| Reception
Halls
In the upstate New York area, particularly,
you have a wide choice of reception sites. Party houses
have been fairly unique to this area for many years. In
addition there are fine hotels, restaurants, historic sites,
church halls, membership organization halls, outdoor sites
such as parks, and – of course – many private sites as well.
The degree of formality of your wedding
will help you to narrow down the type of site. Obviously,
the more formal wedding reception will be held at a good
party house, hotel or restaurant. If it’s a small wedding,
you can consider an historical site. More casual weddings
work well at other places. Let’s go over the pros and cons
of the various types of site.
Party Houses – These sites are geared strictly
to private parties so they should have the most expertise
in this area. However, there are very good ones and very
bad ones. The good ones make you feel like you’re the only
party in the place, even if they’re running several at the
same time. They assign a staff person to coordinate all
the facets of your function and a separate wait staff as
well. They make your event very special. The bad ones run
from being party mills (that is, all parties are carbon
copies – they don’t know how to do anything original – so
your wedding is the same as every other wedding they do)
to indifferent service and/or food. If you aren’t familiar
with the place, you need to actually attend a function there
and be very observant. The better party houses give good
value for your money.
Hotels – Hotels are usually more pricey
than party houses. Again, there is a wide range in quality.
One question you need to ask is if there is a separate kitchen
for private parties or if everything is done in the restaurant
kitchen. If there is no separate one, how far is the kitchen
from the party room? Is there a separate wait staff? Does
your meal have priority? If there is a separate kitchen,
is the menu the same as in the restaurant or different?
If different, you need to do taste testing. Again, attending
a function there is good insurance.
Restaurants – The variety gets even wider
here. Just as there are wonderful, good, so-so, bad and
awful restaurants, the quality of a wedding party is usually
tied into this rating. A great restaurant usually does a
great job, and so on. However, there are exceptions. It
doesn’t hurt to check into them very carefully before you
book. Another thing to check is whether they staff for a
large party or expect their normal staff to carry the load.
If it’s a served dinner, ask how many guests per server.
That will give you some idea of how fast or slow your dinner
service will be. Ask if they use extra staff in the kitchen
as well. And don’t let a beautiful setting become more important
than a good meal. Weigh the values of each.
Historic Sites – These places – lovely
old buildings, mansions, etc. – can be an elegant place
for the smaller wedding. Some of them offer their own catering
services, others allow you to bring in caterers – sometimes
from a list they provide and sometimes anyone of your choice.
There may be rules in force which will weigh into your decision.
For instance, some historic houses do not allow indoor photography
in order to preserve colors and fabrics. Many do not allow
smoking. You must ask if they have rules and what they are
and only then should you make your decision.
Church Halls & Membership Organizations’
Halls – We’ve grouped these together because they’re basically
the same. You usually have to be a member of the church
or group in order to use their hall. Sometimes a relative
or friend who is a member can sponsor you.
Usually, all you’re getting is the room,
tables and chairs. Some halls have silver and china available.
Sometimes bar service is provided in the membership organizations
but there is usually no alcohol served in a church hall.
You should realize that the room is totally bare – you may
need to have it decorated. You will probably have to rent
linens, unless your caterer provides them. Some halls allow
you to bring in your own food. This is a LOT of work for
your family and friends. It may save you money but you will
have to provide servers, clean-up crew, linens, china and
silver (if not available from the hall) and a lot of time
and effort to make this work.
And you must be very careful about food
borne illnesses. Hot items must be kept hot, cold items
kept cold and nothing can be left out without heat or refrigeration
for long periods of time.
If you’re considering this type of reception,
you must ask the place for their list of rules before making
your decision.
Parks – Many people think of a lovely outdoor
wedding in a park or a beautiful private garden. Think very
carefully before you proceed!
First of all, it is NOT less expensive
but a lot more costly than you would imagine. The main consideration
in our area of quirky weather, is providing shelter. You
must have your reception under a tent, both in case of rain
and to protect people – and food – from the hot sun. If
you’re in a park, you can rent a lodge by reserving well
in advance, but this limits your number of guests. If you
use a tent, check out the tent rental prices in your area
before proceeding. And, please, if you’re having your ceremony
outdoors, consider a canopy for your guests to be seated
under. Many people are not able to be in the sun for any
length of time and on one of our area’s 80-90 degree summer
days, it can be very uncomfortable for most people. That’s
another rental expense.
Now, you need chairs for people to sit
in during the ceremony (rented), chairs and tables for the
meal (rented), table linens, napkins, china, silverware,
bars, glassware, a dance floor (rented) and someone to set
all this up and decorate, take it down, clean up, and keep
track of it, so that you’re not charged for missing pieces.
You’ve got to provide drinks, mixers and ice, unless you
have a caterer who will provide these as part of your package.
And you’re still going to pay for the meal,
just as if you’d had it at an indoor site where all these
things are provided as part of the cost. You also still
have the same concerns about food safety as in a hall, possibly
more so as the weather can make it much more dangerous to
have food out for any length of time.
We estimate that this type of wedding costs
about 50% more than one at an established indoor site. And
you’re still at the mercy of the weather. A rainstorm or
a sweltering hot day can be very uncomfortable for your
guests. It can be done but do be aware of the extra work,
costs and risks involved.
Wherever you choose to have your reception,
the best tip we can give you is to plan every detail in
advance with the people responsible for the event. They
don’t know what you want unless you tell them and, the more
details you give them, the more your reception will be the
way you want it to be. Also, check our "Catering"
section for hints on ordering your meal.
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