Venue way beyond budget.

A reasonable amount depends on what you are willing to pay. Different people have different budgets. You should decide what you can afford and go from there.

I had the same problem. I loved somewhere that wouldn't even consider working within my budget, so I moved on (I was very sad for a while). Now, in retrospect, I think about the venue and realize I didn't really love it as much as I thought, and I have found an awesome venue that I walked in and it immediately took my breath away.

As for how much they "should" cost, this depends on where you are and what type of venue you are looking for, An "all inclusive" venue that includes tables chairs, china, has a bar and caterer will cost more than an empty room where you have to bring everything in yourself.

Also, where you are located effects the cost.

I have a $12,000 food and bev minimum, but no room rental feel for my venue in Galveston, TX, but there are venues around the same area for much less, and some for more. I was originally looking in Boston and the average "rentals fee" was about $4,000, and this was only for the room chairs, basic linens, etc., not for the food or bar etc.

Ran out of room... Basically you need to decide on a budget and then don't look anywhere that is not in this budget because you will be disappointed when you cant get it. Trust me I looked at about 25 places before finding my perfect venue.

I ran into this problem a month or so ago, but I had my Wedding Planner just keep pounding at my dream venue & I just put my deposit down on them today! Things all happen for a reason...it will all work out & You will still have an amazing wedding day!! Just keep your head up!

It depends on where you live. In my area, the average for a venue is around $140 per person. Enter your zip code and this site will give you an idea of the average total wedding budget in your area. http://www.costofwedding.com/

We can help you plan small and low-cost!

If your wedding will be small, you might think about having it in the private dining room of a restaurant. Typically, they don't charge room rental at all, if you are buying the food from them.

Unfortunately there is no real guideline for this.. it is like saying, "how much is a wedding dress" . . . there might be a dress for $500, but there is also a dress $25,000. as the other ladies said, it also depands on what is (or is not) included.. where you are geographically... what time of year and the day of the week you are planning your weeding for. some venues have site / rental fees and an f&B minimum, some have only f&b minimums.. etc etc.

you may want to look into locations that are not typically wedding venues - as they sometimes have lower fees etc.

good luck!

Thanks ladies. I guess I just need to not get frustrated and keep looking. Luckily our date is still pretty flexible so I could also change the date to get the best venue or a cheaper day. I want an elegant wedding, but I don't want to be paying it off for the rest of my life.

Planning a lower budget wedding in a big city is possible. I live very close to DC weddings here can cost 30-50 grand. I am trying to stay under 12. First thing I had to do was find a venue outside of DC like 30 minutes away that dripped the price. Also I'm saving a huge chunk of money by having my family cater. The two woman that will be cooking both have exprience cooking for weddings and other large scale events. The venue allowed self catering. I would try looking at reception halls and the hall of the church, someone's house, a public park pavillion., a community center, if you know someone military a VFW. You have options, don't feel like it can't be done because it can be done.

My motto is cristal taste on a beer budget. I want my wedding to look great and have a somewhat formal feel but without the price tag.

I would echo Chuwana's suggestions. You can have an elegant affair at a VFW hall, on a low budget. It just requires creativity, lots of DIY projects, and many coupons from Michaels.

Good luck!

Unfortunetly i am having the same issue ... the venu i want is like 3000 more than i wanted to spend but i think we are going to save more each week and cut something else so we can afford this place it is sooo lovely there ... it is 10,000 for the space the tent the dance floor all tables and linnens and the goumet food for 100 including beer and whine for the guests and the toast. but i think it is worth it ...we have looked at other places but this is the only place we have been that i can see us getting married ... the gardens are just so pretty.

We were on a $15,000 budget and we were looking for a venue that would fit into that budget. FH saw this venue that he fell in love with as did I and are first mistake was going to see it and talking to the event coordinator. We went to other venues to look at them but nothing compared to it we discussed it for weeks debating if we really wanted to spen the extra money. But niether one of us really could see having our wedding and reception any place else and they do all of the setup, catering, rentals etc. so we decided to go ahead and spend the extra $5000 for this place We get a bost for our guest to ride on they get a horse and carriage ride from the parking lot to the front door its secluded and is on 1000s of acres of land and they have a security gate with an attendent and surrounded by white picket fences.

I came across a lot of venues that I really liked but the prices were way over what we were looking to spend....and then I found the perfect place! the price was not only very reasonable we get the entire place to ourselves for the whole day! I was first looking at a place called Castle Farms and they book up to 10 other weddings a day....we would have had to coordinate around other weddings for pictures, etc. So I was so much happier that I took the time to look around and find something that we could work with!

And if it is out of your budget....then move on! There is no reason to put yourself in debt for a 1 day event, you have a lot of time left, I would highly recommend to keep looking!

Since your date is flexible- I'd look at a few options. Get married on a Friday, in the off-season (meaning especially NOT summer). Not only will your venue be cheaper, but your caterer, photog, DJ, etc may be as well.

Consider an afternoon ceremony instead of an evening. Then, you could also do cake and punch with appetizers instead of a full bar and full meal.

Brit I am getting just 13 days before you because of this reason. I wanted a elegant affair and have a large family units so sutting our guest list is almost impossible. I found my dream venue and discovered they had about a 600 dollar credit because of bridal shows so you can use the theater assocaited with it. But since I have to outfit 80 percent of the bridal party and our wedding budget is tiny we decided to wait one more year and not give up the venue. I am cutting costs where I can but to have a indoor wedding with ac is a blessing. We are getting married on a sunday which cuts the cost down. A weekday Mon thur Thurs would have been cheaper. Thankfully my date missed Saturday which at my venue is the most expensive. They only do one event a day so we have the rooms for over 12 hours also.

I would talk to them and tell them what your budget it. Maybe if you change the day or time they might be able to work with you. If that doesn't work them walk away. If it is over budget it is over budget. Something better will come along. I know it seems super important now but remember the marriage is what is important. Best wishes.

I had the same problem too! I originally wanted to get married in Mammoth Lakes, CA but the a very Apres-style ritzy ski resort town and since I am having a winter wedding, f/b min was RIDICULOUS. i was devastated! but FH came thru like my knight in shining armour and found another mountain lake resort somewhere else for more than half the cost! it helped that our wedding is not during "wedding season" though so most vendors charged a lot less!

because our wedding is off season, our venue is waiving the "rental fee" for the ceremony and reception and charging us $49/person (with $7000 f/b min) for the reception. the reception includes appetizers+3 course dinner+our wedding cake. So basically the venue was free, and we just for pay the catering!

if youre totally stuck on that particular vendor, ask the vendor if it is cheaper to do the wedding on an off day (thurs/fri/sun) or an afternoon wedding (lunch reception).

If you found a venue that you love than let them know what your budget is for your reception. They can create a menu that is tailored to your budget. We planners do it all the time. Take your budget times 48% and should get an amount that you can take to the caterer and let know this is how much you can spend.

I hope that this helps you.