Beach Ball Events/Mallards Marsh

Phillyboy06

Hi Ladies,

Sometimes I wish we were where you guys were at as far the planning process and finalizing the "little" details.  We are definitely a little "scrambled egg" with the ideas now, and like I keep saying, the next few weeks will HOPEFULLY bring everything into a clearer picture for us(Obx vacation Sept 4th-11th).  Now question for any of you.

Have any of you dealt with, had your ceremony/reception at or can give any info about Beach Ball Events and Mallards Marsh on Roanoke Island???  This option was presented to us this evening and it looks like it could be a "one stop shop" for everything. 

Also, what are your thoughts on the "one stop shop" type of ceremony/reception idea and going with set vendor list and basically having to go with all of the company's choices?  That's the scary part of doing a "one stop shop" idea, that we don't have the ability to "make this our day" and pick and choose our vendors.

jendem8

Personally, I looked at them briefly but hated the thought of all of my decisions being made for me.  It's a personal thing, but I've been to weddings where the food is terrible, and that's because the venue didn't allow outside caterers (not saying Beach Ball/Mallards has bad food).  I think they even choose your photographer which was a big "No" in my book.  You guys still have a year... I would say look around and see how reasonable it would be to do your own stuff before going with a "one stop shop." 

If you're looking in Manteo at all, 108 Budleigh is beautiful, easy to work with, and pretty reasonable (I think during the week it's $2,000 to rent th space, $2,500 on a Friday, and $3,000 on a Saturday).  I know you're talking about having a somewhat constrained budget, but you don't need to decorate the space since it's so pretty, and it comes with tables/chairs.  Plus, you can get any caterer you like and even bring your own alochol if you choose.  Just a thought!  If you are careful with your budget, I think you could make it work.  Good luck!

mmolson5

We are having our wedding in November at Mallards Marsh through Beach Ball Events.  I LOVE the "one stop shop".  I am not a planner and tend to stress big time about making decisions so for us Beach Ball has been a dream!  Everyone has been great to work with and has gotten back to me ASAP. Linda Bradley is especially great to deal with!   Compared to all of my friends, I have had no stress planning the wedding at all because Beach Ball knows what they are doing and I trust them completely. 

Mallards Marsh is GORGEOUS inside, so there is little to do decorating wise in my opinion.  Their centerpieces are simple and can be arranged in a number of ways.  The food that we have tasted has been very good and I've heard good reviews too.  The only this I do have issues with is the photography.  Only 2.5 hours come with the package.  If you want to add another hour it's another $500 which is ridiculous in my eyes for only an hour.  However, we are dealing with it and taking the 2.5 hours and putting cameras on tables for guests to take during the reception.  We really only need a photographer for the bridal party/family pictures anyway.  Plus, my sister preferred her table camera pictures over some of her photographer's because friends and family tend to know better what and who to capture. 

In my opinion, if you want an easy and stress free wedding, Beach Ball is a very good option.  I couldn't speak more highly of them other than  the exception of the photgraphy, and to me that's a tiny thing compared to all the advantages.  Also, we have only had to make one trip down to meet with all the vendors through Beach Ball versus multiple visits to interview and see all the options if we were planning the whole thing ourselves.  That there has saved us travelling money too. 

I hope this helps and everything works out and you find the venue to your liking whether it's with Beach Ball or not!

Phillyboy06

Thanks for the opinions ladies. 

@mmolson I love the one stop shop too, and as you, I have concerns with the photography time constraints.  I'm not sure if this will be a sticking point for FI and me or not.  I really would like to have lots of pix, or at the very least a disk with our pix and the rights to those.  Do you know if that comes with the package?  Also, when looking at the catering package, I saw nothing about appetizers.  Are they included or do you need to buy them as well?  We need to weigh our pros and cons with Mallards Marsh vs. getting everything ala carte and what vendors we might want.  It's such a tough decision.  Budget wise, we like the Mallards Marsh option.  We have about a $12K budget.   Another question.  What are you doing for lodging?  I have been looking for houses to rent on Roanoke island and have found like 2, one being through Mallards Marsh(which looks gorgeous by the way).  What makes it doubly tough is that we will be bringing a few "four legged friends". :-)  If you don't mind me asking, what are the specifics on your wedding?  Guest #, budget, cost for Mallards, etc?  Would love to hear your story and how you decided on this, etc.  Did you have other venues in mind or another plan? 

