Weddingbee boards

I'm in th early stages of planning and we are considering having a small ceremony in DC where we live then an at home reception where wer are from (NY/NJ).  I am clueless about venues in NJ/NY and thought I would ask the local boards.  We are flexible with season, willing to go with a Friday, and have no problems getting creative with the menu.  We would, however, like an evening party-like atmosphere.  We have modern tastes and like clean lines.  Any suggestions for venues with a budget of about $65pp?

I researched NY and NJ venues for about 4 months at the beginning of our engagement and I literally never found anything that low. $65pp would literally be just for food, and it would be from a separate catering company to whatever location you choose. I would suggest asking around for a friend or family member in the area who might have a big backyard. Rutgers Gardens in NJ has a picnic area that you can rent which would save you on tent costs, but it is not modern or clean. For a NYC venue, prices start at $110 pp for just a four hour reception, I got turned down by many venues. I did not look into the winter season though, since we were set on a spring wedding. I suggest just going down the list over at the Knot, unfortunately no one lists their prices on their website so you might as well just start calling. Sorry I couldn't be of more help!

Ay yay yay!  Thanks bees!  This may not be a better option than just throwing the whole shindig in DC.  Thanks for your help.

@littlegraykitten: Yep, thats the budget we're looking at now. Venues were sooo stressful I cried constantly because I just knew we weren't going to get a dream venue in the area because we're just not made of money.

Our venue is the Smokerise Village Inn in Kinnelon, NJ. We got everything, ceremony, cocktail hour, plated (awesome!) dinner, cake and cookies, valet parking for guests for $115pp. It's a beautiful venue, but it is an hour outside of the city in the mountains. They are a small community owned restaurant though and they work with you to get you whatever you want! It's been great so far. Good luck in your searches!