Venue | 12k Wedding Blog

6.11.11

May 21, 2010 by DetroitGyrl | Filed in: Ceremony, Reception, Venue

That’s our OFFICIAL wedding date. We signed our contract at The Whitney today. They will be hosting both our ceremony and reception. I’m very excited because it’s a GREAT venue in the heart of the City we love!

We had a few different places on our list – but we totally fell in love with the Whitney. Originally the plan was to wait until June 30th to make a final decision – but we knew by the end of the tour on April 23rd that the Whitney would be our wedding home.

An advantage to setting our date 12.5 months early is that we got our first choice for wedding dates and spaces, we were able to work out a few “extras” and now we can start working on other aspects of the wedding without having to nail down a venue.

Next on the list – DECOR, DECOR, DECOR!!!!

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Our first Venue meeting this Friday

April 21, 2010 by DetroitGyrl | Filed in: Venue

We are really excited about our potential venue. We’ll be checking it out this Friday with their event planner. We’re going to take the entire tour, see what they have to offer and decide if that will be our Wedding HOME! We MUST keep this wedding at around 12K – so this will be our first TEST!

I’ll keep you posted on the details.

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Top 25 Unconventional Wedding Venues

February 2, 2010 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Ceremony, Reception, Venue

So, of course you know by now (because you faithfully read every post), that we had our wedding reception at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History.

What you may not have known is that there was another wedding within arms reach that night at the Detroit Science Center.

I kind of knew from the start that I didn’t want our wedding to be at a banquet hall. But in the interest of leaving no stone unturned, I did place inquiry calls to a few halls. I found after talking to several banquet halls that they could’ve easily been called “wedding factories”.

Brides and grooms were ushered in one end of the machine. A little “we always do it this way” and a lot of “we have standard procedures for that” later and Voila!, you’ve got yourself a complete wedding and reception in a box.

No thanks. I’m all set – and you should be too.

I mean, if you really put effort into finding an alternative venue, and you don’t find a place that suits you, then go with the banquet hall, because in the end, yes, you will be married. And that is what matters above all else.

But trust me on this one, it’ll be well worth your time and effort if you find a different locale.

Hosting your wedding reception at location other than a banquet hall creates a unique environment for your guests. It could be a place that reflects your personality as a couple, honors your culture, or is a nod to your alma mater.

Los Angeles Country Arboretum and Botanic Garden

Cobblestone Farm in Ann Arbor, MI

Either way, finding a venue outside of a banquet hall will make your wedding unique and often give you more flexibility. It can be as casual or as formal as you’d like.

Consider one of these perhaps:

Library
Museum
Cultural Center
Barn
Art Gallery
Theatre
Botanical Garden
Loft
Yacht Club
Backyard
Historic Home
Historic Building
Rooftops
Building Atriums
Zoo
Neighborhood Block
Ski Lodge
Beach
Sports Venue
Boat
Bed and Breakfast
Bowling Alley
Arcade
Private Club
Park

All I’m suggesting is that you not box yourself in when deciding where to hold your reception.

The Quixotic World Theatre House

New York Public Library

If I missed anything, feel free to add it in the comments.

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Technorati Tags: Ceremony, Reception, Venue, Wedding

Change of Ceremony Venue

April 4, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Ceremony, Venue

So my pretties,

We’ve decided to change our ceremony venue.

Initially, we’d planned to hold the ceremony in the theatre at the Museum. It would mean we’d having everything under the same roof and the price was right too.

The problems with the theatre: It has stadium style seating which means lots of steps for our parents, grandparents and great grandparents whose knees have begun to give out on them. They’d be forced to sit in the back to avoid the steps and that’s the last thing we want. Also, the theater is split into three sets of seats, which means two stairways. Picture seats-aisle-seats-aisle-seats. Two stairways make for an awkward entrance if not coming down in twos. So the bridesmaids and groomsmen would probably look okay, but when my dad walks me down the aisle, more than half our guests will need binoculars to see me.

The new venue is the First Congregational Church of Detroit. It’s about 2 blocks away and has a beautiful sanctuary. It’s a beautiful historical building and guess what – only 1 aisle. There are also separate rooms for guys and girls to get ready. The downside is that it costs about $400 more than the theatre so we’ll have to make up for that cost somewhere else.

