What Does a Wedding Venue Package Really Include? A South Jersey Couple's Checklist

You've toured two or three halls, you have a stack of brochures, and every one of them says "per person." It looks like you can line the numbers up and pick the lowest one. You can't, not yet. Wedding venue packages in South Jersey are built in very different ways: one price covers the food, the linens and a coordinator, while another covers the room and little else. This checklist shows you what to confirm with every venue before you compare a single number, so the price you budget for is the price you pay.

Why two "per person" prices aren't the same price

"Package" doesn't mean the same thing from one venue to the next. In The Knot's 2026 Real Weddings Study, which surveyed 10,474 US couples married in 2025, 74% said their reception venue included rentals. Only 41% said catering was included, and 37% said alcohol was. Just 7% said their fee simply covered the space.

So two quotes that look close can be miles apart once you add what one of them leaves out. The same study puts the average venue cost in New Jersey at $27,710, which is a lot of money to spend on a number you haven't checked line by line.

The fix is simple, if a little tedious. Ask every venue the same questions, get the answers in writing, and only compare once each quote covers the same things.

Comparing wedding venue packages in South Jersey: the checklist

Take this list to every tour. For each line, write down one of three answers: included, extra (and how much), or not offered. If a venue can't tell you, that's an answer too.

Time

• How many hours is the reception, and does that include the cocktail hour?
• Can the ceremony happen on site, and is there a separate ceremony fee?
• When can your florist, DJ and decorator get in to set up, and when do they have to be out?
• What does an extra hour cost if the night runs long?

Food

• Is there a cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres, and how many choices do you get?
• Are any menu items marked as upgrades that cost more per person?
• Is the meal a buffet, stations or plated, and can you mix them?
• Is dessert included, and if you bring a wedding cake, is there a cake-cutting fee?
• Are meals for your vendors (photographer, DJ) included or charged per plate?

Drinks

• Is any bar service part of the package?
• If not, is a bar package available, can you bring your own, and who has to serve it?
• Is there a charge for soda, coffee or a champagne toast?

The room and the tables

• Are tables, chairs, linens, napkins and china included?
• Are the tablecloths floor-length, and can you choose the napkin color?
• Are centerpieces included, or do you need a florist for every table?
• Is there a place for cards and gifts?

People

• Is there a wedding consultant to help you plan, a coordinator on the day, or both?
• Who serves the head table, and who keeps the timeline moving?

Getting there

• Is parking free, and is valet available?

The fine print

• Is the price per person before or after New Jersey sales tax?
• Is there a service charge, a gratuity, or both, and what percentage?
• How much is the deposit, and when are the other payments due?
• When is the final guest count due, and is there a minimum?
• Does the venue require you to use certain vendors, or charge a fee if you bring your own?

New Jersey's fine print: sales tax, service charges and gratuity

This is the part of a wedding quote that's easiest to miss, because it usually isn't in the brochure price at all.

The New Jersey Division of Taxation's guidance for restaurants says catering charges are part of the sales price and are subject to sales tax, which is 6.625% in the state. The same guidance says a tip or gratuity isn't taxed only when three things are true: it's listed separately on the bill, it's specifically called a gratuity or tip, and all of it is paid to employees.

That has two practical results for your budget:

1. A per-person price isn't the final per-person cost. Unless a quote says it already includes tax, sales tax gets added to the catering, and on a full guest list it adds up.
2. The label on the extra line matters. A charge called a "service charge" and one called a "gratuity" can be treated differently for tax, and they don't necessarily go to the same people. Ask each venue what its extra line is called, what percentage it is, and whether it goes to the staff who work your wedding.

We're a catering hall, not tax advisors, so treat this as the question to ask rather than the final word. The point is that you shouldn't learn the answer from your final invoice.

How to compare wedding reception venues side by side

Once your checklist is filled in, you can compare wedding reception venues fairly. Here's the method we'd use if we were planning our own:

1. Use one guest count. Give every venue the same estimated number of guests, even if it's a guess.
2. Ask for a sample invoice, not a brochure price. Request a written estimate with every line filled in: food, any upgrades, bar, ceremony fee, tax, and the service charge or gratuity.
3. Add the missing pieces. If one venue includes centerpieces and another doesn't, add the cost of a florist to the second one. If one includes a day-of coordinator and another doesn't, add that too.
4. Divide by your guest count. That all-in number per guest is the only per-person price worth comparing.

The lowest brochure price isn't always the lowest total. A slightly higher package that already covers the coordinator, linens and centerpieces can come in under a lower one once you've added them back.

What our wedding packages include at A Touch of Class

Here's how our own package answers the checklist, as a real example from a family-owned hall in Delran. Every wedding package here includes:

• A five-hour reception
• Elegant centerpieces on all tables
• Wedding consultant services
• China service
• A picturesque setting for wedding portraits
• Floor-length tablecloths
• Your choice of linen napkin color
• A birdcage or mailbox for cards
• A day-of wedding coordinator
• Head table service
• A complimentary dinner for the bride and groom
• Convenient parking

Valet service, ice sculptures, a DJ, a photographer, a videographer and a florist are available at additional cost. The menu starts with a welcoming reception, then you choose five butlered hors d'oeuvres. Two of those, the cocktail shrimp shooters and the bacon-wrapped scallops, carry a per-person upcharge, which is exactly the kind of line the checklist above is meant to catch. Ceremonies can happen in the Garden Room for a separate ceremony fee, so you can say your vows and celebrate in one place.

You'll find the current starting price, the full menu and the ceremony fee on our Weddings page. The menus are prepared in our own kitchen, and Myka will walk you through the details and any changes you'd like.

What a list can't show you is how a venue handles the day when it doesn't go to plan. Kayla, on WeddingWire, wrote: "We were running about 30 minutes behind schedule and she never gave me any problems…" Melinda wrote: "When I experienced financial issues closer to the day, they worked with me and were very helpful and understanding." Those are worth asking about on every tour, too.

Ten questions to bring to every venue tour

If you only take one thing from this post, take these:

1. What's included in the per-person price, line by line?
2. Which menu items cost extra?
3. Is the price before or after New Jersey sales tax?
4. Is there a service charge or gratuity, what's it called, and who receives it?
5. How long is the reception, and what does an extra hour cost?
6. Is there a separate ceremony fee?
7. What's the bar arrangement?
8. Are vendor meals and cake cutting included?
9. When is the final headcount due, and is there a minimum?
10. What's the deposit and payment schedule?

Your next step this week

Pick your top three wedding reception venues and send each one the same short email. Something like: "We're planning a wedding for about [number] guests on [date or month]. Could you send a sample estimate with tax, any service charge or gratuity, and any upgrades included, so we can compare it fairly?" The answers you get, and how fast you get them, will tell you a lot.

If we're on your list, you can check your date and send Myka your guest count, or request a tour to see the Candlelite Room and the Garden Room in person.