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My first post - Venue pricing question :)

TXAnnTXAnn member
10 Comments
in Texas-Austin
Hi!I'm a frequent reader and finally found a reason to post :)  I love how helpful and supportive everyone is and am excited to contribute as I get more into the planning process!My fiance & I were engaged a few months ago and are planning for an October 2010 wedding, so we are in the initial stages of our planning (and I'm having so much fun with it!).  We live in Dallas but I went to UT and couldn't imagine getting married anywhere else but Austin :)Right now my top venue choice is Lakeway Resort.  Our wedding will be on a Sunday afternoon, so we are obviously hoping for better rates.  They've quoted us $40/person for food alone which includes 2 passed hors d'oeurves for a cocktail reception following the ceremony, 1 carving station, 1 mashed potato station, and 2-3 salad/side options.  There are additional Ceremony/Reception room rental fees and the bar tab would be separate as well.We like the venue so much and they have been great to work with so far... but I am brand new to this and have no idea what a fair price is.  We feel like it's pretty good, but we don't have much else to base it on.I'm so sorry if this is way too long & detailed - I just wanted to pick your brains and see if it's worth the serious consideration we are giving it :)  Thank you!!!
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Re: My first post - Venue pricing question :)

  • texangatortexangator
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    As I recall, the glass ballroom at Lakeway was one of the most expensive quotes I got out of about a dozen or so.  When they gave me their pricing info, there was a pretty high minimum expenditure that included food, drink, and room rental- maybe they've done away with that, though.  I know for sure the Sunday minimum was cheaper than the Saturday.  But $40/head for food including hors d'oeurves is about $10 cheaper than what I'm going to pay at the Mansion at Judge's Hill, so that's definitely reasonable!  Lakeway is really beautiful, and if your guests are going to be coming from out of town, Lakeway makes for a really awesome weekend getaway for them.Good luck!  And welcome to the board!
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  • shanwalk2shanwalk2 member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    It's only reasonable if it's a realistic percentage of your total budget. My suggestion would be work up your guest list and budget before you even start considering venues. I found theknot budgeter to be a great starting off point (not totally realistic when you get down to the little stuff that adds up, but it really helped us get a clear idea of what we could spend on our venue/food. Perceptions of a "fair price" can really vary significantly from bride to bride. Lakeway is beautiful. Good luck with your planning.
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  • emkay625emkay625 member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    $40 is pretty reasonable for food. You could definitely spend less, but you could also definitely spend way more! It's not outrageous by any means. My advice is to figure out a guest list and an overall budget first, than see if it fits into that.
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  • Mrs.PurdueMrs.Purdue member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    we looked at Lakeway, and although beautiful, it was one of the most expensive venues once you added in all the hidden charges.  Don't forget to add 20% total for the tip, and then you'll have taxes too.  With the bar tab, that made it almost $70/person for us, which was too high with our budget.  But like pp said, if it's in your budget and you like it, then you should do it!  everyone has different budgets and different priorities for where they want to spend their money.  the only advice i really have is to get them to give you an estimate of the final bill.  tell them the number of guests you expect and the food/drink options you want.  that will give you a much better estimate as to the price.   
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  • TXAnnTXAnn member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Thank you all for your responses!!  I really appreciate the feedback!They've sent us an estimate with all the costs broken out and it does fit within our budget :)  We are definitely leaning (like 99%) towards Lakeway, I think I just needed reassurance before making such a big decision.Thanks, girls!!
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