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Ballroom at the Ben or Cescaphe

teacup0618teacup0618 member
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in Pennsylvania-Philadelphia
Hey everyone! My name is Michelle and I'm new to this board. This weekend we've looked at 10 different places, and narrowed it down to 2..Ballroom at the Ben and Cescaphe. Has anyone had their wedding, or been to a wedding at either of these two places? Just looking for some feedback on them, to make our decision easier. Thanks for your help!
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Re: Ballroom at the Ben or Cescaphe

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    ooodsieooodsie
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    edited December 2011
    Hi Michelle..
    I think I wrote the SAME exact post about 2 years ago on this board :)

    We decided on Cescaphe for a multitude of reasons:

    1) WAY more food (quantity) and also way higher quality of food.
    2) The staff was overall more accomodating and made me feel more comfortable
    3) Their location is gorgeous and more unique than the ballroom (the ballroom was beautiful, but some parts of it like the cocktail area felt older/dingy to me)
    4) Cescaphe is a lot more all inclusive and higher end when it comes to the food, drinks, linens, etc.  

    We were extremely happy with our decision!  
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    Mrs.Simpson2010Mrs.Simpson2010
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    edited December 2011
    I looked at both and think Cescaphe is far and away a better venue. I haven't been to a wedding at both, only Cescaphe, but I was blown away. 

    My fiance and a few friends have been to weddings at both, and much prefer Cescaphe.  From when I was looking (last may/june) the prices were pretty much the same. 

    Good luck!
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    kira&jakekira&jake
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    edited December 2011
    I was also choosing between those 2, but ended up going with Cescaphe for all of the reasons that Ooodsie said plus the fact that we could add valet parking for our guests at Cescaphe but we couldn't do that at the Ben. As far as pricing, the Ben's starting price without any add ons is close to what Cescaphe's all-inclusive price is, so I feel that you do get more for your money at Cescaphe. Both are beautiful though. Good luck choosing!
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    ooodsieooodsie
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    edited December 2011
    Oh yeah I forgot about the valet parking!  At the time the ballroom at the ben didnt offer it, although I've heard that they have since changed that.  Regardless, Cescaphe is way better all around.
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    CA2PABride2BeCA2PABride2Be member
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    edited December 2011
    FYI - your screen name truly freaked me out because that's my mother's email address haha
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    PharmJenPharmJen
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    edited December 2011
    We just had our reception at Cescaphe 2 weeks ago and I don't have enough great things to say about it!  It was so fantastic and for the price, you really won't be able to find what they offer anywhere for it.  We would have looked at the Ben but after we went to Cescaphe, it was a no-brainer.  People are still telling us how amazing everything was!  
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    eandruseandrus
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    edited December 2011
    We were looking at these two places as well and Cescaphe offered an all around much better package and value for the total cost. Everything is included from taxes, gratuities, parking, etc. which really helps when you compare apples to apples. My fiance's cousin was just married at Cescaphe and it was amazing. The cocktail hour was really over the top and we were literally full before dinner even started. Since his cousin was married there we decided against it, but also looked into their other venue Atrium at the Curtis Center which is amazing too, but required a minimum 200 guests. We ended up going with The Downtown Club on 6th & Chestnut.
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    ooodsieooodsie
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    edited December 2011
    We had our reception at the Atrium - but I love both venues.  They can be slightly flexible with the 200 minimum if it's a day they really want to fill and not super peak season or a Saturday.  
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    vllygrn0327vllygrn0327
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    edited December 2011
    I've been to weddings at both the Ballroom at the Ben and Cescaphe.  I was blown away by Cescaphe.  It seems unanimous on this board that you should go with Cescaphe!  Good luck!
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    teacup0618teacup0618 member
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    edited December 2011
    WOW!! I wasnt expecting all that!  Thanks for the feedback girls..this morning we were leaning more towards the Ben but now i think more toward cescahpe. I havent really seen any reviews on the Ben, good or bad.
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    Stacylynn702Stacylynn702 member
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    edited December 2011
    I'm late as usual but I want to back up the posts.  I've never been to Ballroom at the Ben nor Cescaphe's ballroom but I went to a Cescaphe wedding at the Curtis Center and it was by far the most beautiful wedding I've ever been to.  The food was amazing, not to mention the amount of options to choose from.  I don't even know how we managed to eat dinner after the cocktail hour.  The good thing too is that I didn't see one person make a drunken memory b/c there was too much food to let that happen.  Looks like you have your decision but just wanted to add.
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    teacup0618teacup0618 member
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    edited December 2011
    Thanks StacyLynn appreciate the input :)
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    kmsand84kmsand84 member
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    edited December 2011
    When my FI and I were deciding on our venue we had it down to these two as well. I have been to a wedding at the Ben and when I was there it was so beautiful I said "this is where I want to get married." When we started looking at venues they only one that even came close was Cescaphe. they both have very different styles- the Ballroom at the Ben has that older European style and Cescaphe has a more princess feel to it. So it is really up to what you are going for. One of my bridesmaids was in a wedding at cescaphe and said the dance floor was too small and it was cut off by all the tables being too close. Other downfalls were than that charge extra for lighting at Cescaphe where they throw it in at the Ben. It also depends on it  you want to get married in Center City or not. We did not want to pay extra to transport people from the hotel whereas at the Ben they could walk 4 block from a hotel or even get a cab if they wanted. Cescaphe does throw in more food but probably because they have to give you something extra since they aren't downtown- I thought the ballroom there was gorgeous but in the end just not my style. We ultimately decided on the Ben but only because it fit our style. These are all things to think about.  
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    ooodsieooodsie
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    edited December 2011
    You should also look into their Curtis Center location if you have any questions like the above poster had - that way you really do have a center city wedding with many hotels in walking distance (the omni is right around the corner). and the dance floor is huge.  Same food and amazing service there too.
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    FelixthemanFelixtheman
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    edited December 2011
    I have heard from several folks that the acoustics are not good at all at Curtis (due to the high ceilings), despite the overall beauty of the place.

