$100ish pp North Jersey wedding venue....?

lconoran

My fiance and I (engaged only 2 weeks) are hoping to find something around the $100pp range, all in. Couple bucks over would be ok but of course the more we save there, the more fun we can have with other things. We looked at Flanders Valley over the weekend. Very pretty area, but certain things were left to be desired. Very nice people though, just not our cup of tea. We're going to look at Lake Valhalla this weekend. I really like the non-traditional idea or at least having a setting or feeling of non-traditional.

I find it very interesting how many places seem to vary in price from what their website says, to what I think people paid that I read on here. It's also interesting to me how vague many of the posts are about exactly how much was paid. So if anyone can share any places you've run into that can meet this price, I'd greatly appreciate it! We are in Morris County and would prefer to be within a 30-40 min drive of the venue. We will probably have around 120-130 people....if I can get him to stop adding people to the list )

gymchick05

What day of the week/time of year are you looking for? And is the $100 including tax/grat or before it?

lconoran

Yeah that's where my fiance and I disagree a bit. He is totally set on a Saturday wedding. We both really love the fall so October preferably. I am not totally against a Friday wedding but I would like it as close as possible for family and friends. 95% of our guests live very close to us so if the venue is 20 min away, I don't feel bad having them rush for a Friday wedding. I would love it if tax and grat were included in that price.

oxlizxo

Lake Valhalla is awesome! I was quoted about $100pp for them, but we were planning within 6 months and on a Sunday in April. I didn't end up booking there, but it's a really great place!

I don't know too many other places around Morris County in your price range, sorry.

Danes983

I was married at the Brownstone. Paid $112++

jcg98

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_100ish-pp-north-jersey-wedding-venue?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:dbd9e961-4d11-4b0e-b38b-555777d1a960Post:884d9483-9e24-4e77-bbc5-d24d7921ab29">$100ish pp North Jersey wedding venue....?</a>:
[QUOTE]My fiance and I (engaged only 2 weeks) are hoping to find something around the $100pp range, all in. Couple bucks over would be ok but of course the more we save there, the more fun we can have with other things. We looked at Flanders Valley over the weekend. Very pretty area, but certain things were left to be desired. Very nice people though, just not our cup of tea. We're going to look at Lake Valhalla this weekend. I really like the non-traditional idea or at least having a setting or feeling of non-traditional. I find it very interesting how many places seem to vary in price from what their website says, to what I think people paid that I read on here. <strong>It's also interesting to me how vague many of the posts are about exactly how much was paid. </strong>So if anyone can share any places you've run into that can meet this price, I'd greatly appreciate it! We are in Morris County and would prefer to be within a 30-40 min drive of the venue. We will probably have around 120-130 people....if I can get him to stop adding people to the list :o)
Posted by lconoran[/QUOTE]

People aren't always comfortable sharing specifics in a public forum.  If you would like specifics from someone your best bet is to send them a PM (private message) and ask.

Prices vary greatly depending on the season and the day of the week.  Also, keep in mind that prices tend to increase from year to year. 

jcg98

Suggested venues in and near Morris County:

Bretton Woods Mansion
(quoted $105++ for Friday, $120++ for Saturday)

Meadow Wood Manor
(quoted $122++ for a Friday but I know they are willing to negotiate)

Olde Mill Inn
(quoted $125++ for Saturday, $115++ for Friday)

Also try the Madison Hotel and Hamilton Park Hotel.

Also consider November as an alternative - it is cheaper than October.  We wanted an October wedding but decided on November 4 for that very reason and it was early enough in the month that we still had the benefits of the fall.  In fact it was in the low 60s and sunny on our wedding day, gorgeous weather and we have some fabulous fall color pix.

ETA: we got married at Ravello's in East Hanover and paid $110 all-inclusive for a Friday night.  Highly recommend them.

lconoran

Good point. I will do that jcg, thanks )

And yeah, I'm really excited about looking at Lake Valhalla. Like I said, we could go a few bucks over, and I do know that they include tax and grat in their pp costs so hopefully it will work well.