Logistics aside there’s something very spiritual and uplifting about being married in a church that I think we would’ve missed out on in the theatre. Because we don’t belong to a church and don’t attend regularly, this was definitely a big part of the reason we chose the theatre initially. It felt sort of hypocritical to be married in a church even though we don’t attend regularly. In the end though, this was the right decision for us as we are Christians and feel that the church is right for us. Their website sums it up just right: You may not belong to this church, but this church belongs to you.

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Technorati Tags: Ceremony, Church, Venue

Venue Profile: Flat 151

January 2, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Venue

Flat 151

Flat 151 is a relatively new event loft in Downtown Detroit. If not a historical Detroit building, I was really considering a similar type of loft space. They’re all over metropolitan cities like New York, Chicago, Atlanta and LA but they are few and far between here in the motor city. With all the empty buildings we have downtown, you’d think those would be perfect for converting into event lofts for people to rent. Could be for parties, wedding receptions, meetings, or any other gathering.

So, Flat 151 was recommended to me through a friend of a friend. It’s located on the corner of Congress and Shelby, right near a couple of the popular downtown clubs. We went to visit on a Saturday morning during the summer and were ushered through security and escorted around the building.

Here’s the rundown:

About 8000 square feet
Locked, private restrooms
Some form of front desk security
No parking, so valet would probably be necessary
There are big square columns about every 10 feet, blocking the view from several different angles
Built in kitchen area
Use caterers at the International Ballroom at the International Banquet and Conference Center
Very modern feel with lots of windows and views of the city
Rental fee – $3000+ (if I’m not mistaken… I’m a little fuzzy on this)

It ended up not being the right place for us because of the columns and the catering costs, but it could very easily work for someone else. This is all I can remember right now but if there’s something else you’d like to know, I’ll do my best to jog my memory.

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Technorati Tags: Caterer, Detroit, Flat 151, loft, parking, valet, Venue

Detroit Grand Prix Canceled-Belle Isle Casino May be Available

December 18, 2008 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Venue

This just in!

The Detroit Grand Prix on Belle Isle has been canceled for next summer. This means that the Belle Isle Casino may now be available on dates it was previously booked. When I called in July, apparently it was all booked up for every weekend next year, with a lot of those summer dates reserved for private events related to the Grand Prix. Well now that that little detail is out of the way, some of those summer dates might be available.

The reasons I liked the Casino building:

Cheapest venue of them all. It’s run by the city so the rental fee was very reasonable. Less than $1500 if I remember correctly.
2 floors, with both accommodating around 200 people each
Plenty of free and convenient parking
Bring your own alcohol
Bring your own caterer
Beautiful building full of character
What’s says Detroit more than Belle Isle?

If you’re interested in renting the building and need help getting info on the rental, let me know and I’d be glad to help.

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Technorati Tags: Belle Isle, Casino, Detroit, Detroit Grand Prix, Venue

Update: Venue Sneak Peek Revealed

December 7, 2008 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Ceremony, Reception, Venue

Hey guys,
I know I told you about my venue, but one of my readers, Suzanne, brought it to my attention that I was still keeping secrets. I completely forgot that I never revealed the venue from this sneak peek post.

Well, it is….. The Detroit Public Library. Obviously, we didn’t end up choosing it as our venue, but it definitely could work for someone else. I’ll give you the run down:

The room in the picture is Adam Strohm Hall. It’s a pretty big room and I would venture to say it could comfortably seat 250-300 with a dance floor.
There is also another room on the same floor that is available, Old Fine Arts. It’s smaller, and long rather than square like Adam Strohm, but still has lots of character.
Both Adam Strohm Hall and Old Fine Arts rent for $5000 each + fees for security staff.
The library is a bureaucracy and even though our contact there was very nice and helpful, she had to get approval from higher ups on everything we asked about.
Both rooms are on the third floor and there is no running water on the third floor. This means guests will have to go downstairs to use the restroom and the caterer can’t prepare any food on site.
No ceremonies can be held on site, whether religious or civil. They just don’t allow it.
Your event must start after the library closes to patrons, which is after 6pm on Saturday.
The library is not available for events on Sundays.
There is a parking lot available for guests which is normally only for staff during operating hours.

