Affordable Wedding Venues Roanoke, VA
If you are seeking an affordable wedding venue in the Roanoke Valley, you’ve come to the right spot.
While there are many places to choose from in and around the ‘Star City’, I want to educate you on why you should choose Silver Hearth Lodge, atop Bent Mountian, just minutes away from Downtown Roanoke.
Look Beyond Price
One thing I can tell you as a former wedding professional is that not every wedding is the same, sure, weddings often look the same, but with various vendors, themes, and styles, one wedding can vary from price to price.
Let me give you an example.
Let’s say we have two couples and they are both getting married here in Roanoke on the same day but at different venues. They both hire a wedding photographer, catering company, DJ, florist, and planner. (Sure there ar other costs, but bear with me)
In this example, you can see that Bride A is paying far more than Bride B.
Bride A spent roughly $18,950 on her wedding.
Bride B spent roughly $15,825 on her wedding.
While Bride A rented a cheaper venue, she spent more money, in fact, roughly $3,125 more. While they spent less on a venue, they were forced to spend more in other categories, which in turn made the overall bill much higher.
There is a reason the venue was cheaper, to lock the couple in to force them to pay more once a contract was signed.
“Some venues have hidden costs or fees built into the lower cost. For example, they use the low cost to get you into the venue, then spring a high catering bill, florist bill, or DJ bill, forcing you to use their in-house services. ”
Why would that be?
Well, that’s because of various factors, but let me tell you a little secret about wedding venues.
First, some of them are owned by catering companies and that’s perfectly fine, except you should know that many times they will get you into the venue at a cheaper rate only to find that you need to use various vendors such as their catering company, linen company, DJ or the like.
So while you can get into a place for a couple thousand bucks or less, they will raise rates on the back end, forcing you to fork out more money in total.
Now, not all places are like this, but it’s something to know and understand.
Comparing prices at venues may seem black and white, but knowing what to ask and what to look for is key in helping you understand our industry.
Something else I’d like to share with you about wedding venues is that many of them are not truly unique, let me explain.
Cookie Cutter Weddings
What you will tend to find with venues in our region (and for most of the US honestly) is that there is generally one, perhaps two places to get married at a venue, they have a ‘format’.
Wedding to wedding, couples use the same places to do the same thing, and while there is nothing wrong with that, it’s a bit cookie-cutter.
Very few places, like SHL for example, are a ‘wedding campus’, places where you CAN use popular spots to get married, although if you want something different, perhaps a different spot on the campus, you can do that.
For example, on campus here, there are roughly 6 places you can have a wedding ceremony.
Rot Ironed-Domed Gazebo (my personal fav because it is shaded with large trees)
Overlook Pavilion
Native American Fire Circle (plus it doubles as a firepit during the reception with 20ft high flames)
Sacred Heart Chapel
Treetops Terrace
Vista view Hall (large reception hall, used in case of rain)
Compare that to other venues in the region, they offer 1-2.
For receptions on this property, you have 3-4 places to have it or use the entire thing, again with most other places, just one spot to have dinner and dancing.
Now, is there anything wrong with cookie-cutter venues?
Absolutely not!
But, what I want you to takeaway is that if you get married at one of those types of venues, your wedding will pretty much be the same as the next one, minus the colors or theme of your wedding day.
But affordability also comes in the form of vendor networking.
Vendor Savings
So, if you’re looking to have an affordable wedding in the Roanoke Valley, you need to consider hiring vendors that the venue recommends.
Before you do though, you should ask the venue a couple of things.
Do the vendors they recommend have any special pricing with the venue?
If so, how much?
If not, are there vendors that do?
Why does the venue recommend them if there are no savings?
Venues will sometimes have a preferred vendor list, businesses and people they tend to like working with. Although that’s great, there is little incentive to hire people on the list other than they have worked at the venue before, like many others.
Being smart about how you hire can save you a lot of money and stay out of the emotional trap is something you need to be aware of.
For example, if there is a wedding photographer that you simply ‘LOVE’, ask yourself why?
Many times couples will love their style or the ‘experience’ that they get, but vendors have caught onto this and may charge a premium in order to hire them.
I can tell you this, there are plenty of great, well-seasoned professionals that don’t cost an arm and a leg (not cheap, but reasonable), depending on what that is to you, which brings me to another point to think about.
What is Affordable?
Well, that’s a great question and it’s a bit of a personal answer.
What is affordable to you, may or may not be affordable to the person next to you.
For example, some see BMW as being expensive, while a few may see it as being rather cheap for an SUV when compared to a typical brand like Toyota.
It’s all in the eye of the beholder.
Wedding venues are the same way, some may see them as cheap or expensive depending on their income, where they live, and the cost of living in that area.
NOVA brides see our region as being very affordable and to them, it is, while some couples in this region gasp at prices within the wedding industry.
Nationwide, the average price of a wedding venue is roughly $10,600, which is a lot when you compare the average cost in Southwestern Virginia to be closer to $7,200, according to Wedding Photography and Films data.
National vs Virginia Cost of Wedding Venues
But look beyond the price tag, and see what it is that you’re getting for that price.
Many places will offer bare-bones with a few thousand bucks while others will offer so many amenities, it takes a brochure to list them all.
As an example, would the venue price include a coffee bar for your guests? Perhaps not, but it’s those little things that help add value to justify the price, after all, wowing your wedding guests is something that you want to consider with a venue.
Do Couples look for Amenities at Wedding Venues?
After doing an online Facebook survey, 51 people responded when asked if they sought after amenities at wedding venues when finding the right one for their own wedding.
This tells me that couples are searching for far more than just a barn with some tables and chairs.
A Couple of Money-Saving Secrets
I will give you a couple of money-saving secrets if are willing to entertain them.
First, be flexible with your wedding date, and here is why. Just about all wedding venues have ongoing costs to keep them afloat, from staff to cleaning the venue and keeping it operating to mortgages, light bills, and the like.
So, if you want to save money, even during the peak wedding season, ask about a weekday wedding.
“Weekday weddings can typically save you 25-40% depending on the venue when compared to a Friday-Sunday wedding. ”
While venues don’t offer to tell you about that, you should ask. There are some downsides to having the wedding during the week, but some positive ones too.
The other thing to consider is an off-peak wedding day.
Our off-peak season in Virginia is late October through Mid-March usually as the weather is colder and the leaves have fallen off the trees. In our region, most venues close up because they simply can’t offer heat or they just don’t have enough business to keep them open during those months.
You may want to ask about an end-of-season rate, where it could still be a Friday-Sunday, but perhaps at 10-15% or more.
Now, this all depends on the venue and they could simply tell you they don’t offer that, but it’s worth asking.
One thing to think about here is the colder weather and if your guests don’t mind being chilly.
Read This Next
As a former wedding videographer with 25 years under my belt, I have a lot to tell couples about when it comes to getting married, including best practices, money-saving tips, and tricks.
One of those things is about wedding sparklers, which type to get, how to light them, and the best practices with your guests. Check out the link below for that and much more!
