Visting Potential Sites this Weekend - Tips?

[AmberGretchen]

Hey girls - my wonderful FI has made us appointments to visit several sites around the Bay Area this weekend where we might potentially have the wedding/reception. Does anyone have any thoughts on things I should make sure to do and/or ask? Here is what I have so far:

take pictures
take notes and collect all possible paperwork
ask about all pricing - I''m not sure exactly what "hidden" charges to look out for here. Suggestions are welcome

Does anyone have a list of stuff they asked or stuff you should ask? Thanks, and I''ll be sure to post pics of the palces we visit

 

[curlygirl]

I think you have all the basics down. Here are a few more suggestions:

1. Is there a minimum number of guests you need to have and can you include your vendors in the count?

2. And if you do include the vendors, what is the cost for them?

3. Is there a site fee? (My place neglected to tell me about this until it came time to sign the contract and it was printed on there)

4. Do they require you to use certain vendors or put restrictions on what you can do in terms of flowers, decorations, etc.

5. If you're trying to cut costs, will they eliminate something (a course, a station, etc.) to give you a better deal?

6. Is the cake included?

7. Do you have to pay extra for bartenders or chefs at the stations or is that part of the package?

8. Are there any other events happening on the same day that might take attention and service away from your event?

9. Do they have a bridal suite or an area where you can get ready or freshen up?

10. Can you get a better price if you choose another date? (this is only if you haven't committed yourself to a particular date--some times of year are less pricey than others, especially if there's nothing else going on)

11. Are linens, silverware, etc. included?

12. What kind of chairs will they have and if you don't like them, how much will it be to switch them?


Those are the ones off the top of my head! I'll try to think of more. Don't be afraid to negotiate and bargain with these people. And most importantly, enjoy yourself while you do this, it will be fun! Good luck!!

 

[jenwill]

AG-

I would ask if they have a specific list of vendors that you have to work with..sometimes the site fee is lower, but if you have to work with specific vendors, it can cost more in the long run.

Some full service sites (site, catering, beverage) sneak in charges by charging for linen rental/glassware/dinnerware rental. That also applies to caterers- some caterers build in the linens and dishes/glasses/silverware, others quote for the food, and sneak those charges in later.

When choosing a site, also consider how much natural decoration is available, vs. having to get more flowers and decorations to fill it in yourself.

I don't know what time of year your wedding is taking place, but in the bay area we are lucky to have cooler weather for the most part. Except Aug/Sept. Try to gauge what the temp will be like, since most places that are slightly older do not have airconditioning, and could get toasty.

I am looking forward to seeing and hearing about the places you look...as I will have to search for my own venue soon. I live down in San Mateo, so will be searcing from SF to Santa Cruz. Ugh.

 

[JCJD]

Here's some of the more useful suggestions out of my wedding planning book (The Bride's Essential Wedding Planner by Amy Nebens):

How many hours does the rental include?
How much of that time is setup and cleanup?
Do you charge overtime?
How many people can the space comfortably accommodate for [your reception style]?
Are there any circumstances that affect the capacity of the space?
Do you provide tables, chairs, linens, china, glassware, dance floor, etc?
-Is there a choice of styles?
How many guests per table?
Where will the ceremony and the reception take place?
-How will the flow work between these events?
-If in the same place, how will the space be transformed, and how long will that take?
What spaces are off-limits to guests?
Where are restrooms - are they shared with other parties in the facility?
Is there a party immediately before or following ours? How will that be handled?
Who will be there on the wedding day to accept deliveries?
On-site caterer? Are there kitchen facilities?
Do you have vendor restrictions? Alcohol restrictions? Sound restrictions?
Is there a cake cutting fee or a corkage fee?
Do you have decorations we can use?
Parking capacity?
Can we throw birdseed/blow bubbles at the site?
Is there a place to change into going-away outfits?
Do you have liability insurance?
When is the balance due? What's your cancellation policy?
References/Can we see the site set up for a party like ours?


