Ceremony | 12k Wedding Blog

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

Balloons Aren’t Just For Birthdays

April 1, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Reception

I’ve been thinking about balloons as wedding decor lately. I know most of you have seen them in your Oriental Trading Company or other equivalent magazine and have noticed how cheap they are.

The easiest route is to rent a helium pump and balloon ties or else risk collapsed lungs and raw fingers for weeks.

And sure they don’t last long, but honestly, they don’t have to. Just long enough to give your space a unique modern feel, while sticking to the budget.

A few options:

Highlight a single table (wedding party, gift, cake)
One at every seat
As part of the centerpieces
To help define the altar
As escort cards
To add a pop of color to an otherwise bland space

The one thing I’m pretty against is a balloon arch. No need to state that you’re an 80’s baby if you have one of these.

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Technorati Tags: Balloons, Ceremony, Decor, Reception

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

Detroit Park Shelton Rooftop Wedding

October 28, 2008 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Real Weddings

I read Model D on a regular basis. It’s a really good stuff for positive stuff happening all across Detroit. They recently featured an article about a couple’s wedding that took place on the roof of the Park Shelton. I knew the Park Shelton was recently renovated and being occupied, but I had no idea the rooftop was accessible and usable.

The premise for the wedding was the couple bringing their guests from around the country to their destination wedding in Detroit, the place they now call home. The guests were all pleasantly surprised to find that Detroit isn’t exactly the wasteland they thought it would be. They was plenty to do and see and the experience was better than they expected.

The pictures probably don’t even do it justice. The view makes the city look beautiful. And the couple, Brad and Dana, look like they had a great time.

Congratulations to them!

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Technorati Tags: Ceremony, destination, Detroit, Real Weddings, rooftop, view, Wedding

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.

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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

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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!

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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?

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