Wedding Prices

vrthomas31

So I just recently started looking into ceremony and reception venues.  I am really amazed at how high the prices are for food and alcohol.  One I looked at included both food and alcohol and was $150 per person, another was $79 per person for food and around $40 per person for drinks.  Is this normal?  With everything together for about 150 guests it's adding up to $25,000 to $30,000. Is this the going rate for weddings?  

Thanks so much for the help! 

Astrid821

Just take a deep breath, it's gonna be ok.

Yes, there are many venues where that is the going rate for a wedding but there are also venues and vendors that can help you bring down your costs.

Keep in mind, if you have an all inclusive venue you will generally end up paying more than if you went out and hired a caterer and florist, and bought your own beer and wine, and decorate yourself....and so on. The more you let the venue handle the more you generally pay for the convenience.

 

It would help to know where you're planning to get married and about how much you think you'd like to pay. 

vrthomas31

I'm from Pittsboro, NC, right outside of Chapel Hill.  So of course, I looked at Fearrington because I grew up five minutes from there and figured that would be perfect.  Looking around the triangle area.  I also live in Charlotte right now, have for the past 7 years, so open to that.  We'd like to have our wedding outside, so we also have the mountains in mind.  The places I've researched so far are Fearrington, Duke Gardens, Duke Chapel (my parents got married there), Biltmore, Hidden River, Castle Ladyhawke, and Castle McCulloch.  I'm not big on country clubs. 

Don't have a set number in mind, just freaked when I saw $30k.  $15-$20k would be a lot better.  Also, that number does not include my dress, which I will be paying for, my invitations, or my photographer.  I'm mainly looking at ceremony and reception prices. 

vrthomas31

Oh, looked at Graylyn as well. 

sksites

Those are all really nice venues! That being said..they will be a lot more expensive than a restaurant, hotel, or a venue where you bring in your own caterer. We're getting married and using the Wake County Shrine club for our reception and they have amazing food/alcohol prices compared to other venues in raleigh good luck!

nbkq6bf

We ended up paying $94 per person at the Millennium Center in downtown Winston-Salem for our 11-11-11 wedding. That included 2 separate rooms for ceremony & reception, cocktail hour, dinner with food stations, and open bar for 4 hours. Rooms included tables, chivari chairs in both rooms, linens, and all dinnerware. It was triple what we said we would spend when we first started planning LOL.

toribrite

You can certainly find much cheaper places, it jsut depends on what you want. I have been looking in Asheville, so I can only speak to these areas. Biltmore is ridiculous (and in my opinion not special since they do several weddings per peak day there). Castle Ladyhawk is pretty (also check out Homewood) but more money than I'd like to spend. Hidden River can be affordable, depending. Check out the Crest Center as well, if you are willing to spend a lot (like $8 per chair to set up... lol).

If you want cheaper places in the AVL area let me know. I found a place (for example) that only costs $400 for the ceremony site (not including chairs though). And there are lakes and such that you can rent a hall or pavillion at for even cheaper.

Rashidaperry

I live in Charlotte and was considering an outdoor wedding. I visited/priced a few venues such as Vanlandingham Estate, Harvey B Gantt center and Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens they charge 2k-3k just for the venue (no food included). They also book up pretty fast. I decided to go with a hotel (Hilton University) for the ceremony and reception. The ceremony will take place on their dock, it’s pretty nice. Their food and beverage packages range about $55 per person and $75 per person with an open bar. They also provide discounted rooms for your guest.  

vrthomas31

Thanks for the advice everyone!!!! It is much appreciated!  We're looking at Graylyn and Castle McCulloch today.  Castle McCulloch does allow outside caterers, and I definitely think that is where we will save the money.  My parents live right down the road from Fearrington.  We looked at that on Wednesday, and though it it nice, it wasn't at all what I expected for the price.  Also, the head wedding planner wasn't very warm.  She answered all of our questions, but did nothing more than that really.  I was not impressed at all. 

Astrid821

There's a smaller "castle like" place near Raleigh if that's the look you're going for. The Barclay Villa in Angier. It's very pretty, the staff there is the best; Danielle is so nice and helpful. They allow outside catering (but require you use a professional director for the day of) they do have a caterer associated with them but to keep your costs low I'd suggest shopping around. 

 

It's definitely more money than we had planned to spend on our venue ($5,500 for peak season) but I think we're getting our money's worth. 

okrun

If you are still looking for a photographer in NC, check out www.LindseyKphotography.com

lmazurek

If you're looking for something closer to Pittsboro, check out the Inn at Celebrity Dairy.  Their catering is delicious and reasonably priced ($30 per person for a buffet) and you can bring in your own alchohol.  With the rental you also get the inn for the whole weekend, so you can put up all of your bridal party and immediate family.  The coordinator there is really accommodating.