Finding a reception venue

So another big dilemma we’ve been facing with the wedding is the location of our reception. On the way to put down the deposit for our venue of choice, The Palace Theater, aka the Havana Social Club, in Cornelius, NC, we were told the venue had been sold and any events after July 1 would have to be canceled. That SUCKED because we were starting to plan around our date of September 1!

So, what is our criteria for a venue?

• Everyone says you pick out a few verbs that you would like to describe your wedding. My words were inexpensive, classy, fun, easy. In a perfect world, it would be rustic, timeless, romantic
• Has to fit 300 guests – my mom’s number, not mine. We made a list of friends and it’s at about 85. Plus family, our list would probably be closer to 200. That’s 100 people I don’t really know.
• Affordable. Definitely affordable. Under $1K would be ideal, but we can go up to $3K.
• After arguing with my mom, we decided we needed a venue that will allow my mom to cater some, if not all of it. Again – not my choice.
• We have a DJ in mind, so the venue would have to be OK with as well.
• I don’t want to spend a ton of time setting up, breaking down, decorating, etc., so if any of that is offered, that’s a huge plus.

Even though our venue has changed, most of this criteria holds true. We're trying to be flexible but with our budget and time, we're running out of options. Arg.