Back story: I had a floral meeting today with The Event Firm in Coral Gables. It went fabulously - better than expected! I really clicked with the owner, she's incredible and she has very similar taste to mine. The reason I was excited to meet with her is b/c her firm did all the opening events for my venue when it opened 2 years ago, so she knows the property like the back of her hand. Here's the issue: she says that the restaurant will only hold 100 people - 110 tops. Many of you may remember that this was a major concern of mine. The ballrooms are way to small to fit us (65 ppl tops) so we rented the entire restaurant for our reception. I had a feeling that the WC was stretching it when he said they could do up to 125, but I figured he knew better than I did. Our list is up to 150, and I doubt it will drop down to 110 or 100. And even if it does, I don't need the stress. Anyways, the Event Firm has done weddings in the restaurant, and she says it will really only hold 110 tops without being a total squeeze. She says that I would probably have to do long family style tables in the restaurant to fit everyone, or seat people in the bar/lounge area - neither or which are viable options for me. She said that she can, however, do wonders with the outdoor terraces and make them more loungy and open then out as part of the room so ppl can flow in and out. I really love that idea, and she showed me some stunning examples. But there are two problems with that setup and my July date: the humidity will make the open doors almost impossible, and the chance of rain is so great in July that it's a huge risk. So in short, the only option I really like is super risky. **SIGH** I don't want people to be cramped into this space! I love this place, but I swear it's always something. I already left a message with the WC so we can discuss this. I already met with him to discuss the contract addendum, and he's supposed to get a new contract back to me this week with some additional negotiated concessions. I REALLY heart this venue more than anywhere else I looked, but it's becoming a real pain in the azz. Thanks for letting me vent.
