Good Place for Wedding, Bar Mitzvah (Albuquerque: receptions, hotel, house)
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My daughter will be having her bat mitzvah in August. We want to stay within in a reasonable budget and not break the bank. We think we will have around 125 guests.
I checked out Sandia Resort and Casino because it's so close to our house--breathtaking views, beautiful facility but quite pricey.
I checked out the Sheraton. They still have to send prices. It is close to Uptown and to our synagogue.
I checked out the JCC.
Any other venues you would recommend? Are there jewels in the rough? What place has great food? How about something quintessentially New Mexican?
We will have guests who are vegetarians and a couple who eat kosher style, so pork is out, and we will need at least one vegetarian and one fish entree.
"Reasonable budget" isn't much to work with. $500, $5000, $50000? We all have different ideas of what's reasonable, and the funny thing is, once you've done it successfully, you realize how unreasonable your idea of reasonable actually was.
Typically, to keep costs down, you'll want to find a place that lets you bring in your own food (most won't), and then do the food yourself (or have it catered by someone who gives you a smoking deal). Tuxedo or no, it's not worth $20 a plate for $5 food when the venue already cost plenty (unless you're on an anything-goes budget and the food is renowned).
True that reasonable budget is very subjective. I just didn't feel like posting exactly what we plan on spending. With a bat mitzvah, it is expected that you feed out of town guests for Shabbat(Friday Night dinner), luncheon after the services for all guests and members of congregation who come for regular services, the evening party, which could be just a kids' party at a roller rink or a full-blown reception with DJ, etc, and finally all of the out-of-town guests must be fed brunch Sunday morning. When I say "must" I guess it isn't written down, but all bar mitzvahs I have been to have been thus.
My plan to save money is to cook myself for Friday night dinner at my house for the out-of-towners--probably about 40--50 people. I plan to get bagels and lox and some quiches from Costco along with fruit salad for the Sunday brunch.
With all the cooking and prep work for these two meals, I don't see how I would bring my own food for the dinner without truly driving myself crazy. I do want to enjoy the day. Therefore, I plan to cater the luncheon at the temple. Maybe we will just do a kids party to save $ that evening. If so, I have to deal with out-of-town guests. That's why we're thinking about finding a place that isn't over the top expensive for the evening party. I know a DJ is about 800-1000 dollars, but it would be fun and keep the kids and adults busy.
Thanks for the link. That looks like a beautiful venue. I couldn't find the prices on that website. I just watched a biography of Conrad Hilton, so the historic factor there is very cool. Have you been to a wedding or event at that hotel N8!?
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