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Philadelphia suburbs venue guide

Updated

Philadelphia suburbs wedding venues: estates, country clubs, and inns

West and north of the city, the Main Line and Chester and Montgomery counties are full of historic estates, country clubs, and inns. Prices run a little above the Pennsylvania average, but far less gets added on top of the quoted price than elsewhere, and these venues tend to handle a lot of the planning for you.

We've gathered details on 26 venues in the Philadelphia suburbs. Pick a starting point and Sage will rank them for your day, with cost estimates wherever the venue publishes its prices.

Historic estateGardenCountry club

What should you budget?

Venues with catering for 100 guests

Use − and + to reprice every figure below.

$28k

Typical estimate

The median cost for the Philadelphia Suburbs venues that include their own catering.

$19k–$37k

Typical range

A fairly tight range. Most estates and clubs here price close to one another.

These are our estimates, not quotes from the venues. They include service charges and tax when a venue lists them. Your date, guest count, bar, and rentals will all change the final total.

Source: SagetheDate.com

Every filled dot is one the Philadelphia Suburbs venue that can host 100 guests, shaded by its own estimate on the same scale as the Pennsylvaniaguide's map; grey ones don't publish a venue-with-catering price. Outlined dots are venues in neighbouring regions.

Narrow it down

See which the Philadelphia Suburbs venues fit your guest count and budget, and why

Guests

100
See matching the Philadelphia Suburbs venues

By budget and guest count

Philadelphia Suburbs wedding venues by budget and guest count

How many Philadelphia Suburbs venues come in under common budgets for the venue and food, at the guest counts couples plan for most. Each row counts the venues that can host that many guests and publish a full price for the venue and the food, so the list gets shorter as it grows.

Philadelphia Suburbs wedding venues under each budget, by guest count
GuestsTypical venue and foodUnder $15,000Under $25,000Under $35,000Under $50,000
50 guests$23k5 of 1810 of 1814 of 1818 of 18
100 guests$28k1 of 187 of 1814 of 1818 of 18
150 guests$32k0 of 183 of 1810 of 1818 of 18
200 guests$41k0 of 170 of 172 of 1715 of 17

Our estimates for the venue and food, including service charges and tax where the venue lists them, on a Saturday in peak season. Not quotes. A typical figure is shown only where at least five venues publish a price. On their cheapest published date, usually a weekday or a winter month, 6 more venues come in under $25,000 for 100 guests.

Philadelphia Suburbs venues by price for 100 guests

Under $15,000
The Pavilion at Mainland
$15,000–$25,000
Manufacturers' Golf and Country Club, PineCrest Country Club, Spring Hollow Golf Club, Talamore Country Club, The Willows, William Penn Inn
$25,000–$35,000
Lochwood Manor, Meredith Manor, Old Mill, Philander Chase Knox Estate, The Country House at Bluestone, The Manor House at Springton Manor Farm, Triple Crown
$35,000–$50,000
Parque at Ridley Creek, Phoenixville Foundry, The Gardens at Applecross, The Ivy at Ellis Preserve
See which fit your guest count and budget

How venues price weddings

Two venues can quote the same number and mean very different things

Pick one to see what its price contains, what it leaves for you to buy, and what it typically comes to.

You pay for the space and their kitchen

Venues with catering

Venues publish their price in two ways: as a site fee plus a per-guest menu price, or as a bundled package (venue + food).

At100guests

$28k

typical for venues with catering

$19k–$37k

where 80% of these 18 venues land

What makes up the billTypical80% of venues
Bundled package (venue + food)10 of 18$23k$14k–$39k
Venue rental8 of 18$7.3k$2.5k–$8.5k
Ceremony fee10 of 18$1.5k$1k–$1.5k
Catering8 of 18$18k$13k–$23k
Service charge & tax12 of 18$2.7k$0.1k–$4.1k
Each line is typical for the venues that charge it separately, so they don’t add up to the figure above. At 12 venues drinks are priced together with the food, so they sit inside the Catering line rather than a separate bar charge. At 1 venue the bar depends on which package tier you choose, so it isn’t in these figures.

And then you still buy

  • Bar, where it isn’t included
  • Rentals and décor beyond the basics
  • Every other vendor

Good if you

don’t want to worry about sourcing a caterer or any outside catering fees.

What you’d still need to find out

Whether drinks are inside the menu price or billed separately, and what the service charge and tax add at the end.