A lot of things to think about. These are the ones I found particularly helpful. Have fun!!!

 

[Logan Sapphire]

Ask how late the music can be played. Many of the sites I visited (esp. the more "historic" types) had restrictions on the times they allowed music.

When they tell you the capacity of the room, make sure you know whether that''s for a sit-down reception or standing only.

If you want to use candles, ask what restrictions, if any, surround their usage.

What are the cancellation policies?

If you look at a certain time frame, say the reception is from 7-midnight, does midnight mean people have to start leaving by then, or does EVERYTHING have to be cleared by then?

If you know approximately what time your wedding will be, I''d go check out the site around that same time of day to get an idea of what the lighting, etc. might be like.

Sometimes places might be smaller or configured oddly and not all guests willl be in the same room. You have to decide whether you can accept that arrangement or not.

How big is the dance floor?

If I think of any more, I''ll post them.

 

[kanne]

It really is a pain if the recept place does not have a bridal suite. Two years ago, I was in a wedding where we had to hide out in a teeny bathroom until the music started (the ceremony and recept were at the same place). People did not know we were in there and kept knocking on the door. It was a tight squeeze. My poor little bride-friend..spending her last few minutes as a single gal locked into a teeny bathroom and stressed out.

I''m not sure is this was mentioned or not but..it is good to find out if there a discount for vendor meals. Especially if you are having a large band.

 

[dietvanillacoke]

don''t forget to ask about the cake-cutting fee! believe it or not!

also if you''re having favors that involve food - sometimes they don''t allow food to enter or leave the premises if it''s not theirs.

also ask about all silverware/linen costs!

sometimes they require you to pay for a police detail!

ask about options for the bar! per consumption, open bar, only wine/beer, etc.

tips! taxes!

TASTING! our place is a banquet hall so they only have tastings once a year and we missed it (they had it in january, we booked in march, our wedding is in october). if this happens to you, definitely negotiate a tasting during an event.

CORKING FEE!!! yes, some places charge you to pop the corks out of the wine.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Thanks again for the tips ladies. I wanted to share some of our pics from today. We visited two locations today (two more on the schedule for tomorrow). The first location was called Cafe de la Paz - its a restaurant in Berkeley, CA that serves South American food. They have a banquet room downstairs, shown in the pictures below:

It has really beautiful golden/dark yellow walls, and beautiful wrought iron chandeliers that hold candles. We had lunch there, and the food was AMAZING. The organization level of the management didn't impress us, but they did just hire a wedding/events coordinator. They also have a courtyard outside which is very pretty and would be a good place for a ceremony for the small wedding we will be having:

Overall, we really liked this place. It had a nice, one-of-a-kind sort of feel to it, very unique. The food was really incredible and very creative, and they gave us a HUGE lunch (like $60 worth of food) for $20. Highlights of lunch included: empanadas (turnovers) with goat cheese and mint, the best cornbread FI or I has ever had, a fabulous salad with Mexican cheese, pumpkin seeds, avocado, and orange vinagrette, and then an amazing chocolate mousse with kahlua whipped cream, which FI and I, both being chocoholics, absolutely adored.

The second place we saw was the Berkeley City Club, which was designed by Julia Morgan, of whom I am a very big fan. However, while the space was very nice, we weren't terribly impressed by the wedding coordinator. Its always hard to tell if have caught people on an off day, but we didn't like the "vibe" we got of having things only within their rules and not wanting to accommodate what special things we might want. Also, they don't do weddings on Sundays, which is what we would prefer, since it will be a Jewish wedding so can't be on Saturday before sundown.

Anyway, here are some pics for those who might be interested - it is a very pretty building:

OK, so that was today. Sorry about the long post. Hopefully I will have some more pics from tomorrow if the digital camera battery holds. Norcal ladies feel free to PM me if you want more info on either of these sites

 

[MelissaSue]

AG- they are both beautiful locations! I think the second one is so pretty, but it doesn''t sound like its gonna work for you! The first place is GORGEOUS too! And good food is a MUST!