I really like the B&B's kind of in the area too...Raritan Inn, Neighbour House. Again, just have to do more digging on prices with them. Just starting, but it's very exciting!

klustig

We're getting married at David's Country Inn, an incredibly charming venue in Hackettstown. They worked with us on price and could potentially fit your bill! It's the perfect venue for a fall wedding.

mkgins

This confounded me in the beginning as well, but there are so many variables that often play into pricing. Venues dont want to be nailed down and individuals don't want to share exact pricing because a lot of that comes through negotiation and compromise. You might be quoted something much higher or much lower depending on time of year, time of day, day of week, how many guests, type of food, length of affair,etc.  I can tell you we were looking for the same-- all in (tax and grat included) for 100pp or below. We are having  ours in June (which is probably top dollar month) but on a Sunday afternoon (not as pricey as evening, and certainly not as pricey as Sat). We were originally looking to do kosher, but found that way too limiting with our budget, so we opted for a "no meat" menu (completely fish/dairy/vegetarian) since some of our guests will eat fish/dairy/vegetarian as long as there is no meat-- for the small handful of others that are more strict, we will get individually packaged meals.

All this to say that by eliminating meat from the menu, we also cut costs. And there will be no shrimp, lobster, etc. We're also not going to do a Viennese Dessert table. I'm going to guess that my venue would run upwards of $150pp on a Sat night with a more lavish menu, but when I called to find out what kind of pricing to expect before bothering to waste either their or my time, I told them where we needed to be, and how many guests we were estimating, and asked if they could do it.

I can tell you that my venue is Orange Lawn Tennis Club. It's in South Orange, and quite lovely. The clubhouse is sort of like an old country inn. It's not lavish or fancy, but I do find it lovely, and it was exactly what I was looking for, and they were able to work with us. We gave him a total budget that we needed to be under ($15,000) -- we will have approx 150 guests, so for us that's $100 pp. All in. So if you are looking at exactly the same thing but only have 120 guests, they may want to charge you more per person to make it worth their while -- or maybe not...And there maybe someone on this board that reads this and thinks --omigod I spent so much less, or so much more at the same place. But there are still other variables...the catering director is new -- he may be trying to gain more business so is charging us less, or maybe he is trying to upscale their parties and is charging me more...I don't know.  Is that helpful?

lconoran

David's Country Inn looks adorable! I will look into it klustig, thank you!

And YES!!! Lol Mkgins I appreciate you taking the time to break it down like that. Literally I have read tons of posts in the past 2 weeks and I'm just like "really? why can't we say a number?" But that makes total sense and I'm sure I have plenty more learning to do!

RKPugs

We're getting married at Neshanic Valley Golf Course. On their pricing sheet they have $69 per person on a Sunday for their lowest package which still includes a lot!

cindyn9178

I just wanted to point out, that usually, you can get a lower price, if the place has multiple rooms and you are able to use the smaller one, because it would require a lower number for the minimum. (usually around $10pp less)

lconoran

Good point cindyn.

Just so any other brides wondering want to know- FLanders Valley was very sweet and pretty and with in that budget ($70-90 pp). Again, just some things weren't for us. Figured I'd share the little I know so far )

shoebie

I am in love with my venue ! Cannon Gate Catering, it is on an army base (picatinny) so there is no tax to pay which was a bonus. Its tripple the size of anything else we looked at and less $ per person then most places we looked at as well. I loved that the dance floor was huge and off to the side, I love teh lcd flat screens that fold out of the celing, I love the view of the golf course and the awesome bridge out back.

http://cannongatecatering.com/Weddings.php

More Details are in my planning bio..... Good luck feel free to pm me with any questions i do not check the NJ board to often these days. 

mercy4

We are doing Florentine Gardens.  They are one wedding at a time.  We couldn't meet the guest minimum for the night, so we are having a Saturday afternoon wedding.  Originally I was opposed to daytime, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea for me.  It would definitely be in your price range, but might be too far.  PM me if you're interested in more information.

TwoByTwilight

The Empire Club in Little Ferry is $78 pp,.

Beautiful also

qjillian

Check out the Indian Trail Club and Ballyowen golf club

GiGiV2012

I'm getting married at the Somerset Hills Hotel in Warren on a Saturday Night in October and with tax, I'm paying $110.