Hello all! Well this is getting a bit ridiculous- over a year later, and I can't manage to finish a few recaps of my wedding day. It's not that I'm lazy, it's just that married life is a bit busy, and I also have a very hard time with uploading large pictures to blogger. Here is a link to my Flickr if anyone is interested in courthouse wedding photos.
So, according to my google analytics, I have around 250 visitors per week! I know most of you must be here for courthouse tips, judging by the number of e-mails I get (but no comments:( ), so I'd like to give a quick description of our reception.
I walked in at around 6:00 when people were just arriving, and I was blown over. This place is the most beautiful reception hall I have ever seen when it is set up. The tables were set up correctly into 5 long banquet style, and 12 rounds of 10. The centerpieces of ostrich feathers and gold birch branches and place cards for the long tables were in the correct spots. The bar was set up with my high top cocktail tables and long black linens with the wedding crosswords on top. The make shift photobooth was all ready with the props. The DJ was there. The cakes were on the cake table looking delicious. It is SO HARD to completely envision everything you have planned, and the reality was better than anything I ever hoped for!
After ooing and awwing over everything, I went over to the photobooth with some of the bridesmaids and took some silly pictures. We had the photobooth in the nook off the to the right where the elevator doors are. The bar was behind the columns in the hallway area, almost in front of the door to the nook on the right. Then I got one of my signature drinks (mojito), and proceeded to chill at my cocktail hour and talk to everyone who came out for me. This experience was almost surreal -people I have known from every stage of my life were all there for me and having drinks with me. I got to talk to many people that I wouldn't get to later in the night. DON'T MISS YOUR COCKTAIL HOUR!
My husband and I are living in Buffalo, NY, so we had Anchor Bar chicken wings at our cocktail hour, which they will ship. My caterer was amazing, and charged us a small fee to set these up and heat them. The cocktail food table was set up in the hallway behind the columns on the right in the middle. Guests went crazy over these chicken wings, it was one of the best decisions we made. Guests also loved the wedding crossword I made and had printed, and many of them were filling them out. It was such a great ice breaker and conversation starter, I urge people to do something like this.
Almost before I knew it, it was time to get introduced. The DJ was set up on the left hand side of the room, dead center. We came out for the introductions from the grand staircase on the other side. About acoustics, I couldn't hear anything the DJ said on the mic from back in the staircase area. There are certain places where the acoustics suck, and that cannot be denied. However, people in the main hall could hear mostly fine.
The whole bridal party were introduced, and then my husband and I. We walked straight to our cake table, and cut the cake to "Sexyback." After a little cake smooshing (by me only), it was time for dinner.
I know many people have questions about catering. We had a buffet, and it was perfect. Stations are also a popular option, which I also looked into, but we didn't go for. Ultimately, stations are usually way more expensive, and also have a bit of a more casual vibe. I decided that I would rather have everyone eat at once and get it over with, and then we can move onto the dancing! Stations work best for weddings with constant mingling and no sitting, and if you want everyone to sit and pay attention, there is not much point to having them. I am also against sit down meals for almost any wedding, and especially the courthouse, and I will explain why. The courthouse has no kitchen, so your caterer will either make the food ahead of time, or will bring a make-shift kitchen. Sit-down wedding meals at even a catering hall with a kitchen are usually not that good. They are rushing the food to get so many out at once, and some people may want less or more, and it ultimately leads to wasted food. Also there is the general confusion over who ordered what.
Our buffet was hot, replenished often, and delicious! Everyone took as much or as little as they wanted. We had a carving station, which is the right way to do beef at a wedding, and I got many compliments on the food. In the very back of the courthouse, the columns were draped off by our caterer, with the kitchen behind. The buffet table was set up directly in front, and tables were called up.
