Venue | 12k Wedding Blog

October 13, 2008 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Ceremony, Reception, Venue

So I emailed the woman at the Guardian Building to find out if we just had a misunderstanding about the date. Turns out we did.

Here’s the skinny on the fat:

Capacity of up to 250 people
Steep rental fee
Can use own caterer
Have to pay for insurance (?)
Have to rent tables and chairs (?)
Would have to bring own bartender or find a caterer with a liquor license

The above info is just for the 32nd floor ballroom. They also have an area, I believe on the first floor, called Rowland Cafe which is available to rent. Judging by the pictures, this is where that Guardian Building Wedding on a Budget took place. I don’t any details about this space yet, but I was given another persons contact info for more details.

Possibly Related Posts:

Technorati Tags: Caterer, Detroit, downtown, downtown detroit, guardian, guardian building, insurance, Reception, Venue

Venue Hopes Renewed

October 7, 2008 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Venue

Ok. Try as I might to avoid it, my venue hopes are up again.

This time I’ve got my eye on a building in Midtown Detroit.

The Pluses:

They have preferred caterers, but we can still provide our own
The building is beautiful and and historic
They seem to have Saturdays available next August
They seem to be able accommodate our guest list
The woman I spoke with was both kind and helpful

The Minuses:

None so far

I’ve been to this place plenty of times, though not recently and never for a wedding of course. And I’ve only seen pictures/heard of one person actually having there wedding there. So if this could really happen, remains to be seen. All I know is, I’m anxiously excited.

Possibly Related Posts:

Technorati Tags: Caterer, Detroit, historic, midtown, Venue

Guardian Building Rudeness?

October 5, 2008 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Venue

I know I’ve told you guys about the beautiful budget wedding at the Guardian building. So I emailed the contact at the Guardian Building a while ago and never heard anything back. I tried them again recently and here’s the response I got:

—————————————

Me:
Hello,
I am interested in holding my 2009 wedding and reception at the Guardian building. We are expecting 200-250 guests and would prefer a Saturday in August. Can you provide me information on your rates and availability please?

Them:
We are currently not booking events that far in the future. Please feel free to recontact us later in the year.

Me:
Can you tell me when I should contact you again? In 1 month, 3 months – any estimate is appreciated. Also, are you able to give me an idea of the fees involved and whether you have a caterer that I’d be required to use?

Them:
Please recontact me during the Spring of next year.

————————————————-

So, you tell me. Am I reading this wrong? Is this woman just incredibly rude? I can’t understand why she would be this blatantly dismissive.

I’m going to try to contact her one more time with the hopes that she just misread my year. Maybe she’s thinking I’m looking summer 2010. We’ll see.

Possibly Related Posts:

Technorati Tags: Budget, Caterer, Detroit, fees, guardian building, inquiry

I Need A Back-up Venue for My Back-up Venue!

September 29, 2008 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Venue

So, remember when I said I was just going to have to compromise and have a wedding outside the city? Well turns out, I had another thing coming.

I sent an email to our back-up venue yesterday, with intentions on calling with a follow-up today. I asked what exactly I needed to do to reserve the space. Well today I get the cheeriest Monday morning message from their event coordinator.

The message went something like this:

“Hi, This is ______ calling from _______. I got your message and I just wanted to let you know that you’d need to provide the $500 deposit and come in and sign the contract.”

So far so good. She continues,

“Also, I need to tell you that the chapel that you saw when you came to visit will no longer be available to rent. You do still have the option of having your wedding outdoors or in the same room as the reception. I apologize, but the boss would like to generate more revenue my making that area available for rent by another party.”

At this point, my jaw drops, when I realize, I need a back-up for my back-up! I don’t want an outdoor wedding and I don’t want to compromise on that because I HATE being cold and uncomfortable and Michigan weather is notorious for being unreliable. It’d be just my luck Old Man Winter decides to rear his ugly head in the middle of the summer. The room where the reception would be held is okay for a reception, but it looks like a glorified version of our high-school cafetorium and not very nice for a ceremony.

So not only am I back to square one, but I’m back to square 0, because my back-up plan is a no-go.

What’s a girl to do? The best advice I can give myself right now is that “Everything Happens for a Reason”. It’ll work out, one way or another.

Possibly Related Posts:

Technorati Tags: Ceremony, Reception, Venue

An Open Letter to Those Responsible for Detroit Venues

September 27, 2008 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Venue

Dear Event Coordinators/Owners/Managers,

I was born and raised in the City of Detroit and I truly adore the culture and experience the city has to offer. I would have loved to incorporate my love of Detroit with the celebration of my love for my fiance at our marriage next summer.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that’s going to be a possibility. Apparently, we don’t make enough money and we have too many close friends and family members. That’s what it boils down to.

For the venues that are too small, I can’t blame you for the decisions of the engineers who built the buildings. However, for the venues that are too expensive, I do have a few words for you.

In these tough financial times, felt especially in Detroit, it really is strange to me that a wedding venue would bear such a high cost. Because I am primarily interested in cultural institutions and buildings in Downtown and Midtown, I understand having to cover the cost of lost revenue from admission fees. But a wedding takes place after hours, when admissions wouldn’t normally be charged. The venue rental at your establishment should be lowered.

