Sunday, October 7, 2012
wedding venues.
7:47 PM
It feels like Nick and I have looked at a million wedding venues already, even though it's only been 6. Here are my thoughts on the ones we have checked out so far...
1. Victoria's Wedding Chapel
I was actually immediately turned off by the name at first, but decided to go look at it because the photos looked great and my best friends brother works there. The sales person who took us on a tour of the property was very friendly and funny. We did not care much for the chapel, and the gazebo area was nice. However, I did not like that the gazebo area did not offer much of an aisle for me to walk down. The reception room was amazing! A separate room for the buffet, large dance floor and photo booth.
2. Red Rock Country Club
The day we visited, a wedding was being set up. This was not your average wedding... based on the Hollywood props, color changing dance floor and ornate rental furniture it was difficult to gain a sense of what the venue would look like normally. Our tour was quick, and everything was nice. The ceremony site did not thrill us, although the website photos looked great it was much different in person. We determined that it was out of our desired budget.
3. Emerald at Queensridge
This venue is at the very top of our list because it is absolutely beautiful, from the bridal suite, ceremony site and reception hall- breathtaking. The all inclusive package brings everything full circle, however there are about a million upgrades that bring the picture together. This is where it becomes difficult. Custom lighting? $500. Photo Booth? $800. CD of photos from photo boot? $250. Chair sashes? $6/each... the list goes on and on. Of course we don't need these things, but the reception room basically requires them to provide ambiance. It is still an option, but we know that our budget will break if we choose it.
4. The Grove
We visited this venue at 9am on my birthday. I expected to be blown away. I mean, look at the website photos! Yes, the gazebo ceremony site is wonderful. Yes, they allow outside vendors (except for food and alcohol which is standard). However, the reception room is dowdy and you must walk through the not so appealing public restrooms to reach the bride and groom rooms. It was a nay for both of us.
5. Wild Horse Golf Club
I emailed the events coordinator, Elena, for a quote and she promptly responded. However, the quote exceeded our budget by leaps and bounds, so I thanked her for the quote and told her that it was out of our reach. She quickly responded that the packages can be customized and we should come down for a tour to see what could be done. So, we did. Although the parking lot butts up against some not so appealing apartments, the club house is far away enough to forgive this. I liked how it did not look like a snooty club house, but instead had a warm, old house feel to it. The reception hall is nothing special, but it's a canvas that can be dressed up. The ceremony site is right next to the club house. Simple, clean and pretty. The main reason this location is a "finalist" for us is really because of Elena. She has truly been awesome and indulged me in the million questions I have been asking her! This might be a winner.
6. Ventano Italian Grill & Seafood
I had not considered a restaurant as an option, but one of my co-workers told me that her son got married at Ventano a few years back and it was amazing. On a whim, Nick and I had lunch at the restaurant and we loved the food! I asked to see the banquet room and our server took me on a tour, explained what the ceremony (on the patio) would look like and put together an information packet. He told me to call on Monday to get more information from the event manager. Everything about this place is great... except I'm a bit worried about the space. The banquet room is supposed to fit 110 comfortably, but the room was set up for about 45 when we looked at it and looked a bit squished. Plus, at this location, we would have to put the wedding together ourselves (from DJ to photographer) which could be a bit too much.
I'm a little burned out from looking at places, but it feels like we need to decide now, considering all of the expenses and the fact that we want to secure our date. Hopefully, this week we will be able to make up our minds and move on to the next task at hand!
1. Victoria's Wedding Chapel
I was actually immediately turned off by the name at first, but decided to go look at it because the photos looked great and my best friends brother works there. The sales person who took us on a tour of the property was very friendly and funny. We did not care much for the chapel, and the gazebo area was nice. However, I did not like that the gazebo area did not offer much of an aisle for me to walk down. The reception room was amazing! A separate room for the buffet, large dance floor and photo booth.
2. Red Rock Country Club
The day we visited, a wedding was being set up. This was not your average wedding... based on the Hollywood props, color changing dance floor and ornate rental furniture it was difficult to gain a sense of what the venue would look like normally. Our tour was quick, and everything was nice. The ceremony site did not thrill us, although the website photos looked great it was much different in person. We determined that it was out of our desired budget.
3. Emerald at Queensridge
This venue is at the very top of our list because it is absolutely beautiful, from the bridal suite, ceremony site and reception hall- breathtaking. The all inclusive package brings everything full circle, however there are about a million upgrades that bring the picture together. This is where it becomes difficult. Custom lighting? $500. Photo Booth? $800. CD of photos from photo boot? $250. Chair sashes? $6/each... the list goes on and on. Of course we don't need these things, but the reception room basically requires them to provide ambiance. It is still an option, but we know that our budget will break if we choose it.
4. The Grove
We visited this venue at 9am on my birthday. I expected to be blown away. I mean, look at the website photos! Yes, the gazebo ceremony site is wonderful. Yes, they allow outside vendors (except for food and alcohol which is standard). However, the reception room is dowdy and you must walk through the not so appealing public restrooms to reach the bride and groom rooms. It was a nay for both of us.
5. Wild Horse Golf Club
I emailed the events coordinator, Elena, for a quote and she promptly responded. However, the quote exceeded our budget by leaps and bounds, so I thanked her for the quote and told her that it was out of our reach. She quickly responded that the packages can be customized and we should come down for a tour to see what could be done. So, we did. Although the parking lot butts up against some not so appealing apartments, the club house is far away enough to forgive this. I liked how it did not look like a snooty club house, but instead had a warm, old house feel to it. The reception hall is nothing special, but it's a canvas that can be dressed up. The ceremony site is right next to the club house. Simple, clean and pretty. The main reason this location is a "finalist" for us is really because of Elena. She has truly been awesome and indulged me in the million questions I have been asking her! This might be a winner.
6. Ventano Italian Grill & Seafood
I had not considered a restaurant as an option, but one of my co-workers told me that her son got married at Ventano a few years back and it was amazing. On a whim, Nick and I had lunch at the restaurant and we loved the food! I asked to see the banquet room and our server took me on a tour, explained what the ceremony (on the patio) would look like and put together an information packet. He told me to call on Monday to get more information from the event manager. Everything about this place is great... except I'm a bit worried about the space. The banquet room is supposed to fit 110 comfortably, but the room was set up for about 45 when we looked at it and looked a bit squished. Plus, at this location, we would have to put the wedding together ourselves (from DJ to photographer) which could be a bit too much.
I'm a little burned out from looking at places, but it feels like we need to decide now, considering all of the expenses and the fact that we want to secure our date. Hopefully, this week we will be able to make up our minds and move on to the next task at hand!
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i'm angelica. a twenty something, newly engaged, lover of literature and coffee.
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2 comments:
Thank you for enumerating this venues. It really gives me a lot of information.
Vermont Wedding Locations
Finding the perfect venue has probably been the most daunting part of planning my wedding. I searched through what feels like hundreds of websites... and most of the websites were terrible. I would hate to waste weekends or even take time off of work to visit a place only to realize that it wasn't what I wanted. I recommend sites like http://www.weddingwire.com and the knot for reviews. Sometimes these sites have photos that the vendor's websites do not have. :)
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