How do you find a wedding reception venue WITHOUT a caterer?

I am in Durham, North Carolina, and I am assisting in planning a wedding. The bride has selected a ceremony site AND a caterer, but no reception venue. She can't use the reception at the church because they won't allow dancing. Any idea how to locate a reception site where you can outsource the catering?

Durhamites, if you know any where specific I would appreciate that, too!!How do you find a wedding reception venue WITHOUT a caterer?
Is there a conservation area (do you guys call those "state parks" down there?) near you? Sometimes, they'll allow it.



You could attempt to use an empty store/office/restaurant site (if you have any of those) -- we were seriously looking at a site that used to be the office floor of a long-gone bank -- the room is entirely glass, and it would be incredible, and it would have allowed us to use any caterer we wanted to. The downside was the amount of stuff we'd have to bring in to make it user friendly (flooring, etc.). Unconventional locations can be fun :)



Is there another church in the area in which she could just use the reception hall?



One of the problems with being about to outsource the caterer is that it's unlikely that there are appropriate catering facilities on site (if our experience has been anything to go by) -- caterers who have exclusive rights to a particular venue also often have exclusive access to the kitchens.



That said, what about renting a boat, and doing a cruise-reception? Or a park? Local football stadium (if they're sporty types)? Maybe a hangar at a small airfield (the bride and groom could arrive/depart by helicopter)?



Good luck!
The best way to achieve what you're needing is to look beyond traditional banquet halls. I don't know what the budget is, and that can and will affect your selections. However, try local hotels. A lot of times local historical places will allow receptions/weddings. I'm not from North Carolina, so I don't have any knowledge of the area. The best thing to do is to start doing searches for "reception venues Durham North Carolina" and see what pops up. I know that's not much help, but it's how we found our location. You can also try community centers, auditoriums, sometimes even museums have spaces you can use. You just have to think outside the typical reception venue box. It can be done, and with a little planning I'm sure you can find the perfect place!How do you find a wedding reception venue WITHOUT a caterer?
There is a catalog called the Perfect Wedding Guide that has a list of reception locations and it gives general info about each in a chart. It tells whether or not you can bring in a caterer, the cost, the capacity, etc. The catalog is specific to various areas so mine gives info for my local area. But you can also use their website.



http://charlotte.perfectweddingguide.com鈥?/a>



This will give a list of reception venues near the Charlotte area (I don't know how close that is to Durham) that you could contact to find out about the caterer situation.



Here's another site through brides.com that has a list of rception venues in North Carolina.



http://www.brides.com/local/north_caroli鈥?/a>



And theknot.com has a local resources tab you can click to help you find reception locations for your area.



http://www.theknot.com/vs_NORTH_CAROLINA鈥?/a>



You may have to call the different vendors directly to find out if you can bring your own caterer or see if their website has the information so that adds a bit of work. But you have a list of locations to start with.
Check with your local VFW or American Legion. Usually they have a hall to rent, but don't have a "house caterer", so your caterer can just do his/her thing there.



You may have to pay for a bartender and/or security provided by the organization, but that can be a plus. Hall fees vary, obviously, depending on what they offer, the amount of time you need it for, etc.



Other social organizations like the Elks club also have their own facilities, and often rent them out for parties, etc., too.



Good Luck!
Throughout the whole country, you can search out VFW Halls, or any other type of "service club" (Lions Club, etc.) These types of halls will let you bring in your own caterer. As will any type of historic building that is open for rentals.
When you want to bring in your own caterer, you are going to be relegated to places like Elks Halls or your local Fire Hall or perhaps your local park might have a space.



Pop open the yellow pages in your area and see what is around.
Look into museums, they usually allow wedding receptions, and don't have house caterers.
You only have a few choices like The American Legion, VFW, or firehalls like someone else pointed out. Reception venue's make a chunk of their money with food and beverage.
ecvv.us
Ask people in town where they had theirs or where they have attended one.