What changes the math here

The price you see is closer to what you pay. Venues here add less on top of their quoted price than anywhere else in Pennsylvania, so comparing quotes is simpler. Nearly all of them provide a coordinator, and most say what happens to an outdoor ceremony if it rains. The biggest saving comes from your date: a weekday costs much less than a Saturday here.

Added on top of the price
+11%

Typical service charges, admin fees, and tax, compared with 26% across Pennsylvania.

Compare full estimates, fees included
On a weekday
38% less

Monday through Thursday, compared with the same venue on a Saturday.

Compare weekday prices
Provide a coordinator
100%

Of the venues that say either way. Most help plan the whole wedding, not just the day itself.

See venues with a coordinator
State a rain plan
65%

Of the venues here, compared with 52% across Pennsylvania.

See venues with a rain plan

What kind of place

Start with the kind of suburban wedding you want

Historic estate or mansion

Main Line mansions, gardens, and estates like Cairnwood and Springton Manor. Many are yours alone for the event. Ask which caterers you can use and whether there's a tent or indoor room if it rains.

11 of 26 venues here

Venue and food, typical
$28k (6 venues)
Find venues like these

Country or golf club

A ceremony lawn, a ballroom, and a kitchen on site, often at the lower end of the range. Ask whether another event could be on the property the same day, and where you can take photos.

9 of 26 venues here

Venue and food, typical
$20k (7 venues)
Find venues like these

Barn, winery, or inn

Restored barns, a winery with an inn, and historic inns, some with rooms for guests. Ask how many people can stay the night and what the package leaves out.

6 of 26 venues here

Find venues like these

What different types of venues cost in the Philadelphia Suburbs

The same wedding costs different amounts at a barn and at a hotel — and so does the shape of the bill. Three ways to look at it, for 100 guests.

What just the space costs

The venue rental across every venue that charges one as its own line — whether or not they also sell you the food. Just the room, nothing else.

  • Country Club / Golf Club$1.5k (6)
  • Estate / Mansion$8.5k (9)
  • Barn / Farm$9.5k (5)
  • Inn$13k (3)
  • Winery / Vineyard$13k (2)

Every venue that itemises a rental, including the ones that cater. Venues quoting a single package over the room and the meal never name a room price, so they aren’t here — and this is a part of a bill, not a whole one, so it can’t be subtracted from the next chart.

What a wedding costs when the venue handles catering too

The whole bill — the room, the meal, and the fees on top.

  • Country Club / Golf Club$20k (9)
  • Barn / Farm$27k (3)
  • Estate / Mansion$28k (7)
  • Restaurant$30k (2)
  • Event Center$45k (2)

Venues behind each figure in brackets. A venue can be more than one kind of place, so it may appear in more than one row.

How much of the cost is for the space vs the catering

Every bar is one whole bill, so what changes across the list is the split. A country club / golf club earns it back on the menu; a barn / farm charges you for the space.

The roomFood and beverage
  • Country Club / Golf Club24% (2)
  • Estate / Mansion33% (6)
  • Barn / Farm35% (3)

Only the venues that price the room and the meal separately, with how many in brackets. Another 10 quote one package covering both, so there is no split to show for them.

Before you tour

Three decisions to make early

Check prices on a weekday

A weekday wedding here typically costs 38% less than the same wedding on a Saturday, one of the biggest gaps in Pennsylvania. If your date is at all flexible, ask every venue for its weekday price.

Compare weekday prices

Ask what the coordinator does

Nearly every venue here provides a coordinator, but that can mean anything from full planning to someone who unlocks the door on the day. Ask what they handle before the wedding and on the day itself.

See what each venue includes

Check the requirements

Some venues here have requirements you pay for or arrange yourself. Most often certificates of insurance from every vendor, a refundable damage deposit and a licensed planner. Ask on the first call, so they're part of your budget from the start.

See each venue's rules
How the Philadelphia Suburbs compares with Pennsylvania
  • Let you bring your own caterer0% vs 9%

    of venues that say either way (24 here)

  • Have rooms for guests on site15% vs 26%

    at least, of all venues (26 here)

  • Give you the whole property27% vs 26%

    at least, of all venues (26 here)

  • State a rain plan65% vs 52%

    at least, of all venues (26 here)

  • Require something extra31% vs 25%

    a planner, insurance, security or similar, of all venues (26 here)

What affects the cost of your wedding

Your date can change the price a lot

Wedding venue pricing is seasonal. 16 of the 26 Philadelphia Suburbs venues we track charge differently depending on the day, and 15 charge differently depending on the month. Every figure below compares a venue with itself, so it says what moving your date does — whatever kind of venue you pick, and whatever the size of your wedding.

