XOXO

Woahhh...

let's start here...

What do you need the $3,000 to cover? I know you said not the dress or limos...do you want a photographer? Officiant? Ceremony? Music ?Anything else?

I don't think you'll be able to have anything at a traditional reception hall for 80 people for $3,000. You might be able to swing it at a restaurant or to get catering at your house...

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Posted by npwedding

You have FM!

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just replied, thanks!

Maybe just rent out a hall...
I know you can rent out a VFW or KNights of Columbus hall and most of them fit 100 people and over.... They have tables and chairs, youd have to look at a few to make sure there would be a big enough area for dancing and dj.. Which alot of them do have room for it....Some even cater but I wouldnt say it was for your wedding otherwise the price would go up.. And you can usually rent those for any where from 300 to 500 for 4 hours and some for the day....
And if you did that, you should be able to fit in your budget to rent linens, even if not chair covers, you could get the linen table cloths and maybe even some dishes, etc....
Also check your local fire dept. they usually all have halls that you can rent as long as you are in their district.... and most of them are HUGE! So that would be great as well...
I dont know if you are willing to settle for something like that but if you are, that would save you a TON of money that you could then splurge on other areas of your reception... (maybe give out a little favor and have centerpieces on each table).. The good thing about having it at one of those type of locations is that its always the same price no matter what day of the week you rent it on and no matter the time.. So you could do a saturday night and then make your own centerpieces, like candles would look beautiful!
I hope this helped! And good luck! Im sure everything will work out for you.. Andjust remember, no matter where you have your wedding reception, you can always make it your dream come true.. Have an open mind and give it effort and it will be wonderful!

I just had my Dad's 60th Birthday at the American Legion Hall in Malverne. Very pretty with exposed wood beams. We had over 100 people, catering, centerpieces with real flowers, DJ, photographer and we rented table linens for a little over 3,000. Now my advice to you, is if you have your wedding reception March/April that is the time that First Communions happen and those rental halls get booked up. Start calling now. Also, Costco has GREAT prices for roses and you can get bubble bowls at the dollar store. Cut those roses very short, stick them in the bubble bowl and voila, a centerpiece!!
I have a great dj that I had for four hours for $360, a photographer for 3 hours for $300. We catered some of the food and we made some of the food. We rented beautiful table linens from an amazing vendor down the road.

FM me if you want information. You can do a wedding on a budget!! Nothing is impossible

Check out Queens Country Farm. They have a nice barn on site that I was thinking of renting for my wedding. It is $1,000 for 4 hours or they have an outdoor pavillion area that I believe you can rent for $500. They barn was very nice in my opinion. They also provide tables and chairs. You could easily decorate with sunflowers, checked tableclothes, serve lemonade, etc and go with a whole farm/country theme. I really wanted to do it for my wedding but FH was against it. He's a city boy and couldn't appreciate my vision, lol.

Also check out Queens Botanical Gardens. I know they have a reception space. I was going to look into it but then I read on their website that you can't serve hard liquor. That was the deal breaker for me.

Good Luck!

Here's some pictures that I found on the knot of a wedding in the barn at Queens County Farm.

Okay I can't get the pics to post so here is the link.

The Knot - Queens County Farm wedding

the knights of colimbus in Seaford has an upstairs room where the minimum number of people is 100. American Legion in Levittown also caters. I hear that the Knights in Oceanside has a nice setup and I think they do some decorating with lights too for weddings.
In Wantagh there is a catering place that is also open as a dance place so I'm not sure just how they work that but it's name is Long Island Manor if you want to get info from them to rent it.

as for decorating, visit Michael's and ACMoore and use the 40% coupons to save$$$.

you might also want to check craigslist for new photographers who may do the reception for an smaller fee than establisher photographers.

by the way I think the off season is really Jan and Feb these days. Sep and Oct are now considered prime time and prices may go down a bit for Nov and maybe Mar . But each catering place tinkers with the general rule of thumb based on their own experiences with weddings. I would think this would not be too applicable to the K of C's or other place that are similar to these tho.
HTH

My friend had a wedding at an Indian restaurant. It was $23 per person for a buffet. They hooked up an iPod, made their own everything form the mantage to the wedding cupcakes. His dad took photos.

She said their wedding cost $3000 but they only had like 150 guests.

Congrats in advance! What hall are you going to see this Saturday?

