RIverfront on a Budget

tinaedens

Hello, We live near Fort Campbell and I am from St. Louis. My groom's family is from Iowa and St. Louis is going to be our middle ground for the wedding. Since I was little I have dreamed of a wedding on the riverfront however, our budget may hinder my dreams. So I am asking you all to let me know of any idea's or tips you may have. IS IT POSSIBLE TO FIND A RIVERFRONT VENUE FOR CHEAP?

aeperez80

Are you looking to get married in StL or would you consider going across the river to the IL side?  I know a couple places that are nice and reasonably priced I could recommned.

tinaedens

I think crossing the river wouldn't be a problem...... the view is pretty much the same on the other side. Oh, I am also trying to have the ceremony and reception at the same venue.

aeperez80

Here's a couple places you might want to look at......

* Alton Holiday Inn - This is only 5 minutes from downtown Alton.  It would be nice for out of town guests because, well, it is a hotel and it's near some interesting things to see like the Lincoln-Douglas memorial and Robert Wadlow statue.  They have really yummy food and very flexible.

* Mineral Springs Mall in Alton - I've personally never been here but I've heard nice things about it (actually, my photographer recommneded it to us).  It has a vintage feel to it so depending on your style you might like it.

* Julia's Banquets - They just moved to a new location that is supposed to be really beautiful.  The food is fairly good too considering you can probably get a 200 person wedding for about 5000 (or less depending on your options).  The only thing negative I'm going to say is this....the new location is in a some what "empty"  looking stripmall.  It might be a little off-putting for out of town guests but I promise it is safe. 

* Crystal Garden in Edwardsville - I've never been here but I've heard good things. 

* Collinsville Gateway Center - This is a typical ballroom type place.  The food is okay but does have nice decor.  The only draw back I can see is that it books up fast and it has multiple weddings going on at the same time.

* Double tree Hotel in Collinsville - They just completely remodled the hotel.  I haven't seen the changes but my wedding planner recommended it because of the upgrades they made.

Since you're probably not familiar with the IL side of StL here's the distances for you.....Alton, IL is about 30 minutes from downtown StL.  Edwardsville, IL is about 35/40 minutes from downtown.  Collinsville is about 15 minutes from downtown.

If you still want to have your wedding in StL then you can try the Hyatt Regency.  You can pretty much customize the entire wedding package so it can be as cheap (or expensive) as you want.  There's also Moulin Events about 5 minutes from the Arch.  The actual rental is on the pricer side the food/drinks are not lumped together.  Plus you don't have to pay for bar for guests under 21 (it's like $9 for minors).

I hope this helps!  Please let me know if you have any questions or need more recommendations.  

omgitscasey

Crystal Gardens -SUPER EXPENSIVE.

Gateway Center - (where we were initally going to have our reception) starts at 15/pp not including drinks annd the food was terrible.

My suggestion would be the Woodland Golf Course in Alton. They are very reasonably priced and the place is gorgeous!

http://golfhgm.com/golf/proto/golfhgm/corp_events/corp_events.htm

fam6

The Drury Plaza at the Arch has ballroom space with wraparound windows for a view of the Arch and riverfront.  They are reasonably priced and their catering is thru Carmine's Steakhouse which is attached...they have great food and good prices.  They might be worth talking to.

jlk0219

We only had our reception at Morgan Street Brewery but it was also our backup location for our ceremony in case of rain (we had an outdoor ceremony).  You can have your ceremony there, your guests go to a different room while your banquet room is set up for the reception, and then move your guests back into the room (at no extra charge).   It's right on Laclede's Landing and the room we had our reception in (Golden Pilsner room) has a great view of the river (no direct view of the Arch though).  They have really good food- all of our guests raved about it, and it's reasonably priced because you can customize everything.  The only negative is the size- you didn't say how many guests you're having, but it is smaller than your typical banquet hall venue.

fam6

I love Morgan Street Brewery!!  I went to a private event there once and they really had a beautiful and delicious spread! And, you have tons of photo ops near by and great entertainment close by after your event.