After eating very quickly, my husband and I made table rounds for about 45 minutes. This brought us to about 9:00 and time for the first dance. Being on the dance floor by ourselves with a slow song playing, the music was echoing. It wasn't awful, but the echo was there. Not all songs will do it. Our first dance was "I'll Look After You" by The Fray, and it is a song that lends itself well to echoing. The dance with my father to Frank Sinatra had much less acoustic issues. The fast dance songs when there were many bodies on the floor to absorb the sound had even less issues. And we had tons of people on the floor- after the parent dances, everyone got down! We had dance circles, line dances, slow dances- a little something for everyone, and it was amazing! Our DJ was pretty good, there were a few instances where I didn't like the song he was playing, but it mostly worked out. At around 10:30 most of our guests disappeared for 15 minutes to watch the fireworks on Lake Erie (it was 4th of July)!
We had a completely stocked bar with 10 varieties of beer, 6 kinds of wines, champagne, and any kind of liquor and mixers you could ask for. If you need to be cheap, DON'T DO IT ON THE BOOZE! People will talk about that for years. On the flip side, we still get compliments on our bar. There were alot of people at the bar at any given moment. I might change the bar's placement more towards the center to put people where the dancing was and encourage more people to mingle. You will have to judge what is best based on how many guests you have and what kinds of tables. The photobooth was popular as well, and the props we had such as wigs, leis, and Hawaiian skirts made it out onto the dance floor!
My mom had a candy bar with all green candy set up as a surprise to me during this time! It was on the cocktail table in the right hallway. We also had the favors set up in the entrance to the courthouse, to the left of the security desk. We had packs of sparklers with our monogram on them, and boxes of our cake. I also later mailed prints of the photobooth pictures in our thank you cards.
All too soon, the night was over. We had an after party set up at a bar downtown, so alot of us went over there. The security guards were great to us all night. Here is a little tip- they will know what time is in your contract to shut down, and start herding people out. The beginning time is much more flexible. Your caterer will have access to the hall all day, so what is the big deal in starting a bit earlier? My contract said 6:30, but my invitation said 6:15, and some people came at 6:00. They will not turn people away..I think you can stretch this at least a half hour. At $525/ hour, every little bit helps.
Another tip- my biggest gripe of the night is that the lights were not dimmed enough for dancing. The electrician is in your contract, and should be on call for you. The ball got dropped on this, and the place remained in full light most of the night. Now it is gorgeous in there, so not a big deal, but I spent about $250 on led candles, and they did not really get seen. Make sure someone takes charge on this.
The bathrooms- not great, but not too horrible. Stick a bathroom basket in there and call it a day.
The courthouse is amazing, so take advantage! You do not need many decorations because people will be too busy staring. You can also get away with being a bit goofy (wedding crosswords, photobooth, Hawaiian skirt props) because of the elegance of the courthouse.
I'm still willing to answer questions (daas325@gmail.com), and I have a budget post in editing, because I know a huge questions is: "how much!" Well, I am going to answer that for you soon!
Showing posts with label Lakeside Courthouse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lakeside Courthouse. Show all posts
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Friday, November 20, 2009
4th of July: Doing my own flowers!
Early Thursday morning, my mom and I were awakened by the delivery of a new kitchen table. They were also cutting it really close! We were able to move their old table into the garage, which turned out perfectly, because an hour later I received my shipment of flowers! My original order had been to Fifty Flowers for 100 white ranunculus, but they canceled it a few days before the wedding due to shortages. I was very disappointed, but unwilling to substitute with a more expensive flower. I quickly placed my order with Flowers and Freshness. I ordered 100 roses, and 50 stems of hypericum berries.
They were great, and I highly recommend them. I was able to order 25 each of 4 different rose types, which were jade(green), limo(green), twin(green), and cream. With shipping, the total was $160. I also purchased a bunch of green hydrangeas for my bouquet, and a huge bunch of orange roses at a local Sam's Club for about $30. Including supplies I bought at the dollar store(floral tape, wire, ribbon), I spent about $200.
I wish I had more pictures of the bouquet making, but we were all busy. My mom and I filled big buckets with water and flower food, and stuck all the flowers in them in the garage. This past summer in the northeast/Midwest area was quite rainy and cool, and the few days leading up to my wedding was no exception, so the flowers did great sitting in the garage. My grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, and sister came over, and we got started. I have never made a bouquet or have any experience with flower arranging, and neither did any of my helpers. I just want to clarify that. I don't think my bouquets were an amazing work of art, but I thought they were lovely and worked for our purposes.