    Anyone? 

    Also, I hear Ballroom at Ben is more willing to negotiate downwards. 
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    kmsand84kmsand84 member
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    edited December 2011
    When we looked at the Ballroom they said you must have a minimum of 225 and I said well I am really not comfortable with that and I am still deciding between one other place (did not mention it was Cescaphe but I could tell that she knew because she had said at another meeting that it was their biggest competitor) and then called back later and got her to bring minimum down to 200.

    Edit: Even though we are inviting 260- we are having a lot of out of town guests. She even threw in the desert room and ice sculpture at no charge.
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    blittle96blittle96 member
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    edited December 2011
    Hi!  I'm putting my opinion in here too because I had my reception at the Ballroom 2 weeks ago....We had the same problem, trying to decide between Ceschaphe (No Lib) and Ballroom.  I went to  a reception at Cescaphe in No Lib 2 years ago.  It was amazing!  When we contacted them, everytime I spoke to someone different, got different quotes for price, and for minimum numbers.  Also, we really wanted something in CC too.  The Atrium just wasn't our style...We planned our wedding in less than 5 months and worked with Nicole. Our cocktail hour was amazing, as was the food, the wedding cake and sweets room (done by Tirmini's bakery) Your reception will be beautiful, no matter where you have it!  Good luck!
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    FelixthemanFelixtheman
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    edited December 2011
    Thanks.  How big was your wedding?  Did you feel the need to add extras during cocktail hour?  (extra stations or butlered hors d'oeuvres)?
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    blittle96blittle96 member
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    edited December 2011
    We had 150 at our reception...they will prepare plenty of food for the cocktail hour, I promise!  The guests loved it and thought the food was fabulous.  We did have a signature drink table to help with congestion at the bars.
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    srivell4257srivell4257
    First Comment
    DO NOT USE CESCAPHE EVENT GROUP.
    Joe Volpe and Cescaphe are in breach of contract.
    They had an operational issue at the ballroom location resulting in power and AC failure during our event. The DJ was forced to scream introductions and power went out during our first dance. And the heat was an issue throughout the event as AC units kept failing. I cannot look at my video or pictures without crying.
    They were aware of this issue as we have since found out that this occured at other events there.
    Joe Volpe will not accept responsibility and doesw not stand behind his company.
    We have been asking for return calls, meetings, and return of any profit (not Cost) Profit from the event. Joe continues to ignore this for 19 months. We are now forced to take legal action.
    JoeVolpe's greed and lack of culpabilty is dissapointing, we had very high expectations and Cescaphe has failed to meet any of them.
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