$9,000 for a venue too much?

Just so you know, that is by far the most expensive venue I've ever heard of (considering what it includes), but like I said, whether its too much depends on your priorities and your overall budget.

How long ago did you get engaged? Do you know yet who (if anyone) will be helping you pay for the wedding? Have you and FH talked about what you can afford?

PS - I think its gorgeous!!

Katie Bug I totally agree. Before you start looking at venues you need to have a ball park figure of how many people. It also helps with the budget because if you have a small wedding but a big budget then you can splurge more on the venue since your catering costs will be less.

Nope we are spending almost 10,000 for ours with a 120 people attending but we get a lot with that...it would have been alot more had we not know the Event coordinator who gave us a pretty good discount

I thought I was spending a lot on my venue (3,500). I think it's too much for a low budget wedding.

Without catering included, I think it's a lot....But it all depends on your overall budget for your wedding. My reception venue was $4,000 and is literally just a rental hall with chairs provided. My wedding ceremony and reception budget is $25,000. So do your numbers and remember that catering is a chunk of ur budget.

I agree with Carly. We paid $850 and that's ALOT here. Average is about $400. There was a place here that did the all inclusive around the same price but since we are paying for everything ourselves it was way over what we can afford to pay cash for. I think you can do it cheaper by hiring a wedding planner. That seems high. Right now is a great time for bridal shows. If you find a DJ they may partner with someone and you can get a good deal. We used a lot of referrals from our vendors for other vendors.

Katie Bug: We go engaged november 2011. Wedding date is October 2013. And I agree that we do need to officialy sit down and figure out our guest list. but we're pretty sure its going to be around 200. Our budget is about $15,000... So the venue would be a huge chunk if we decide on castleton. (which we probably wont, Sadly.)

Thank you ladies for all your awesome advice and help!

As others have said, it all depends on how much you have to spend on the wedding. I would definitely look into catering costs before deciding if you can afford the venue or not. Do they require you to book with certain caterers? Get an idea of how much everything else will cost before you make your final decision. The place does look beautiful and if you have the money, go for it!

Unless the tables are 72" rounds and hold 10 people you don't have enough tables. Will you need to rent reception chairs or will white garden chairs work for you? Does the venue have preferred vendors you have to use? Is there room if you go over 200?

Our reception chairs are costing us almost $1k and that's for 130 chairs. Rental cost is stupidly expensive so make sure you price that out if you opt for your fh aunts house. Really don't sign any contract until you have a very good idea of ALL costs lol. I did not get quotes for rentals or floral in advance and they are the two items that I'm having a really hard time accepting the cost of now that I'm down to the wire and need to book soon.

Ahhh sorry ! I had a dream venue that blew past reasonable pricing for fh and me too, it took us 2 months to cut the cord and let the place go so I know what you are going through! Your venue is out there!

I've heard rule of thumb is food and beverage and venue should be about 50% of your total budget which allows room for photographer, dress, rings, dj etc.

My Venue is the Stanley Hotel where the shining was shot. It a very historic hotel. For 7500, we get chairs, table linens, chair ribbons (Covers would be 120 dollars more) Ceremony and reception site, and the food included in the price. As well as our suite for the night before and night of the wedding. The only thing it doesn't come with is a Coordinator. Ours is for 75 guests. I think that price is good, but maybe a little high since it doesn't include the food.

The catering we basically dont have to worry about, thanks to a friend. so we're saving lots of money there. and they allow outside vendors, nothing specific. I like the place so much because they are so flexible. And there is plenty of room if we go over our guest number.

The rental costs of everything else is what i'm worried about if we use his aunt's house... UGH, I hate planning a wedding.

Sorry I think it's too much...it would be extremely hard IMO to get that place and fit into a $15k budget...you still have so many other big expenses...namely food, bar, photo, video, and DJ. Plus all of the little expenses really do add up...It is possible but you would have to be willing to make many sacrifices...again, all about your priorities.

EDIT: I just saw that catering is free (?) That helps a lot!

Don't hate wedding planning...if that's really how you feel this early then I would strongly recommend hiring a planner to redude your load...I hate to tell you this, but it only gets more stressful as the wedding grows closer :/

Okay, so I think I've gotten passed the fact that I may not be able to get the perfect venue that I want. It is more important that our guests and I have a great time, and that wont be able to happen if I blow all our money on the venue. So I think we're going to go with my FH's aunt's house. Unless I find something better.

Again, thank you ladies so very much!

You've all been such a great help!! I'm glad I have a place to vent and get some advice!

LOTS OF LOVE!

It seems a bit much for what you are getting. DH and I got married in the Boston area where the prices of things are just crazy and even here many of the things you listed would be included and you would get a bit more for that money. Shop around or if you really love the place negotiate hard. Good luck.

This is half advice, half bragging.....my FH and I just booked our 3600 square-foot, vaulted ceiling with crystal clear picture windows overlooking a lake, with a wrap-around deck that leads out to a private cove, includes a huge kitchen with appliances (and deep freezer), 2 dressing rooms, 2 full bathrooms, enough space, tables and chairs to seat 300 plus buffets etc, a full P.A. system, fireplace, air conditioning, no limits on what we can do for decorations, all for......drumroll please....$200! No lie! Point is, it's out there. Your dream reception hall DOES exist within your budget, if not totally under! Check with your local nature folk, like a ranger's station or conserve. They need the money to fund preservation of the natural ecosystems, and you need an epic venue. We got that deal because we decided on a weekday (chopped off $600 instantly), and because he liked us. Simple as that. Be sweet, be open, and rake in the deals

P.s. The fanciest ballroom in this city, with bridal planning, linens, catering, etc at most is around $3600. $9000 is just highway robbery. I could smack someone. lol jk jk!

Sam, don't hate the planning! Seriously....locking down the venue, caterer and officiant were by FAR the most difficult parts. Once we did that, we got to take a breather and then everything else fell into place. You're just in that weird phase of wedding planning where your wedding is so far away that it's hard to imagine, and there are so many options that it's kind of overwhelming.

So are you getting catering totally free? That's sweet. Does it also include beverages, cake/dessert, rentals? Remember you've still got tax/gratuity, photography, video, dress, flowers, stationery, WP and parent gifts, rehearsal dinner, transportation, DJ or band, ceremony/officiant cost and ceremony decor, etc. You could spend $15k on those things alone.

Have you done an overall budget yet? Or researched the cost of different things in your area so you know how much $$ you can truly devote to each category? I would do that first.

You'll get there! No worries! You have tons of time!

We are paying $12,000-13,000 for our reception and ceremony venue, including venue decor and flowers, three course sit down meal plus canapes and alcohol for 75 people. We are not considering it to be a budget wedding.

$9,000 is a lot if it doesn't include food!!!

If your total budget is about $15,000, then 9,500 for the venue is more than expensive. Especially because your venue only includes the site, practically nothing else. But you say it's your dream venue. How many have you visited?