Our basic strategy was to wrap 3 roses together (1 of each of the greens)with one stem of hypericum berries, and then wrap 4 of these together into a bouquet for the bridesmaids. I also added a few peacock feathers to kind of fan out from the edge. We wrapped these all with lots of floral tape, and double secured the edges with some hot glue. We left long stems that we could then stick back in the buckets. They would be finished on Saturday morning!
For my own bouquet, I used the whole bunch of green hydrangeas, and the cream roses. This bouquet was extremely difficult to make, because the hydrangea stems are very thick, and the cream rose heads kept getting popped off. I put in the ostrich feathers to see how it would look, but later pulled them out.
We then worked on the boutonnieres. For the two fathers, we used a rose, a stem of hypericum berries, and a peacock feather. The groomsmen got a large stem of hypericum berries, and a peacock feather. I didn't make the groom's yet, as I would use a stem from my own bouquet on Saturday morning. We also left these stems very long, so they could sit in the water until they were ready to be finished. My mom also made small bouquets for her and my mother-in-law using the orange roses.
I enjoyed this work and very much appreciated my group of impromptu helpers. It was actually quite enjoyable to spend this time with my family in the calm before the storm. However, it did take the five of us around five hours to make eight bouquets, and seven boutonnieres. So make sure you allot a good amount of time. I did not find this to be difficult at all though. There are many great videos on Youtube that will show you the basic art of using floral tape. It is weird to work with at first, but just pull and stretch it, and it will stick to itself.
Saturday morning, before hair and make-up, I sat out on my deck with a few of my bridesmaids to cut the stems, and wrap them in ribbon. I used a gauzy gold for the girls and boys, and a satin cream for mine and the boy's. After wrapping them I stuck green push pins up into the stems to hold the ribbon. I showed the girls, and they were able to finish the bouquets easily. For the boy, I pulled out a spring of hydrangea from my bouquet, paired it with a berry sprig, and wrapped it in cream ribbon. The boutonnieres need more glue gun glue to get the ribbon to stick. There was also a slight crisis when I realized I didn't have any pins, which I solved by snipping the longer bouquet pics off halfway.
The sun was shining with promise for the beautiful day ahead, and I have never been more at peace and clear- minded than I was on that morning. It took about an hour to finish the bouquets and boutonnieres. Most people have commented on how easy- going I was on my wedding day, so I know that this is not for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed every second, and would not have done it any other way. I got all these bouquets and boutonnieres for $200, and we also used the leftover flowers for my cake and to decorate the house. My photographer took a few pictures of them on the deck when she got to the house.
Here's a teaser picture of them in action on the big day!
They were great, and I highly recommend them. I was able to order 25 each of 4 different rose types, which were jade(green), limo(green), twin(green), and cream. With shipping, the total was $160. I also purchased a bunch of green hydrangeas for my bouquet, and a huge bunch of orange roses at a local Sam's Club for about $30. Including supplies I bought at the dollar store(floral tape, wire, ribbon), I spent about $200.
I wish I had more pictures of the bouquet making, but we were all busy. My mom and I filled big buckets with water and flower food, and stuck all the flowers in them in the garage. This past summer in the northeast/Midwest area was quite rainy and cool, and the few days leading up to my wedding was no exception, so the flowers did great sitting in the garage. My grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, and sister came over, and we got started. I have never made a bouquet or have any experience with flower arranging, and neither did any of my helpers. I just want to clarify that. I don't think my bouquets were an amazing work of art, but I thought they were lovely and worked for our purposes.
Our basic strategy was to wrap 3 roses together (1 of each of the greens)with one stem of hypericum berries, and then wrap 4 of these together into a bouquet for the bridesmaids. I also added a few peacock feathers to kind of fan out from the edge. We wrapped these all with lots of floral tape, and double secured the edges with some hot glue. We left long stems that we could then stick back in the buckets. They would be finished on Saturday morning!
