We think we've found "the spot"
We are pretty sure that we've found where we are having the wedding! Our wish list for a location included:
• ideally have the ceremony and the reception at the same place
• has high enough ceilings for juggling
• offers vegetarian food that isn't just a plate of pasta
• has a high speed internet connection
• has a projector screen
• lets you bring your own liquor (this saves soooo much money)
• has a well placed, good quality dance floor
• is convenient to hotels for out of town guests
• is available on Sundays
So the place we went yesterday had all of those! It's a banquet hall place that pretty much is a building that exists just to have weddings and similar events. For $37/person we get the place for 6 hours, they provide all the tables, chairs, platforms, dishes, linens, table centerpieces, staff (including bartender), setup and cleanup, and a buffet dinner. It even covers the gratuity for the staff. They also said that they will totally work with me regarding the menu--I can even give them recipes to follow! Our wedding planner says their food is pretty good, too. We'll probably pay a little extra to get an additional hour or two to make sure we have enough time. They have a room where the bridal party can get ready, and they even have another room with a TV in it that we can sequester children in with a babysitter if we end up having guests with kids. (We have a lot of people coming from out of town; local people would probably get a babysitter at home.)
Anyway, we are going to look at some other places just so that we have a point of reference, but this place really, really looks ideal. (We did get some idea of other places from the humongous bridal show we went to last weekend.) For a $400 deposit we can reserve it, but we're going to wait for now until we see the other places, even though we're pretty sure. The lady penciled us in and said that if anybody comes in asking about our date, she will call us right away and give us the opportunity to put down the deposit and have dibs, so we aren't going to lose the opportunity.
• ideally have the ceremony and the reception at the same place
• has high enough ceilings for juggling
• offers vegetarian food that isn't just a plate of pasta
• has a high speed internet connection
• has a projector screen
• lets you bring your own liquor (this saves soooo much money)
• has a well placed, good quality dance floor
• is convenient to hotels for out of town guests
• is available on Sundays
So the place we went yesterday had all of those! It's a banquet hall place that pretty much is a building that exists just to have weddings and similar events. For $37/person we get the place for 6 hours, they provide all the tables, chairs, platforms, dishes, linens, table centerpieces, staff (including bartender), setup and cleanup, and a buffet dinner. It even covers the gratuity for the staff. They also said that they will totally work with me regarding the menu--I can even give them recipes to follow! Our wedding planner says their food is pretty good, too. We'll probably pay a little extra to get an additional hour or two to make sure we have enough time. They have a room where the bridal party can get ready, and they even have another room with a TV in it that we can sequester children in with a babysitter if we end up having guests with kids. (We have a lot of people coming from out of town; local people would probably get a babysitter at home.)
Anyway, we are going to look at some other places just so that we have a point of reference, but this place really, really looks ideal. (We did get some idea of other places from the humongous bridal show we went to last weekend.) For a $400 deposit we can reserve it, but we're going to wait for now until we see the other places, even though we're pretty sure. The lady penciled us in and said that if anybody comes in asking about our date, she will call us right away and give us the opportunity to put down the deposit and have dibs, so we aren't going to lose the opportunity.