Day of the week

Months you’d consider

Peak months are selected to start. Tap any month to compare.

Saturday, peak season

The most expensive date most venues sell, and the date almost every published price assumes. Choose a different day or month to see what typically comes off.

How much less than its own most expensive month a typical Philadelphia Suburbs venue charges, comparing Saturdays all year (15 venues price a season)
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

What part of the bill your date actually changes

Not every line on a quote moves. These are the ones that do, measured at the venues that move them.

The venue rental

What they charge for the space itself.

Weekday—
Fri or Sun25% lessat 4
Off-peak month29% lessat 4

The headcount they bill for

The min guest count they will charge you for, no matter what.

Weekday—
Fri or Sun25% fewerat 8
Off-peak month33% fewerat 3

They may take a smaller wedding

Venues that bill a minimum headcount drop it off-peak, so a date can make a smaller guest list bookable at a venue that would otherwise charge you for people who aren’t coming.

Inviting fewer people saves you less than you’d think

17 of the 26 Philadelphia Suburbs venues that can host 100 guests put a floor under what you spend — a minimum on food and drink, or a headcount they bill for. It is the one charge that feels worse the smaller your wedding is, and it is rarely made clear on other platforms that show venue pricing.

At100guests

12 of 17

would bill you above what your own 100 guests come to.

Bill above your count5 clear it

Most of them stop topping up from around 125 guests. Below that, inviting fewer people doesn’t lower the bill at these venues.

Cutting 20 guests takes $0 off the bill, even though they actually cost $3.2k — because of the minimum spend

The 16 floor-setting Philadelphia Suburbs venues big enough to host every size on this chart, priced at each one. Where the lines part, you are paying for guests who aren’t coming.
What you’d be billedWhat your own guests cost
$0$25k$50kyour 1004075100125150175200 guests

What kind of floor, and how high

A venue can set more than one.

A minimum spend on food and drinkThe money you commit to their kitchen. Service charge and tax then stack on top of it.
$12ktypical
A minimum headcount they bill you forYou pay for this many plates whether or not that many people come. At 12 of them the floor is above 100.
140 gueststypical

What gets added at the end

Taxes and fees mark up a Philadelphia Suburbs quote typically by 11%

Every pricing model carries them. At the 13 Philadelphia Suburbs venues that publish their fees, the middle result is 11%, with most landing between 0% and 31%.

Food & drinkVenue rentalService chargeSales taxon the bill and on the fees
Solid lines are what a fee is always charged on; dashed lines are charged that way at some venues only. Sales tax comes last, on the bill and usually on the other fees too.
Various fees to considerTypical

  • Service charge6 venues

    22%

    The venue’s charge for its staff. Not a tip.

  • Sales tax14 venues

    6%

    Set by the state, and charged on the service charge too at most venues.

Dots are sized by how many venues charge that rate. The gold line is the median rate, and every fee has its own scale: read the spread within a row, not across them.

Places worth a closer look

Six suburban venues to start with

These examples cover the area's estates, clubs, wineries, and inns, priced in different ways. Open a venue to see its pricing, capacity, spaces, vendor rules, and other planning details.

Find venues that match your vision and budget

Describe your guest count, your budget, and anything you can’t compromise on. See a ranked list of venues, with why each one fits, trade-offs, and what to double-check.

Try:

Sage the Date reads each venue's own published details, including pricing, catering and alcohol rules, music curfews, rain plans, whether you get the whole property, and how many guests each space holds. Every estimate uses your guest count. When a venue doesn't say, we tell you instead of guessing.

Before you book

Three questions worth asking

  • How much would this same wedding cost on a weekday or in the off-season?
  • What does your coordinator handle before the wedding and on the day, and what’s left for us to plan?
  • Do we or our vendors need insurance, a licensed planner, or a damage deposit to book?
See all 26 Philadelphia Suburbs venues we track
How this guide is built

Sage reads each venue's own published pricing and policies, puts different kinds of quotes on the same footing, and estimates the cost for 100 guests. If a venue doesn't say something, we treat it as a question to ask, not a no.