 

[ame]

My tip: If it''s exactly what you want and you can envision it all happening there, book it IMMEDIATELY. You can always cancel if they allow you to and lose only your deposit, unless they don''t keep the deposit.

Also--don''t let your parents say NO or go back and get the deposit back if your mom doesn''t feel like you should have it there. She had her wedding day already, her input is moot. I feel I ruined my whole reception already because my mom didn''t like my choice of reception site so she cancelled itthen rebooked where she wanted it held. I fought it for a while then just caved. And seriously, this place will ruin my entire wedding. I am that angry about it.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Thanks MS and Ame - I thought I''d post a litle update from today''s visits. We went to a restaurant at a golf course called Michael''s, which is a good candidate if we are going for a more country club type feel. Here''s the front of it:

Here''s the room where we would have the reception (partly set up for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah party I think):

Here are the views out of the room - we would have use of the patio outside the room for our party as well:

Here is a view of the room from the outside, showing the little patio:

And one nice shot of the grounds with a pretty pond with a fountain in it:

We really liked this place - the coordinator there impressed us and seemed very willing to work with us on what we wanted, and was also very professional. Their prices were very reasonable and they had nice base packages and some good options for add-ons. As I said, this is definitely a possibility, although a very different feel from the place we liked from yesterday.

We also visited the UC Berkeley Botanical gardens, which were lovely, but a bit "rustic" for our purposes, if that makes any sense. I do have pics though and if any of you Bay Area brides-to-be want some I am happy to post them or e-mail them if you PM me. Enjoy ladies, and let me know what you think

 

[flopkins]

AG- glad to see all the beautiful pics! Looks like you had a busy weekend! I''ve heard positive things about Cafe de la Paz, but not personal experience. I went to the BCC too, and was disappointed also, not w/the coordinator but w/the location itself. It''s absolutely beautiful, I love Julia Morgan too, but I thought in general, the place was quite poorly maintained, which was quite sad for me... not major stuff, you know, but worn carpets, peeling paint, stuff like that.

How big is your wedding going to be?
You mentioned a Jewish ceremony, have you considered the new Jewish Community Center in SF? It''s near Laurel Heights... quite beautfiul modern architecture, if you like that style. I believe they do weddings, don''t remember all the specs though. link here

Golf course looks quite nice though!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Hey Flopkins - I''m glad you enjoyed the pics. I thought it might be helpful since there are so many of us Bay Area girls on here.

Our ceremony is going to be (hopefully) only about 50 people. After talking about it together and with his parents a little bit, we decided that its more important to us to save for a house of our own than to have a big lavish wedding, so we are going to try to have a nice, small wedding, with only the people we really can''t imagine getting married without.

We haven''t checked out the new SF JCC, but it is on the list of places to potentially check out. Honestly, right now, my heart is kind of saying Cafe de la Paz, because its different, which is really what I was hoping for - a non cookie-cutter wedding but at a price we can afford. On a side note, if you live in this area and haven''t been, you should go. They have AMAZING food, very unique and different and totally delicious. If you are a chocolate fan you MUST try the chocolate kahlua experience dessert - to die for. But we still have a lot of site visits to do - top of my list are a clubhouse in Mill Valley and the Lake Temescal Beach House in Oakland. Also, more for fantasy''s sake than anything else, we''re going to price out what it would cost to have it at the Lark Creek Inn - we got engaged there and we both LOVE the restaurant, and its always been somewhere my family went for special occasions. We do have lots of timet o make up our mind but I would like to settle on a place hopefully by the end of the summer.

 

[jenwill]

AG- thanks for the pics and info! Very helpful, as you are correct...there seem to be ALOT of bay area gals aroudn here.

I think the Cafe does look wonderful, and good food is a must!

I used to work down the street from Michael''s nd we had many corporate events there- very good food and the scenery is nice, but perhaps not as unique as teh Cafe. But, for anyone who goes down that way, Michaels makes an EXCELLENT cobb salad at the gollf course restaurant!