Venues - How did you know you found what you were looking for

[lesco]

Hi - I posted this before but decided to delete it to remove some references to places and dates!!!! Thank you Admin!

So here we go again - Sorry for the long post.

I'm back with some updates. The pictures above are of a venue I'm considering. More details below.

Dani - I went to Tappan Hill, the mansion is really charming. I dealt with Linda ( I can swear she had her own wedding planning business b/c I know I've seen an episode of whose wedding is it anyway with her). So far, they have offered the best package in terms of value for the price. We were very impressed with the menu. FI did not like the rooms so that's a bummer! We were shown the Hudson, which is the smallest of the two. However, due to the amazing menu, the place is still in the running.

I ended up going to the Foundry, mostly to see what the hype was all about. I have to say I was disappointed. The place has it's charm and it is definitely unique. However, I think that it is seriously overpriced for what it is. I mean, with the additional rental fees for other areas (Terrace and or courtyard) we are talking about almost $10,000 with tax. The place is really small. I would say you cannot fit more than 8 tables of 10 comfortably, if you want to have a dance floor.

EM1 - About Liberty Place and Hudson Terrace, I received an estimate for the first and a promise of one by the second. Unfortunately, the quote we got from Liberty was very high $180pp for sit-down + passed appetizers, wow I was surprised. Thank you so much EM1 for the recommendations. Funny thing is that they have 7/18 on the smaller room, I think that's your friends wedding date right?

Tasting at the W New York was rather uninspiring. Food was OK, nothing that would send my guests home raving about! I think the place is out for now. I called / e-mailed the other W but I did not get a call back.

Now, what do you guys think about this venue. This is a small museum in LI. I have to say, this is the only place I get really excited about when I see it.

The museum has several gardens you can use for your outdoor ceremony, which you cannot use in case of rain.They also have an terrace, overlooking a pond, which they tent for cocktails. Dinner and dancing take place in a glass tent they set up next to the museum. The entire museum remains open for guests thru the night. The atmosphere lends itself to the million and one DYIs I want to do i.e parasols and hand fans e.t.c.

The most fabulous thing is that they do not have a guest minimum, meaning I will be billed for exactly my final count as of two weeks prior to the event, so if I tell them 80 and 60 RSVP, I will be billed for 60. Since food is a concern a final contract is contingent upon a food tasting. We will get our deposit minus $100 tasting fee, if we are dissatisfied with the food. FI really likes the place but as I said, we will not finalize anything until we taste the food.

There is a huge scarcity of pictures on their site, I will to dig out and post a few pics. I will really appreciate any feedback once I do.

I came home last night thinking we found the place, then reason took over. Also, I have to say I was a little disappointed by my sister's reaction. Although she pretty much disses every place I talk to her about, she went on a questioning rant. Since her DH runs a catering hall, they believe they are the subject matter experts. After dissecting every little detail about the place, she wraps it up by saying, " yes, as DH says, I am very hard to please". What a letdown.

Irrelevant of what my sister thinks, my concerns with this place is the big outdoor element. We are thinking to get married in July, it can be too hot for guests. We are flexible in terms of dates though. Also, in case of rain we will not be able to utilize the gardens or the outdoor areas, which is such a gamble.
For those of you who ventured out in this type of outdoor wedding, would you have done it differently?

 

[emeraldlover1]

Lesco....first off...that stinks about the foundry but good to know. I won''t recommend that anymore. That is a lot to pay for such a small place. So, Liberty is that expensive? That seems like a lot. I didn''t realize that they had two rooms. That would be so funny if you wound up taking the smaller room. I might have to crash your wedding and introduce myself. Yes, it is the same date.

I like the idea of the museum and I like the pics. What is your sister''s issue with it? I think it is really what you''ve been looking for with the right price.

 

[lesco]

EM1 - There is definitely something special about the foundry and it's an interesting option. It's just too much money IMO.

