or they might be extremely strict about vendors that you bring in. At one point we were seriously considering the Anthenaeum, but after reading reviews and closely reading the contract we realized that we wouldn’t be able to use any vendors that weren’t preferred without paying extra… and we could not afford any of their preferred vendors!  My advice is just get together a list of places (Columbus Bride magazine is free if you sign up online and they have a great list of vendors) and just start calling and researching online…. Eventually you’ll have a small enough list that you can start making appointments and checking places out. You’ll easily find what you’re looking for, just be patient! J  Best of luck!