RH Question! Need your advice ladies!

Okay, I am really new at this, so forgive my ignorance but......

FH and I are about to go out and look for reception halls, and I was wondering if its protocall to call and make an appointments to go see the places or can you just walk in??

What did you guys do????

Also, did you go check them out on weekends on on week nights after work??? How many places did you go see before you knew you found 'the one'??

Did anyone go in with a budget of less then 100 dollars per person?? How successful were you in negotiating??? Because we are def. on a budget!! lol

Sorry, Im really clueless at this kinda stuff!!

The first place I went to was the East Wind and we went during a bridal showcase. Before even going there my FH and I wanted to book it. We have an appointment in May. We've only looked at 2 but know that we want the East Wind.

I called the Fox Hollow and there is no appointment necessary. They basically said come any time before 9 (I think). I would call first and see if you need to make an appointment.

You can definitely get under $100 pp before tax and gratuity if you do a Friday night, sat. afternoon or Sunday wedding.

Good luck!

Hi there!

Welcome!

The very first thing you should do (if you haven't already done it), is to figure out what time of year you want to get married. Do you want a weekend wedding? What time of day? All of these are pretty important factors to take into consideration. The 'peak' wedding months are May-October, and Saturday nights are generally the most expensive night to have an affair.

To begin your RH search, take a look at these links, and narrow down the list of RH's you are interested in visiting. Do you want something on the water? Are big sprawling grounds important to you? Do you want your wedding to be the only wedding taking place that day? Also, the RH prices on these sites aren't entirely accurate, but they will give you a general price range.

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Once you narrow down your list from the 8 million RH's in LI, you can start setting up appointments. FH and I live in Manhattan, so all of our appointments were on Saturdays or Sundays, in the early afternoon. Just be sure to tell the person you are making the appointment with that you MUST see any and all prospective rooms. The problem with visiting halls on the weekend is that there are usually weddings going on, and at best they'll let you 'peek' into the room to see what it looks like.

FH and I visited 4 halls (I had a list of 16 that I wanted to visit). Woodbury was our 4th hall, and when we walked into 'our' room, we looked at each other, and that was it - we booked it on the spot. If you need to look at 100 RH's before you guys have that moment, then so be it, but whatever you do, do not settle. There are soooo many places on LI, you will definitely fall in love with one of them (maybe even a few!).

Sorry that I rambled on! Hopefully some of this was slightly helpful!

Lots of luck on your search, and ask as many questions as you have - we've all been in your shoes, so we understand what you're going through!

Thank you so much, your help is great

Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it!

we made appts at six different places before we found 'the one'.

Definitely make an appointment. When you call, ask for the approximate price range per head. You'll be surprised - many places actually will give you an idea over the phone.

Be sure to factor in tax + service charge/gratuity. Our price was technically under $100 per head, but not after gratuity (service charge) and tax.

Remember when doing your math to multiply the price per head times the service charge. Then multiple the entire amount by the tax. The 'gratuity' is really a service charge that is taxed. (Just so you don't get blindsided and book without being aware)

We usually went during the day on the weekends, but you can make an appontment for weeknights, too.

Good luck and have fun!

first guesstimate how many people. then make up a list of places you might want to see.

when i was ready, i started making calls. i called up before hand to get quotes. if they were out of our range, we moved on. if they were within our range, i called to make an appointment. i asked for quotes for both sat night and sat afternoon. i tried to schedule the similar venues by location so i could go to a few venues in one day (i usually did this on a saturday). i estimated about an hour for each appointment when booking.

i always like to do a 'trial run'. i picked the venue i like the least and go to that one first. this way i sort of learn as we go and it won't make a difference because it wasn't my absolute first choice.

i did check out a few after work but it was rough since i work in manhattan.

we saw about 6 before we chose one. always negotiate! it doesn't hurt to ask.

good luck!

Hey Welcome & Congratulations!

Budget wise - if you haven't choosen a date yet remember hoilday weekends & sundays / friday nights are always cheaper than saturdays - (Sunday brunches are becoming very popular, if you are into that!)

Most places that I have visited do require you make an appoinment before you visit, unless you happen to catch them when they are holding a bridal show - and if you can go to some bridal shows definitly DO IT! they are so much fun & you can make some good contacts!

My FH and I only looked at 2 before we knew - everyones different - when you find the right hall you'll know - just like you knew your finace was 'the one'

Good luck to you!

You girls are the best.Thanks for taking the time to help me!! All the replies are very helpful

There is a great magazine called 'Locations' that gives a great list of majority of the RH places on the Island and it has a chart of how many weddings can be held at the place at once, what the price range is, what style of food they serve, what style of service (french, family, etc), and a bunch of other things.

Newsday's wedding mag has an almost identical spreadsheet too.

We are on the same budget as you, and we were able to get our price and we are very happy with what we are getting.

One thing I would suggest though, is that you make up a tentative guest list before you go and look at places. You will really need to know your numbers before you can have a good sense of whether or not a place will work for you. B/c in the end, if a place is way too small or big, it doesn't matter how cheap it is.

HTH!