ceremony/reception sites in pittsburgh on a budget

cma212

I need some help and have been reading some of the posts on here about pittsburgh venues.  My Fiance and I are paying for the wedding ourselves and I am having some trouble finding a venue in our price range.  We are hoping to spend 10-12000 on our wedding.  We did a mock wedding guest list and found ourselves around 100pp. Its not a big wedding, but we do have family coming in from Delaware, Indiana, and Florida. We are looking for a place to host both our ceremony and reception because we feel it will be easier and less expensive. I have been researching various places such as the Westin however, I am not sure if we will be able to afford it. We are looking to get married August 16th, 2014. I felt that with our limited budget now would be the best time to start researching. I am open to country clubs, hotels, etc. If anyone has any information I would greatly appreciate!

FutureMrsKupko

I would definitely check out the Holiday Inn Airport in Moon Township:

1> it includes everything: Cake, centerpieces, linen, toast, cocktail hour, food, you name it. If you are on a budget, its easier/cheaper to go to a hotel that includes everything than having to find different vendors for EVERYTHING.

2.  we are spending about $57 per person

3. Since you have family coming from out of town, its a great location to the airport and they have free shuttle service

4. they include free rooms. We booked during a special and recieved 8 free rooms total

5. They have great reviews and their facility is very nice

Good luck!

Caitlynmk

Have you considered changing your date? The reason I ask is because August is a popular month for weddings so vendors are less willing to give you deals since there are more weddings in that time frame. You can get discounts if you do a Friday or Sunday wedding, as well as discounts for an early afternoon rather than evening.

We are having an "off-season" wedding and have been able to get discounts. Our reception venue, Pittsburgh Airport Marriott, is a lot like the PP's venue. They were flexible with us in terms of the food and beverage minimum, price per person, and extra options that we wouldn't have gotten if we had a summer or fall wedding. Our package includes centerpieces with a local florist but your options are limited with that.. we will probably upgrade ours. We also got discounts on our cake and DJ for having an off-season wedding. Just some things to consider Good luck!

ChristineNB

I echo Caitlyn's advice, I would try not to have a particular date in stone but try to be flexible as you may find affordable venues that just don't have that particular date available.  You mentioned country clubs and hotels, are those the sort of venues you prefer as they would include catering, alcohol, etc, or are you looking at other sorts of venues as well?  Do you have a part of the city that you wish to be in?

I think your budget should be very doable for the PGH area.  I just had a 75 person wedding on the Northside of Pittsburgh at the New Hazlett Theater and I spent around $12,000.   Granted I used a nontraditional venue, so if you wish to use a hotel or country club you may need to go father outside the city for that price.

lynnmarie6

We went outside of the city as well, and we are having our wedding the Sunday night of Labor Day weekend.  Per person we come in about 60 which includes apps, dinner, open bar, floral centerpieces and the cake.  We picked the date after we found the place

cma212

Thanks ladies! I am very flexible when it comes to the venue as long as we can book a hotel nearby. I think staying outside of the city is my best bet. My FI frowned when I mentioned friday night but I dont think its a bad idea. The month isn't a flexible one because we also have a daughter who will be startinf kindergarden and I dont want to disrupt or miss any part! The date I could always change. Are there any venues outside of Pittsburgh that would fit my budget? I tried finding information on the Hazlett but they dont offer much. I may try to look in to the Mansion on Maple in Southside. I am trying to come uo with creative ways to save money, thank goodness we have time!

mcdonaa2

We're having our reception at the Doubletree Meadowlands, and the Junior ballroom might work for your budget (it's around 70 a person.. 10,000 minimum but it covers EVERYTHING you need for the reception.. flowers, bar, cake, etc). They do have a nice outdoor pavilion area, not sure if it seat 100 though. 

If you're willing to do a Friday Night/Sunday, Rolling Hills Country Club in McMurray does 10% off for those days... Its a really pretty club, and you'd have the run of it the night of your wedding.

Good Luck! 

LilyWater09

I paid less than $10,000 for a 125 person wedding at Riverside Landing in Oakmont.  They are affiliated with a Greek Orthodox Church, but there is a Christian Church right down the street which I believe allows nonmembers to get married there.  There is a good Holiday Inn Express nearby which may still offer a shuttle bus. 

rfcst1

Have you considered Robin Hill Park in Moon Township. I do not know the pricing off hand but I know it is just the venu (you bring your own alcohol and caterer) but it is very reasonable. THat location was my first pick but their maximum occupancy is 120 (ish) and we are looking at 200 ppl. FYI, they only book up to 1 year out from your date...
Good luck in your search.

SimplyME22

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_pennsylvania-pittsburgh_ceremonyreception-sites-in-pittsburgh-on-a-budget?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:116Discussion:5e726030-b525-40c8-b012-563b597afa78Post:6c5aa20a-7f8e-4af1-b625-463348b56907">Re: ceremony/reception sites in pittsburgh on a budget</a>:
[QUOTE]Have you considered Robin Hill Park in Moon Township. I do not know the pricing off hand but I know it is just the venu (you bring your own alcohol and caterer) but it is very reasonable. THat location was my first pick but their maximum occupancy is 120 (ish) and we are looking at 200 ppl. FYI, they only book up to 1 year out from your date... Good luck in your search.
Posted by rfcst1[/QUOTE]


Robin Hill is very inexpensive if you're not planning to have more than 50 guests.  It's an old house, so it's a bunch of separate rooms, not one giant open area.  We contacted them and they basically told us if we wanted 100+ people, some people would have to be seated in the basement.  Not happening!

Check our Mayernik as well.  They have a reasonable rental fee and 3 caterers to choose from. It's also BYOB so you can save some costs that way.  It would be a lot of DIY, unless you hire a coordinator.  It all depends what you want for your day.

cma212

Thanks everyone! I was thinking about taking a look at Riverside Landing. My FIs friend and  his fiance are planning on checking it out and there wedding is 2 months after ours.  I don't know if that goes against wedding ettiquette or not? BYOB is something that we are definately not afraid of so I will research their website tonight.  I also got information on the Fluted Mushroom on the southside an am setting up a tour with a club that will lock us in to their 2012-2013 rate if we were to sign on early. You ladies are alot of help!