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Wedding Venues?

RainLaurelRainLaurel
First Comment
in Jewish Weddings
Hi!I just wanted to take a second to introduce myself. My name is Renata. I'm planning a wedding for June 2010. My FI's family lives in Cherry Hill, NJ and my family lives in Brooklyn, New York. We are looking for wedding venues that are located between Cherry Hill and Brooklyn. We will most likely have 150-170 guests and do not want to spend more than 100 dollars per person before tax and service charge.  The wedding needs to be at a place where we can have kosher catering.  One idea that we have had is to get married somewhere on the Jersey Shore. Would you have any recommendations for where to look? Thanks and Mazel Tov to you all!
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Re: Wedding Venues?

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    Knottie_22381855Knottie_22381855
    edited December 2011
    I think midway between Cherry Hill and Brooklyn would more likely be north jersey, but, being totally honest, I think you're going to have a tough time doing kosher at that price.  And, if you decide to go down the shore, you're going to have a tough time finding a venue for that price in the summer. You might want to start with some of the bigger kosher caterers in NJ and see what they recommend.ExquisiteForemostSignature CreationsPrestigeAlpine
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    RainLaurelRainLaurel
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks for the suggestion!
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    alinaandjaredalinaandjared
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    try also posting this on the local boards for those areas, I am not sure exactly which they would be, but you may be able to get some guidance from Jewish (and nonjewish) ladies that have not yet discovered this fantastic board! I know Rachiemoo (Rachel) will likely have 100 recommendations as she lives in Brooklyn, keeps a kosher home and has a strictly kosher wedding. I know she is due to be on vacation sometime this week but not sure if she has left yet- I am sure she will see this when she is back.
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    RainLaurelRainLaurel
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Hi Alina!  Thanks for the suggestions! I look forward to talking with Rachel when she gets back.  Mazel tov on your upcoming wedding!
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    JReneeJRenee member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    A kosher wedding will be difficult at that price point -- one of the reasons we ended up with Kosher style -- with our budget we would have had to cut down the guest list or go meatless. I don't know much about the areas you are looking (at least vendor or venue wise) but if your needs change, I live in the South Jersey area. Good luck with the planning.
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    slbriz34slbriz34
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I think you can get a good deal on kosher catering for your budget; it all depends on what you want and can give up. I'd definitely check out the caterers already mentioned; I've spoken to a great person at Prestige and Signature Catering and they both do extensive work in NJ and can recommend venues to you.  Are you considering a secular place or would you be open to a synagogue?  That would also help in keeping costs down because many of the secular venues want to be paid for the use of their space, which is where the costs per person really goes up. I got a great proposal from Main Events, also a premier kosher catering company and it too does a ton of work in NJ.  Definitely contact them.  My proposal was for 100 folks and got a good price quite a few dollars under $100pp before tax.  Again, depends on what you want; if you add on a few extra things, the costs start to add up, but it's not so insurmountable and they will work with you.  Also, and I've had this told to me by many companies, if you buy your own alcohol, the expense is a lot less than if they provide it.  They will also help you determine how much you need to buy (because many folks do this). It's entirely doable; I'd contact all the caterers mentioned and see what they can do for you.  Again, you'll have to tell them what type of venue you are interested in to help them give you recommendations. Good luck.
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    RainLaurelRainLaurel
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Hi!  Thanks for sharing your ideas!  I'm wondering if having the wedding in a synagogue will be awkward for either of our families because my parents are reform jews and my fiance's parents are orthodox jews.  So, this has made planning a bit more complicated to try to satisfy everyone.  My fiance keeps reminding me that we need to remember to make ourselves happy with the day.  We have decided to have mixed seating and dancing during the ceremony and reception and have kosher food with orthodox supervision.  Signature Catering seems really nice, but I don't know what level their supervision is.  Does anyone know about The Ultimate Caterer?  We have also decided to buy our own alcohol.  Thanks again for your help!