It's hard to pinpoint what's my sister's issue with the museum, probably EVERYTHING is wrong about it. She proceeded by asking a million and one questions. Just a few:

She asked me about the chairs cause she did not like the ones in the pics ( I sent her older pics b/f they changed the chairs to chiavaris). She asked me about the dance floor, which is off to the side and said that she does not like that either. Then she went on saying that I should find out how many chefs work for the caterer and who will be in charge the day off because she does not really like offsite caterers as there is no consistency and portions are rather small. She told me that she does not like tented weddings either, since she went to one and was not impressed. After all of this, she patronizes us by saying, oh well, the bottom line is that you both like it!

Then, she called me back saying that now she sees how finding a venue is so hard and that she is very hard to please. Whatever.

On the other side, mom is really excited about this option and or tappan hill.

 

[emeraldlover1]

Date: 12/14/2008 6:01:36 PM
Author: lesco

EM1 - There is definitely something special about the foundry and it''s an interesting option. It''s just too much money IMO.

It''s hard to pinpoint what''s my sister''s issue with the museum, probably EVERYTHING is wrong about it. She proceeded by asking a million and one questions. Just a few:

She asked me about the chairs cause she did not like the ones in the pics ( I sent her older pics b/f they changed the chairs to chiavaris). She asked me about the dance floor, which is off to the side and said that she does not like that either. Then she went on saying that I should find out how many chefs work for the caterer and who will be in charge the day off because she does not really like offsite caterers as there is no consistency and portions are rather small. She told me that she does not like tented weddings either, since she went to one and was not impressed. After all of this, she patronizes us by saying, oh well, the bottom line is that you both like it!

Then, she called me back saying that now she sees how finding a venue is so hard and that she is very hard to please. Whatever.

On the other side, mom is really excited about this option and or tappan hill.

Sisters can be hard to deal with especially if they feel like they are the subject matter expert in one area. One of my sisters was the maid of honor in one of her friends weddings and now she is the SME on bridesmaid dresses. This is also the sister that told me she might not be coming to my wedding cause she can''t get off work. So, I totally understand how frustrating and down right rude it must seem by her comments. I think that some of the things that she is saying are not always the case. Not all offsite caterers are the same...nor is the consistency or the portions. That just doesnt seem fair judging a caterer this way just because they are off site.

Tented weddings are nice if they are done right. My only caution is that they can be VERY HOT in July. As far as the chairs are concerened...chivari chairs are nice and most people love them. Our venue offers the white folding chairs. I thought about renting others but at the end of the day when everyone is in the room, most of the men up their jackets on the back of the chair anyway. As long as they are consistent then I would take it. I wanted chivari chairs but they just aren''t in our budget so I''m going to make everything else nice and not worry about the small stuff.

Seriously, it almost sounds like the place is really nice and she is trying to find ways to shoot it down. I mean...seriously not picking the venue cause of chairs...

. The chairs are fine.

In the end you and your fiance will need to decide what will make both of you happy!

 

[lesco]

Yes, I feel like she just rained on my parade ... It's not only this venue though, she found a million and one things wrong with others. Sorry about your sis. I hope she is only half serious about not being there for your wedding.

Regarding the tent, this one is supposed to be AC'd. Should I still be concerned? Ha, this is a good point EM1.

 

[emeraldlover1]

Date: 12/14/2008 7:07:26 PM
Author: lesco
Yes, I feel like she just rained on my parade ... It''s not only this venue though, she found a million and one things wrong with others. Sorry about your sis. I hope she is only half serious about not being there for your wedding.

Regarding the tent, this one is supposed to be AC''d. Should I still be concerned? Ha, this is a good point EM1.

I don''t know honestly. I was at a tented wedding in Sept. this year and it was fine but then I don''t mind when it is a little hot. I guess if the venue owns a tent and swears the air conditioning is good then I''d probably trust it.

No matter what you do in the process everyone is going to have their opinions. Its sucks when its your family and its not what you want to hear. I really think that I am too into the details of my wedding but at the end of the day I am happy with that because we are spending all this money I want to make sure it lives up to my expectations. This is the time that I am putting my foot down and making decisions based on what I like.

You probably are not going to find a place that is 100% perfect. We looked at a ton and didn''t find one that didn''t need any work. So, as long as your vision is there and it meets the big things then I''d trust your gut and go with what you and your fiance like the best.