@JD Thanks for your advice too.  Our Sept 4th-11th trip this year should bring everything into a clearer light.  As far as Budleigh.  A popular place.  However for some reason it doesn't speak "beach" to me.  I can't explain it.  It's probably on the bottom of our list, however we might schedule a visit to them when we visit Mallards Marsh.  We will be in the area, probably wouldn't hurt, eh?

mmolson5

Hi PhillyBoy,

I sent you a private message as I wrote you quite a book with our details. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Phillyboy06

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina-outer-banks_beach-ball-eventsmallards-marsh?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:598Discussion:0767da47-81c9-4ae8-ae09-44b502be12e9Post:cf0e60b6-5656-428f-a8cb-cb6392cbcb2e">Re: Beach Ball Events/Mallards Marsh</a>:
[QUOTE]Hi PhillyBoy, I sent you a private message as I wrote you quite a book with our details. Let me know if you have any other questions! :)
Posted by mmolson5[/QUOTE]

Right back at cha MMolson!

jendem8

@Philly, you're right, the Budleigh is not super beachy.  But (again this is personal taste), I wanted something with elegance, which is what the Budleigh has.  Even though we stay down in Avon for vacation, my parents and I always take day trips up to Manteo; the Budleigh captures the feel of the town with an elegant twist.  I've been working to combine elements of the fun/casual feel of our beach ceremony with the elegant feel of the Budleigh... so I guess you can see why I wanted to be in charge of the details of our wedding!  It all depends on what you're looking for, but if you're in the area, you might as well check it out!  Bonnie Hudgins is very sweet and will answer any of your questions.

I'm sure you've been researching a lot, but here's a good list of venues in case you've missed any: http://www.outerbanks.org/visitor_services/wedding_information/outer_banks_wedding_reception_sites.asp

Phillyboy06

Thanks for the info JD! :-)

obxlaurak

My fiance follows the photog from Beach Ball Events on twitter and he frequently has 3+ events/day.  For me, I'd want to be assured that he won't feel rushed, tired, etc.

Phillyboy06

@Laura Here's the thing.  I think we plan on getting married during a weekday, not a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.  Also, our date will be in September, and from what i've seen on our board, this doesn't seem to be as "popular" month as others???  That's not to say that there aren't many more weddings and obx brides/grooms lurking elsewhere on other boards(how dare them!), but if we do decide to go with Mallards Marsh, this is definitely something that i'm weighing.  FI isn't as concerned with the photography as me, so not sure what more I can say to her.  I think she's at the point that pix are great, but with 40 something guests coming, most of them will be taking pix too, so lots of different perspectives and views.  She's like, "I just want to marry you......".

hldubble

@ Philly, we are booked with beach ball for a April 2012 wedding! It is def a one stop shop but it is definitely not a cookie cutter pattern. You have options in every aspect of the wedding.  we are going down the weekend after thanksgiving to meet all the vendors do our food and cake tastings and talk to all the vendors about what personalisation's we want.  they supply the people you choose how they do it! If you like I'll update you after Nov when we get back!

hldubble

Hi everyone!
We just got back from our "wedding weekend" and have met with and planned all the details of our wedding with Beach Ball Events!  In my opinion... it couldn't get any better! They are all soooo wonderful and made us both feel so special.  It may be a one stop shop place for weddings, but it is a well oiled machine of expertise and professionalism!  I have tons of details if you are interested in hearing more. 

Please message me at hldubble@gmail.com
Heather