For my own bouquet, I used the whole bunch of green hydrangeas, and the cream roses. This bouquet was extremely difficult to make, because the hydrangea stems are very thick, and the cream rose heads kept getting popped off. I put in the ostrich feathers to see how it would look, but later pulled them out.
We then worked on the boutonnieres. For the two fathers, we used a rose, a stem of hypericum berries, and a peacock feather. The groomsmen got a large stem of hypericum berries, and a peacock feather. I didn't make the groom's yet, as I would use a stem from my own bouquet on Saturday morning. We also left these stems very long, so they could sit in the water until they were ready to be finished. My mom also made small bouquets for her and my mother-in-law using the orange roses.
I enjoyed this work and very much appreciated my group of impromptu helpers. It was actually quite enjoyable to spend this time with my family in the calm before the storm. However, it did take the five of us around five hours to make eight bouquets, and seven boutonnieres. So make sure you allot a good amount of time. I did not find this to be difficult at all though. There are many great videos on Youtube that will show you the basic art of using floral tape. It is weird to work with at first, but just pull and stretch it, and it will stick to itself.
Saturday morning, before hair and make-up, I sat out on my deck with a few of my bridesmaids to cut the stems, and wrap them in ribbon. I used a gauzy gold for the girls and boys, and a satin cream for mine and the boy's. After wrapping them I stuck green push pins up into the stems to hold the ribbon. I showed the girls, and they were able to finish the bouquets easily. For the boy, I pulled out a spring of hydrangea from my bouquet, paired it with a berry sprig, and wrapped it in cream ribbon. The boutonnieres need more glue gun glue to get the ribbon to stick. There was also a slight crisis when I realized I didn't have any pins, which I solved by snipping the longer bouquet pics off halfway.
The sun was shining with promise for the beautiful day ahead, and I have never been more at peace and clear- minded than I was on that morning. It took about an hour to finish the bouquets and boutonnieres. Most people have commented on how easy- going I was on my wedding day, so I know that this is not for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed every second, and would not have done it any other way. I got all these bouquets and boutonnieres for $200, and we also used the leftover flowers for my cake and to decorate the house. My photographer took a few pictures of them on the deck when she got to the house.
Here's a teaser picture of them in action on the big day!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Courthouse Acoustics
I've had two comments on this issue, so I want to try and give my opinion. My wedding is still two and a half weeks away, so I can't be sure on how this is going to turn out. I can say that I hired a DJ, mostly because the bands I looked into seemed really expensive, and then they are limited on the music they can play. My friends and family like to get down to some current music, especially later in the night! The DJ is the brother of my best friend, so I trust him, have heard him before, and am getting a little bit of a deal.
Last week we stopped by the courthouse to check it out. Adam the DJ met me there, and he walked around, listening to the acoustics. It is very hard to tell where the echo will be when it is completely empty inside. He is going to set up on the opposite side of the staircase, with big speakers on either side of the pillars. I spoke with guards there, who have sat through many weddings, and offered the advice that sometimes it sounds good and sometimes it doesn't. Great help! Hopefully Adam can show up a little early to set up, crank the music, and make any needed adjustments. When the building is full of tables and people, the echo might be absorbed too. Here is a picture of the layout we are going with. Depending on the final count, the buffet will be either set up on the dance floor and taken down, or set up against the area they curtain off for the kitchen in the back.
Also, I am sooo glad to help anyone who is having a wedding at the courthouse! There was virtually NO information out there when I started planning, so if you have any questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me! daas325@gmail
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Cleveland Lakeside Courthouse!!!
I finally made the final choice on my venue! I just was so overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the courthouse that I knew it had to be my venue. If you are thinking about using the courthouse for your wedding, there are a few things you should know.
1. The "coordinator" there is extremely difficult to work with. She sometimes took over 2 weeks to return my calls. Also, she wouldn't send me the contract until one year out from the wedding. On July 5, I started calling her to get the contract. Three weeks later, she finally answered my call. Let me just say I was extremely freaked out during those three weeks that I had lost the venue. If you want her private number, leave me a comment with your email.
