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Venue Help on O'ahu?
Aloha Ladies,
I'm from Kailua and now live on the mainland . . . My fiance and I want to get married on O'ahu but are on a pretty tight budget (since parents are not contributing). I'm about to lock in Mid-Pac Country club in Lanikai at $31-$34/per guest (for buffet only, drinks are separate), but I figured I'd get some feedback first. Is it really cheaper to get a venue that doesn't serve food and bring in your own caterer? We'd prefer an outdoor reception, but with those frequent "windward & mauka showers," it might be safer indoors. Should I do more research into another venue & separate catering service or is Mid-Pac giving me a good deal?
Thanks!!
I'm from Kailua and now live on the mainland . . . My fiance and I want to get married on O'ahu but are on a pretty tight budget (since parents are not contributing). I'm about to lock in Mid-Pac Country club in Lanikai at $31-$34/per guest (for buffet only, drinks are separate), but I figured I'd get some feedback first. Is it really cheaper to get a venue that doesn't serve food and bring in your own caterer? We'd prefer an outdoor reception, but with those frequent "windward & mauka showers," it might be safer indoors. Should I do more research into another venue & separate catering service or is Mid-Pac giving me a good deal?
Thanks!!
dancer
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Re: Venue Help on O'ahu?
I am getting married at Molii Gardens at Kualoa Ranch. Since we have to book EVERYTHING on our own, we looked into a lot of caterers. To me, $31-34 per guest seems pretty reasonable for catering, but I think that also depends on what the other costs are that they are adding on. How much will they be charging you for drinks? Does $31-34 include tax and gratuity? Are they going to charge you to cut and serve your cake? If so, how much per person?
I spoke with about 5 mid-range caterers, who all charged between $55-65 per person for buffet menu or stations (not including tax or gratuity--some charged service extra and that cost was just for food). We are paying on the low end of that range per person for buffet and service, but that also includes a bartender and we can bring in our own alcohol. But I don't think a lot of venues will let you BYO. The venues that do (like Molii and I think Lani) require you to bring in your own tables, chairs, tents, etc, so any saving on alcohol might be more than off-set by rental costs.
There are several caterers who charge less, and some have great reviews (other girls on this board will I am sure fill you in), but $31-34 seems pretty reasonable.
HTH!
Thanks again!!