Inconsiderate Venue Choice?

PrettyGirlLost

TilaT25 said:

Particularly the episode about going to brunch.

 

I LOVE THAT ONE!!!

I think the whole series is great. . . and actually piqued my interest to visit.  Sorry to go off on a rabbit trail.

Mandafly84

Just chiming in regarding parking.. I have no problem paying for a garage and would not expect the B&G to pay, but I would be much happier to know about it in advance so I can stash $20 in the glovebox.

smalfrie19

See.. I live near Downtown Seattle. If I was invited to a wedding downtown where I know is paid parking (like it sounds like your guests are aware) I would not expect the B&G to foot the bill..HOWEVER... if its at some sort of event center or park that requires me to pay for parking...THAT I would expect the B&G to cover. 

behsco90

What venues are you considering in downtown Portland?

SP29

I think it's fine to choose a downtown venue but I think you should try to cover parking at a near-by garage. I don't think a shuttle is necessary if the garage is walking distance. 

mollyringwald15

We are thinking about the Treasury Ballroom or Leftbank Annex

Liatris2010

smalfrie19 said:

See.. I live near Downtown Seattle. If I was invited to a wedding downtown where I know is paid parking (like it sounds like your guests are aware) I would not expect the B&G to foot the bill..HOWEVER... if its at some sort of event center or park that requires me to pay for parking...THAT I would expect the B&G to cover. 

This is where I am too. If the B&G choose a venue that has a lot that charges, I expect them to pay. If the B&G choose a venue downtown and I am free to find my own spot, then I do not expect them to pay. Making a deal with a nearby garage would be nice, but as I guest I wouldn't expect it.

wrigleyville

What is Portland's public transit system like?

We go to a lot of weddings in downtown Chicago. Since we live here and are used to it, we fully expect to pay to park in a garage if we choose to drive downtown instead of taking transit. We're well aware of the costs and know about a few websites that offer pre-paid reservations.

Now, if the venue itself has its own parking lot and requires guests to pay, that's when I'd expect the B&G to foot the bill.

I think it really depends on your crowd and whether or not they're used to driving/parking downtown.

behsco90

TilaT25 said:

We are thinking about the Treasury Ballroom or Leftbank Annex

I thought the Treasury Ballroom offered valet parking as an add-on.  Or you may be able to get in contact with one of the Smart Park garages (I think there is one nearby) and see if you can reserve some spaces...not sure if they do that, but it may be worth looking into.

ETA: Here's a link about the valet parking: http://treasuryballroom.com/event-essentials-professional/event-additions/

pinkshorts27

I'm from OR! We avoided Portland so no one would have to deal with it. We are getting married at a golf course. I would also suggest looking into Mcmenamins. My friend got married there and it was a beautiful wedding with great food.

thisismynickname2

wrigleyville said:

What is Portland's public transit system like?

We go to a lot of weddings in downtown Chicago. Since we live here and are used to it, we fully expect to pay to park in a garage if we choose to drive downtown instead of taking transit. We're well aware of the costs and know about a few websites that offer pre-paid reservations.

Now, if the venue itself has its own parking lot and requires guests to pay, that's when I'd expect the B&G to foot the bill.

I think it really depends on your crowd and whether or not they're used to driving/parking downtown.

Fellow Chicagoan and fully agree. If a couple can afford to treat, great but if not, no biggie. Where would you draw the line after parking? Gas? Hotel? Flight? Train? Highway tolls? I count parking as a cost incurred by a guest to attend a wedding. If people can't afford to come they can decline.

So bottom line OP, choose the place that makes you the most happy.

FiancB

The public transportation is pretty great as long as it's not too late. Cabs are awful- I got stuck at a friend's house for hours because cab companies kept telling me they'd come get me and then didn't, because they wanted to hover by the bars instead. I was only about 5-10 minutes away from said bars too. 

I thought I'd add IME most parking areas in Portland take cards. In fact, I'm not so sure that they all take cash. 

phira

FiancB said:

The public transportation is pretty great as long as it's not too late. Cabs are awful- I got stuck at a friend's house for hours because cab companies kept telling me they'd come get me and then didn't, because they wanted to hover by the bars instead. I was only about 5-10 minutes away from said bars too. 

I thought I'd add IME most parking areas in Portland take cards. In fact, I'm not so sure that they all take cash. 

