Wedding venue ideas?

August 3, 2007 12:00 PM

Please help me find a wedding venue! I'm trying to seek out a nice, unusual outdoor location for my wedding next year - preferably near a body of water and in upstate New York but we're open to the entire northeast.

We're also on a budget, so it needs to be on the affordable side. Does anybody have any suggestions? My fiance will kill me if I don't offer up some ideas, and I have no idea where to start.

posted by ghastlyfop to Human Relations (15 answers total)

Rent a house in Onset, MA near the back beach. (Onset is a village of Wareham, and is on Buzzards Bay). Have the wedding on the beach, and a clam bake at the house.
posted by Gungho at 12:02 PM on August 3, 2007

My brother- and sister-in-law got married at a really nice bed & breakfast near Albany ... they didn't have a body of water but they had gorgeous mountain views, a huge grassy field for an outdoor ceremony & reception, a good sized deck for dancing on ... and LLAMAS!

I don't remember the name but if you are at all interested I will call & find out. I know it wasn't that expensive because they were on a tight budget as well.

And for unsolicited advice, whatever you do, do NOT get frustrated and decide that it's hopeless in finding the right place for your wedding. You can and you will find the perfect place, even within your budget, you just have to do lots of legwork. Never settle. I settled and it is a huge regret of mine, still.
posted by tastybrains at 12:04 PM on August 3, 2007

I'd recommend something up by one of the finger lakes. Seneca Lake in particular is beautiful year-round. Here's a list of reception venues to get you started. I think they run from the affordable to the insanely expensive, but at least it's a good place to start.

There are a lot of wineries up there too, so you may want to check with them and see if they do weddings and receptions - you'd have a built-in wine room!
posted by bedhead at 12:21 PM on August 3, 2007

I was just in the Finger Lakes -- you should make a little trip and check them out -- beautiful!

Also, this place was written up in the New York Times today and looks nice too.

Good Luck!
posted by nnk at 12:32 PM on August 3, 2007

Letchworth Park. It's south of Rochester, and is breathtakingly beautiful. There is a B&B onsite, but if it is too expensive they also just do ceremony hosting.
posted by rachelpapers at 12:35 PM on August 3, 2007

My cousin got married last August at a winery in the Finger Lakes. Picture this: Natural stadium seating (folding chairs on a hillside) with a lake in the background, at sunset, and a WINERY behind you. Best. Wedding. Ever.
posted by kidsleepy at 1:16 PM on August 3, 2007

My friends got married at some place called Bell's Pond in Hudson, NY and it was beautiful. I tried googling and it was hopeless, but I am sure with some research you could find it.
posted by sweetkid at 2:07 PM on August 3, 2007

Philly Zoo. Peacock Pavilion.
posted by Loto at 2:11 PM on August 3, 2007

nthing the Finger Lakes.
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 2:35 PM on August 3, 2007

Block Island, RI
posted by maloon at 2:52 PM on August 3, 2007

This is a better link for the Oneida community -- but kidsleepy's got it -- a winery in the finger lakes would be great.
posted by nnk at 5:18 PM on August 3, 2007

You don't say how big a guest list you have, but my wife and I got married on a boat - with a buffet - it was cozy, different, and other than the weather (rainy), we had a nice little cruise around the harbour. We had 30 guests, but obviously there are boats that are bigger. If I recall correctly, it was around $2000, including the meal and drinks. We brought aboard our own wedding cake (cheese cake, mmmmm). If size and budget fit, I recommend it. Email in my profile if you'd like more details of how it worked.
posted by birdsquared at 6:04 PM on August 3, 2007 [1 favorite]

I went to college in the finger lakes. There're some really gorgeous parks along the banks of Cayuga -- I'm specifically thinking of the Triphammer Falls park, but I'm sure there are others -- but I don't know how NY state feels about a wedding in a location like that.
posted by Alterscape at 8:22 PM on August 3, 2007

I grew up in Cazenovia, a beautiful little town on a beautiful little lake. My sister, as well as some of my friends, have been married there. Great venues including the Brewster Inn, a mansion/restaurant right on the lake and Lorenzo, a state historic site with extensive gardens/grounds. More resources from the Chamber of Commerce here.
posted by ethorson at 8:44 AM on August 4, 2007

My aunt had her wedding on a boat that went around Grand Island (NY) - a 3-hour tour! It was a great time - they had about 60 guests, and the captain performed the ceremony.

Letchworth Park and the Finger Lakes are also very nice suggestions.
posted by Melinika at 6:29 PM on August 6, 2007