Choosing the Venue

BLOGGING FAIL.

In my defense, I've had a very unexpectedly busy summer, with a trip to New York, adopting a puppy, moving Chris to Texas, moving myself into a new apartment, rehearsing a show, and...uh...planning wedding!  But I digress.  Those are events and excuses for another blog post that, frankly, will probably never happen.  Let's get to the good stuff!

When we last left off, I was writing up a question work sheet that Chris and I could fill out as we called potential venues.  This ended up working out really well because it gave us a sort of script to follow so we didn't forget any important questions and an organized place to write down information.  Newly engaged B2Bs ("Brides to Be...Am I clever or what?!), I would highly recommend doing something like this when interviewing potential venues.  Here's the one that we used:

I got some of these questions from the internet, but a lot of them I just based off of what Chris and I knew was important to us.  For example, we included questions about bars and alcohol because we knew that we wanted an open bar, so a venue that didn't allow alcohol or limited what alcohol could be served wasn't ideal.  And we asked questions about parking because we have older family members that have trouble walking long distances, so a venue that didn't have parking (such as a downtown venue) was going to present some problems.  Feel free to use our questionnaire as a guide or template for when you interview your potential venues.  But I definitely encourage you to personalize it for what you want in a venue!  What Chris and I wanted in a venue is not going to match what every other B2B wants, so our questionnaire is not going to be identical to yours.  

Once we made our calls, we narrowed our venues down to our top three and called them back to make appointments to visit.  Narrowing down was a lot easier than I anticipated, partly because these three had almost everything they wanted, and partly because some venues eliminated themselves with the way they treated us. ***

***Note to wedding venues: I am planning my wedding, a very sentimental and emotionally charged event.  So (and shouldn't this be common sense?) don't be rude or dismissive to me on the phone!  If my calling you to inquire about giving you my money to host my event is an inconvenience to you, then you leave me no choice but to assume that my event itself is going to be just as much of an inconvenience to you.  Some of the ladies answering the phones at these places seemed so frustrated that they had to talk to me and just wanted to send me straight to their website (which I had already been to and had questions about).  I had one venue's representative even refuse to answer any of my questions, instead insisting that all of my questions would be answered in an e-mail she was going to send me—an e-mail that we never received.

Not to discourage you or make you afraid of calling your venues!  We had two, maybe three, unpleasant experiences out of the 15 or so venues we called.  And for every rude person we encountered, we had at least 2 other venues bending over backwards to answer our questions and make us feel excited about our wedding!

The next step was visiting the venues.  Chris and I visited our top 3 venues over the course of two days.   I brought along the sheets I filled out on the phone so I could write more information down and get more details about what we spoke about on the phone.  Luckily, we knew once we left our final venue exactly which one we wanted to go with and were able to bring my parents in to see it.  They were also immediately sold and we signed a contract then and there!

I am so absolutely in love with my venue and know we are going to have a magical reception.  I'm going to keep the venue name private, but I will tell you why we chose it:

• They take care of food, tables, chairs, linens, china, silverware, set up, and clean up.  Basically, we bring the stuff we want set up a day or two before and then we just have to show up!  Other venues were going to require us to set-up our own centerpieces and even tie our own bows on the chairs!  The fact that were weren't responsible for any day-of prep was huge!
• The venue is owned by a well-known and respected chef in the South, so we know the food is going to be delicious! His reputation kind of depends on it.
• Speaking of food, the buffet will have attendants serving the food to keep the lines from backing up.
• The venue is already beautiful sans decoration.  We don't have to spend a lot of time or money figuring out how to completely transform a plain space.
• Our guests will not be confined to a single ball room with a loud DJ.  There are several areas, both indoor and outdoor, for our guests to relax and take some time away from the noise of the ballroom.
• They provide a day of wedding coordinator, so I don't have to worry about phone calls from vendors as I'm walking the aisle.
• They also will have a personal waiter for Chris and I, as well as each set of parents for the entire night.

There are more reasons, but those were our big selling points for the venue we chose.  And I'm sure I'm leaving out something.  

My final piece of advice for B2Bs when venue shopping is to take full advantage of your venue visits and the time you have with the venue representative.  Of course, ask all of your questions about the venue and services, but also pick their brain about other aspects of your wedding.  If you have vendors you're considering, ask for their opinions on them.  If you have an idea but aren't sure how it will play out, ask them what they think.  These people have seen EVERYTHING, both good and bad, in the wedding world. We got some wonderful suggestions and ideas from the venue representatives we spoke to and were even steered away from some vendors we were considering because they had bad reputations that only wedding industry insiders really know about.

Enjoy your venue visits, Brides to Be!  Visiting venues was the first time I was able truly visualize my wedding and it was really exciting!  And if you still have trouble narrowing down after your visits, go with your gut!  Just close your eyes and imagine your wedding.  Whichever venue you imagine it in is the one!

Random Sunday Night Post

I love this picture that my friend Mel over at Little Mrs. Married took on Saturday Night at Theatre Baton Rouge's Beaux Arts Ball!

I look so happy to show off my ring and Chris looks so proud that he chose it!

On the wedding front, it looks like we've decided on a date!  I'm calling my church in the morning to reserve the sanctuary for the ceremony and we'll start calling reception venues for information tomorrow.  Tonight, I'm making a worksheet of questions to ask each venue and tomorrow, Chris and I will divide and conquer!  We've got a list of potential venues and we'll call each one tomorrow and (hopefully) use the information they give us to decide which venues to eliminate right away and which ones we want to go visit.  Wish us luck!!

