After years of planning, a longtime dream of Askonim is becoming a reality in Lakewood.
Affordable Chasunahs.
Crews this week began to clear the land in Lakewood where a magnificent hall is being constructed to ease the burden of Lakewood families making Chasunahs.
As prices of weddings continued to rise, Askonim gathered to brainstorm, and the Chasunah Initiative was created.
“The prices were just out of control – even Takanah weddings,” one of the Askonim who spearheaded the project exclusively told TLS. “The Chasunahs here will be by far the cheapest in town.”
The wedding hall building, being built on Oak Street, was donated by the Schron family in memory of Marta Schron, and the hall will be run by several Askonim and a committee.
“There is no profit being made on this whatsoever,” the Askan said.
The hall itself will be hiring chefs, photographers, and everything else needed for the wedding, and it is expected to save at least $5,000-$7,000 on the wedding night.
“Our goal is to use this as a platform to launch other cost-efficient initiatives, such as for gowns, Sheitlach, Shabbos Sheva Brachos, jewelry and more. We want to bring down all costs across the board.”
Construction is expected to begin in the next few weeks, and completion is expected in about 18 months.
Beautiful!!! May Hashem bentch them with everything good!
Great idea. Just want to point out that it is more the extras than the actual weddings. Makeup and hair alone are about 1500 for 5 girls plus another 500 for the Kallah. The list of extras is so long. The actual wedding itself is 1/3 of the total cost.
I find you comment shocking and actually sad. I am thrilled that there will be halls in town to help those who are struggling with large families. If someone falls into that category, do they really need to spend $1,500 do do that hair of their little kids? One way to bring down costs is to bring down expectations.
$300 for each teenaged / 20 yo girl for hair an makeup is the low end of normal. Guess you either never made a wedding or you don’t have teenage girls
BH, I’ve married off all of my children including my daughters. She said $1,500 for 5 girls, do you really think they are over the age of 20? Reb Yid, we need to change our expectations. There is no reason little children need their hair done for a Chasunah. These are extravagant “needs” and if one is unable to afford it, they should not put this on others to supplement on their behalf.
If a takanah wedding these days costs between $12-$16 thousand that means they’ll do chasuna’s for $6-$10k? Not sure that’s at all possible.
Sounds like the article needs to clarify a few points.
The article is saying that the Schron Mishpacha will only allow the wedding to cost the balei simcha that much. In other words, they will be giving the rest of the money from their pocket. Also known as their money belongs to Hashem and they are giving more of it to Hashem children in this way. More then likely not taking away from other tzedakos they give.
12 to 16?
Maybe a few years ago. Now they start at 16 or 17 for the low low end takana weddings.
This is amazing and the Schron Family should be g’bentched!
However, there is potentially another money and major time saver.
Weddings can begin more or less with the chuppah with maybe some drinks.
Immediately afterwards is a nice buffet followed by the first dance.
afterwards is a meal for family only and more dancing if they so desire.
There you just saved thousands of dollars and hours of time.
We did this at our daughters wedding. Problem was EVERYBODY stayed…just sat down and waited to be served ignoring the guy on the mic thanking them for coming and wishing them good nite.
I can save you even more, set up a chuppa in the backyard, get a minyan, 2 eidim the mesader, some cake for the non family eidem and mesader and then a small meal for family, with some dancing of they want. Forget the cake and save even more.
Or you could make it in your backyard. It’s a once in a lifetime event let the chosson kalla have a nice wedding
בהצלחה רבה
בשעה טובה ומוצלחת
Thank you all for the Hardest work you doing to take a good care for our community May Hashem Bless you and protect you and guide you in the proper path.Amen ken yehi ratzon.
Wow what a Zchus what a kidush Hashem Mi Kiamcha Yisroel Hashem should repay them many times over with all Bracha
Two Points:
First of all for saver. While I agree with you general premise, cutting the time down to bare bones is not fair to choson and kallah for whom this is (hopefully) a once in a lifetime event. To cut it from both ends is unfair – and calling time being spent to be משמח others (chosson, kallah and families) a waste of time is not in sync with תורה הקדושה. I’ve been זוכה to make a few שמחות – some well attended and one very sparsely attended (I’m still not sure why) and there is a clear difference.
