How to save money on a wedding?

I have planned to marry August of 2009. Most of the reception halls are expensive for the date I have in mind. I guess the reasons being is that it's on the month of August and on a Saturday. Does anyone know of any affordable reception hall in NYC? I have about 140 guests. I don't want to spend too much on the wedding. Any advice on how to cut back on the expenses?

Public Comments

1. try to cut back on the drinks we saved 12,000 just on a bartender and drinks.
2. elope....than have a big party this summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
3. BORROW, BORROW, BORROW!!!!
4. I don't know about NYC (I live in Oz) but there are hundreds of ways to cut costs and still have a nice wedding. 1. Cake instead of desert 2. Make your own cake (if you know someone who can make a nice christmas cake you are set - just get someone who knows how to ice - you may need to pay for the icing though, cause it can make all the difference to the look) 3. Buy things when they are on sale 4. Flowers - make your own, choose flowers in season and/or use more greenery 5. DJ/Music - Use a friend/s (if you have any that are suitable) 6. Photographs - there are people who do just digital photos which are half the price of most others who do the albums (you can make the albums yourself quite cheaply - just make sure the photos that you get are going to be the full resolution ones and that you won't have to pay extra for them!) 7. Drinks - we did an open bar but only allowed wine, beer and softdrinks. People had to pay for anything else - and no one seems to mind. Hope these ideas help... there are heaps of way to save money, just shop around a bit!
5. Can a Friday work? Also you can rent a hall and hire out the food.
6. Have friends and family cook,eliminate alcohol except for the toast, have a buffet (with the family cooked food) and hire some able folks to keep the food neat and trays filled, use local flowers in season ,decorate the place yourselves with friends helping,and buy a used or reasonably priced wedding gown. Do not go into debt for a wedding. Be real about what you can afford.
7. I don't know much about reception halls in NYC, but I do not recommend banquet halls as they are usually really overpriced and impersonal from the many I saw. Look into the local athletic clubs and golf courses. Also, the best decision we made was finding a non-wedding photographer and also a videographer thru craigslist instead of the "wedding photographer" and I got AMAZING pics by a part-time fashion photographer who just moved there. Flowers: I also recommend Fancy Florist if you are getting flowers they will negotiate with you and are indians (you can get much better prices from Indians because they hate to say no to a job). They do work for many hindu temples in the us and are very honorable good people. see my links below. I am sure you've heard of theknot? They are ok, didn't use much through them because the standard wedding vendors tend to be pricey since they only work on saturdays. One other idea for an unusual wedding is to rent a tent and hire an interior decorator ( in Michigan this would have cost about 10k but was slightly over our budget, but for a lot of people at your wedding or reception it might be a LOT more cost effective). Final advice: DO NOT tell people initially when you call for a quote that you are having a wedding, explain it's just a party as most vendors have higher rates for weddings but will negotiate once you call them out.
8. Read this article on Wedding Cost Cutting. Modern Wedding Advice http://navillus99.blogspot.com/2008/02/wedding-cost-cutting.html
9. I don't know about NYC, but I know that here in London, Ontario, Canada, my daughter and I looked at many places. And most of them charged big bucks and then the meal on top of that. We started looking at hotels that had halls, rooms that they have weddings and conventions in. Some of them were very grand looking (one of them has what is called the Crystal Ball Room and it is absolutely first rate and very grand indeed), and there was NO CHARGE for the room or hall when you had a certain amount of guests for a particular room. Of course the wedding meal was made by the hotel, so you are paying for that. But it was no more expensive than any of the other places that we would have had to pay to rent. Most have wedding packages, and if you are going to have a bar that you are paying for, then that is probably the way to go. We aren't, so it was best for us to go by the plate. Also almost every hotel also included their best suite FREE OF CHARGE for the bride and groom for one night, and a discount for the guests. So, you might want to check into that.
10. Affordable? NYC? Excuse me while I crack up ... Kidding! There's always the option of inviting fewer guests. Or, moving your wedding out just a month or two would probably save a lot. Cut costs in things like centerpieces or extras like videography, DJ services, transportation, etc. so that you can accommodate your budget and the venue.