Sounds like Boston at 2am.

antoto

I second the idea of finding a parking structure of some sort near your venue that can accommodate a ton of cars and then putting that info on your website and also on your timeline if you are doing goody bags in the block rooms.

TBH, they are adults and can figure out parking.  As long as you know there is ample parking in the area then I don't see how that is a problem.  Parking is just a part of life. 

mrs4everhart

I don't think hosting your reception in a city vs. a suburb is inconsiderate, assuming it's not a god-awful long drive from your ceremony location. In this day in age there are a million ways to get directions to just about anywhere and it sounds like you have options for parking as PP's have suggested such as finding pre-paid lots you could make arrangements with or valet and shuttle services. I think if you look at your guest list and you know that Great Aunt Edna will most likely decline rather than navigating city streets, and you're okay with that, I think you have your answer as to where to have your reception. I don't think it is practical to attempt to find a location that suits everyone perfectly, because that location doesn't exist. Someone is going to have to travel, someone is going to have hire a sitter, someone else is going to have to board their pets - you will not be able to accommodate every last scenario. 

pinkshorts27

Just wanted to add, the reason we avoided portland is because most of our family is from the country (think rural Idaho, Nebraska, Kansas, etc.) and probably wouldn't dream of paying for parking, so that was a situation of knowing our guests. 

SharedJoy

TilaT25 said:

We are thinking about the Treasury Ballroom or Leftbank Annex

Hello from a (lurky) fellow Portlander. I think Left Bank Annex will be tougher to find parking especially if it's a game day because it is so close to the Moda Center. The parking will also be more expensive than a garage downtown, I believe. It is really nice, though.

phira

blueeyes90 said:

Just wanted to add, the reason we avoided portland is because most of our family is from the country (think rural Idaho, Nebraska, Kansas, etc.) and probably wouldn't dream of paying for parking, so that was a situation of knowing our guests. 

This is a great point.

CrazyCatLady3

wrigleyville said:

What is Portland's public transit system like?

We go to a lot of weddings in downtown Chicago. Since we live here and are used to it, we fully expect to pay to park in a garage if we choose to drive downtown instead of taking transit. We're well aware of the costs and know about a few websites that offer pre-paid reservations.

Now, if the venue itself has its own parking lot and requires guests to pay, that's when I'd expect the B&G to foot the bill.

I think it really depends on your crowd and whether or not they're used to driving/parking downtown.

I completely agree with this.  We are having our wedding in midtown Manhattan on a Saturday.  Our venue does not have designated parking.  However it is within 3 blocks of numerous modes of public transportation.  On our wedding website, I listed all the public transportation options and also provided a list of nearby parking garages for those who wish to drive.  We are not paying for parking for those who choose to drive because it is not required to drive and park to get there.  (If there were required valet, we would pay). 

When I go to weddings out in the boonies and drive I don't expect the B&G to pay for gas, tolls and potentially a hotel room for the night just because they chose to get married out there...so I don't think we need to pay for people to park near our city venue.

tammym1001

I think it really depends on your crowd. I feel like if your Mom is worried about it then there is probably a reason. I would have to ask a couple of questions to decide if I think it's inconsiderate though:

1. Do you have guests that would not be able to walk a few blocks to your wedding if they had to park in a garage?

2. Is there a chance that there could be an event downtown on the same day as your wedding that could fill up the parking garages or potentially raise their prices?

3. Is it safe for your guests to walk several blocks through the city to get back to their cars at 11:00 at night when your reception ends?

4. Is there a chance that a good portion of your guests may decline due to going downtown or having to pay for parking?

It's really a know your crowd/city thing. I would never dream of having a Saturday wedding in my city during the summer time. They have festivals every weekend and it's impossible to find parking within 6 blocks of downtown. I would never do that to my guests. 

LabLove86

I also live in a city where there are an abundance of downtown venus (with city-street or garage parking) and venus just outside of the city (anywhere from 5-20 minutes out) with on-site ample parking for all guests.

Personally driving into the city for an event knowing I'm going to have to find a parking spot causes me a great deal of anxiety (Paying for it or not doesn't affect my feelings here . . . but as long as I know ahead of time I'm totally fine with paying for parking). Not enough anxiety for me to not go to the function - but it stresses me out. And because of this I will make sure that our venue has on-site parking because I don't want my guests to feel that way about simply getting to our venue. 

Personal feelings/viewpoint.