Where to get married in NYC for under $15K?

May 28, 2007 7:15 AM

Where in Manhattan or Brooklyn can we have a wedding reception for under $15K?

I have been trolling Citysearch, NY Magazine, Indiebride and other sites for awhile, trying to find a restaurant or space in Manhattan or Brooklyn where my finace and I can have a ceremony and reception for under $15K (including food, open bar, taxes and gratuity) to little or no avail. What can folks suggest? Ideal place would also have some sort of outdoor space and space for dancing later on.

posted by Silverlantern to food & drink (11 comments total)

I have no suggestion on a location, but you should probably write how many guests there will be.
posted by miniape at 7:53 AM on May 28, 2007

It would be for approximately 100 people.
posted by Silverlantern at 8:07 AM on May 28, 2007

I think you gotta rethink the open bar for that budget.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 9:23 AM on May 28, 2007

The Tobacco Warehouse under the Brooklyn Bridge looks like a lovely place to have an event. Room for dancing afterwards. Plus you and your spouse can easily go visit the area later in your life together. Prices PDF. That leaves you just under 10K for food, drink, supplies etc.

Sorry if this is a bad suggestion - I have no idea what the etc. costs are for weddings. I just thought the space looked pretty neat.

Congratulations!
posted by dog food sugar at 9:23 AM on May 28, 2007 [1 favorite]

I've used Eat, Drink, and Be Merry for 3 different parties, all at their Havana Room location. They are very good at working with budgets and have a bunch of locations spread out over the city. I wouldn't pick the Havana Room for a wedding, but maybe one of their other locations would work for you.
posted by astruc at 9:39 AM on May 28, 2007

Prospect Park Boathouse

I go running past this place every other day - I think it's absolutely lovely. It's located on the lake in Prospect Park in Brooklyn and costs $2500 for an 8 hour event. Obviously, food and drink are extra, and I believe you have to use one of their approved caterers. The list is extensive, though, so you can probably find a decent variety of types of food, price ranges, etc.

There's also a couple of other locations in Prospect Park; poke around their website for details.
posted by TryTheTilapia at 10:18 AM on May 28, 2007

Brooklyn Botanical Garden, but I believe there's a long waiting list.
posted by gwint at 10:43 AM on May 28, 2007

my friends got married at galapagos in brooklyn two years ago. as long as you don't mind a) industrial-chic decor and b) clearing out by 10pm, it's pretty reasonable. and the main bar space is quite pretty.
posted by thinkingwoman at 1:33 PM on May 28, 2007

The open coctail HOUR at my wedding of 115 people cost $1800. Most people are totally ok with a cash bar.
posted by n9 at 2:20 PM on May 28, 2007

The Brooklyn Botanical Garden does beautiful weddings but I think it is pricey.

Low-budget Brooklyn weddings I have been to were at The Brooklyn Brewery, Relish (the diner in Wmsburg, which has an adjacent lawn and garden), The Ethical Culture Society and The Prospect Park Picnic House.
posted by maggiemaggie at 5:24 PM on May 28, 2007

Bubby's in Brooklyn (DUMBO) is definitely within your budget, and you can do a beautiful ceremony outside overlooking Manhattan.

another totally fun and unique place to consider is the Queens Farm Museum - the space rental is considerably cheaper than any other venue in Manhattan. This would be for a relaxed lowkey wedding, and especially fun if you have kids (in fact or at heart) attending,

however, my best recommendation for keeping costs down would be to find a restaurant that would accommodate a 100 people and have some dance floor space (like Bubby's above, there must be others). renting a venue AND bringing in a caterer will be SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive. our wedding is bigger than yours, so it wasn't really an option for us.
posted by barmaljova at 11:23 PM on May 28, 2007