2. It costs $525 an hour. If you want the attached parking garage it is another $550. However, you get from 5 PM Friday until 8PM Monday to set up, tear down, etc. They only charge you for your actual ceremony/ reception times. I'm planning on going with the parking, although I'm not sure if it would be absolutely necessary for everyone. It tends to be pretty empty in that area on the weekends.
3. You also have to get liability insurance for $1 MM. Now, most people can do it through their homeowners insurance, but it will cost between $200-400. This is a cost I didn't know about- if it wasn't already enough there!
4. There is no kitchen area, not even a sink. Most caterers will charge you alot more to cater a wedding here, because they need to bring immense quantities of glasses, silverware, and cooking set- ups. No glasses can be washed or reused.
Congrats! And if any readers are having their wedding there, I'd be happy to talk about caterers, rentals, decor ideas, etc. I haven't booked a caterer yet!!
1. The "coordinator" there is extremely difficult to work with. She sometimes took over 2 weeks to return my calls. Also, she wouldn't send me the contract until one year out from the wedding. On July 5, I started calling her to get the contract. Three weeks later, she finally answered my call. Let me just say I was extremely freaked out during those three weeks that I had lost the venue. If you want her private number, leave me a comment with your email.
2. It costs $525 an hour. If you want the attached parking garage it is another $550. However, you get from 5 PM Friday until 8PM Monday to set up, tear down, etc. They only charge you for your actual ceremony/ reception times. I'm planning on going with the parking, although I'm not sure if it would be absolutely necessary for everyone. It tends to be pretty empty in that area on the weekends.
3. You also have to get liability insurance for $1 MM. Now, most people can do it through their homeowners insurance, but it will cost between $200-400. This is a cost I didn't know about- if it wasn't already enough there!
4. There is no kitchen area, not even a sink. Most caterers will charge you alot more to cater a wedding here, because they need to bring immense quantities of glasses, silverware, and cooking set- ups. No glasses can be washed or reused.
Congrats! And if any readers are having their wedding there, I'd be happy to talk about caterers, rentals, decor ideas, etc. I haven't booked a caterer yet!!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Decisions, Decisions...
Well loyal readers (is anyone out there???), I've narrowed my venue list down to three, no easy task. However, it is much much harder to decide from this shorter list. Help me!! I've been having wedding nightmares, and I just want to get this decided.
Choice #1 : The Lakeside Courthouse
I blogged about the courthouse in my last post and why I thought it was so divine. After a few more weeks of thinking about it, I haven't changed my mind. I still love it. I think this option could be as expensive or as cheap as we want it to be. With everything I want to do, it will probably come in at about mid- way between my three final choices. I also thought of some easy ways to cut costs even more.
1. Change the date- not my favorite idea, but if I had it on any other Saturday other than the 4th of July I probably would not have to pay for parking.
2. Be reasonable with rentals- No I DO NOT need the gorgeous chivari chairs (tear), nor do I need to pay an extra $1000 to have glass glasses at the bar
3. Cut back on decorations and other extras- the space is already gorgeous.
Choice # 2: Windows on the River
I also wrote about Windows in a previous post, but let me sum up why it made it to the top 3.
1. WINDOWS!!! I love the view of the city, and the awesome downtown location.
2. The possibility of having an outdoor patio for cocktails.
Cons are:
1. I can't have it on Saturday July 4th. That date is taken, so I would need to do it on the 3rd. I'm not sold on a Friday wedding.
2. It would be the most expensive- even on a Friday. However, the price does include hors d'oeuvres, dinner, drinks, the cake, and some flowers, so that helps.
3. The room I like has a balcony that overlooks the rest of the room. The problem is that the lower room can only fit 200 people, and anyone over that would have to be seated on the balcony. Would this offend anyone??
4. The room itself is very very GREEN. Green carpet, paint, etc... it would be too overwhelming to almost any other color I brought in.
