Thinking outside the box for venues?

[mtbny]

We're still in the venue hunting stage. We have special ties to a small town in Vermont, where there are more cows than people. There are two well-known venues there and both are about the same price (a $6k site fee is just the beginning!). We want to do the ceremony and reception on the same site, and it's a destination wedding for basically everyone (including us). We want the site to have some meaning to us (which both of these do) and not just find a random place in VT to get married. This seems like a lot of money to book at one of the only two venues in town.

I have two questions. First, you women seem full of great ideas for saving money. Any tips for this situation? Is it reasonable to barter with the people who own this Inn? How do you do this? We're looking at 2010, btw.

Also, has anyone encountered a situation like this and found a way to think outside the box with an alternate type of venue? Something possibly overlooked? This place is a very small town!

[uhmanduh728]

our town is small too.. we are looking at places like museums and librarys that will hold it and might be a little cheaper. plus they are usually beautiful and need little decoration :whoohoo:

[saltyveruca]

We found a very out of the box venue that saved us a lot of money. We ended up having our reception at a working brewery, and they provided all of the alcohol as a part of their very reasonable fee.

How did we find this wonderful place? I started looking at state parks. We found a state park that had brewery ruins (cool) but was pretty far and didn't allow us to do all the things we wanted (not cool). Then, ding! Hey, we could do it at an actual brewery. Started checking out the websites of breweries in our area...and there you go.

Anyway, the point is to have an open mind, use your imagination, and research, research, research!

[tortoisegirl]

Remember to look beyond the reception venue cost. If a reception site has a Monopoly on catering with high per plate costs and high per-drink alcohol costs (and for example having an open bar is important to you), then it turns out not to be so great of a deal. Our site included tables/chairs/linens. Not all places can do this.

Outside the box ideas: a public park or venue (the city/county may have a website), a church or organization owned building, or even a restaurant.

Our venue is a local museum. They charged the least of the places we considered, included tables/chairs/linens, and had a long list of caterers to choose from (many of which allow people to stock their own bar which I imagine will save us a TON of money). It was by no means a "cheap" venue, but it definitely was what we were looking for and relatively low cost in our high cost area.

Try to ask around--ask locals of the town (maybe stop by stores or restaurants unless it's really too small to do that) where they know of that could hold a wedding. Have in mind the number of people (think max because the last thing you want is a squished reception), indoor/outdoor setting, what type of food and drink you want, etc. There are lists out on the web of questions to ask a potential reception site, wedding caterer, etc.

Bartering may be possible. They may offer a discount for booking so early, putting down more money, paying in check vs. credit card, etc. Make sure to draw up your entire budget before booking a venue because you don't want to find out you spent over half your budget on the venue and still have everything to pay for. Also check the refundability of the contract, etc.

As far as money saving, be thinking of what is most important to you--what items will be your splurge items for example. Think of saving money on both the big and little ticket items. Saving $1,000 on a venue is nothing if you end up then overspending on everything else and equaling it back out.

I would draw out a sample budget if you were to get married at one of the two possibilities you see in the town. Then, figure out the potential of money to be saved if you looked elsewhere. Which is more important to you? For us, the venue was the most important because of the meaning of it...it reflected our personalities and the theme/vibe of the wedding. A lot of other things could be "skimped" on.

Best wishes to you. We're all here to help! Hope you find some awesome options. I think the beginning stages of planning were the most fun for me personally because it seemed like anything was possible. =)

[Docsgirl]

What time of the year is your wedding going to be? You could always have an outdoor wedding somewhere, and then rent one of those big tents for the reception. Maybe a family member has a place you'd like to hold it? You mentioned you'd like it to mean something to you, so maybe you could even hold it at the first place you went out for a date, or something similar that would hold a special meaning for you and your FH.

Also, I'd see if your wedding is during "peak time" for weddings in your area. Our wedding date is one day shy of wedding season for our area, so because it's still considered an off-season wedding, we're getting our reception hall for half the price that it would usually cost. And we're still getting all the bells and whistles that they do for people who pay the full price. That might help with one of the venues you're looking into.

[SafetyHarborBrideAtLast]

One thing to think about if you're looking for a nontraditional venue is that you mentioned the wedding will be a destination even for you and FH. So if you choose a venue that doesn't have the staff and supplies to give you everything you will need (i.e. tables, linens, lighting, etc.) it will equal a lot of legwork for you and FH.
But, speaking of legwork and negotiation, if you have the time on your reception day and/or friends and family to help, sometimes with rental companies you can negotiate if there is no set-up or break-down involved for the vendor. (i.e. if you are renting chairs you can usually save a few bucks if all they have to do is drop off a stack of chairs, not set them all up in rows or whatever)
Negotiating with a venue is usually easiest if your wedding is coming up sooner and the date is still available. However, definitely give it a try, it never hurts. If they can't come down on their overall price, see if maybe they can throw in some extras. My biggest negotiating tactic is to pit several vendors/venues against each other. Let's say venue A is the one you really like but it is more expensive than venue B. Call Venue A and say, "Venue B is able to do it for X, which better suits our budget. I wanted to give you the opportunity to stay competitive. Is there anything you can do to bring your fees down?"
That second line about 'staying competitive' has been very useful for me with photographers, djs, etc. Most of the vendors I have delt with understand how bad the economy is and are trying to supply wiggle room in order to get work. The biggest key to negotiation is to make them think you are willing to walk away. If their response is that they can't change their price, then end the meeting or get off the phone ASAP, telling them you will "let them know" (even if you know you'll pay the higher price if you have to). Letting them think they might lose your business is usually enough to make them negotiate at least a little bit.
And I totally agree with the gal that said to lay out a budget. Get quotes from all your potential vendors- we are spending a lot of money on our venue, but were able to get good deals in other areas to make it work. Just know what's important to you.
Good luck!

[f77g4]

Does the town have a golf course - you could see about holding it in their clubhouse.

But I suggest like the others to looks at parks, museums, etc anything that town has.

[mtbny]

Thanks so much for so many thoughtful answers. If I could spread around reputation I totally would!

We are basically set on this place (one of the two venues in town) for the wedding, and I think we'd be disappointed if we don't do it there. I've had a long line of emails back and forth with the venue, but haven't told them our date yet (we don't have one yet). Now I just have to see if I have any bargaining chips!

[Scrwballsgrl]

Thanks so much for so many thoughtful answers. If I could spread around reputation I totally would!

We are basically set on this place (one of the two venues in town) for the wedding, and I think we'd be disappointed if we don't do it there. I've had a long line of emails back and forth with the venue, but haven't told them our date yet (we don't have one yet). Now I just have to see if I have any bargaining chips!

Thats the biggest thing, once you get your heart set on a place as long as your comfortable paying what it cost I say go for it. I was also gonna mention the idea of parks or community owned sites. (ditto to what saltyveruca said:) ).
Fh and I are having our wedding at a state owned lodge; it used to belong to a paper mill here and was used for company functions when the mill closed they sold it to the state who opened a public boat launch(its on a creek) but kept the building & out buildings to rent to the public for whatever type function they would need. Its only costing us $825 and $200 of that we get back as a security deposit! Its set back off a lined drive of oak trees with a large front porch, playground & piers to walk on and admire the water.

[burnsgirl001]

we actually decided on our date (August 22, 2009) not becuase of any sentimental reason, but because we were informed by our venue that July and August are considered "off season" and they threw in a dessert thing for free (which would usually cost an extra $8 per person) just because we booked in "off season". so we kinda just picked a random date in August that worked for us and our parents.
So perhaps if a specific date isnt all that important to you, maybe find out if the venue is willing to work with you there too.
best of luck!