Second, as long as the rent prices in Lakewood keep skyrocketing for kollel couples, the few thousand dollars saved on the chasunah event will be helpful, but will not save those struggling to make it, from drowning.
I definitely agree that what the Schron family does is to be commended and should be imitated.
I have a problem with naysayers please excuse my being sharp.
1. They did something instead of sitting and posting theoretical ideas.
2. Many families need to take charity and loans to make weddings. Should people be forced to take from others just to make a wedding so their kids can have a nice wedding? I struggle to understand your logic as most children would rather their parents not take Tzedaka. Even if they don’t…. it’s their parents choice. If less than a quarter of parents can pay full tuition the choice NEEDS to be available.
Where does it say they cutting what is and isn’t allowed. They are making it affordable by footing the extended bill. Read between the lines.
Its not reducing a wedding to the bare bones. I think you (along with the frum world) just have become so used to fancy standards that are now the new normal. I have been to quite few takanah or low cost weddings that are beautiful. Jews know how to do it right, and low cost.
Big mitzva. U should all be gebentched,
big time. Maybe u can do something for sheva brochas. 2k for a quick weekday sheva brochas is out of hand. Also we really need a min of 5 additional halls in the next few years. In addition to those in the planning stages. Big growth comming to the nj five townes.
Are out of Towners going to be using the hall too & using up valuable dates? It should be for Lakewood to Lakewood shidduchim to help our local families. (There are only about 120 wedding dates a year. The break down: Minus off 100 for Friday & shabbos, 20+ for yom tov, then you have the 3 weeks, sefira (whatever days we still keep), fast days etc…)
Also, it seems the same vendors are the ones who are getting paid less (photographer, caterer, musician…) While the other aspects of the wedding can still change astronomical prices (make up, gowns, sheitel, jewelry, apartment rentals, furniture…)
Interesting.
They also looked at options in Brooklyn. Last I heard they hadn’t found a spot.
It’s also very hard in Brooklyn. The overwhelming majority of weddings are chasidic, and they book the halls a year in advance. Takanah nights and cheaper wedding halls are all booked out (I know someone getting married who made calls-she told me this). Don’t know how feasible this would be, unless they built a few takanah halls.
Maybe it should also be only for Lakewood families who both sides have lived in Lakewood for at least 15 years prior to the wedding. Can’t have these nouveau Lakewooders use up our dates.
Sounds a bit Selfish
Yad eliezer has a similar type chasena hall In yerushalayim and they have a raffle system to allocate the dates as the demand is very high
Correction. There are approx 200 dates available per year. Also, the majority of weddings have at least one side from Lakewood. My source? I run a popular hall here in Lakewood.
Is the hall going to be given to anyone who requests it, or will there be a clause that it is for rebbe/teacher/klei kodesh families only?
How about the average person in our community that’s struggling when it comes to marrying of our children as much as the Klei Kodesh?
Please not. It isn’t only the rebeim/klri kodesh who need it
It will be for humans not keilim. If keilim want to get married they have to pay full price.
Sounds great but the simple fact is if no one is making money it will show in the service the baal simcha and the guests get, so if all you want is a simcha just to get away with it and say you made a simcha then by all means, but if you want a truly remarkable evening you wont get it unless everyone involved is making money
The way how Judaism is set up means that every couple needs a wedding. So it’s not about making a simcha to get away with it. It’s about making a simcha because there’s no other way. And if some people really can’t afford it then this is a great initiative.
Kol hakavod!
My Grandparents got married in Hungary in 1944. There were 20 people at the wedding & my Grandmother borrowed a dress. That should be enough for everyone & think of the money saved.
tizku lmitzvos for trying to help the klal
assume the following was all considered
how many millions will it cost to build the hall?
maybe each family that is eligible can instead get
$5000 donation towards a takana wedding
how many weddings before the cost of building is covered.
how will this effect other peoples parnassa and other halls that were built to accommodate takana weddings
again maybe giving money towards each eligible wedding will keep others employed.
maybe BH there are so many weddings in Lakewood that another hall can anyway be filled and the others will still have enough weddings to be filled each night IH
only simchas
very special for all askanim to keep trying additional ways to help people
where on oak street
Schron family are tzadikim, we need all of klal yisroel to listen to their advice.