Wedding Reception Venue: Hotel vs. Off Site Catering
April 1, 2015
You are recently engaged and the first thing on your to do list is “Find A Venue”. It can be overwhelming to sift through the myriad of choices here in the Washington DC and Northern Virginia community. There is a vast selection of venues for wedding ceremonies and receptions to fit every style and budget. One way to narrow the search is to first decide on they type of venue and their catering options. Today’s blog topic: Hotel vs. Off Site Catering.
1. Hotel Pros and Cons.
Pros: All inclusive; guests accommodations on site; one stop shopping; large ballrooms that can hold a larger guest count (200 plus guests); easy parking arrangements; shuttle services to and from airport.
Cons: Commercial in design and selections; indifferent staff; premium pricing; multiple events taking place at same time. Do you want to share your venue with multiple conventions and other weddings?
2. Private Venues with In House Catering Pros and Cons.
Pros: A private venue will provide more creative control as well as more flexibility with time lines. Many will have options for inside or outside ceremonies. Historic properties or vineyards have an ambiance that a hotel cannot provide. Not every city has multiple options, but in the Washington DC metropolitan area there are hundreds of very cool spaces.
Cons: You are still at the mercy of the pre-selected caterer. With any luck, they will be awesome. However, you will not be able to meet with multiple vendors/caterers to make this decision. The price set will be the price to rent this venue. They will also provide your alcohol package and that is a very pricey component of a wedding reception.
3. Private Venues with Off Site Catering Pros and Cons.
Pros: There are so many available options in this category to fits size and budget. Smaller guest counts fit perfectly in the Historic Properties of Fairfax County www.weddingsinfairfax.com
Old Town Hall, Fairfax VA
Great examples of this type of venue include Old Town Hall in Fairfax VA, Cabell’s Mills in Centreville VA.
While it is more difficult to find larger venues to accommodate 200 plus guests, one of our very favorites is in the heart of Washington DC at St. Francis Hall. www.myfranciscan.com
St. Francis Hall in Washington DC
Pros: You pick your own vendors, in particular – your own caterer and your own menu. “Ruth’s knowledge and years of experience helped us create the perfect menu. She gave us options to keep us in the budget we requested”.
You are able to determine your own time frame. If you want a ceremony at 11:30 AM, you rent the venue at that time including set up, ceremony, reception and clean up. YOU decide the parameters. If you want to have the ceremony outside weather permitting, many private facilities have that as an option. Our staff will assist in setting up ceremony chairs as well as take care of you throughout the event. “Ruth’s staff immediately brought us a platter of each of the appetizers…”
Perhaps the biggest advantage of utilizing off site catering is the ability to provide your own alcohol. This is a significant advantage over a hotel or in house caterer. Teatime will provide you will all your non alcoholic beverages and mixers as well as licensed and professional bartenders. In other words, we provide everything except the booze!
Visit us at our website www.teatimeinc.com, and click on our venue page to see a full list including Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington DC sites. Contact us at teatime@teatimeinc.com for more details.
