Biopark Brides? Aka Where will you get hitched?

SandiaLiz

I am gettin married this July at the botanic gardens with the reception at the Shark Reef Cafe. Any other Biopark Brides? It might be fun to compare what we are doing and and maybe chat!

Where is everyone else getting married?

sculli

I'm not a biopark bride but thought I'd just hi.  We are getting married June 3rd at El Pinto, also having our reception there.  So far we are loving the communication and help we are getting from them!

kcfrye

I'm getting married at Nature Pointe out in Edgewood. It is a fairly new country club/community center in the middle of a new neighborhood in Edgewood that I would call the Tanoan of the mountains. 

 I've heard good things about the BioPark, but I didn't like that you only have 3 hours for everything. How are you working with that?

SandiaLiz

I love El Pinto! That is really fun to do for a very New Mexico feel. I didn't know you could do the ceremony there too. And your date is getting close! Very exciting! It would be so cute to give their yummy salsa for favors!

I don't know anything about Nature Point. Is it going to be an outdoor wedding? That area is beautiful! How far out are you from the big day?

I am super excited about the Biopart. Because I booked the reception there also w are actually getting 5 hours. It could be longer but I think it will work. We will probably be so tired by then going home at 11 will be great!

kcfrye

Six  months today! I'm getting pretty excited. We hadn't heard of Nature Pointe either, and then FI's stepbrother was in a wedding out there and mentioned it to us. Our ceremony is going to be outside on a huge patio in front of a fountain, and then our reception is going to be indoors. I imagine that our guests won't mind 30 minutes outside for the ceremony but trying to do the whole thing outdoors would be a bit much. 

 I'm glad you got more than the 3 hours I've heard about at the BioPark. It's definitely beautiful there, and the weddings are always gorgeous. Plus your guests get to walk around and check things out before the wedding, right?

sculli

I just love the idea of getting married outside.  We're lucky here in NM to have such gorgeous areas!  At El Pinto you can get married there, outside June through I think Aug or Sept for only $300.  We figured since we were doing the reception there why not get married there too.  Plus that price is right lol. Hardest part is getting the date you want.

SRNtobe

My friend had her ceremony at the botanical gardens a couple years ago, and it was beautiful. They didn't a bring a sound system though, so we couldn't actually hear much of the ceremony.

We're having our ceremony at the UNM Alumni chapel, and our reception at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History (because we're both big science geeks). Our venues have been great to work with so far.

horsevaulter

Hi Ladies! I am getting married in 13 days!! eeek!! I love the bio park, thats where my FI proposed!! We wanted more time though, so we are geting married at my Grandmother's church, and having our reception outside in a garden at The Inn at Paradise! Congrats to all of you! Ill have reviews for you soon!!

SandiaLiz

Yay! I love hearing about everyones plans! It is one thing to look at all the weddings on here but actually knowing about the venues is so much more exciting! I am in love with my venue! Glad you are all excited too!

SRN2be - What is the reception space like at the Museum of Nuclear Science? We checked out a lot of places and missed that one. Sounds so fun though! 

horseevaulator - 13 days! yay! I was excited to be under three months...you must be so excited! Definitely post reviews! And share pics!

SRNtobe

We're having our reception in the main hall of the museum (where the floor is tiled as the periodic table!). They have some classrooms off to the side of the hall that have kitchen space, so the caterers will be set up in there. The museum will also be open to guests during the cocktail hour and reception, but they can't bring food or drink into the exhibits. They're providing the tables, chairs, and white tablecloths for us as well as setting those up.

We haven't decided on DJ vs. iPod yet (I'm really picky about music. Not a pop fan at all), but if we go the iPod route, we can hook it up to their in-house sound system. They also have A/V rentals available, but we're not using any.

SandiaLiz

That is so fun! I really wanted to do ours at Explora and have the exhibits open but it was too expensive for us. That sounds soooo fun! I haven't been there yet, I will have to go check it out!

lilashdd04

I'm a Biopark bride also!  August 27th!  We decided not to have our reception at the Shark Reef Cafe because it wasn't big enough for all of our guests.  Our Reception is going to be at the DoubleTree.... I don't have great reviews for them as of right now but hopefully that will change.

What are your colors? 

SandiaLiz

My colors are royal blue with sky blue and yellow accents. I am excited to hear from another biopark lady! I am just so excited! I actually ran into another one who is doing an elopement on the same day I am! Crazy! What about you ladies? What are your colors? And how did you choose? I had the hardest time. 

redhed831

I am also a Biopark Bride...September 17th. We are only going to have the ceremony there, and the cocktail hour/reception at the Pyramid. We went against having the reception there just because we just weren't fond of the food.

Nature Pointe is beautiful. I wish they had been around when I booked. I would have liked to have another nice, affordable outdoor option.

lilashdd04

My colors are black, white and shamrock green.  I chose by seeing a bridesmaid dress in a catalog that was the shamrock green and fell in love with it. 

I love the dark blue/light blue and yellow!  That will be beautiful!  I bet you are getting excited with only 2 months to go!  Hope your plans have all gone well and that your day is absolutely beautiful!  Where did you get your dress from?

@redhead831 I do a lot of work events at the pyramid and love the people there!  You will have a great reception there! 

SandiaLiz

Redhed, that is my dad's birthday! I will think of you! My MOH got married at the Biopark and had her reception at the Shark Reef and the food was terrible! But I have heard things have gotten better...and I just couldn't resist the sharks!

lilashdd, those are really fun colors! I originally wanted to do black and white (like, before I was engaged). Too many fun things to do with that combo! I am getting very very excited! I actually got my dress from Alfred Angelo. That is a good idea for a new post...let's see where everyone got theirs!

lilashdd04

I got my dress at Bridal Elegance.  It's a Maggie Sottero.  My bridesmaid dresses are Alfred Angelo!  Although, we saved a few dollars and ordered them on House of Brides instead.

allopez8881

I absolutely LOVE the botanic garden and am still considering having our ceremony there. I just cant get over how beautiful it is.  The only thing deterring me is that the time frames seem so late!!!  When I spoke with the lady, she said the earliest you could have a ceremony is 7.  After that, we wouldnt be having dinner until late in the evening.  Are you guys still doing a dinner after your ceremony?  Or have you been able to negotiate an earlier ceremony time????  Thanks and Congrats to all of you!

lilashdd04

@allopez8881 I am still having a dinner reception after the ceremony.  If your wedding is in the summer it won't matter because it still feels early.  You could even do a reception with heavy appitizers instead of an actual meal.  That way nothing goes to waste.  If people ate before the ceremony then they may be ready for a snack after... When is your wedding?

allopez8881

Its July 2012.  We have a meeting with Renee next week to discuss our options. I really love the area for a ceremony I just want to avoid serving dinner so late.