Looking at this, I realize I have more cons than pros. Does my love of the view outweigh all the bad stuff??? Would it for you?
AND... Choice # 3: Party Center
I haven't blogged about this location before because I haven't actually been to see it yet. Then why would I even consider it? Well, I actually have been to see it, but the last time I was in there was around 10 years ago. IT is owned by the family of my best childhood friend ever. I am actually in her upcoming wedding that is taking place there this September.
My mom contacted her father a few weeks ago because I had been procrastinating. I just felt bad about potentially contacting him if I decided I didn't like it. However my mom is all excited now because his prices are amazing. I can't believe the highway robbery other venues are committing when I take a look at how much less he can provide me with the SAME things for.
So, here we go with the PROS:
1. I've known the family forever, so I know they would so a REALLY good job! I would completely trust my event in their hands.
2. It would be by far the least expensive option, and the least amount of work for me. My parents like the idea.
3. I will be at my friends' reception taking place almost a year before mine, and can decide what I do and don't like about it.
4. It's literally a quarter- mile from my parents' house.
Cons:
1. It's literally a quarter- mile from my parents' house, which is in the middle of BFN. (butt- f***ing NOWHERE!). Where would the guests stay?? I would need a shuttle to and from a hotel somewhere. Also, not a cool fun downtown area like I wanted!
2. It looks nice in the pictures, but it really is just another catering hall, just like every other one. No originality here! If I go crazy with extra decorating or other things it will just erase the whole point of having it there to save $$$.
3. He's not sure if I can have it on the 4th... he said he might not be able to get anyone to work. WTF?? All the other days I potentially wanted it were already taken.
And I guess Option #4...keep looking.......... I am starting to get MAJORLY frustrated here though, and might not be able to take it anymore. So what do YOU think??
Choice #1 : The Lakeside Courthouse
I blogged about the courthouse in my last post and why I thought it was so divine. After a few more weeks of thinking about it, I haven't changed my mind. I still love it. I think this option could be as expensive or as cheap as we want it to be. With everything I want to do, it will probably come in at about mid- way between my three final choices. I also thought of some easy ways to cut costs even more.
1. Change the date- not my favorite idea, but if I had it on any other Saturday other than the 4th of July I probably would not have to pay for parking.
2. Be reasonable with rentals- No I DO NOT need the gorgeous chivari chairs (tear), nor do I need to pay an extra $1000 to have glass glasses at the bar
3. Cut back on decorations and other extras- the space is already gorgeous.
Choice # 2: Windows on the River
I also wrote about Windows in a previous post, but let me sum up why it made it to the top 3.
1. WINDOWS!!! I love the view of the city, and the awesome downtown location.
2. The possibility of having an outdoor patio for cocktails.
Cons are:
1. I can't have it on Saturday July 4th. That date is taken, so I would need to do it on the 3rd. I'm not sold on a Friday wedding.
2. It would be the most expensive- even on a Friday. However, the price does include hors d'oeuvres, dinner, drinks, the cake, and some flowers, so that helps.
3. The room I like has a balcony that overlooks the rest of the room. The problem is that the lower room can only fit 200 people, and anyone over that would have to be seated on the balcony. Would this offend anyone??
4. The room itself is very very GREEN. Green carpet, paint, etc... it would be too overwhelming to almost any other color I brought in.
Looking at this, I realize I have more cons than pros. Does my love of the view outweigh all the bad stuff??? Would it for you?
AND... Choice # 3: Party Center
I haven't blogged about this location before because I haven't actually been to see it yet. Then why would I even consider it? Well, I actually have been to see it, but the last time I was in there was around 10 years ago. IT is owned by the family of my best childhood friend ever. I am actually in her upcoming wedding that is taking place there this September.
My mom contacted her father a few weeks ago because I had been procrastinating. I just felt bad about potentially contacting him if I decided I didn't like it. However my mom is all excited now because his prices are amazing. I can't believe the highway robbery other venues are committing when I take a look at how much less he can provide me with the SAME things for.
So, here we go with the PROS:
1. I've known the family forever, so I know they would so a REALLY good job! I would completely trust my event in their hands.
