anchor31
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2005
- Messages
- 7,074
J and I went to get information on reception venues on Saturday and church booking info on Sunday. I had a hunch we''d have to reserve about 18 months in advance since we can''t be flexible on the date and we wanted to take a look at the venue during the fall season before booking. A lot of things happened, so I''m breaking this up in two posts.
Venue #1: We had an appointment at Mont Gabriel, which is closest to the church, in early afternoon. We had a very good impression from the start. The special events director took us to the hall that would most suit our needs, and it''s beautiful! Logwood and stones and a gorgeous fireplace...
It would need no decoration except the centerpieces. He sat down with us and gave us a few very helpful tips on wedding planning, explained the packages and how it was possible to customize them, etc. He was very attentive to our needs, very thorough, very welcoming and likeable. He even asked us where else we were planning to get information and suggested another hotel nearby. They have a great price for the basic wedding package ($67CAD/guest before taxes) and it has everything we need and a coordinator for the evening, service fees included. They have a beautiful terrace with a great view for the cocktail, and gorgeous spots for photos on the golf course. They offer a complimentary honeymoon suite for the married couple, and reduced reservation fees for guests who wish to stay the night (which is good, since most of our guests will be out of town). Another bonus point is the free menu tasting we can do a few months before the wedding.
Venue #2: We had plenty of time before our appointment at Estérel, so we went to the Chanteclair upon his recommendation. We didn''t have an appointment, but they were very welcoming all the same, and the woman as really nice. Their reception all is very nice too, but would need a little more decoration than Mont Gabriel. They offer the same package as Mont Gabriel, with the room and everything else, but it''s more expensive ($72CAD/guest before taxes) and the service fees (15%) are not included. Another down point is that they didn''t seem so keen on the free tasting. She said it had caused problems in the past because they had had complaints about the food not being exactly the same at the wedding then at the tasting (eek! bridezillas!
)... So, I dunno.
Venue #3: We finally got to Estérel, which we found out was pretty far away. Not a very good impression from the start, since I noticed that "hmm... maybe they should clean the windows..."
. Not very good for a 4 stars hotel. And the man we met was a bit of a snob. The FI and I are in our early/mid-twenties and have an approximate budget of 8k, but he seemed very keen on trying to get us to spend a lot more. J and I hated the reception hall. There were pipes everywhere on the ceiling, the paint was chipping, yuck.
It needs a LOT of decorating (and of course, they make a lot of money out of that...) He told us a couple was making them put drapes all over the walls, and no wonder! Ick. He showed us some decorating options ($$$) and then we went to his office. They offer exactly the same packages then the other two hotels for $73CAD/guest before taxes and the service fees are not included. He tried to sell us wedding planning services, which I had told him I was not interested in.
And what really, really killed him off for us is that he specifically told us not to go Mont Gabriel. It seems very cheap of him to tell us their food isn''t good, especially since I''ve been told by people I know the very opposite. Not to mention that we''ll get to judge that by ourselves. Overall, we really disliked the place, and really disliked the guy, so we immediately crossed him off; he will not be doing business with us (and ripping us off!!!).
Venue #1: We had an appointment at Mont Gabriel, which is closest to the church, in early afternoon. We had a very good impression from the start. The special events director took us to the hall that would most suit our needs, and it''s beautiful! Logwood and stones and a gorgeous fireplace...
Venue #2: We had plenty of time before our appointment at Estérel, so we went to the Chanteclair upon his recommendation. We didn''t have an appointment, but they were very welcoming all the same, and the woman as really nice. Their reception all is very nice too, but would need a little more decoration than Mont Gabriel. They offer the same package as Mont Gabriel, with the room and everything else, but it''s more expensive ($72CAD/guest before taxes) and the service fees (15%) are not included. Another down point is that they didn''t seem so keen on the free tasting. She said it had caused problems in the past because they had had complaints about the food not being exactly the same at the wedding then at the tasting (eek! bridezillas!
Venue #3: We finally got to Estérel, which we found out was pretty far away. Not a very good impression from the start, since I noticed that "hmm... maybe they should clean the windows..."
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