To see lots more pictures, photographer Anne Ruthmann, shot this wedding reception at the Detroit Public Library, held in the Old Fine Arts room. This is one of my favorites, because of the book backdrop.

That’s all I can think of for now. If I missed something let me know, or if you’d like my contact’s info, let me know.

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Technorati Tags: Detroit, library, Venue

It’s About Time! Our Ceremony and Reception Venue is the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History!

December 2, 2008 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Ceremony, Reception, Venue

Disclaimer: You know how you would read comics as a kid and all of the sentences would either end an exclamation point or a question mark? Well this post might feel a little like that.

——————————————————————

Well loyal readers, you can all release your collective breaths – we finally found a venue!

And we have a date!

We will be married August 22, 2009 at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History!

I’d of course considered the museum right from the beginning because it’s in the Cultural District and it’s a beautiful building. I’d immediately ruled it out because the website states, “Absolutely no dancing is permitted in the Ford Freedom Rotunda.” Well, pffftt to that! There’s no way we’d have a wedding with no dancing!

Months later, we saw someone’s wedding pictures posted on Facebook with -get this – dancing in the Ford Freedom Rotunda! Imagine my surprise. So He called up one of the event coordinators to get the scoop. We could rent the space, it was available on our date and we were allowed to dance in the Ford Freedom Rotunda as long as we rent a dance floor. I was at work, so later that night I checked out the other details, like the catering situation. I was all amp’d at that point but He told me, “Let’s not get too excited and shout it from the rooftop just yet. I don’t want to you to get your hopes up again.” So…that’s why I haven’t mentioned it till now.

Anyway, all three event coordinators were on what seemed like a 2 week vacation. Their voicemail said they’d be back today so I stalked the woman He’d spoken to like a hawk. I called her at 9am when they opened and left a message. She didn’t call me back, so I called her again at 10:15. By 11am, we were signing our contract!

We will get married in the General Motors Theater and the reception will be where else, but the Ford Freedom Rotunda.

We do have to choose from one of their caterers but they all have menus and pricing online and at least 3 of the 4 are very reasonable.

One of the most expensive things we were up against is the bar. We really wanted to have an open bar and now we can. The Museum offers two different bar packages starting at a flat $15/person. There is no tax I believe because they are a non-profit organization.

One downside is that we may have to pay for valet parking for our guests. It’s still up in the air, but if we decide to, it’ll come to around $700 for a guest list of our size. Still not too bad. I’ve seen worse.

If you’d like my contact’s information at the Museum let me know. She was really helpful and willing to accommodate our needs.

So, now that I am a completely happy camper, I can move on to the other parts of the wedding planning process. I’m thinking about booking the photographer next. What do you guys think? What should I conquer next, while I’m still feeling invincible?

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Technorati Tags: Caterer, Ceremony, coordinator, Detroit, Ford Freedom Rotunda, General Motors Theater, Reception, Venue

The DIA’s Money Woes and Event Policies

November 9, 2008 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Ceremony, Reception, Venue

So it looks like the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is in a bit of a conundrum. According to the Detroit Free Press, their money seems to be dwindling.

I looked at the DIA as a possible location. Although the beautiful grand entry hall would have been beautiful, they wanted an arm, a leg, and our first born child for it. They did have another room that could accommodate our guests and would have been very nice, but because we’d have to use their single approved caterer, the costs ended up being about 30k total for venue and food. And that’s just for the reception, because they don’t allow any sort of ceremonies on their premises.

I wonder if they should re-evaluate their cost structure and policy on ceremonies. Maybe they’d have a few more interested parties, including me.

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Technorati Tags: Budget, Ceremony, Detroit, Detroit Institute of Arts, DIA, Reception, Venue

Sneak Peek

October 25, 2008 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Venue

Remember the venue I last told you about? Here’s a peek at one of the rooms they have available. Whaddya think? Do any of you know where this is located?

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