Wedding Venue £5000??

I can't say for Essex/Kent, but I was looking around Cambs for civil ceremony venues and it comes out around the same or a bit more expensive.

Venues with a wedding license typically force you to use their catering, which is of course more expensive than other places. So you might be looking at £40 a head for the main meal plus canapes and maybe evening food too. That's around £5000 for food to begin with (for 90 guests) without the cost of the hire. Hire also seems to be pricey because the number of licensed venues is limited, and so they can get away with charging more!

There are some licensed venues (I only found a couple though) which let you bring in caterers, which can work out a bit cheaper per head. Maybe try some private houses or barn type venues?

Ceremony in a registry office is one way to cut the cost because then you don't have to use a licensed venue and it's probably a bit cheaper. But, you need to find a registry office which is big enough as some don't hold 90 people.

I am getting married in Essex and must say I didn't manage to find anywhere for £5,000 including food! Although that's not to say it isn't possible, but you may have to do some thorough searching and venue visiting. Which is where its a good thing that you have so much time!

My venue costs (excluding drinks if you have a seperate budget for that) is just under £6,000 so not too far over your budget but that was the cheapest we found.

One Essex venue we looked at had a £5,000 hire charge - and that was just for a marquee in the grounds, it was £7,500 if you wanted to hire the building!

ETA: My figures are based on 90 for the day and around 150 for the evening.

I think it is probably the number of people and time of year.

I am getting married in a church and my reception is on the Herts/Essex border - the package price for 60 people in March is £5k plus £65 per head for numbers over that.

As others have said, you may need to look at alternatives like marquees and catering yourself (buffet) and registry offices but most reg offices don't hold anywhere near that amount of people.

This thread as made me realise how very lucky i am with my venue.

We're paying just under £4000 for the ceremony, the wedding breakfast for 80, drinks and the evening buffet for 100.

We are getting married in February tho to cut the costs abit (the venue knocks 50% off of the room hire if it's off peak) and as we're having both the ceremony and the reception we don't pay for the reception room hire.

It did take alot of searcing to find something we loved for the price we could afford so it's just a case of keep looking. xx

I think i'm very lucky with mine! Mine is only costing £2900 (package was £2600 but added extra people to the package), thats with 60 in the day and 110 at night, and thats with absolutly everything included, 4 course meal with drinks (inc reception, toasting drinks etc), the table centre pieces, floral arrangements, dj and our brial suite for the night of the wedding)....well really everything you need for the hotel although we are adding our own bits for our theme but we wouldnt really need to if we didnt want to.

I think its the location, cause mine is North Wales and i know a few hotels locally to me that do similar prices and packages.

x

My venues is in brentwood essex and even on a satturday in peak season would fit your budget,

its www.mountavenuebanquetting.com

they are really lovely and helpful there to.

theres no hire charge its hjust food and drink costs, and the prices for a 3 course sit down is 32.50 per head .

It's hard work! My budget is £5000 TOTAL for 130 day guests and more in the evening! I'm looking for April/May 2011. Really want a barn type venue but am struggling to find anywhere.

Smeethen Hall on the Essex/Suffolk border would probably suit your budget and it's gorgeous. They have a list of caterers to choose from and let you supply your own drinks with no corkage. Also look at Reid rooms.

Good luck, I've visited quite a few in Essex so holler if you have any questions - or if you find a mega bargain!!!

Hi VickyJay,

Think we've chatted before! I'm getting married May 2012, purley because its so expencive around Essex. Mine is £8500 for 80 people in day, and extra 80 for night. I get ceremony, 4 course meal, champagne reception, wine for dinner, buffet in evening, bridal suite and two parents rooms.

Myself & OH visted a few venues around Essex and ours was definatly the best value for money.

Good Luck with your search!

We're very lucky with our recpetion venue - atm its under £2000 for everything!

Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

I think as you've been saying I am unfortunate that wedding venues seem to be more expensive where I live due to the proximity to London. Thank you to those of you who have suggested venues I will give them a look definitely!

Yes chelle we have chatted before! - I think you're right your venue looks very nice especcially for the price because although I said the cheapest quote I've got so far was £9000 most were more like £13000 and a few over £25000!!

There is light at the end of the tunnel though!! I have managed to find a few registry offices in Kent and London that can seat up to 100 people for a ceremony and I've found some really good value caterers (we just want simple food with a London theme - we are not that into posh nosh!) so I suppose if I can hire a venue for a decent price we might still come in on budget! Any suggestions for hire of a venue for the reception only???????

Thanks again for all your help - what would I do without hitched.com!!!????

We are getting married in essex at the rivenhall hotel http://rivenhallhotel.com/ our whole day is costing about £3600 thats venue higher, reception drinks 3 course meal with wine, evening buffet and dj for 60ish day and 115ish eve it is on a sunday tho as they do a package but they are very helpfull.

Before mine i had about 30 venues send me brochures with price lists, it may just be a case of contacting every licensed venue locally and ask them for a price list and then you can see if they do it cheaper during the week/or off peak and see a proper break down of prices and maybe some alternative ideas to a sit down meal? it drove me mad and can be very disheartening when you work out the cost of some places but somewhere will turn up! alternatively i know you said you can't cut the list anymore but.....some thing might have to give!

It is going to be cheaper if you go for the less popular dates, if you don't need a weekend i think a Tuesday is one of the cheapest days of the week.

The other option is as already mentioned to take advantage of winter deals.

We're paying around £3500 that includes

Civil Ceremony Room Hire,

Venue Hire for Reception and Evening

Wedding breakfast for 65 guests with drinks package and canapes

Evening finger buffet for up to 150 guests and DJ

Bridal Suite for the night.

Thats for a wedding in March ? after all March weather has been nicer than June/July and August the last few years running

As ChelleB2B6 said Smeetham Hall Barn is normally reckoned to be good value, with your numbers although a bit further afield Thurston Grange near Bury St edmunds is reasonably priced and also Gissing Hall near Diss

Thanks guys for your suggestions. I can't believe the difference in price if I'm prepared to go a little further away from London(which I definitely am if the venue is half the price!!) I've requested brochures for all the places you've suggested - some have arrived already - and I will be visiting soon. I especially like the look of Gissing Hall, thanks Tim. Will keep you posted.

Thanks again for your help.

Vicky,

Heres a set of of pictures from gissing hall - Its a really interesting building

http://www.driverphotography.co.uk/gissing_hall/index.htm

Tim

Hi, we're getting married in 9 days (panic!) at Cooling Castle Barn (north of Rochester). Midweek wedding, DJ, catering, everything £5k ? xXx

Good luck Joanne!! It will be beautiful - Cooling Castle barn looks great and I've heard great things about it. I had looked at their website and for some reason had ruled it out due to being out of our price range so I'm definitely going to have another look now!!

Thanks