Hi offbeat bride- to-be's!
DF and I have finally solidified what we want to do for our offbeat budget wedding! We're having a JOP seal the deal and have a Sunday brunch in in one of our fave restaurants with 20 of our family and friends.
In narrowing down the list to 3 restaurants, we want to find out if it'd be possible to get a private room for our small group so we can have the JOP say the vows in the room discretely then celebrate immediately after. Our top contender is an upscale Japanese restaurant and has a private room. It also has a beautiful 3 story pagoda, koi pond w/ bridge and traditional Japanese gardens in the mountains overlooking the Hudson River Valley (perfect for pictures). The other 2 are ethnic restaurants w/ semi-private areas--not rooms--where we'd have to consider saying our vows in a nearby gazebo or private garden. No biggie.
Anyway, we want to call and visit these places to get quotes and get a vibe to see which we love most. So a few questions:
* I've heard that if you tell them it's for a wedding, they jack up the prices. Is that true?
* The Japanese restaurant definately has champagne as part of the brunch w/ mimosas as an option. If the other places don't (and don't sell champagne) how would we figure out the logistics of a champagne toast? As in corking, chilling, glasses?
* The Japanese place serves cake w/ brunch but the other two don't have dessert options besides ice cream or other pastries. I love to bake and would like to bring a cupcake stand w/ creations that reflect our favorite flavors. How would we figure out the logistics of serving cupcakes at the restaurant?
Thanks so much!
Ad astra per aspera