BYO caterer reception venue

That is not going to happen Garry. The venue will probably cost that much without one carrot stick.

Were you looking for just a venue for 8000? Because 8000 for 200 people is very, very low if you consider food, staffing and tableware.

Why no alcohol.

Quetions. We have questions.

Is that $8,000 for the whole Wedding?

Also questioning the reason behind no alcohol.

Nope not happening. We're spending 6k on food and drinks for 60 people with a heavy discount.

Also pretty sure Chicago is expensive

Why no alcohol?

Oh boy

That is really hard. In my experience BYO caterer is more expensive because you have to piece everything together yourself and the BYO venues are expensive on their own. Don't know of any hotel ballrooms that will let you BYO. With that budget and that number of people you would need the venue to be basically free. But anyway the cheapest BYO places I found (prices are probably outdated):

Terrace Banquets Elk Grove Village $2075 including chairs, tables, linens

Hinsdale Community House $2700 including chairs, tables

Highland Park Community House $2500 including chairs, tables

Hopkins Park Terrace Room $425

Katherine Legge Memorial Hall $2500 including chairs, tables

Johnsburg Community Club $750 including folding chairs and tables (you set them up)

Crystal Lake Park District $1455 including chairs, tables, linens

All can fit 200 I think except Crystal Lake, which maxes at 180.

ETA: I had an unrealistic budget to begin with too, and what helped was to see what the "cheap places" cost...

Garry, unless your invitations include your names, your parents' names, the date, time, location, and a final sentence that says, "Soft Drinks, Dinner, and Dancing to Follow", your ballroom address will lead every single guest to believe that they are being invited to dress up beautifully and attend a fully hosted party of the adult variety ("of the adult variety" implies...no, demands...alcoholic beverages). If I showed up, dressed for a ballroom reception, and was greeted with ginger ale and infused water, I'd realize that you deliberately withheld the details about your bare bones wedding. I'd be pissed off. I'd realize, in the first ten minutes, that you were a bait and switch couple who thought I'd enjoy a party that wasn't a party -- a six hour non-party. If you're so sure of your dry decision, tell your guests the truth. Then, it's up to them to make an informed decision. Your guests won't tell you that, but I will.

If you select a reputable venue, they should have no problem with whatever licensed caterer you want to use -- unless, of course, the caterer is you, your family, or someone else who doesn't file their taxes as a professional caterer. Reputable venues have no interest in working with home cooks because of an issue called liability. You need a licensed, certified, food handler who isn't cooking in their home kitchen in order to get a caterer's food through a venue's front door.

Sorry, but I think you're biting off more than you can chew. You're not in Jordan Valley, Oregan, where the sheep population rivals the human population -- you're in Chicago, Illinois, a metropolitan area. Your budget gives you exactly $40 PP with which to work, which would buy an appetizer in northern NJ and NY. The news is decisive: you can't afford 200 guests at your current PP budget, and let's not even get into the rude, improperly hosted dry wedding. You didn't cut the alcohol because of religious beliefs (or you would have said so); you cut it because you wanted to get as many guests into the reception venue as possible, regardless of how they are hosted.

Throw out your plans and begin again. Realize that you can afford one quarter of your guest list, and when you plan those five tables, make sure that beer and wine flow all night. Otherwise, you'll be one of those couples who do what the majority of guests despise -- serve an inexpensive meal without so much as a glass of wine while expecting gifts from your hundreds.

You're better than that, right?

Not happening in Chicagoland. I spent well over $60K for my daughters wedding (this was Lincoln Park) and stopped counting after that dollar mark because I was getting ill lol for 176 people. My grandson got married in Joliet a few weeks earlier and had a lot more people and spent closer to $30-40k , but the wedding was a nightmare, nothing went right it was one of those weddings you talked about as so bad., but hold your comments from the couple out of kindness.

So many questions

Look into air BnB places or VRBO, that what we're doing for ours, we only have a 5k budget for around 100guests...OOT. plus we're having a food truck which is about 1k. Good luck.

Are you doing your ceremony and reception together?

Also I personally don't see the problem in not wanting to have alcohol (to each its own). You do what's fits in your budget. Most ballrooms is pp where I am from. No outside catering .

200 people? No way in hell.

Hi Garry, it would be great if you could set an avatar photo. You’ll get more replies on your threads and it’ll help the community recognize you when you post. This can be done from the desktop version of the site by going to “My Settings”, or you can email a picture to community@weddingwire.com and someone will set it for you.

Air B&B is very risky. One of them pulled a venue literally a week before a giant wedding in my area. Fortunately, one of my colleagues stepped in with a party space.

Thanks for the comments, I appreciate the brutal honesty, lol. We’re realizing very quickly what this industry is really like. This post was a shot in the dark, not the shot you’re thinking about Rachel, lol. Our guests know us and know why there won’t be alcohol, no deception, I appreciate your passion about it though. Also great to see such a active community where responses come in quick fast and with helpful information. We’re two weeks into our journey, we’ll readjust.

Let me ask a better question...in your experience what venues are ok the low side of the cost pp spectrum? Chicago and suburbs. Thanks again to all who commented.

It's like every other industry; it exists to make a profit so the people in it can make a living while creating a singular, highly emotionally charged day.

Not very mysterious.

Good luck!

We're having our reception at Glendale Lakes Golf Course. It's in Glendale Heights and is about $65 pp including cake, alcohol, linens, flowers for centerpieces, and probably more that I'm forgetting. It's by far the cheapest we found and they've been very easy to work with.

Is the $8,000 just for venue and food? That's a huge stretch (as in, about what I'm paying for food and venue for 60 people), but even if you find a way to make that work there's still photography, decor, attire, DJ, officiant.... Highly recommend cutting your guest list in half, at least.

Yes, Venue and food only

If the area suits you, try D'Andrea Banquet Hall in Crystal Lake. Consider going off season (Nov-Mar) and perhaps a Sunday brunch which IMO would be more appropriate for a dry event and not necessarily need a DJ.

ETA: Also try Manzo's in DesPlaines if you'd like something closer to the city.