When planning a wedding, many envision DIY venues—such as lodges, halls, barn venues, estates, and even backyard weddings—as a charming and budget-friendly option. It’s often assumed that handling all the details yourself will lead to significant savings. However, our extensive experience in the event business, not just with weddings but also with various other events, has shown this to be a common misconception.
DIY venues typically charge a substantial rental fee, often averaging around $7,500. This fee usually only covers the basic room, tables, and chairs. Beyond this, you are responsible for sourcing, paying for, and setting up everything else, including linens, plates, drinkware, flatware, and of course, catering for your guests, along with managing any bar options. Beyond sourcing these items, you’re also responsible for coordinating communication and execution among all these different teams, unless you hire someone to assist (though Manor House always appreciates a day-of coordinator!). Furthermore, cleanup at the end of the night is generally left to you. This means that after a night of celebrating, you’ll need to spend several hours packing up linens, glassware, other rented items, along with your gifts and leftover cake.
At Manor House, we offer a truly all-inclusive experience designed for ease and convenience for the families and clients we work with. We provide everything you need: tables, chairs, linens, plates, and flatware. We also boast our own in-house executive chefs, and our dedicated staff handles all setup and cleanup. On your event day, you’ll arrive at a beautifully prepared space, and once your celebration concludes, you and your guests can depart knowing our team will take care of everything else. For weddings specifically, we have three outdoor ceremony spaces that can be converted to indoor spaces if weather becomes an issue, and these are separate from your reception room. Manor House is one of the only venues in Cincinnati that offers a “Plan B” option without sacrificing your grand reception reveal.
Instead of a rental fee, we operate with a food and beverage spending minimum, which ranges from $4,000 to $20,000 depending on your chosen date, anticipated guest count, and the specific location on our property. This approach ensures your investment directly contributes to creating a memorable culinary experience rather than a non-inclusive rental fee. We encourage you to compare the costs when deciding what option is best for you; we believe you’ll be pleasantly surprised that Manor House offers excellent value for your investment.
Author: Janet Nelson, owner of Manor House Event Center in Mason, Ohio. Janet has extensive experience in event planning and works on multiple nonprofit event committees.