How do you narrow down reception site choices!!!

I bought the Reception Site Magazine for NJ (Where I am having the wedding). So far I have dog-eared all the pages that have only one wedding at a time and have outdoor facilities for us to take pictures. But I still have like 25 places and I would like to narrow them down before starting to drive around and visit them. I thought of calling and asking them all if my date/time was still available, but given that I am getting married on July 4th weekend, I am sure most of them have not been booked yet. Is there another way I can narrow the places down? Anything I can ask over the phone to eliminate the options? All these recetion sites look the same to me from the pictures and I would like to narrow down to 10 max, perhaps even 5 if possible.

Thank you all.
Alina

PS: To clarify, we'll have about 70-100 guests and are looking for a total wedding cost to be under $20K, so perhaps $60-90 before taxes?!? Is my math about right?

No idea what your budget is but if its generous I just went to a wedding at the Pleasantdale Chateau and the food was just amazing!!

As for narrowing it down, first go on space. How many guests do you have? How many does this place fit?

Then price. Call ahead and get a price per person (dont forget to include tax & grats since that is near 30% more than the original price)

Then location.

Then using the list, go visit and see who/where you like.

Price is a major concern when picking a reception site. In fact, I recommend NOT going to any places that are over your budget. Make sure to add 18% service then 8.5% tax to the prices listed in that book before deciding. So find the places that fit your budget, then look for how many guests you have. IF the room says 'up to 200' and you are inviting 200, you might have a tight squeeze. I know my hall, Hamlet Wind Watch, says up to 200. I think it would be a very, very tight fit in the main reception room. So just consider that. Then look at locations. If you want an East End wedding on a Friday night in August- reconsider. The traffic is awful and your guests will have one heck of a time getting there on time.
Next go and look at all of the grounds, rooms, etc... don't forget to look at bathrooms too. Attend a tasting, if possible, or read reviews on the different boards.
Plus I think you just know when you walk into a place if it is 'the one' - just like your gown.

price and space are good clues...also check minimums...

I wanted somewhere on the water so that helped me narrow my choices...

I was originally looking for July 4 and my top 2 halls DID NOT have the date available...well over a year before!! so call and ask what dates are available...

also call and ask prices...sometimes the prices are out of date or very vague in those magazines

I would call a head to see if they have the date and time you are looking for
also other things to ask would be:
(1)what the min is for the day and time you are looking for and (2)what is the cost per person

Some places have a larger min for sat night compared to day or sat vs friday also the price will vary per person from day to night usually

I booked my July 4th wedding 2 years ahead of time and a lot of places were either completely booked or already had one event booked. So my advice to you is -- GO EARLY. The holiday weekends book up faster.

I looked at 5 places. My original place had close to 12. I just did as much research on each place as possible, then went to the top 5 on my list, narrowed it down to 2 and then eventually to 1.