As far as my sister is concerned...she is a lost cause. She hasn''t called me in the four months that I''ve been engaged. She told me by email that she wasn''t going to be in the wedding. There is a thread on here. Ugh, seriously, I''m over it but I still really hope she comes.

 

[lesco]

EM1- I know we are going of topic here but I went to look for your sis''s post. I am sorry and very glad that you are trying to move past it. I can see some similarities between your relationship with your sister and the history with mine. It has not been peaches for me, that''s for sure. My sis has done some unfathomable things over the years, if I can only begin to tell.

Well, I just e-mailed the caterer regarding the ac situation. Thank you for your honest input.

I wonder if any PS brides have some summer weddings/ tent experiences to share? Any opinions about the venue?

 

[dani13]

Hi Lesco-

Our reception was in the Hudson Room at Tappan Hill......I can understand where your FI is coming from regarding the rooms there (they are not grand, etc), but I have to tell you when its all done up and wedding ready, it looks beautiful. The food is amazing, and the service is to die for. You will be in excellent hands there, and although its not cheap, I do believe you get alot for your money and they do a FAB job. Also, I do remember negotiating with them in regard to minimum # of guests (we only had 125). I remember we were considering July initially, and apparently there is some room for negotiating during that time because its an "off" month in terms of weddings. So, if you decide to go with them, remember that.

On the flip side, I think the musueum venue looks nice too. If the tent is AC'd, I dont see it being a problem. July and August can get very hot, so if the tent is not air conditioned, I wouldnt even consider it. It seems like a really cool looking space, and you seem to be really excited about it, so I'm excited for you!!!

Let us know!

 

[lesco]

Hi Dani,

I bet the Hudson is lovely once it's all dolled up. That's why we are still considering TH. I, for one, cannot visualize anything let alone poor FI. I asked the rep for pics of the space all set up. Hopefully, she will provide something. We were drooling over the food catalogue.. OMG the food looks delicious and plentiful.

Did you get to use the terrace in the back? What about cocktails, did you use the room upstairs?

By the way, the rotunda is to die for, so regal. You are absolutely correct about July, it's an off month

better for us!
Well, our rep at TH told us she will discuss final pricing and minimums with her manager and will get back to us. That's how we left it.

Unfortunately, the museum is not really negotiating pricing with us as of yet, so it might not happen. I'll keep you posted.

I am probably going to hire someone to do this venue search for me. I have an appointment tomorrow with a lady from this company called always a bridesmaid. You can hire someone on an hourly basis to do wedding related stuff. It's really hard to find good service, food, location etc in one place, I give up.

 

[dani13]

Hi Lesco-

Yep, we got married on the terrace in the back of TH (the stone terrace off the Hudson Room). We tried to get the terrace on the other side (the one with the view of the river), but there was another wedding there that night, so we couldnt. It worked out fine though- that space outside that we used was really beautiful.
Our cocktail hour was upstairs. I know the cocktail hr room is a bit oddly shaped, but again, it worked out fine. The rotunda is gorgeous, and I just love how quaint the whole mansion is...We got compliments from all our guests on everything. Like I said, we really had a great experience there.

If you feel comfortable hiring someone to look around for you to find your venue, then go for it...But how can someone who really doesnt know you decide what you like, you know? That would be my concern. Not that Im pushing TH, but if you and your FI both like it, and you feel that the prices/service/etc is reasonable, then why not go for it? They will most likely work with you on the minimums, and since your having a smaller # of guests (like we did) that Hudson room is perfect. Its going to be hard to find other venues to work with you in regard to your number of guests.....Most of these places have minimums, and I found that they stuck to them like glue. I found it hard to even find a place that would accept 125 guests, but we sure as hell werent going to pay for 50 more people than we were going to inevitably have just because we found a place we adored and had to have our wedding at, you know? TH was really great about everything, they worked with us and made it a very pleasurable experience....

At the end of the day, you and your FI should just want to find a venue that reflects both of you as a couple, is convienent for your guests to get to, has great food, and provides fabulous service. Dont drive yourself crazy trying to find the "perfect" place, because you are not going to find it- its not out there! There are always things you are going to wish you could change, or you wish were different. But its really ok, b/c most of the time those things are such minor details that no one will ever even notice!!!! Its going to be fine!!!

Dont worry!!!