Choice of Two Reception Sites? Which One?

Question

Site A

-45 mins away
-large room that can fit up to 300--very nice decor/up-to date
-cocktail hour, open bar, 4-course sit down dinner. Dessert
-Use of bridal suite
-Linens, Flower Centerpieces and Wine at each table is included.
Cost: $70 a person

Site B

-25 mins away
-room fits 150
-cocktail hour, open bar, 2-courses sit down dinner. No Cake provided
-No bridal suite
-Silk Floral Centerpieces included.
-No modern attire (not a horrible place. But, a little early 90's New Jersey style wedding decor)
Cost: $65 a person.

Site A is very well known for it's elegant ambiance and excellent food. It's a big far, but it's a good deal with LOTs for food. I'm just worried if there is any traffic 45min could be over an hour.

Site B is OK if you get to use a large room. We have 130 guests. So, we get the smaller room. I'm worried the food will be thin-especially with only 2-courses. But, it's closer.

Thoughts.

BTW, no Out of Town guests. We all live local.

Thanks for the judgement Julie.

Most places START at $90-$100 a plate.

$65 and $70 is a STEAL

Plus, you assume I want a princess wedding......WELL......where I'm from this is typical wedding

Guest EVERY couple I've known at the last 6 weddings is looking to be royality.

Answer 1

Site B

Reasons:

1) Cost--even though it's just $5 more, if you have 130 guests it's going to mount up quickly.

2) Location--Site A is just too far away. Especially if you have a lot of out of town guests, no one is going to be interested in driving 45 minutes there and 45 minutes back.

3) No one is going to care about the minor details like the decorations (can be altered) or the centerpieces. A meal is a meal.

4) You can get cake for much less than the difference in cost. In some places you can get it for as little as $1-$1.50 per piece. Compare that with the $500 you would save if you went with site B.

Answer 2

I would go with site A

Here are my reasons.

* Larger room, Decor sounds much nicer... Linens and real flowers is MUCH nicer than any silk (fake) flower.
* I like the idea of a bridal suite...You will want a place to relax and catch your breath away from your guest.
* Food at site B sounds sketchy at best.. . Site A is renowned for their food ... Just think how nice it will be to have good food for your guests. Do you really want to take a chance on the food being as you said "thin" Good food is what makes a party great !

It's a little further and yes traffic might delay BUT you only get married ONCE. I would want the nicest and best place for my day and guests.

Answer 3

I'm seriously considering a BBQ reception as well. Most of the weddings I have been to have cost the bride and groom tens of thousands of dollars and in my opinion, they werent really THAT nice. The best wedding I have been too was a friend who was married 2 years ago. Her wedding was held at a family friends home next to a breathtaking waterfall. The landscaping alone must have cost the owners thousands and thousands of dollars. They had a BBQ type reception and it was perfect. There were a few things that I would have changed (plastic cups/flatware) but its all she could afford. Still looked amazing. My guests are mostly very casual middle class people who would prefer a BBQ to caviar and roast duck. Do what you want. Your mother will just have to suck it up and deal with it. Doing it this way will save you a fortune as well!

Answer 4

Definitely A.

Why? More *BANG* for your buck. Even though the 45 minute drive could turn into an hour due to traffic, the wait would be so worth it. Also, often between the ceremony and reception, guests have to wait around while the bridal party is photographed. Your guests could go ahead and leave, and the travel time would equal the time it usually takes for photos.

Pick A -- worth it!

Answer 5

Seems like you're leaning more towards A. So...go with A with no regrets b/c you only get to do this once! Also, it's more elegant. Guests can/probably will carpool; the time difference between the 2 isn't too extreme. This is YOUR day; keep your guests in mind but ultimately do what's best for you. Have a beautiful day.

Answer 6

At my sisters wedding we had to drive that far to her reception. It's WAY better, and you'll want those features that day. Plus it's only a $5 difference, I'd be more than willing to ask everyone to pay an extra $5 per plate for all this. Definitely go with site A.

Answer 7

What's your issue? Be kind to your guests. Do you have a limo for the people who don't want to drive an hour for the sake of eating plastic chicken beside fresh flowers?
In my opinion you need to sit down & start over. Why are these people coming to your wedding? What do you owe them in return? Would they have a better time staying home in front of the TV, or driving 30 minutes to see their own friends? If they want a great meal with fine ambiance & flowers, surely they can find it close to home for $100, which is less than you are going to spend for "hospitality."
I'm sorry you weren't a debutante, you didn't even get a quincentaro, but at this point if you want to be Princess Diana you'll be needing to foot the bill. Send them a limo, or do it in your own neighborhood.

Answer 8

WOW that's cheap... my sister just had a wedding and spent around $135 per person (in New York)

I would go for the first choice... it sounds like that's what you're really leaning towards. You're getting A LOT more for the $5 extra per person.

Answer 9

Site B

The shorter the distance the better and less likely guests will get lost.