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    ballandchain10ballandchain10 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I am working with Ultimate Caterer.  We're having Kosher style, but I know that they can do glatt Kosher.  Alan the owner is wonderful to work with.  He has access to about 30 different properties throughout NJ.  He would be very helpful in deciding where to have your wedding...keep in mind though that having an outside caterer means that you have to pay a rental fee to the venue...that can range about $1000-6000 depending on where you pick. Ultimate will tailor your proposal to your budget, but I don't think you'll get out for less than $89.00 a person (plus there is tax and 20% gratuity).  IMO if you have a day wedding on Sunday you can "get away" with having a less elaborate cocktail station and not have to do a full bar (just beer, wine and champagne cocktails)  That would sigificantly reduce your catering expense. If you have any more questions about Ultimate or Jersey Shore venues, please feel free to email me at ballandchain10 (at) gmail (dot) com.  good luck!-Cara
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    slbriz34slbriz34
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Most caterers will put a certificate of their kashrut level on its website, but if not then you can call and they'll be more than happy to tell you.  They've done so many weddings I'm sure for Orthodox folks as well but if it puts your mind at ease, just give them a buzz - they will understand.I can understand not wanting to put off some folks over others with having the ceremony in a synagogue.  No worries, there are plenty of places in NJ that you can find.  It'll take some work but again, discuss options with the caterers that you are speaking to, they can all give you a recommendations depending on your estimated numbers.
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    RainLaurelRainLaurel
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks for your ideas!  I did some research and learned that Signature Catering has Conservative supervision.  If they have done weddings for orthodox folks though, they still might work.  I have started to call caterers to ask them for recommendations on locations and have a full schedule of venues to visit this upcoming weekend!  Planning is so fun, but it can get a little time consuming!
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    ozziejulesozziejules
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    make sure u buy kosher alcohol! :)
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    RainLaurelRainLaurel
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Good point!  I'm so lucky that my fiance always thinks of those types of details that I might forget!
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    Knottie_22381855Knottie_22381855
    edited December 2011
    If you look at north jersey locations, let me know.  I've been to many of them and could offer an opinion!
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    RainLaurelRainLaurel
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Any thoughts on these venues... anything that I'm missing that is really great? Brooklake Country ClubMayfair FarmsExcelsior in New JerseyB'nai Tikvah, North Brunswick, New Jersey The Berkeley Ocean Front HotelVersailles Ballroom at the Ramada of Toms RiverCrystal PlazaAtrium Country ClubWestminster HotelRichfield RegencyWilshire Grand in West Orange, NJNY Hall of ScienceNewark MuseumThe Grand MarquisHilton at Newark AirportSheraton at Newark AirportRenaissance at Newark AirportHilton, Edison, New JerseySephardic Temple of Cedarhurst, NY
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    Knottie_22381855Knottie_22381855
    edited December 2011
    Well, I would say that the absolute best on the list is the Crystal Plaza, but, I'm a little biased because I got married there!!  It's truly an amazingly beautiful place!!!  And, if you can get in there for under $100, honestly, grab it!!The following are nice venues - Mayfair Farms, Atrium, Westminster (we stayed there the night of our wedding), Richfield Regency.  I don't know much about the other locations.Crystal Plaza, Richfield Regency, and Rockleigh Country Club (not on your list) all have kosher kitchens, so, you may pay less because they are already on-site.  Another venue that does alot of kosher affairs is the Woodcliff Lake Hilton.There are many other north jersey locations, but, I think you've got a pretty good list there to start with!
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    RainLaurelRainLaurel
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks for your help!  I will probably have to bargain a little bit to get to under $100 at the Crystal Plaza!  It does look beautiful though from the website!  The Rockleigh Country Club seemed nice, but was too far out of our price range.  The Woodcliff Lake Hilton seemed nice, but it is too far from Cherry Hill.
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    slbriz34slbriz34
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Just came across this website that I thought you can use if you needed another source.  She can help you find a venue and if you mention that you need kosher, she'll either direct you or at least find you an affordable venue and then you can bring your own caterer.http://www.successfulaffairs.com/
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    RainLaurelRainLaurel
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thank you, slbriz34!
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    slbriz34slbriz34
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Ddi you get your quote from Prestige?  I did, similar to what we got last time (which makes sense as only the date and venue changed).  It was what I expected, and fairly competitive with the other caterers.  Just a matter of picking out the right caterer.I think after all the holidays, so guess late October, I'm going to try and schedule some tastings to get a better idea of which one I want. 
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    RainLaurelRainLaurel
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I don't remember what the quote was from Prestige. I know that Main Event and Foremost are more expensive though than Prestige. Another to consider is The Ultimate Caterer. That's a great idea to do the tastings!
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    slbriz34slbriz34
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Not sure when we'll ask about tastings - probably after the new year.  If you do any or wound up signing on with a caterer, let me know who you chose and why.Also, have you worked on anything else?  Not sure how "traditional" you are going.  I still have to figure out where I'll have my invitations done - I do want some Hebrew on it; and I have ideas for my programs (which will come much later).Keep me posted - slbrizard at yahoo
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