Finding a reasonably priced Boston reception site

There are so many places to look. We really had to focus on what was important to us. So that begged the question: what is important to us?

Here is what is important to us in choosing a reception site:

• Since so many guests are coming from out of town (over 80%) we need a place that has accommodations or is very close to accommodations. We don’t want our guests to have fork over a lot per night either, so we are going to try to get reasonable group rates.
• We like the old Boston feel. The architecture is great, the antiques are charming. We don’t want to be in a stuffy, conference-y looking ballroom with boring white walls and ugly carpets.
• We would like to be somewhere that makes us and our guests feel like they are in an elegant and charming setting.
• We really don’t want to hear another wedding going on at the same time.
• Open bar for all!

That left us with some reception sites to look at:

• The Algonquin Club ($)
  • Price: Very reasonable. This place runs about $110 per person all inclusive, though the menu is a la carte so you have to build-it-yourself to figure it out. Their opening and rental fees jacked up the price a lot, and I think they were a bit over the top ($4500).
  • Setting: Beautiful! Very old Back Bay building with lovely interiors. The reception room is rather unremarkable, though I think it is nicer than the stale conference room look. The cocktail hour room is awesome though. The problem with the reception room is that the dance floor ends up in the foyer, which makes it separate from the guests and just seems awkward to me.
  • Staff: We met with Carol, who was sweet and not at all pushy.
  • Verdict: This is a potential location, though it has only a handful of guest rooms. We would have to strike a deal with neighboring hotels.

• The Lenox Hotel. ($$)
  • Price: When we started looking, our guest list was about 120 people (includes lots of kids), and our reception budget was $17,500. We managed to work withLenox to get to that figure, all inclusive. This still comes out to about $140 per person. This included open bar, cocktail hour food, a cake, appetizer, entrees, etc.
  • Setting: GORGEOUS. The Dome Room is so elegant and you get the entire floor when you book there! I loved the gold detail in the dome and the soft lighting that made the dome seem to glow. Also, they only do one wedding at a time.
  • Staff: We worked with a woman in sales, KrisTina, who is awesome. She is super friendly and very willing to help out. She even had the room laid out for me to see before I went to work one day so that I could see how well the group would fit.
  • Verdict: Our guest list grew beyond the Lenox’s room capacity 😦 So sad, cause I really loved this place!

• The Boston Sheraton ($$)
  • Price: I really thought the Sheraton was going to be my lowest price point site. I was absolutely wrong. The packages, though all inclusive, were priced starting at $140 per person. No different than theLenox, and so less charming.
  • Setting: Boring conference rooms. There was one room I looked at, the Constitution Room, which had potential, but I felt like it was better suited for business meetings. This makes sense since the Sheraton caters to a corporate clientele. The windows helped, but it lacked the old Boston charm we were looking for.
  • Staff: Awesome. I met with Austin for about an hour and a half. He never rushed me and went through every detail; he even showed me the linens for the tables! His director came and introduced himself as well and sat down to answer questions. Nice touch! Looking at the bridal suite room was my favorite part. I wish I could live in it!
  • Verdict:It’s big enough but it feels too conferency.

• Marriott Copley Place ($$)
  • Price: $140 start per person, including tax, gratuity, and top shelf open bar.
  • Setting: Outside of the rooms, I think the hotel is pretty. Lots of windows, lights, and pretty chandeliers. The room itself is OK. Similar to the Sheraton in that it feels like a stale conference room. New chandelier is gorgeous and adds some sparkle, but the rest of the room is dull.
  • Staff: I met with someone who was in such a rush it really turned me off. After having spent over a hour at the Sheraton, I felt like the 10 minutes the Marriott gave me looked poorly on them.
  • Verdict: Not the setting we were looking for!

• The Colonnade ($$$)
  • Price: All inclusive packages start at $165 per person, including open bar, tax, and gratuity. Rooms ran over $200 a night, which was stretching the guests budgets
  • Setting: Very elegant, not over-done, and overall just lovely. I liked the fact that there was only one wedding at a time. This ballroom had a nice old Boston hotel feel and was certainly large enough to accomodate the crowd we had.
  • Staff: Ask for Pippa, she rocks. She came out super early to meet with us and is overall a very nice person to deal with. She follows up quickly and even had cute little Colonnade duckys for us (nice touch)!
  • Verdict: I just wish the price could come down a little bit!!!!

• The Fairmont Copley. ($$$)
  • Price: Ok, I admit, I knew this was going to be pricey, but I had to find out for sure. The entree and package prices are not much more than most of the hotels I went to, but the minimums were ridiculous. The Oval Room has a $27,000 minimum on food and beverage, not including tax and gratuity, to host a wedding there. I didn’t even ask about the Grand Ballroom. Complete packages, including open bar, tax, and gratuity, started at $175.
  • Setting: It’s beautiful, but it just isn’t us. Even if I had an unlimited budget, I think it is too ornate for our liking. Plus, it would be very expensive for our guests to stay there.
  • Staff: We met with Christina from catering who was really nice. She showed us the rooms and walked us through the menu. Even the head of catering introduced himself, which was a nice touch. We never felt rushed or pressured.
  • Verdict: Too expensive for us and our guests!

• The Hampshire House ($$$)

  • Price: $185 starting point, including tax, gratuity, 5 hour open bar. Yikes!
  • Setting: It felt like I was in someone’s living room. I didn’t like the fact that guests have to move upstairs for dessert while the room gets broken down for dancing. Also, the room only seats 150 people, including a side bar room that holds a few tables.
  • Staff: We didn’t meet with anyone from catering, as the time we went was on a weekend, but the gentleman who toured us was nice.
  • Verdict: Too small and too expensive.

How much per person?

Having a Boston wedding seems ridiculously expensive. Since I am not an heiress to a Back Bay mansion or the princess to daddy CEO, I have to worry about money. My fiance, my parents, and I are all footing the bill for this shindig and I don’t want anyone to go bankrupt over it. I considered having the wedding outside of Boston, but this is such a special place for us that I don’t think either of us would be happy doing it elsewhere.

Everywhere I go in this city, prices start at about $140 per person. While that figure includes the works – champagne toasts, cocktail hour food, open bar, etc. – at 200 guests we’re talking major money – $28,000 – just on the reception!! I’ve seen figures like “the average wedding in Massachusetts costs $24,000”; they must consider Boston it’s own territory so as not to skew the figures. Who makes this stuff up?