2. It would be by far the least expensive option, and the least amount of work for me. My parents like the idea.
3. I will be at my friends' reception taking place almost a year before mine, and can decide what I do and don't like about it.
4. It's literally a quarter- mile from my parents' house.
Cons:
1. It's literally a quarter- mile from my parents' house, which is in the middle of BFN. (butt- f***ing NOWHERE!). Where would the guests stay?? I would need a shuttle to and from a hotel somewhere. Also, not a cool fun downtown area like I wanted!
2. It looks nice in the pictures, but it really is just another catering hall, just like every other one. No originality here! If I go crazy with extra decorating or other things it will just erase the whole point of having it there to save $$$.
3. He's not sure if I can have it on the 4th... he said he might not be able to get anyone to work. WTF?? All the other days I potentially wanted it were already taken.
And I guess Option #4...keep looking.......... I am starting to get MAJORLY frustrated here though, and might not be able to take it anymore. So what do YOU think??
Monday, April 7, 2008
The one??
This past weekend's visit to Cleveland was mainly for my Grandmother's 70th birthday party, but of course I got a little venue hunting in! I had really high hopes for this one- the Cleveland Lakeside Courthouse downtown.
FI and I got there early Saturday morning and walked up to the imposing black doors. Once inside, the guard grunted and made us walk through the metal detector. Good thing we were on the list! Keep in mind this is the actual Courthouse building during the week.
I really like that look. There is also a balcony at the top of a beautiful curving staircase.
They had a bar set up there. The balcony can be used for the cocktail hour, or just a place for guests to come and observe all the action going on below:
I LOVE this.
Other pros include bringing our own caterer and alcohol, which gives me complete creative control. It is downtown by the water which I really wanted and close to many many hotels. If I keep the 4th of July date, there will be traffic, but guests can stroll outside and have prime fireworks views, and there is an orchestra playing in the square all day.
2. EVERY last thing from a fork to a gorgeous guilded chivari chair has to be rented and brought in. There are no kitchens, so an over abundance of glasses and plates need to be brought in. This stuff all adds up.
3. It costs $525/hour to rent this space. I would also have to rent the parking garage for $500. Yikes!
4. No windows! Ugh.. it seems like everything is a compromise.
5. More vendors and MORE work for me!
Sigh... what do you think?
FI and I got there early Saturday morning and walked up to the imposing black doors. Once inside, the guard grunted and made us walk through the metal detector. Good thing we were on the list! Keep in mind this is the actual Courthouse building during the week.
Those doors are HUGE and heavy! Then we walked in and..............
Words cannot express how I felt on seeing the inside. How lucky we were to see that it was set up for a wedding that day! The gold chairs looked amazing in there. The ceilings are so huge and beautiful. The space really does not even need any decorating. One thing I would like to use in there would be all long tables,like this:
I really like that look. There is also a balcony at the top of a beautiful curving staircase.
They had a bar set up there. The balcony can be used for the cocktail hour, or just a place for guests to come and observe all the action going on below:
I LOVE this.
Other pros include bringing our own caterer and alcohol, which gives me complete creative control. It is downtown by the water which I really wanted and close to many many hotels. If I keep the 4th of July date, there will be traffic, but guests can stroll outside and have prime fireworks views, and there is an orchestra playing in the square all day.
So what are the drawbacks you ask. Why am I not running in a frenzy to sign the contract NOW!!!
1. small thing I know.... buuuuttt, this is a public building during the week, and the bathrooms totally reflect that. The look like ramshackle gas station bathrooms. Not much you could even do to make them nicer.
2. EVERY last thing from a fork to a gorgeous guilded chivari chair has to be rented and brought in. There are no kitchens, so an over abundance of glasses and plates need to be brought in. This stuff all adds up.
3. It costs $525/hour to rent this space. I would also have to rent the parking garage for $500. Yikes!
4. No windows! Ugh.. it seems like everything is a compromise.
5. More vendors and MORE work for me!
Sigh... what do you think?
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