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While I'm not getting married in Boston, I live in the City and did some poking around when we first got engaged. I think you might be able to swing it but with an open bar you're going to have to cut down everywhere else. We're getting married on Lake Winnepesakee in NH and our catering costs alone are going to be 100/person give or take. Happy hunting!
I dunno. We got married in Burlington, and I think it ended up being around 30k for 165 people with an open bar all night. We definitely tried to cut some corners, cost wise. For example, my dad is a musician, so our band was more inexpensive.
I think it would be pretty tough to swing, but some friends of ours are getting married at the Marriot in Kendall Sq, and I know they're on a pretty tight budget.
I got married at the Renaissance in the Seaport District. For about 110 people we ended up paying about 15K for food/room and about 4K for an open bar. I think overall we spent about 35K on our entire wedding. We priced out places outside the city and they didn't seem much cheaper. One tip when you're getting quotes from hotels ask if there is a minimum, the Langham seemed affordable but for a Saturday night you're required to spend 20K.
@BirdieBride21: Try the Goethe Institute on Commonwealth Ave - It's GORGEOUS! Also - with that budget, I'd consider slimming down the guest list - you'll get more bang for your buck that way.
thank you ladies! I am also looking at the MIT Faculty Club & they seem to have an inclusive package (everything but photographer, music & day of beauty for 120-150/pp) & with any luck I will get our list down to 100. I have a lot of out of town cousins that I just don't think will come- now I just need to convince my mom that they won't be offended if they're not invited...
We are also thinking of doing a Sunday wedding on Columbus Day weekend- do you think that would save us another $2,000 or so?
I'm also going to try and get our invites and STDs as inexpensively as possible...guess this process is going to put my number crunching habits to the test!
@BirdieBride21: Expect to pay Saturday rates for a Sunday on a holiday weekend.
Here is a link to the Goethe Institute - http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/bos/uun/vem/enindex.htm
The Faculty Club is gorgeous - I work at MIT, so I get that view everyday. :)
I had a downtown wedding, full open bar in Boston with about the same guest count you're looking to have.
To be honest, my biggest difficulty when looking at places were the minimums. For example, one place, the minimum for food and beverage alone was around $25k. For 110-120 people, that's not such a great deal.
However, there are other places that are more flexible with their pricing and minimums. Don't be afraid to negotiate with venues, I found nearly all the ones I talked with were able to move pricing around for me. We ended up at about $200 per person for food and open bar (but it could have been less, we just added on extras).
I'm sure through your research, you're finding Boston is an expensive city to have a wedding in. Feel free to PM if you have questions!
Just another FYI- every venue I talked to said October was their second most popular month after June so their prices were higher in Oct than the first week of Nov. Just a thought.
must be nice to have that budget! We couldn't afford anything in the Boston Vacinity, so instead we are getting married at Spy Pond Park in Arlington (free! + officiant fee $75, chair rentals ($316ish), sound service $300) and then doing the reception at my brother's barn in Bedford, MA (also free venue fee) and doing buffett style food (so the cost is much cheaper- $16 per plate essentially) and then chair/tent/table/linens etc etc. Anyhow- our budget is $5000-$7000. Word of advice, think outside the box :) The aquarium does weddings- also Maybe the botanical garden, etc :)
Good-luck and Happy planning!
@BirdieBride21: the MIT Club is really nice and their pricing was reasonable. We considered that but had so many OOT guests that it made for sense for us to use a hotel.
We're getting married at the Lenox Hotel in Back Bay, and so far I'm really enjoying working with them! We have a budget close to yours, albeit for about 80 guests, but we totally splurged on the photographer. The Lenox doesn't have expenditure minimums, only a 75 guest minimum for Saturday nights. Feel free to PM me if you'd like more details!
@FutureMs.Canadian: The Lenox was amazing with my family - we used it as a hub of sorts since our families are international. Our hotel group rate was $219 a night which is a steal for back bay, especially in the beginning of September.
I live in Boston and found the prices of doing a wedding in town was higher than I wanted to spend. You may be able to do something if you go the all inclusive route. I opted to get married at the Daniel Webster Estate and Heritage Center in Marshfield....but we are also have a small wedding. You can do larger ones there if you rent a tent and do it outside on the grounds. As my wedding is March 17th, we are indoors only, LOL
Good Luck :)
Wow thank you guys, this has been super helpful!
