The Perfect Wedding Venue: Wedding Venue Costs in New York & New Jersey

The cost of the wedding venue on top of the cost of kosher catering can make up almost 50% of the total cost of the wedding budget.  The best way to reduce kosher wedding costs is to choose a wedding venue that includes in-house kosher catering at the venue.  But finding the perfect kosher wedding venue and caterer can be slim pickings for those of you desiring to walk outside the cookie-cutter lines of a traditional Jewish wedding venue and stay within budget.  If you are interested in comparing the costs and capacity of a variety of wedding venues across New York and New Jersey I've done the research for you.  All listed venues either allow kosher catering or offer in-house kosher catering.  Cost estimates are for the wedding venue site fees and are a reflection of Winter 2010 rates for a Sunday evening wedding after negotiations.  These tables can best be used for distinguishing between venues that fit within High, Medium and Low Budgets.  Venues that are italicized and bold include the cost of kosher catering within their Venue Cost.

Quick Tips on Cutting the Cost of Kosher Catering

These are some quick and easy tips that can save you money on kosher catering (here are more tips):

• Choose a lighter version of a shmorgishborg, or eliminate a shmorg altogether:
• Not surprising, Kosher caterers will offer their best (and most costly) food selections first. Do not be afraid to ask them to identify less costly shmorg food items.
• Select the less costly foods:
• Since the time period allotted during a shmorg can be quite fast before hustling guests into the ceremony area, choose a shmorg that is not “all out”:
• Negotiate on the number of trays and servers needed
• Dairy versus Meat meal:
• Choosing a Dairy meal over a Meat meal can reduce costs:  
• When I was negotiating costs with an in-house kosher caterer, he reduced the total per person amount by $10/pp if we chose to go with Dairy instead of Meat.
• Kosher caterers will state that the price of catering costs is dictated by the menu items, not by Dairy versus Meat food.
• For either Dairy or Meat, the biggest impact on kosher catering costs is the amount of labor and execution involved.  
• Choosing a lighter fare of menu items for either Dairy or Meat can reduce costs.
• Reception costs:
• Reduce the number of courses
• Do pairings on a plate instead of full plate
• Choose desserts that are less costly
• Have guests fill out which type of food they will want when they send in their reply to the wedding invitation: chicken, steak, vegetarian:
• Providing estimated numbers per type of dish ahead of time to the Kosher caterer will save money
• If there are a high percentage of your guests that are vegan / vegetarian, then construct a menu around their likings, which will significantly cut costs of Kosher catering
• Time of Day: Weddings that start earlier in the day can save you money
• The assortment of foods chosen for the shmorg and reception can be less costly for Day weddings as opposed to Evening weddings.
• Light shmorg for early wedding, with brunch type foods such as bagels, lox and cream cheese, pastries, etc.
• Alcohol can be limited or completely eliminated for Day weddings
• Reception meal can be lighter for Day weddings
• The Alcohol Factor:
• An open bar at a wedding with top shelf liquor, wine, and beer is only one of many ways to offer alcohol to your guests. It is also the most costly option. Here are less expensive options to cut costs:
• Only serve Wine and Beer, and not liquor
• Only have one Alcohol station
• Cap off the number of bottles of wine

Questions?  Feel free to Email me.

Top Ten Affordable Kosher Wedding Venues in Manhattan

Throwing a wedding in Manhattan can be costly, but there are some affordable places (especially when considering the added cost of kosher catering that comes on top of the cost of the venue).  I researched over 30 wedding venues in the Manhattan borough of New York City that allow kosher catering and were noted as being either reasonably priced or highly recommended to find the top ten most affordable kosher wedding venues.  Keep in mind some of these venues are also typically smaller spaces that may not be able to accommodate large parties.

Here are the top ten most affordable kosher wedding venues in the Manhattan borough (listed in alphabetical order):

• 3 West Club
• Broad Street Ballroom
• Columbia Faculty House
• Council on Foreign Relations - the Herald Pratt House
• Manhattan Penthouse
• Metropolitan Pavilion
• Park Avenue Synagogue
• Puck Building
• Studio 450
• The Prince George Ballroom

Pricing details:

If you are looking for more information, please feel free to Comment and I will email you with other details.  Finding the right venue at the right price can be torture, so please do not hesitate to ask for information.

Ways to Save Money on Kosher Catering

Not surprising to those with a kosher palette, a strictly kosher catered wedding can triple the price of food per person compared to a non-kosher wedding. But learning the nature of how pricing works for kosher caterers can save you significant amounts of money.  Don’t fall in love with a venue that falls out of your budget when adding the cost of kosher catering. Prepare yourself from the start by answering key questions that can make or break your bank:

• Is there a relationship between the Venue and the Caterer?
• If the answer is yes, then you have a much better chance of negotiating costs on both sides. One tip is to ask a Kosher Caterer to give you a list of Venues that they have catered and would recommend.  Not all venues have kosher-friendly kitchens, making it more laborious conditions for the caterer to work out kashrut logistics.
• Will the Venue provide tables, linens, chairs, stemware and dinnerware?
• If the answer is yes, then the Caterer will only charge for food (plus gratuity and tax).
• If the answer is no, then the price of having either the Caterer or a rental company bring such rental items will hike up the total cost of Venue / Catering considerably.
• Does the Kosher Caterer or Venue offer a significant reduction in price if you guarantee a certain number of guests?
• Asking this question to the Caterer or the Venue has proven to be a successful negotiation tactic in lowering total costs.  Similar to going to Costco and buying something at "family size", the more guests you invite, the lower the total cost per guest.  However, before guaranteeing a certain number of guests, you should know your budget and factor in taxes and gratuity to understand the amount of dollars you can spend per guest (which I will discuss in another blog).
• In order to calculate the actual cost per guest for catering, determine the State Tax, percent gratuity, and extra charges for rabbinic staff that the Caterer will charge.
• The combination of these costs can add considerable amounts of money to the actual cost per guest and should be included when calculating the total amount your budget will allow you to spend per guest.
• Does the Venue offer in-house Kosher catering with an acceptable hechsher?
• If the answer is yes, then the price of a combined Venue / Catering cost will be significantly less than going to a Venue that does not offer in-house Kosher catering. 

For my own Kosher catered wedding, I chose to go with an in-house Kosher catering venue but only after researching over 70 other venues to find the best bang for the buck.