Loved Martha Clara, but can we afford it???!!!

Hello all! So you were also helpful by telling my fiance and I to look at Martha Clara, so we did... and we ABSOLUTELY LOVED the barn!
Problem. The rental for the barn is 4,500 dollars. WITHOUT tables/chairs/food/alcohol/WINE/music, etc.
SO. this poses a bit of a problem.

does anyone know...
a. any inexpensive but still delicious catering companies/chair-table rental places on long island
or
b. any similar venues to martha clara, that might be a bit more inexpensive?

THANK YOU ALL. You are all so knowledgeable, and I'm so grateful this kind of board exists!!!

pps- if anyone knows another big barn, that would work too!

Re: Loved Martha Clara, but can we afford it???!!!

sorry, one more question!

Does anyone know how many people can fit in Naugles Barn at Hallockville?

Thank you!!!

Re: Loved Martha Clara, but can we afford it???!!!

Me and FH looked into Martha Clara Vineyard as well....but the same as you guys, too expensive for us. BEAUTIFUL though!!

We looked at a lot of the vineyards but they all had a rental fee

Vineyard Caterers out East was the only one that didnt but it wasnt exactly a Vineyard like Martha Clara was.....BUT it is also very beautiful! I heard the food is amazing too!

Just an idea

Re: Loved Martha Clara, but can we afford it???!!!

I had my eparty at Martha Clara, I have to say the people were very difficult to work with. I did not use their caterer bc they were expensive, I ended up using someone else. I usually never 'bash' a vendor but these people were just so rude. Even my guests commented to me on how nasty they were!

Just make sure you have asked every single question b4 booking. I found out the night of my eparty I couldn't have candles....meanwhile someone told me weeks b4 I could...the people there are just very unorganized.

Re: Loved Martha Clara, but can we afford it???!!!

I looked at Martha Clara and I loved it too.
I am learning in this process that if you know your budget, and want to stick to it share that information with the vendors/halls. Most people will work with you in your budget.
I know the woman we met with at Martha Clara was willing to work with us on that price.
Shop around for caterers - I don't know if you can use any catering company there but I really loved Northport Caterers!
Hope this helps.

Re: Loved Martha Clara, but can we afford it???!!!

Hi There!!

I looked at Martha Clara, and really liked it, but then I went to Duck Walk and fell in love... I put my deposit down (and like an idiot) didn't do any research first... we were working with Black Tie Caterers at the time, and the person that we were first working with was fired, the second person went missing in action, and the third person assured us that we'd be within budget... well we got our quote and the quote for food alone was our entire wedding budget, and the rentals were an extra $8,000.

If you are concerned about budget, this may not be the way to go for you. I know that there are other caterers out there that I could have tried, but it took forever to get the quote that I was looking for and we had wasted so much time going back and fourth. I got so frustrated that I ended up canceling Duck Walk and booked Vineyard Caterers. They are amazing, enough of a Vineyard for me, and the price is outstanding. I think it's still enough of a Vineyard charm and there is so much more flexibility with dates and pricing, and every single encounter I've had with them has been amazing.

HTH and good luck!!

Re: Loved Martha Clara, but can we afford it???!!!

Check out the Ark Project in Water Mill. I was there with my sister and cousin about 8 years ago because she had photographed a wedding there and thought the place was really insane so she wanted to show it to my sister and me. I didn't have 'weddings' in my head back then so I honestly cannot say whether or not it would be the right place for a wedding, but the entire setting is soooooo unique. It is definitely barnish, but the entire place is so artsy and funky. It is something that is DEFINITELY worth checking out, I can tell you that. It's not really easy to describe lol so you have to go see it for yourself. but if you want somethign different and something barnish, DEFINITELY check out this place.

http://www.thearkproject.com/

Re: Loved Martha Clara, but can we afford it???!!!

for rentals try water mill party rental, they might be called classic party rental now - but they are based in water mill and they have beautiful stuff. I work at a nonprofit and they provided the rentals for an event we were a part of at Martha Clara.

Not sure the prices, but I know they are great people to work with.

Re: Loved Martha Clara, but can we afford it???!!!

Have you thought about Raphael Vineyard? It is really pretty. Good luck!

Re: Loved Martha Clara, but can we afford it???!!!

You guys are great!
We are still thinking about martha clara, and i LOVE THE ARK project! thanks for that suggestion, am working with them.
I'm still holding out for a big old-fashioned barn that holds 200... if anyone thinks of anything...
THANK YOU AGAIN!!!

Re: Loved Martha Clara, but can we afford it???!!!

---

Posted by peasweet9

You guys are great!
We are still thinking about martha clara, and i LOVE THE ARK project! thanks for that suggestion, am working with them.
I'm still holding out for a big old-fashioned barn that holds 200... if anyone thinks of anything...
THANK YOU AGAIN!!!

---

Did you already try NY Botanical Gardens. They have a barn venue.

Re: Loved Martha Clara, but can we afford it???!!!

Hi there!

I wanted to be in touch to check in with you, because I was quoted $6500 for a wedding in August 2010 at Martha Clara. Were you really quoted $4500? Martha Clara is now our top contender so I wanted to check in to confirm.

Thanks so much!
Jen

Re: Loved Martha Clara, but can we afford it???!!!

Hey...
When did you get that quote? Also.. what day of the week are you getting married? And just so you know, the closer to fall you go, the more expensive it is, because the grapes are in bloom. I think august, september and october were the highest priced months.
We are getting married july 24th, and booked it over a year ago.

Re: Loved Martha Clara, but can we afford it???!!!

I wanted a vineyard wedding, but when I did a bit of research I realized it wasn't doable for us. We looked at Vineyard Caterers and fell in love with the place.It's not a barn, they have a deck for CH and a ballroom-like room for the reception. They actually do grow and use the grapes there, but they make the wine at a different location, and you don't have a tasting room right there, so no people wandering around on your day! It was just so much more convenient with the same feel, and the food we tasted there was really good!
It's worth checking out at least.