Also, one should not be forced to use the single caterer you happen to be chummy with. If you must force me to use a certain caterer, as a common courtesy, it would be nice of you to offer a few different catering options at different price points. I’m sorry but $70+ per person plus 6% tax and 22% gratuity is just a little ridiculous.

As much as I would love to support my city and spend my money within city limits, it appears all of you have made this an impossibility.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,

Ms. 12k

Possibly Related Posts:

Technorati Tags: Caterer, Ceremony, Detroit, Reception, Venue

Venue Disappointment

September 27, 2008 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Venue

Well, just as I’d figured, the Detroit Science Center, the venue we went to see this morning was too good to be true.

I was all geeked up because it was big enough to hold our guest count, affordable and in the city of Detroit. Silly me!

Apparently, there is no space available to hold 200 guests in one room. Either we could have guests split up in different areas or we could have a strolling reception. Neither of which I want.

I just wish I would have known that before I got all excited traipsed my behind down there for a site visit.

I was even willing to over look the fact that it took the event coordinator 2 months to finally get back to me and she was still 15 minutes late to our appointment today, with no apologies for her tardiness. All of that aside, I was still excited to look at the space. But in the end it didn’t matter, because it just won’t work.

On their website, it says the Detroit Science “has weddings down to a science”. Pffffttttt – I’m not buying it.

Since my deadline is only 3 days away, I’ve got some big, disappointing compromises to make.

Stay tuned.

Possibly Related Posts:

Technorati Tags: Affordable, Caterer, Detroit, Inexpensive, science center, Venue

The Deadline is Looming, but We Have a Good Prospect

September 20, 2008 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Venue

The venue I thought might be available for a Friday, of course isn’t.

But I may have found something even better.

The newest venue/object of my affection:

can hold up to 300 people for strolling reception and sit down dinner
is available on a Saturday next summer
has 3 different choices for caterers, with varying price levels
is in Midtown Detroit
is full of character
is affordable!

I’ve been there before, but of course not in the context of planning a wedding. So we’re gonna go take a look at it next weekend.

You know the routine – fingers crossed!

Possibly Related Posts:

Technorati Tags: Caterer, Ceremony, Detroit, midtown, midtown detroit, Reception, Venue, Wedding

Friday Anyone?

September 15, 2008 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Venue

As much as I don’t want to, it looks like I may need to compromise on my Saturday preference. There’s a place I have in mind that allows outside caterers, is big enough and can hold the wedding and the reception. Problem is, they don’t have any Saturdays available next year…at all.

Despite the disappointment, I think I can get over it. I’d much rather have to compromise on the day of the week, instead of compromising on the budget, or cutting the guest list.

So basically, the ceremony would start around 7 and the reception will immediately follow. Since they’re held in the same place, there is no wasted travel time.

What do you guys think? Friday okay?

Possibly Related Posts:

Technorati Tags: Caterer, Ceremony, Detroit, Dinner, Food, friday, Reception, saturday, Venue

New Venue Tactics

September 13, 2008 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Venue

Ok. First of all, thank you everyone for your suggestions about venues. I’ve looked into all of them but I still don’t have a venue. So, I’m thinking of changing our tactics. We’ve already cut the guest list, I think as much as we’re willing to.

Here are some things we might try next:

Have the ceremony and reception at two different places
Find a restaurant to have the reception at
Think of any people I know personally who own a big space and are willing to let us use it
Have the ceremony and/or reception outdoors

Stuff we don’t want to budge on:

Having dinner as opposed to lunch
Having an open bar
Staying within our budget
Having the wedding on a Saturday

This is more of a task than I ever could have imagined. In a city like Detroit, where the economy is is limping and the cost of living isn’t really that high, wedding venues should not be as expensive as they are.

Possibly Related Posts:

Technorati Tags: Caterer, Ceremony, Detroit, Dinner, Reception, restaurant, Venue, venues

Venue Woes

August 26, 2008 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Venue

After people find out we’re engaged, the first question they eagerly ask with unbridled anticipation is, “Have you set a date?”

And my response is always a disappointing, “Not yet, we have to find a venue first. Once we find a venue, we’ll see what days they still have available.”

Here’s where we stand as of now:

Traditional banquet halls are usually cookie-cutter, expensive and have bad food
Loft spaces are abundant in downtown Detroit but are not available for event rental
Many Saturdays next year are already booked, relegating us to either a Friday or Sunday, both of which have their issues
Non-traditional venues in Downtown Detroit (museums, theatres, etc.) are too expensive and/or too small
There are a bunch of vacant buildings and buildable areas along the Detroit River that would be perfect locations, but alas, aren’t suitable for occupancy

I knew this wouldn’t be easy but – DANG!

A few of the places that we considered, but won’t work out:

So I continue to look, using all the web universe searching knowledge I can muster. All the while, time is ticking and there are plenty of other decisions that need to be made that all hinge on our final choice of venue.

Any ideas? Even if you don’t live in Detroit, can you think of any other types of locations I should check out?

Possibly Related Posts: