A pair of newly dedicated Lakewood wedding halls — Ateres Blima and Ateres Esther, named l’zecher nishmas R’ Ari Stern’s grandmothers — held their kvias mezuzah on Sunday, marking the beginning of a new era in local simcha planning. Located at 400 Oak Street, in a building named in memory of Mrs. Matel Leah Schron a”h, the halls were built to address a pressing need in the community: lowering the overwhelming cost of weddings.
Backed by numerous donors and overseen by a board of askanim including R’ Mordy Schron, R’ Menashe Frankel, R’ Ari Stern, and R’ Avraham Meir Retkinski, the project was designed with a clear purpose — to reset community expectations and bring weddings back to a simpler, more manageable standard. At these new halls, the complete wedding package will cost just $13,000, a fraction of the tens of thousands of dollars that families usually pay to marry off a child.
The all-inclusive package at Ateres Blima and Ateres Esther is designed for peace of mind: it includes hall rental, catering, photographer, videographer, musician, singer, kallah’s bouquet, artificial floral arrangements, a lavish smorgasbord, and a seudah. A well-planned schedule will allow weddings to flow smoothly from photos at 4:30 p.m. through to the final dance, with music ending by 11:30 p.m.
Each hall will comfortably seat 250 adult guests, with accommodations for children and an on-site shul for davening and learning. Families expecting larger crowds can pay a modest upgrade fee of $500 to expand food options, or $1,000 for a mitzvah tantz celebration, complete with extended refreshments.
The halls have already booked 75 weddings, with many more inquiries pouring in — a clear signal that Lakewood’s families are ready for a more sustainable approach to simchas.
The initiative extends beyond the halls themselves. Plans are in motion to coordinate affordable options for other wedding expenses, including sheitels, gowns, jewelry, and invitations. A gown gemach, a jewelry gemach, and an interest-free loan program are being developed to help families avoid financial hardship.
Organizers also hope to shift community thinking more broadly. Education efforts are planned for local high schools and community gatherings, with the message that the current wedding standards are unrealistic for the majority of families, and that there is no shame in scaling back.
An information hotline and a centralized guidance center will help families navigate all aspects of making a wedding affordably, from the vort through the sheva brachos.
Ateres Blima and Ateres Esther are poised to become a model for how Lakewood can celebrate its chasunos with simchah, dignity, and achrayus — without burying families under debt.
To book your simchah or learn more, call 732-952-1200 or email bookings@ateresestherblima.com
Kol hakavod! This is such an important step in the right direction, and i couldn’t be more proud to be apart of this beautiful community. There is no shame in scaling back and I’m glad that people are starting to realize that 90% of people are going into debt for chasunas.
How about the families that go into ” Hak” to go to the country. Rent a Bungalow or A House for 25k per summer..then the driving cost to and from the mountains. Gas , tolls , wear & Tear on cars. Shopping up state. Then chip in the shul kiddush & maintenence and taxes . on the house if you own it.
Then there is the Sunday BBQ to keep up with their neighbors. Do you have any idea what they spend on these shul kiddushim and Sunday BBQ. Then they have to send their older kids to camp upstate. Allot of these ppl go into debt every year because of this. This is what a few accountants have told me and they know. So its very nice to help these ppl save money on weddings. But I don’t hear them talk about going into Debt. To go away to upstate in the summer.
One more thing.. lakewood & Tom’s River
Have become a fashion house . For the best and finest.
Supermarket
Restaurant
Clothing
Jewlery stores
And much more.
You can’t just focus on one thing. We as jews i believe we can ” Multie task ”
Ty
הצלחה on the new Wedding halls.
Chaim
Chaim.
Don’t jump so high. Now that we have ‘toned down’ and subsidized catering halls we can now start working on subsidizing the country, Bungalow, Kiddush, BBQ (not only on Sunday) Gas and tolls and last but not least a weekly kiddush which will include ‘Toned down’ hot food. ‘Toned down’ Shushi Platters and Of course ‘Toned Down’ Meat boards’. We also hope to find sponsors for ‘toned down’ single malt Scotch and Tequila.
Aye. We don’t want anyone to go into debt or hock for these necessities. Thus sponsor are always the solution.
Why does it have to be all or nothing? You’re either spending beyond your means or can afford top of everything, or you’re poor with no choices. There can be a range even in a takana hall with choices given up to a still low and manageable amount while allowing people to feel like a mentsch and they can still have what’s important to them within reason. For example a wedding could be between $13k-$18k allowing for certain upgrades such as a 3 piece band for people who know and love real music, or a second photography crew for large families…