Luckily we are flexible with the date but are hoping for anytime between September and December of next year. October would be ideal but I know in New England that's a popular month because the weather is nice but not too hot and the leaves are turning. I am totally fine with a Sunday night wedding on an off peak time if it means we can get a little more for our money.
We definitely won't be able to do a food & beverage minimum of $25k since that's our final number for everything including DJ, photographer & dress (no rings or rehearsal dinner).So hopefully some of the places we're interested in won't be too tough on that!
Because we're anticipating out of town guests a hotel would be fabulous but it's not a total deal breaker. I just figure that if my family is traveling from the West Coast to Boston for the first time I better try my best to have everything in the city so they can visit and enjoy our hometown 
Other places we're thinking about (thank you ladies for the suggestions!!)-
Fairmont Copley (pricey I know, but doesn't hurt to ask)
The Colonnade
Black Swan Country Club
Lenox Hotel
Aquarium
The Inn at Harvard
Goethe Institute
I am really hoping the MIT Faculty Club is available and within our range...We got engaged by the Charles River on Cambridgeside so that would be a really nice way to come full circle if we had our wedding close by 
@BirdieBride21: We provided some other options for our guests other than the Lenox but wanted to keep it in Boston - so I linked them up to 463 Beacon Street Guest House (rates from $79-$179) and the John Jeffries House (right off of Charles Street in Beacon Hill - rates from $119)
Be aware that the Inn at Harvard will require you to pay 10% (or was it 25% - I can't remember) of the total even in you don't use all the rooms blocked.
@BirdieBride21: Also - Have you checked with the Museum of Science - the have a few event spaces overlooking the Charles?
Also, there is the Royal Sonesta - which also event space. My husband and I actually stayed there after our wedding in one of the "01" rooms which has 180 degree views of the Charles and Boston. It only cost $235 for the room/night - so we decided to stay there two nights ... it was pretty amazing.
I'm in Chicago planning my Boston wedding. I wish I could give you advice or help, but I wanted to let you know the Aquarium is wicked expensive. I'm getting married at the Aquarium in June, and the science museum was my second choice (they do have an outside area that may be less expensive, but overall was just as expensive as the Aquarium). The aquarium includes all food, basic linen, etc and we signed the contract for a 140 person minimum at over 28k. This doesnt include cake, florist, photographer, dress, etc, plus upgrades we chose like having the lights turned on in the aquarium itself (yeah, thats extra)... the hotels in the area also are $250+ night with the block discount ($350 normally). Its crazy how much things cost in Boston!!!
@littleprettyliz: I hear ya. The ONLY reason I am getting married where I am is that the venue is free. The price of a wedding is disgusting, LOL. Its one day and the mark up on stuff for that one day is insane. I also can't justify spending outrageous amounts of money for one day. Yes, it is an important day but its not worth going into debt for, is it????
Good Luck to all!
I know everything is so pricey! I'm kind of all or nothing with planning, and if we can't make a nice Boston wedding happen we might just do a small ceremony with our parents and siblings at a tropical destination next Christmas...we'll see 
We are going to see some venues next week and I'm a little nervous but excited at the same time. I think the key for us will be keeping the guest list small, which might be a challenge as I have a large extended family.
Hi All!
We have decided on the MIT Faculty Club for our October 2012 wedding and I couldn't be happier! When we first visited I had a good feeling about it but wanted to explore a bit just because it's such a huge decision to make. After looking around a bit we decided that MIT was "the One"!
I would strongly recommend the MIT Faculty Club to anyone searching for a venue with city access at a very reasonable price point- everything from food, cocktail hour, open bar, linens, chairs & cake is included and we've been very happy with our wedding coordinator as well.
On to photographers & DJs! Thank you all for your suggestions
My photographer is awesome. Jordan Humbler http://www.jordanhumber.com/ tell him Gretchen sent you!
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Hi all
I am newly engaged and our budget will be $25,000 for between 100-125 people. My fiance and I live in Boston's South End and would love to have a city wedding- but is it possible with our budget? I'm not dead set on having a really formal wedding but would like to have a hosted bar and a classic vibe in October 2012 (preferably Columbus Day weekend). There are quite a few hotels in the Back Bay, South End & Seaport area but does anyone have experience dealing with particular venues and what their ballpark pricing is?
thank you!