Oh, and if you have any venue suggestions for a Baton Rouge wedding, give them to me— whether it was your wedding or a wedding you've been to. I don't want to miss out on any options!

My First Bridal Show

Word of advice to future brides: Do not go to your first bridal show alone!  Even if it's a smaller show!  Use the buddy system!  You NEED the buddy system!

I went to my first bridal show this past Wednesday.  N-Joy! Weddings & Events hosted a Wedding Soiree (fancy name for bridal show) this past Wednesday at the Lyceum Dean Reception Hall downtown.  It was a good show to go to as my first because it was a manageable size.  It was a lot to take in at once, but not so much that I ran home and hid under my bed.  And I did use the buddy system!  My mom (and co-planner) and my bridesmaid Elyse met me at the show.  However, my buddies were not able to make it to the show until later in the evening.  So I arrived at the show right when it began, collected my complimentary bag (for being one of the first 150 brides to arrive) and cashed in my free ticket (that I won through a facebook status contest from the business throwing the show—it pays to follow wedding vendors on Facebook!), and entered the show.

So many vendors.  So many sights.  So many sounds.  Sensory overload!  Luckily, I eyed a caterer's table and quickly made friends with the chef giving out bowls of shrimp and grits. Yum! (I also made a mental note that, no matter who my caterer is, I want them to make shrimp and grits for my wedding.  I love me some shrimp and grits!)  I decided to pass on the champagne and began to wander around the show.  I quickly established my routine.  At every booth I stopped at, I would smile, sign up for whatever drawing they were offering, listened to their spiel while stuffing my face with whatever food they offered (so many cupcakes!!), took whatever brochures or business cards they had for me and went on my merry way.  Every now and then, I was able to think of some questions and got some really helpful answers (for example, the type of flower that I want in my bouquet is called a "Picaso Calla Lilly" —Thanks, lovely gentlemen from "Jakes on the Avenue Florists!"), but for the most part, I smiled and listened.  My bag was getting heavy from brochures, so I must have a lot of information, right?

Source: Uploaded by user via Stephanie on Pinterest

Picasso Calla Lilly Bouquet.  I would love to have some of these in my bouquet!

Thank goodness my mom and Elyse arrived!  My mom remembered to ask all of the important questions that I didn't think to ask.  For example, how many tiers does the baker recommend for a certain size wedding?  How soon before the wedding should I have my invitations made?  What is the cost for your DJ services? Duh! Why didn't I think of this??

Because I didn't have my buddy.  Like a said, wedding shows present a big sensory overload to us brides.  We need our buddies to be additional eyes and ears and to help us look past the performance that the vendors are putting on (they don't call it a show for nothing!) and help us remember the logical questions and important information.  If I didn't have my buddies, I would have passed by some great vendors because they didn't have the flashiest or largest display.  For example, I would have completely missed a graphic designer and her beautiful invitations if my mom hadn't stopped at her table.  I can't guarantee I'll use her services, but she gave us some wonderful ideas and was able to quote us her prices so that when the time does come to design invitations, we have a quote to compare other designers too. Thank goodness for Mommy and her eye for good quality and design!

My one complaint about the bridal show I went to is that I wish that more venues were represented at the show.  The only venue that was represented at all was the Lyceum Dean Hall and the only thing they had was a table in a corner with some brochures on them. There wasn't even a representative from the Lyceum Dean there to answer questions.  I imagine the reason there weren't more venues represented is that the Lyceum Dean Hall had a monopoly on that category due to being the host site.  But there was barely even any information about the Lyceum Dean!  I feel like this was a big missed opportunity for reception venues in Baton Rouge.

Overall, I really enjoyed my first bridal show!  I did get a lot of information.  I ate a lot of shrimp and grits and cupcakes.  I had a lot of fun with my mom and Elyse.  And I left with a better grasp on the options that are available for brides in Baton Rouge.  I even won a set of really nice (and expensive) candles!

I can't wait to go to my next bridal show—The New Orleans Bride Magazine Bridal Show on June 19th.  And you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll have my buddy with me!

What's In a Wedding?

Wedding planning is scary.  Oh. Em. Gee.

I have been engaged for exactly 9 days and suddenly it seems like there is so much to do and so little time to do it.  It all seemed so easy when I was lying in bed pinning idea after tulle-centric idea on my "One Day" Pinterest board.  But, goodness!  There is a lot that Pinterest doesn't prepare you for!

For example, choosing a wedding date is a huge hassle!  Why can't I just close my eyes and throw a magic dart that will land on the perfect summer date on my calendar?

And why is making a guest list so hard?  I feel like cutting your list of 10,000 friends and family down to 150 should be easier.

And so many venues!  What if I don't want to use your bar services because I can get my own alcohol for cheaper?  Or what if I think your catering options look dinky, but I really love the way your outdoor space looks?  Or what if I don't want your wedding coordinator that I've met once before bossing me around on my big day?  Can't I just use your pretty space and bring in all of my own stuff?  Of course I can't.  Because....blah!

So, here I am.  Caught between a (sparkling sapphire) rock and a wedding. Lots of ideas and no clue what to do with them.  There's really nothing for me to do but dive in head first and see what's waiting for me in the Baton Rouge Bridal Sea.  It's scary.  But in a really exciting way!  Because no matter what happens between now and my wedding next summer, I know one thing is certain.  When all is said and done, I get to marry my best friend.  So, bring it, Wedding Planning!  I'm armed with an amazing family, supportive friends, and a man that makes me smile like a child flying a kite for the first time.  It will all be worth it when I walk down that aisle!

Oh, and if you have any tips for a poor, wandering bride, share away!  We brides have to stick together!