Plan A Wedding: Costs Consideration for Venue

The biggest expense for a wedding is usually the venue.  So if we could save money here then we would have a greater likelihood of maintaining our budget.  So when comparing locations, we considered the following cost variables.

Reception:

• Rental cost of the venue: IF there is one, because many of the ones we saw do not have separate rental cost
• Food cost: listed per person and usually depends on the dish selected
• Alcohol cost: we found some BYOB locations, pay per drink/pour and included in the food pricing package.  Depending on your guest, obviously the cheapest cost will vary.  Also you can choose to use the voucher system where you pay for 2 drinks and then the rest the guest pays. 
• Plating cost: Some food price are listed for plating but others are listed for a buffet.  Some places charged more for plating and others asked for a per person cost to have plating.
• Choice cost: Charge for having alternative dishes that your guests can choose between.  Usually seen in the standard chicken, beef, or vegetarian choice
• Hor d'oeuvre cost: Most reception locations (or caterer) will include some cocktail hour food, but the form varies.  Some places we visited provide a cheese table but no white glove butler service.  Others provide white glove butler service, but stationary foods are add-ons.  This is definitely a location to cut cost even after you fall in love with a venue.  Even if they offer a choice, you can use it to negotiation lower cost if you choose to downgrade.
• Bartend cost: Alcohol might be provided but that does not mean there are not additional cost for bartenders.  This seems illogical but that is sadly how some places nickel-and-dime you.  Not to mention you should consider that if you have a lot of guests, one bartender might not be enough. So consider that cost.
• Chair Upgrade cost: Most locations will usually let you upgrade your chair for a cost.  Most pictures featured on their website are with the upgraded chairs.
• Linen Upgrade cost: To compare cost, most places we found had floor-length table covers but we found a few that required us to pay if we wanted floor-length.  Honestly I was open to having shorter table length but I wanted to have a fair comparison between our choices.
• Projector: Many weddings I have been to had a projector strolling through pictures of the couple. I recently found out that is generally provided by the venue and it will cost extra.  So if plan to have it, make sure it is possible and the cost.

Ceremony:

• Ceremony venue cost: Can be included in the reception venue cost, but sometimes there is still a charge for change-over.  Obviously if you have two separate venues, then there is definitely a cost.  
• Cost for additional hour: Some places will say 2 hours, but that includes the time given to you to get dressed.  Other locations will mean 2 hours for the ceremony but you can have plenty of time to set up.