I am getting married in January and we are looking for a good affordable venue. We live in the Clear Lake Area but are not subjected to having it out here. Our budget is about 10k but can afford to go slightly over if necessary. We want it to be indoors because of the unpredictable weather in Houston. We also want to serve food and have alcohol to some degree but our 10K budget might hold us back as we plan to have about 150-160 people show up for the wedding. We have had discussions with a couple of different venues and are starting to weigh our options. Does anyone have any advice, tips, etc. on venue searching? Appreciate it greatly!
Not venue related, but if you want alcohol and keep it within a budget, you should consider a cash bar.
Another option for the alcohol...have a wedding earlier in the day. People seem to drink less at a day wedding on Saturday than a Fri/Sat night wedding. Also, maybe limit to one or two types of beer on draft and the same for wine. Your guests will enjoy much more if you skip the cash bar.
My fiancee already knew where she wanted to have it so can't help you too much on the venue search. I would try the sites/forums on theknot.com and weddingwire.com or something of the like. 10k might be a little tight for 150 people with food and alcohol depending on the venue. Might have to consider a weekday or Sunday afternoon wedding and/or cash bar if you want to stick to that budget, or the foods will have to be something cheap and easy (sandwiches, finger foods, etc).
10k for 150 people with alcohol included is cutting it extremely tight. You may can probably get beer and wine, but not a full bar. For reference, our full bar with bottom shelf liquor was a $30 a person, thats just alcohol alone. You might want to look at daytime weddings on sunday or friday night to get that type of price. You can always do an asian type wedding at Kim Son, and pay by the table and serve your own alcohol :grin:. Good luck with the wedding planning. Id plan for 15k, because no matter how you budget, you WILL go over, and that's a fact. We spent wayyyy too much on our wedding, but looking back, it was the best money we've spent to date. Enjoy the process, cause in the end its worth it, atleast it was for us.
http://www.norriscenters.com/red-oak-ballroom-houston/citycentre/ You can't really go wrong with City Centre and their prices are manageable. One of my uncles owns the kim son banquet hall in downtown. He might hook it up. I'll send you a message through the board.
South Shore has a couple wedding packages that are under 10k with an incredible Buffet and ice sculptures. That's really close to you. Check it out, been to a couple there and they were great. I recommend the Red Room. Edit: They were under 10k in 2005, not sure now. Still worth a look.
Safari Texas Ranch in Richmond. We had a reception for 150...food and alcohol (open bar for first 2 hours)...came out around 6,000. They will really work with you to meet your budget.
