'You get what you pay for?'

Original post by HSsweethearts

Aug 29, 2009 12:06 PM

So I planned my wedding a few years ago. I fell in love with the first hall I saw and we booked it. it turns out it's one of the more expensive halls (No Oheka or even Russo's, but above average). Now we're looking to plan again, but we really don't have money, so I'm definitely looking to downscale the wedding certainly in terms of size, and I'm trying to not be married to my original hall for that reason.

I've been considering some halls that are a bit less expensive, but when the price is 'too low' it worries me. What do you think the difference is between a more expensive hall and a less expensive hall? If I go to a hall that's $20-40 less pp with a smaller minimum, what am I sacrificing, besides debt?

What have you ladies found?

halfbaked Posted: Aug 31, 2009 03:22 PM

Re: 'You get what you pay for?'

I disagree taht you get what you pay for. Russo's you pay to be in Queens and Oheka you pay for the whole estate and the grounds and the whole nine.

I was dead set on a wedding in Brooklyn/Queens/Manhattan but it's ridiculous to pay DOUBLE just to have your wedding in a cramped loft in the city. I second Jericho Terrace. FH and I's jaws literally dropped when we got the quote! We booked it on the spot!

coldasice217 Posted: Aug 31, 2009 04:49 PM

Re: 'You get what you pay for?'

I agree with the sentiment, but only to a degree. There were some halls that we visited that were a lot more budget friendly, but aesthetically just didn't work for us, or we felt we weren't getting a vast menu choice for the money. We picked our RH, which typically is a moderately expensive RH, but were very dilligent to make sure we negotiated the price and minimum to where we felt comfortable. It meant having a December wedding instead of a November wedding. BUT,, I would have had to have a Saturday or Sunday afternoon wedding in November, for the same price and minimum, and now I have a Saturday night...was the 3 weeks extra wait worth it? ABSOLUTELY. And I'll still be getting the same exact food, massive amounts, and beautiful decor. So while I'm not paying much...in this case I think I'm getting so much more than what I'm paying for.

If you are flexible with time of year, I would highly suggest pricing out a few off-season months. Then you can get the place you want, for a much lesser price...usually that same $20-$40 differerence!

bigsal Posted: Aug 31, 2009 07:37 PM

Re: 'You get what you pay for?'

I think you have to trust your instincts on this one. The pricing really depends on the time of year, the amount of guests, sat v other days of the week and so forth. If you really love a place you should negotiate with them. Change the wedding to a friday or an afternoon wedding. Alot of places are more than willing to negotiate!

oldladybride Posted: Aug 31, 2009 08:58 PM

Re: 'You get what you pay for?'

Posted by ChrissyV729

Honestly my RH was not alot (in my opinion) at all. I have heard nothing be great reviews about them. The reason I checked them out was becuase soooo many people said that the food there was so good. I went for a food tasting..... AMAZING!!! FM me if you want more info.

I totally agree with ChrissyV729, Larkfield Manor is super affordable and the amount of food and the quality of food you get for the price is amazing.

The ceremony area is also gorgeous, and the people who work there are so helpful and friendly.

and I agree with them both!!! It's Fantastic.
but there are some places that are less because the atmosphere is not there and places on the water because they are on the water will be more .
the first place we checked was almost 1/2 the price of larkfield and in that case I did wonder what am I really getting. I checked LIweddings and found only 1 post about 2 years old. I think that place while a caterer was used more for rock concerts and lodge meetings. so if it seems to good to be true, check it thoroughly before proceeding. that place might have been terrific but I decided to keep looking and found a marvelous alternative who also took a guarantee of just 60 for a Sun nite.

HSsweethearts Posted: Sep 02, 2009 10:22 AM

Re: 'You get what you pay for?'

Well with Russo's, for example (this is not my hall) you're paying to be in Queens, but you're also paying for amazing food, a grand entrance, the name, and the waiters to change jackets like 52 times. Other than the great food and the fact that it's 5 minutes from my church, I don't really need the other stuff, so I guess it's a balance. I'm thinking of moving my wedding to a Sunday and keeping my place (they still have part of my deposit), but I might want to look around, and I'm just afraid that if I hear a place is less expensive (esp under $100) I'm going to get worried that it's not as good.

I'm thinking in terms of food, service, etc.
Do you think with a lot of these places you pay for the name? Also, my hall is one wedding at a time, and in my recent research I think I'm paying a huge premium just for that.

ETA: I think I'm going to check out JT. I've heard great things about it, but I always thought it was expenive. Someone told me it's in the same price range as Russo's, which is gorgeous, but WAY out of my price range.

Rivera2be Posted: Sep 02, 2009 02:23 PM

Re: 'You get what you pay for?'

I visited one hall that I felt was affordable and offered alot of bang for your buck! I would recommend checking the Sans Souci of Sea Cliff. If you look at their website www.sanssoucicaterers.com they offer alot within their package. I actually tried the food at an event they had & it was great!