Need help finding my reception venue . . . please.

[hikerchick]

I don''t know how many people we have here who are planning weddings in the Northeast but here is my plea . . .

I need to find a venue for my reception but have a few difficult to find requirements, the most important of which is being allowed to bring in an outside caterer. Any help would be so greatly appreciated.

150-200 guests
need outside catering for cultural reasons
relatively inexpensive since I am on a tight budget
anywhere in MA, NH, VT or Southern Maine

Thank you guys for any help you can provide me . . . I am really struggling to get past this first and most important step.

 

[basil]

Don''t know too much about the venues there. But a decent idea could be to start with a caterer (since it seems you might have limitations in that too) and find out where they have worked before...

 

[zoebartlett]

Hi Hikerchick!

What type of wedding are you envisioning? I''m looking in NH and southern Maine also. When are you hoping to be married (time of year)? I''m not sure what the prices are like but their ones we''ve kept in mind. If it''s in NH, do you want the mountains, the seacoast, or something in between? SOme of these places are outdoors and some might be indoors but I''m not sure. Keep in mind that some places may require guests to stay at least 2 nights, especially in their high season. The low season, at least spring, could be considerably lower and they may waive the 2 night minimum. Also, if you''re open to alternatives to the typical Saturday evening wedding, you could save some money. Places like the Bedford Village Inn have indoor/outdoor ceremonies and such.

I''ve begun researching these places:

MA (actually, I haven''t looked into MA yet but here are some places to consider): the Crane Estate in New Ipswich, Gibbet Hill in Groton, the Stonehedge Inn in Tyngsboro, the Robert Treat Paine Estate in Waltham

NH: Bedford Village Inn in Bedford, Castle in the Clouds in Moulotonboro, Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge, Eagle Mountain House in Jackson, Grandview Inn and Resort in Jaffrey, the Kimball Jenkins Estate in Concord, Manchester Country Club (I think it''s actually in Bedford although the name wouldn''t lead you to think that), Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua, Stonehurst Manor in North Conway (the prices here seem really reasonable), Odiorne State Park in Rye (I think it''s in Rye but it might be in Portsmouth), the Snowflake Inn in Jackson (tent receptions in the yard), Nestlenook Farm in Jackson.

Maine: the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, the Nonantum Resort in Kennebunkport (pricey in the summer but in the off season, I think it''s WAY cheaper), the York Harbor Inn in York, the Grey Gull Inn in Ogunquit.

I realize I may have given you options that are indoors and I know you are looking to do something outdoors. I thought I''d pass along some of the info. I have in a folder on my desktop. I have a bunch of others that I could pass along but maybe this is a place to start if you find it helpful.

Sorry if I''ve overloaded you with info., but at least it''s a place to begin.

My mom and I are actually going to the White Mountains and the Maine coast in a few weeks, so if there''s any place specific you''d like info. on, I''d be happy to help out in any way I can.

Zoe

 

[zoebartlett]

I should add that places like the Snowflake Inn and the Lodge at Jackson Village allow outside caterers. They basically provide the location and then they have caterers they work with. At the Snowflake Inn, they recommend the chef (and owner?) of the Thomson House Eatery which is in Jackson. I''ll definiely let you know if I run across any other places that let you bring in your own caterer. I sort of missed this detail in your post. oops!

 

[basil]

If you''re interested in RI at all, I might be able to help you out.

Are you looking for a particular type of ethnic food? If so, some places will only work with certain "preferred" caterers. Some caterer websites have lists of venues that they have worked at before, as well.

 

[hikerchick]

wow, zoe . . . thanks for all that info. I am just starting so here is what I know so far. We want a October wedding. Right now leaning heavily towards Oct 18 2008 . . . I am open to a Sunday wedding though with so many OOT guests, it may be a little insensitive to their travel needs.

I am actually open to an indoor wedding because it saves me renting tents and such. I would prefer to have it in the mountains but ocean and lakes are also okay. Mostly I need indian food cooked by someone who is either indian or has done indian food catering extensively (we have family coming in from India and cannot have someone experimenting with indian cooking on our wedding day, hence the outside catering requirement.

As far as looking for the caterer first, the problem is most indian weddings are large, lavish and extravagant. Parents of the bride and sometimes the groom also spend HUGE amounts of money and "budget" is a loose term so the indian food caterers have all catered at the high end places that we just cannot afford. We are paying for it ourselves and are not very wealthy at this stage in our lives.

zoe, any and all places in NH and ME that allow outside catering will work for me. I usually hike in the White Mountains most weekends so maybe we can even meet up for a meal or a cup of coffee if we happen to be in the same area at the same time. Where do you live? I live in Brighton, MA.

Anyway, thank you everyone with input. I am going to put together a spreadsheet with all the info I am getting and shoot off a bunch of emails to venues and caterers.

 

[zoebartlett]

Sure, glad to help out!

I''m so excited to "meet" someone that is looking at the same area as we are, although it''s for a different time of the year. There aren''t too many of us here on PS from the northeast. Hmm, for Indian food catering, that might be a tough one. Let''s put it this way, this area isn''t exactly a big cultural melting pot. What about contacting Indian restaurants from the areas you''re looking at and see if you can get recommendations that way? The only Indian places I know about and love up here aren''t in the white mountains. There''s India Palace in Manchester and Nashua, NH. Shalimar is in Portsmouth, and Taste of India is in Dover, NH.

I wish there was a way we could exchange contact info. I''m probably about an hour or so north of you. My mom and I are going to be in the white mountains and then on the coast of Maine checking out venues during the first weekend in June.

 

[hikerchick]

hey zoe, we can have a mini get together sometime. The first weekend in June, I will be hiking in the Whites so let''s keep in touch here and maybe we can meet up.

I am putting all the info you gave me and the info I have gotten off the knot boards into an excel spreadsheet and hopefully will be able to wrap my mind around it all soon. The good news is that the indian caterers I have contacted to date have been in my budget, yeah boy !!!!

I am pretty sure none of the venues have indian caterers on their preferred caterer list because as you correctly noted, it isn''t so diverse BUT some of the caterers are willing to bring the food other places for a hefty "fee" so we might try and squeeze that into our budget.

Anyway, thanks again and let''s definitely keep in touch cause we might be able to help each other out.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 5/10/2007 8:41:29 PM
Author: hikerchick

Anyway, thanks again and let''s definitely keep in touch cause we might be able to help each other out.

Aahhhh, you read my mind!!