Choosing the PERFECT Wedding Venue
- Gabby Roush
- Feb 21, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 16, 2019
So you're engaged! ...now what?! Finding the perfect wedding venue can be a daunting task when you're on a budget. Honestly, at times, it can be just heartbreaking. When you find a venue that looks absolutely perfect, but then glance at the cost, you'll often see that the venue alone exceeds your budget. Just know there are affordable options out there! Here's how I found mine!
Originally, Brad and I wanted to have a simple backyard wedding because we thought it would keep the cost down. We both never wanted anything fancy or extravagant, but of course wanted it to be tasteful. The two most important things to us were to: 1. Become husband and wife & 2. Have our family and friends present.
With that in mind, a backyard wedding seemed perfect! However, you have to keep in mind the cost that adds up with that. You have to rent tables and chairs, tents, the fancy portable restroom facilities and maybe even a dance floor. After adding that together, we were already over $2,000. I became at little hesitant once I realized that if it rained, we would have a muddy, wet mess, and would possibly even have to reschedule. This would be ok if we had to make it work, but it's always smart to research, find and weigh all of your options, because usually, there's a better one waiting for you!
One night while searching on a local blog for wedding venues, I found Rockfield Manor! It was absolutely beautiful and less than a mile from where Brad and I lived in Bel Air. Their price for a Friday or Sunday wedding was only $2,300 for the venue + $300 for the ceremony! (Please note that this is not an ad, and Rockfield can change their prices at any time.) At this point, it was a no brainer. I could not believe I found a beautiful venue which also INCLUDED bathroom facilities, a tented patio, and tables and chairs for up to 150 guests. They even have a free eight person golf cart shuttle service to help older guests or even our ladies in heels from the parking lot to the manor. As for ceremony locations at the manor, they offer either the barn or the garden . I elected to use the garden because it was simply stunning, and had just the look I was going for. Rockfield Manor is a historic building owned by the town of Bel Air, so any venue fees go right into maintaining the manor, which I loved! The manor now offers the cutest little house for the bride, bridesmaids and mothers to get ready in. The guys all get ready in a large room upstairs, so theres no way for the bride and groom to accidentally see each other. Once all of the girls are dressed and ready in the bridal suite, the golf cart shuttle takes you up to the manor as well!
After reading all of the facts about Rockfield Manor, I knew I had to go see it. Brad was actually at work on our scheduled tour day, so his father and brother came with me to tour the venue. They were the perfect people to bring along because they knew all of the right questions to ask. They have both attended and worked several weddings, so their knowledge was beyond helpful! I was in awe with the entire place and both of the guys gave me the thumbs up, so we booked it and set a date right then and there! Brad and I both wanted a September wedding, but all of the Saturdays were full, so we went with a Friday. Fridays ended up being a little cheaper than Saturdays anyway, so it worked out better!
Another thing for you to keep in mind when choosing a venue is your number of guests! Being that Rockfield supplies tables and chairs for up to 150 guests, I knew I had to keep my guest list down to that number. (Believe me when I say we could have easily doubled it with how large our family is, but you have to do what you have to do to stay on budget.) Some people let the guest list decide the venue, but on a budget, I had to let the venue decide the guest list (within reason). To keep it fair, we gave my mom 50 guests to invite, Brad's mom's side 50 guests to invite and Brad's dad's side 50 guests to invite. Out of the 150 guests who were invited, guess how many showed up? ....I'll give you a hint, it wasn't the 80% that statistics typically show. It was 145 out of 150!
Be sure to only invite your max number of guests, and not more thinking that they all will not show.....because if your family is like ours, they will. (We'll get more into guest lists, seating charts and more in future posts!)
For those of us who like to see numbers, basically for $2,600, you get two hours for set up, an hour for your ceremony, 4 hours of reception time and one hour for clean up. They offer additional hours that can be bought for a price, however keep in mind that all music must stop and guests must start to leave at 11:00 pm (Bel Air quiet hour rule). Regardless, it was the best deal I could find in the area! If it rained, there was a tent-covered patio as well as the entire manor that we could use. Kellee is the manager at Rockfield and she is hands down amazing. She says what she means, and will do anything in her power to make sure that your day is amazing.
Long story short, we found a great deal and you will too because they really are out there! If you live close to Rockfield Manor, I highly recommend that you at least consider them. On the flip side, you may tour the venue and decide it's not for you. That's ok! You will find the right venue for you, your guests and your budget! Just keep looking!
xoxo
Gabby
Comments