Ceremony & Reception for $5k?

ahr1982

Hello fellow Knotties!

I am a local Las Vegas bride planning to get married the first weekend in June. My fiance and I are paying for everything ourselves. Are there any nice, classy, venues that offer ceremony & reception (preferably outdoor) at/around $5k? We would like an open-bar (can be wine/beer if necessary) and are expecting around 75 guests. We would also prefer a location off the strip and my fiance isn't crazy about golf course country clubs. We already looked at J.W. Marriott (too expensive), The Artisan (fiance didn't like how the outside was right next to the freeway), and Pahrump Valley Winery (too far and max guest count is 45). We are going to check out The Platinum Hotel and The Ritz this weekend. Any recs are greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
Amy R.

wiwicaty

Hi, I'm getting married on the Strip so I'm not much help but welcome to the board! Happy planning!

shaq123

Welcome and congrats!! I am sure that the Ritz is closed

Natrasha

I'm using The Platinum Hotel, but I'm not sure it will work for under $5K for 75 people. Nicole there is fabulous, however, and she might be able to make something work for you, maybe if you did a Friday instead of a Saturday. The minimums vary based on how many people you have and which space you are using. But the nice thing is there is no additional rental fees, even for the ceremony. I think the cheapest dinner option was $50 per person.

direy25

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_nevada-las-vegas_ceremony-reception-5k?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:91Discussion:3d55573a-7ece-4d67-93dc-38955cd14af6Post:70ac62d7-038f-410c-a405-5aca88c47458">Re: Ceremony & Reception for $5k?</a>:
[QUOTE]Welcome and congrats!! I am sure that the Ritz is closed
Posted by shaq123[/QUOTE]

I think she's referring to The Ritz, which is a wedding venue, not the Ritz Carlton. OP, have you checked out The Grove, Sunset Gardens, or The Terrace? These places all have outdoor ceremony options and I thought their packages were pretty affordable. Congrats and good luck!

impslave

I second the recs for The Terrace.  They were on our short list of venues to choose from, as we also wanted to stay off the Strip.

There's also View215, it's on the west side on Russell Rd. at the 215 exit.  They have a great space, all floor to celing windows with awesome views of LV.  This is where we were going to book, but later had to scale down our plans.

If you change your mind and go with one of the Strip hotels, I recommend Mandalay.  We liked that it was a the end of LV Blvd, so traffic wasn't as bad.  Also, they have a very convenient parking entrance around the back, it leads right to the chapel and many of the restaurants.  A ceremony and in-suite reception could easily be done there for $5k.

GL!

ahr1982

Yes, I was referring to The Ritz (which is literally right around the corner from my house!), not the Ritz-Carlton.
Nicole @ Platinum did seem very nice on the phone. I told her our budget and she seemed confident that we could work something out. I wouldn't mind changing our date to a Friday or Sunday evening to cut costs.
Today I am going to look at Allure Gardens. Others I have on my list are:

The Grove
Rainbow Gardens
The Resort on Mt. Charleston
The Lodge @ Mt. Charleston
Lakeside Weddings & Events
View 215 (I think another poster mentioned this )
Victoria's Mansions
Alexis Park
Sunset & Vines (Lake Las Vegas I think)
Ravella Lake Las Vegas (opens in Feb.)

I looked at The Terrace's web site and although it looks lovely, the per person prices looked too expensive. I think Sunset Gardens was too expensive as well. We don't mind spending a little more than $5k but we have to really love the place. Fiance and I just aren't crazy about spending a ton of money on one day. Thanks for everyone's help, keep it coming if you have additional advice!

impslave

Oh, something that just came to mind.  The M Resort is now also set up for weddings and receptions.  This is a recent thing, H and I love that place and might have ended up there if they had been doing weddings a year ago!

kara811

Hello and welcome! I'm also a local bride! The girls above have already suggested what I was going to as well! My venue is also outdoor, it's Emerald @ Queensridge. Very beautiful, and it's the one right next to JW Marriott actually! I'm not quite sure if it's in your budget, but you should check it out! 

smokeybailey

I am assuming a dinner reception here:

If you assume $1500 for all ceremony costs, venue cost, decor, flowers, gifts, hair/makeup, entertainment, photog, service charges, taxes, officiant, coordinator, etc.  Then you are left with $3500K.  Assuming that your recetion venue charges an 18% service charge and an 8% tax, then you are left with $2746.  That works out to $36/head.  You need to find a place that can do food and beverage for, let's say, $10/head for beverage and $26/head for food.  Obviously if your ceremony costs go up or you want to include other things in the cost of ceremony, then you have less to play with.  Or if you decide that any of the items I listed aren't included in the wedding budget, then you have more money.

I am sure that is possible but I think that's the question that you need to ask the venues.  THEN find an outdoor option among those who can meet your budget.  Perhaps the in-suite that someone recommended would work instead although I am not sure if there is a suite that would be large enough for 75 people. 

bobrien74

One thing you can look into, is renting a large house (think mansion).  I had been looking into some on http://www.vrbo.com/. A few I saw even specifically said they would rent for weddings.  You and your bridal/groom party could even spend the night.  

Also, do you need a sit down dinner?  I am cutting costs by having my reception later in the evening 8:45PM and serving drinks and dessert.  I'll pick up some other snacks too in order to absorb alchol or maybe order pizza or something later for a pick me up, or maybe some sandwich platters from room service (insuite at Luxor).  Haven't fully decided.  

Some people would say it is tacky, but I do believe you can have a less formal reception to save money and still do it with class.   At any rate, even if you did dinner  you could score one of those sweet mansions for a 1/4 of your budget and spend the rest on catoror, some decorations, or whatever.  Best of luck!!!

nicoldn

Hi everyone!

My name is Nicole Mehlhaff & I am the wedding planner at The Platinum Hotel in Las Vegas. We are just a couple of minutes from the strip and have amazing locations that offer panoramic views of the strip. Most of our packages start at about $55 per person which include a champagne toast, hors d'oeuvres & dessert.

I just included an Economy Wedding Package for only $40 per person & that includes ALL taxes & service charges. At Platinum we are proud to say that there are NO rental fees, set up fees, dance floor fees, butler pass fees or even bartendar fees.

I would love the opportunity to meet with any bride to showcase our amazing property. Feel free to visit www.theplatinumhotel.com/weddings/ or call me at 702.636.2430 to set up a site visit.

Happily Ever After,

Nicole Mehlhaff
nicolemehlhaff@lvplatinum.com
702.636.2430

nicoldn

I just found out View 215 closed their doors