Total Wedding Budgets for Long Island

What happens when you book a more expensive hall is that everything else in turn usually ends up being more expensive.... you won't want an $800 DJ playing at $150 a head reception venue.

So, with that in mind, and your description of a 'high end' wedding and weighing in everything including the cost of a dress appropriate for those venues, 175 people, etc etc... I would say MINIMUM $60,000 (including everying -- rings, HM, etc)

I don't think it can be done for under $40. A friend of ours had their wedding there in June and they spent over $200 pp, which means you would be spending close to $40,000 just for the reception (tipping etc...)

My reception is a lot less $ pp, however I have more people, so in the end it would be the same as what you would be spending at the Carltun and I am finding it hard to stay within a $60,000 budget.

I really think you need to look into other times of the year, or Sundays..

I highly recommend knowing what your budget is before you start looking at places. We had a good idea of what we could spend per person- and that really guided us.

You do not want to look at a place, fall in love with it, then find out you can't afford it.

I would plan on spending a minimum of $160 a head. Any place will negotiate with you.. But factor that price in with 8.75 sales tax AND 20% grat. Then multiply by 175. Then you will know that is about 60% percent of your budget.

You can seriously get up to $190 or more a head though at those places. They want to work with you- but you got to be in the same league-- meaning price range.

My budget was under $20K and we are doing it!! 140 people on a Sunday Morning...

Don't limit youself to the places you 'think' are high end. - You may surprise yourself.
I looked @ a place in the Hamptons that was ungodly expensive......and i HATED it !!
Also, there may be some things you LOVE about a place and others you are not impressed with that may change your decsion. -
When I went to see Lands End - I was drooling over the food and the bar and the outside and the bridal suite and and and.......but I was so disappointed w/ the actual ballroom, it completely changed my decision......it all depends on what's important to you

So far my total reception for 100 people on a Sunday morning is running me about 10K... that includes ceremony site, officiant, dj, flowers, cocktail hour and reception at the Watermill. Yes, the Watermill, not a VFW hall... it is possible. I was flexible and am getting married on a Monday... July 4th.... I never thought they could meet my budget but they did.

Being one of the older brides on this site my Dad is retired and disabled and can't help me out. I'm sure your Dad, like mine, would give you his last dime even if he had to live in a cardboard box but please consider this amount of money. You can still have a very elegant reception... I'm having the top menu... but you need to be flexible, negotiate and ask yourself what you would really want and what you could live without. Don't equate expensive with better... it's not necessarily true. I'm sure someday you would like a house... well you need a downpayment in the tens of thousands which is much harder to save for. I'm sure your Dad wants to give you the world but you can still have elegance w/o spending 60K.

Good luck and try to stretch the dollars where you can.

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Posted by JimmysBride

What happens when you book a more expensive hall is that everything else in turn usually ends up being more expensive.... you won't want an $800 DJ playing at $150 a head reception venue.

So, with that in mind, and your description of a 'high end' wedding and weighing in everything including the cost of a dress appropriate for those venues, 175 people, etc etc... I would say MINIMUM $60,000 (including everying -- rings, HM, etc)

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i couldnt agree more, especially w/ the last part!!! are you including your vendors, rings, HM, favors, invites, like the total start to finish cost???? ours goes up ALL THE TIME, but we are getting married on a friday night in november and our 'budget', using the term loosely, is at about 63k!!!! a quick breakdown, so you know, our hall is about 27k (for about 240 people, praying the 20% say no) our photo/video is about 5k, flowers 3k, limos 1700, dj about 2700 (including dinnertime singer) etc. etc. I am only estimating on invites, my dress, accessories etc. and I am probably underestimating!!! Our rings are going to be fairly expensive (about 9k) and our HM about 10k, so if you 'cut back' on things like those you can definitely save a nice amount.
Basically.... dont limit yourself to where you are looking. everyone of us on here is getting married at an amazingly beautiful hall. You might be suprised where you will fall in love.