Wedding Is this too much for a reception?

[Shoopy]

I have zero wedding knowledge and figured I’d ask the experts on here

I was looking for resorts to stay in during Labor Day and came across a hidden gem on Fort Lauderdale beach. Then I noticed they did weddings so I figured, why not ask?

They sent me the menu and here are the details:

5 hours open bar (premium liquor)
One hour “elaborate” cocktail reception (whatever that means LOL)
Champagne toast with a glass of champagne for each guest
Four Course Dinner
Custom designed wedding Cake
Valet Parking (I find it funny they threw that into the menu)
Prices depend on what you choose as the entrée and ranges from $92 to $130 per person. I figured with 50 guests, that’s $4600 to $6500. I sent them an email back asking if the location is also embedded in this price as the only thing the original email said was “We would love the opportunity to showcase our Grande Ballroom, Oceanview Ballroom and our Intercoastal Tropical Gardens”

Feel free to criticize away...I''m not planning as of yet, just wondering if this place should make my list of possible venues. Here''s a link to the resort for those interested:

http://www.bahiamarhotel.com/

Thank you!

 

[SarahLovesJS]

I''d keep it as a possibility. It depends on where you live, that may be average. Where I live that''s on the higher end. Are you sure you want to do an open bar and champagne toast? Nixing the champagne toast would save you a lot of money right there, and people could toast with whatever drink they had. Just something to think about!

 

[miraclesrule]

Just be sure to read all the fine print. 4-5 hours of open bar with a four course meal ranging to $130 is a good price, if the venue is included. It is very costly to have a 4 hour open bar for a lot of guests. This is a good start, but be sure to ask all questions and get all cost down so that can tell how much money you are paying per guest before tax and service charge.

 

[octbride2be]

I actually think that is a good price but it depends on where you live. I know that weddings are different all across the country. My best friend got married in Sanibel Island and paid about $200 a person - small wedding but it was a gorgeous resort. I live in CT and here I would say that is the average price range as well. In our area it is almost considered rude not to have an open bar so typcially it comes standard around here. I would say to keep looking at a few more places and if you come back to this one then go for it! Sometimes places are a lot less for a Friday wedding as well which is always an option and people can make a weekend of it (assuming you''ll be having out of town guests)

 

[marchswallowbird]

That is an excellent price. If you like the place, book it.

 

[Gwyn]

I imagine that Ft. Loderdale has a fairly high cost of living (like any city).

Sounds like a good price to me. You get dinner, drinks, and cake.

As long as it isnt an additional cost to rent out the rooms that the events are taking place in.

If you love it, then all the more reason to go with it! DO they have ceremony sites too (that beach on the website looks pretty) ? Or are you looking for a church? If the latter, how close is it to where you want to have to ceremony?

 

[Bia]

Get more info, and if you like, book it. You won''t find prices that cheap in any place worth looking at in Miami.

 

[Shoopy]

Date: 7/16/2008 3:58:37 PM
Author: Gwyn
I imagine that Ft. Loderdale has a fairly high cost of living (like any city).

Sounds like a good price to me. You get dinner, drinks, and cake.

As long as it isnt an additional cost to rent out the rooms that the events are taking place in.

If you love it, then all the more reason to go with it! DO they have ceremony sites too (that beach on the website looks pretty) ? Or are you looking for a church? If the latter, how close is it to where you want to have to ceremony?

They have a photo of a ceremony on the beach. If it is reasonable, I think I would do that. There are no churches in the area and I don''t like the idea of making guests go to one place for the ceremony and drive to another for the reception. My vision, if we choose this place, is to have it on the beach so that all the guests can walk to the reception for the cocktail hours while we take photos.

We''re going there this weekend just to check it out (and to go to the beach if weather permits). My FF is more familiar with the area than I am (I''m more of a Miami girl

) and he says its in a nice location. Plus I love that they have water activities (jet skiing, snorkeling) that my out of town guests can take advantage of. And the rooms are dirt cheap (which is why I want to check out the quality first). It''s $109 for a Saturday night to have an Oceanfront room in the summertime. That''s unusually cheap so I''m guessing that in December, it''ll be even cheaper. If that''s the case and if budget permits, I would love to be able to pay for a number of rooms to give to my OOT guests for a night as a gift.

Bia--You''re right there''s no way we can find those kind of prices in Miami.

Thank you all for the comments. I really am clueless

 

[basil]

They may not have a room fee, but they probably have $$ minimums to spend.

It probably depends on the sizes of those rooms whether they''d do a 50 person reception without making you pay for a lot of extras. 50 people is kind of small in terms of weddings. I ran into a lot of situations where I could not make minimums with an 80 person guest list for a lot of ballroom-type places, without paying a ridiculous amount per person.

Worth a look though!

 

[Neveah]

We paid $150 per person at the Westin... in Cincinnati. Which is obviously NOT somewhere tropical!!

That did not include cake, Valet Parking, or Champagne.

So, yep I think you''re getting a great deal!!

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Keep an eye out for these fees for example, before booking:
Corkage
venue
linens
dishes
setup/cleaning
serving

Some places have ugly dishes and linens that are included, but high prices if you want to use something atractive. You also want to know how outside vendors like photography and flowers work. They may have a very limited list of those they allow who you either don''t like or may be very expensive.

Assuming everything is as it sounds and the food is good though, you sound like you found a good deal.