Very new to all this!

Hello LIWeddings!

I am somewhat overwhelmed by all of this wedding 'stuff'. My fiance and I just got engaged in March and we have already made appointments at several reception halls just to start the planning process.

I noticed that many couples visited 10-15 reception venues and I just don't think that we will be able to fit that many into our schedules.

We are planning to invite 200 people, the bulk of my fiance's family will be coming from MA, and we are looking for a Saturday evening reception in March of 2008. We are hoping to pay for the entire wedding ourselves and spend appx $30,000 for everything.

We have seen (and love) Villa Lombardi's, and we will also be visiting: The Meadow Club, Leonards of Great Neck, Larkfield Manor and the Riviera.

Does anyone have any other suggestions for reception sites? I have been to weddings at Windows on the Lake, the Mediterranean Manor, the Watermill and the Coral House all in the last year and can attest to their food and location but not necessarily pricing.

Thanks in advance for all of your help!

Good luck with your planning and welcome to the boards! Not to be a downer, but I think it will be really difficult to have a 200 person Saturday night wedding for $30,000. You're going to have a do a lot of shopping around and probably be flexible with your date to get a good price.

You've come to the right place for vendor suggestions through. Everyone on this board is extremely helpful!

Welcome!

This may help!
http://www.liweddings.com/planning/location-guide.aspx

Definitely check out the Manor East . They are definitely in your budget.

Welcome!!!!

Welcome - and Congratulations!

We only visited one place because it was the place I knew I always wanted to get married at (The Crescent Beach Club).

I also really like The Riviera... great views... and from what I hear, VERY reasonable! Also, Lombardi's on the Sound is BEAUTIFUL! And GREAT food!

Good luck! Let us know if you have any questions!

Congrats, and Welcome!!
I only visited 3 reception halls before choosing our location. Just because you may limit yourself to the amount you visit, doesn't mean you will be missing out! Don't worry! Do what you can, and I am sure you'll find the perfect place! Good luck and have fun planning.

Congrats & Welcome!!!

I only checked out 2 halls. The first one I checked out was the one we booked (I fell in love with it immediately), and the second one I checked out just to make sure that the first one was really what I wanted. I have been to many weddings within the past 5 years (probably about 18 <-- yes 18, weddings in the past 5 years), so I already saw a lot of halls and tasted their food, so that helped me out as well.

I am also getting married on a Saturday night and having about 225 people at the reception, so I can tell you that it will be difficult to stay on a 30K budget, but this site will really help you out as far as ideas and money saving tips. For example, I was originally booking another DJ company, and I heard a lot of excellent reviews about another DJ company on this site, so I called and made an appt with him. Loved him, booked him (without FH ever meeting him), and that right there saved me $4,100. And I am SO happy with the change, not just for the money, but his personality is great and he has a great reputation. The same thing happened with my florist. I saved $700 by checking out a florist I read about on this site that I did not know about.

Shop around and definitely go there with a budget. Let the vendor's know what your budget is and see what they could do for you.

Good Luck and FM me if you have any questions

Hello and congratulations!!!!! Check out The Floral terrace their food is great and prices are VERY reasonable (SPECIALLY IN MARCH) Good Luck!
XOXOXO
Kitty

Thank you!

WELCOME!! You came to the right place
I would suggest trying Milleridge Cottage, The Woodlands, Chateau la mer, bridgeview yacht club...

Welcome and happy planning

Thanks!

We were originally planning an October wedding until we realized the substantial price difference for a spring wedding!

I have actually tried to get pricing information over the phone but have met with resistance from many of the vendors. They prefer that you come in and take a loko before you judge them based on price.

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Posted by staceyandmark

Thanks!

We were originally planning an October wedding until we realized the substantial price difference for a spring wedding!

I have actually tried to get pricing information over the phone but have met with resistance from many of the vendors. They prefer that you come in and take a loko before you judge them based on price.

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yeah, they never know if you are another hall if you just call...at least if you go through the trouble of going in then they figure you're legit.

Not to worry, I know that the set budget will be hard to stick to, but I am hoping to be able to cut some corners here and there.

And you're right--this is a great place to get advice. Everyone is so eager to help!

Welcome! If you have any questions about Mediterranean Manor, please FM me. I just got married there and totally loved it! They are amazing! Good luck with your planning!