Paging Lovelylulu!

[dani13]

Hi LL,

I just got off the phone with Lisa from Castle Hill, what a nice person she is! Anyway, I have to say I am quite surprised at the cost of a wedding there. I thought that for Vt the prices were a little steep, between the price p/p, the rental fee for the place, and the other fee to have your cermony there, it all added up! I was a little taken back. But, we are going up to see it this weekend, so we will see...the other thing I wasnt too fond of was that they have a minimum for the # of guests...that is rough because (as I explained to Lisa) the point was to keep it small, and having to guarantee 125-150 guests is not accomplishing that, you know what I mean? This is kind of a mini-destination wedding for us, so I am not even sure I can guarantee that #. Plus, I thought keeping the guest list small was a good way to cut costs....arghhh!!!

 

[lovelylulu]

hey dani:

lisa is great! very helpful.

It''s my understanding the they have three different levels of pricing, so perhaps if you opt for one of the less expensive menu options it will help with the costs. also, we were able to negotiate a reduction of i think at least $2k less on the facility fee. i just explained how much we loved the place, how we''d love to have our wedding here, and asked if they could help us out a bit.

it is a really high quality venue, which may account for the higher prices. the tent is unlike any other tent i''ve seen. beautifully lined on the ceiling, the posts are covered and draped in flower garlands. there are two chandeliers. it truly is gorgeous. also the gardens are beautiful, as are the rooms.

plus, it is cheaper than having a wedding in new york, which was the other place we were looking. we found the other wedding costs, like flowers, photographer, etc. were fairly reasonable.

however, if you are looking to have a smaller wedding, it probably isn''t your best option. we chose it because i have a big family and we knew that we were going to have about 150-175...

another nearby option we looked at was the bates mansion, wonderful people.

http://www.batesmansion.com/ and this is a link of a gal who loved her experience there

http://talk.theknot.com/BOARDS/User/Profile.aspx?UserID=102

good luck and ask me anything else!

 

[dani13]

At this point I am unsure- I also have a big family, but figured I would keep the guest list small by cutting out a lot of extended family members...I am torn, because I really want ALL of my family and friends there, but dont want to spend a ridiculous amount of money on one day. I am sure I can come up with 125 people, which is the minimum. Also, it is good to know that we can talk them down a little on that $3500 facility fee.

Also, are you really finding that other vendors are cheaper than say, here in NY metro area? Like photographer/band, etc. if you dont mind me asking, what vendors are you using and how are their prices? I dont want to be nosy, just trying to get a good idea of cost of things. I know here in NJ costs for weddings are ridiculous.....thanks for all of your help.

 

[lovelylulu]

it''s okay. i''m glad to help. i found my vendors from the helpful recommendations of other brides and i really apprecitated their advice and information -- especially in long distance planning

our photographer is:

http://www.lauradecapua.com/

she has been wonderful to work with. she has more of a photojournalist''s approach which i love. when all is said and done it''ll probably cost about $1500.

our florist is woodbury florist (though there are a number of other florists in the area)
we told him our budget was around $1000 for 150 people (read: a lot of table arrangements) and 7 bridesmaids (many bouquets). he was very accomodating and extremely lovely to work with. but, i do have a rather simple floral plan -- the tent and surrounding area is so beautiful, you really don''t need much.

i think that is much better than you could do in NY, but perhaps i''m wrong...

 

[dani13]

No, you are right, those prices are MUCH more reasonable than in NY. What are you doing for music? I think you said you were having a band. We definitely want a band, but I am curious as to what the going rate is for live music in that area. I know around here you can expect to pay 6-10 K for a 8-10 person band for the evening. Crazy!!

 

[lovelylulu]

we are having a band. they are a 6 piece with both a male and female singer. they are about 3500k.

 

[dani13]

Thanks for all of your help, LL. We will see how it goes. If we really love the place, that will make the decision for us to have it there. I''ll let you know!

 

[lovelylulu]

good luck.

castle hill is wonderful, but there are so many places...

angela''s new hampshire converted barn venue looked amazing!!!

 

[dani13]

I am not sure I have seen her venue...is there a link somewhere?

 

[lovelylulu]

sorry, i got the name confused -- i meant tiffany -- you had responded to her posts of her venue

 

[dani13]

Oh, yes, I am going to see her venue too in NH this weekend, along with yours! And I have to say thank you to both of you again, because if it weren''t for you guys I would never have found either of these 2 awesome venues- so thank you so much!!!