Here is a timeline 'to do' list.
Wedding Planning To-Do List
6 to 12 months before the wedding
Announce the engagement to family and friends.
Discuss the wedding style the two of you envision.
Discuss among the two of you and both sets of parents how the wedding expenses will be shared or divided.
Choose an honor attendant and your bridesmaids.
Choose a best man and groomsmen.
Register for wedding gifts (That is the fun part!).
Select a wedding date.
Pick out a bridal gown and tux along with the accessories.
Meet with the officiant and fiancé to discuss ceremony.
Discuss honeymoon plans.

4 to 6 months before the wedding
Select ceremony and reception sites.
Shop for wedding rings.
Complete your guest list and ask your parents to do the same.
Interview and hire professionals.
Send “Save the Date” cards if you set your dates far in advance or if it falls during a holiday season.
Reserve rentals yourself.
Delegate transportation arrangements.
Determine requirements for marriage license.
Arrange for physical exam or blood test (If needed).
Reserve hotel room for wedding night if you’re not departing on honeymoon immediately after reception.Choose wedding favors.
Make sure everyone knows their task in the wedding
Complete task with each vendor
Stationer: Order invitations and all other stationery. Contact and reserve calligrapher, if desired.
Caterer: Discuss and choose menu. Select other services to be provided.
Baker: Order the cake if the caterer is not providing it.
Florist: Order floral arrangements, bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages.
Photographer: Give shot list and discuss style of photos.
Videographer: Discuss various styles and approaches of wedding and videos and express you’re preferences.
Entertainment: Select style of music for ceremony and reception. Compile a list of music for both and give a copy to the band leader and/or DJ.

2 months before wedding
Address invitations and send them out.
Check on vendor’s progress and confirm arrangements with each one.
Select gifts for each other, attendants, parents and other helpers.
Pick up rings and make sure they fit.
Select readings, poems, or prayer for the ceremony. (Give copies to everyone who will be reading them.)
If writing all or part of your vows, begin to put them together.
Stay on top of thank you notes. Try to send them every time you receive a gift.
Confirm transportation arrangements and honeymoon plans.
Start work on favors if you or the wedding parties are making them.

One month before wedding
Check final details with all of your vendors.
Have your final fitting for the gown. Bring shoes and hair accessories to confirm that they match.
Send out additional invitations as you receive regrets (when someone can not make it).
Work on seating plans.
Meet with officiant to finalize the plans for the ceremony.
Make arrangements for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.
Organize going-away outfit and clothing for the honeymoon.
Schedule final hair trimming.
Plan transportation to the ceremony and the reception.

2 weeks before wedding
Check in with vendors as needed.
Pick up marriage license with fiancé.
Pick up wedding gown. Confirm that you have something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.
Practice hairstyles (with/with out headpiece), either by yourself or with a stylist.
Schedule makeup trial run or practice.
Begin writing seat place cards or delegate this task to calligrapher, stationer, or attendants.
Compose reception toasts.

1 week before wedding
Check in with vendors as needed.
Confirm seating plan and give caterer final guest count.
Finish writing seating and place cards.
Assign wedding-day duties to your attendants and helpers.
Pack for the honeymoon.
Attend rehearsal dinner.
Create a checklist of all items you will be bringing to the ceremony and reception.

24 hours before wedding
Have breakfast with attendants, close family or a few friends.
Touch base with wedding consultant if you hire one,
Before dressing, take a nice relaxing bubble bath or enjoy a massage.
Give groom’s ring to honor attendant to hold for the ceremony.
Give bride’s ring to the best man in sealed envelope.
Have luggage and honeymoon documents taken to the reception location.
Collect bridal bouquet and emergency kit (Sewing, aspirin, and so on.) to the ceremony.
Pin on the boutonnieres.
Give gifts to the parents to thank them for their help and support.
Before the ceremony
Confirm that chairs are set up and that all elements of the décor have been properly arranged.
Confirm that the musicians/DJ arrived on time, to setup.
Confirm that attendants and groomsmen have arrived at the ceremony location, and distribute flowers and boutonnieres.
Confirm that officiant has arrived at the ceremony location.
Confirm that the photographer and/or videographer have arrived.
Have honor attendant and best man sign the wedding certificate as witnesses.
Before the reception
Ensure that the guest chairs, table and buffets have been set up and arranged according to plan.
Confirm that guest tables are set with specified elements, such as specialty linens, place cards, and favors.
Confirm that the caterer and/or bartender have arrived at reception location.
Confirm that a microphone (Preferable cordless) is available for toasts.
Confirm that the photographer and/or videographer have arrived.