Ask most venues what a wedding costs and you'll get a "starting at" number for the room. The real bill shows up later: catering minimums, a 20–23% service charge, tax on top of that, bar packages, and an overtime rate once your five hours are up. Here's how to see the whole number before you sign anything.
The short answer
For a 100-guest Saturday in peak season, the Pennsylvania and New Jersey venues we compared in October 2026 ranged from about $20,000 to $45,000 for venue, food and bar — before photographer, DJ and flowers. Where you land depends less on the venue's headline price than on what it adds after.
At Chelsea Sun Inn we publish the full figure: $26,862 for a 100-guest peak Saturday, start to finish, or $30,462 with all 13 guest rooms and the afterparty included.
A real 100-guest Saturday, line by line
These are our 2027 rates. The vendor lines are local averages you arrange and pay directly.
| Line | Cost |
|---|---|
| Venue, peak Saturday — 12 PM to 10 PM, tax and gratuity included | $12,342 |
| Staffed BYOB bar — 100 × $13.95 | $1,395 |
| Preferred caterer — 100 × $58.25 menu average | $5,825 |
| Photographer | $2,400 |
| DJ | $2,500 |
| Videographer | $1,200 |
| Florals and décor — 10 centerpieces plus ceremony flowers | $1,200 |
| Total | $26,862 |
Your own beer, wine and spirits come on top. Budget about $25 a guest. That's still well under a typical open-bar package, because you pay store prices with no corkage or markup.
The four fees that change the total
- Service charge. Many hotels and resorts add 20–23% to food and beverage, then charge sales tax on top of the service charge. On a $20,000 food-and-bar bill that's roughly another $4,200–$4,900.
- Minimums. A food-and-beverage minimum or a required guest count — 150 guests, or a $35,000 spend — means a smaller wedding pays for people who aren't there.
- The clock. Five or six hours is standard. Overtime can run $750 an hour or more.
- The bar. If you must use the venue's bar, you pay their per-person, per-hour price for the same bottles you could buy yourself.
When you compare venues, ask each one for a 100-guest total with every fee and tax included. If they can't give you one, that tells you something.
What moves the price most
The day of the week
Saturday is the most expensive day everywhere. Our peak-season venue price drops from $12,342 on a Saturday to $11,070 on a Friday or Sunday and $7,196 Monday through Thursday — the same estate, the same setup.
The season
Off-peak dates (November 18 to April 30) are half the peak price for weddings up to 70 guests: $6,171 on a Saturday, $5,535 on a Friday or Sunday.
Guest count
Food, bar and florals scale with every guest. Our venue price stays fixed up to 150 guests, then adds $40 a guest — so a smaller list saves on catering and bar without a penalty on the venue.
What's already inside our price
The decorated tent with dance floor, chandeliers and DJ lighting; 300 chairs, tables and linens; five ceremony sites with chairs, arbor and décor set up; the Bridal Suite for 24 hours; a free rehearsal and engagement shoot; setup, breakdown and cleanup; an event manager, staff, parking attendant and the trolley to your ceremony site. Tax and gratuity are inside the venue price, not added at the end.
Before you sign anywhere
- Get the total for your guest count, with every fee and tax, in writing.
- Ask how many hours you get and what each extra hour costs.
- Ask whether you can bring your own caterer, alcohol and vendors, and whether there's a fee.
- Ask how many events happen on your date.
