When we started talking to my husband's parents about
wedding plans, my father-in-law suggested the Somerville Elks Club. He said the
price would run around $60 or $70 a head, and that shocked us. We knew nothing
about the outrageous expense of a NJ wedding, or the ridiculous amounts of time
and effort that go into planning one from scratch.
A few calls to some local fire houses who took their sweet time in getting back to us, and a quick review of all we'd have to take care of on "our day," and we quickly realized that 6 or 7 grand for a 100-person wedding really isn't all that much. After all, this was an "all inclusive package":
5-hour reception with cocktail hour
open bar
catered dinner and dancing
cutting and serving of our cake
...all at a respectable-looking place where we'd be proud to celebrate our wedding day. For a few extra fees, we could have the actual ceremony there on the premises, and let their staff deal with decoration and chair setup/takedown.
Our visit to the Somerville Elks included a tour of the
premises, a look around the room where our wedding would be hosted, and a
meeting with the event manager to discuss the menu and other options.
We selected a Saturday afternoon buffet, because the price
was $10 less per plate than tableside service. The dinner entrees all sounded
great to us – a pasta dish, a beef dish, a chicken dish and a fish dish; plus
salad, rolls and sides. Meaning, each person would get to go up and try ALL of
the aforementioned entrees... because, after all, it was a buffet. Pretty
awesome, really.
It really was a hell of an offer, so we took it. What with
me being a full-time mom to our
2-year-old, and my husband and I both managing our own small businesses,
we really didn't have the time to spare for anything more involved. And to be
perfectly honest, we weren't all that picky about the small details.
If you'd like to have your own, budget-friendly NJ wedding,
visit http://somervilleelks.com. Ask
for John Stepe – he'll take excellent care of you!
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