Lanam Club

christindonahue

Hello!  Im looking for information on hosting my wedding reception at the Lanam Club in Andover.  has anyone had their reception there?  Id love to ask a real bride a few questions before we commit!

HMcP

Yay!  I'm finally hearing someone who knows about this place.  We are getting married there 7/31.  I love this venue, it's so rich and intimate.  And I like that it's not very well known either.  So far we've had a good experience with Alex the General Manager.  We are going for our tasting next Wednesday.  If you have any other questions I'd be happy to chat.  We're planning a smallish affair so not utilizing the tent; just the inside of the mansion.

clbartnicki

**Butting in here**** A girl I went to high school with had her wedding there this past Fall, and it was GORGEOUS!

chubbybunny

Oooo I'm getting married there too, and I agree with PP, I feel like no one's ever heard of it!

My wedding is in May. Alex is great, and we had our tasting a month or so ago. The food is amazing, and I seriously fall in love with that place more every time I go there, it's SO gorgeous. Sounds super cheesy but it's true. I'd be happy to answer any questions that I could for you!

HMcP

I'm excited to find other couples having their weddings there!  Chubbybunny what are you choosing for your menu, have you decided?  And that's so funny you say you fall in love with the place more and more everytime you go because so do I.  I went out last weekend and bought a million votives, it's going to look so pretty at night.  Last time I went in they had the fireplace going and made me wish I was getting married in the winter. 

chubbybunny

I know, it's SO cozy in there. At the tasting, we tried the sirloin steak, stuffed firenze chicken and the baked haddock...we decided on the haddock and chicken, they were both soo good. The steak was good too, but it was served very rare, so we figured it'd be a better bet to go with chicken and fish.

We also tried the cream of broccoli soup, it was AWESOME, but we ultimately decided to go with the Lanam salad as the appetizer.

I'm actually really excited to hear from other Lanam brides as well! We are going with the tent, as well as the indoor space...all those votives you mentioned will be gorgeous. Are you using local vendors?

HMcP

Oooh that all sounds yummy.  We are going to taste the haddock, firenze chicken and filet at our tasting next week.  The sunken garden is amazing isn't it?  I'm just envisioning tripping and falling since I'll be walking myself down.  Looking for practical shoes as we speak :-) 

I am meeting with two florists this weekend.  Not going with their vendor package.  Got the DJ (Murray Hill) and Photog (Kevin Jacobus), JP, etc booked, just pretty much need to decide on flowers and the other little touches.  What about you? 

chubbybunny

I LOVE the grounds, too. haha, I wasn't exagerrating earlier, I really am kind of obsessed with the place! We're not having our ceremony there, but I'm sure it will be beautiful for you, good luck with the shoe search!

Yeah, we didn't go with the vendor package either. My soon-to-be brother in law is actually a DJ, so we're using him, and Scott Metzger for our photographer. We're using a florist in Windham, strictly for bouquets. My future mother in law is doing the table arrangements, but really, that place hardly needs any more decoration...it's so ornate as is.

christindonahue

Oh Im so excited to hear such great things!  We're going back on Friday to meet with Alex for a second time to ask a few more questions and Im going to bring my parents to show them too.

Im curious to hear if anyone has had a wedding over 150 (or is planning too).  Alex says it is possible but we'd have to rent another tent to extend on the one the club owns.  He told me they did a wedding of 180 last summer and it was fabulous.

We absolutely love the place!  Its got so much character and charm.  Personally I love the idea of having all the rooms downstairs and access to the garden available for cocktail hour and mingling after dinner. 

How do you girls feel about the space for dancing?  Big enough? Thanks for posting your comments!  Please keep the details coming!

Christin

chubbybunny

I just know he said that the tent could accommodate 150, but if he said there was a wedding for 180 then I bet you'll be fine. We're only inviting around 120 so I can't say much more about that.

It's hard to get a real gauge of the dance floor because of all the furniture in there. But I think it'll be plenty big once it's cleared; not everyone will be dancing, and there are other places inside for people to hang out and mingle, as you put it.

I'm glad you like it so much! It had the same effect on me, and still does! When is your wedding?

christindonahue

thanks!  we have not set a date yet.  not until summer 2011 though.  hopefully all our questions get answered when we speak with alex on friday night.  he said there are plenty of openings for summer 2011.

do you happen to know where/how the new couple gets introduced after cocktail hour?  does that happen inside or into the tent?

HMcP

We are planning a small affair, 60-something guests, so we are not using the tent instead utilizing the dining room for the dinner reception and the middle lounge area will be the dance floor.  And then the bar area which I know the majority of our crowd will hang around.  Then there's the lounge to the other side of that. 

I definitely think they can accomodate 180 but that may be a little tight once everyone is inside?  Then again, there are basically those 4 rooms to spread out across.

When we were initially thinking of utilizing the tent it sounded like the couple gets introduced after cocktail hour as they came into the tent for dinner.  I actually saw someone's pictures and it looked like it flowed nicely.  Then after dinner the guests are ushered inside for the couple's first dance, etc etc.

Let us know what you decide!  Good luck!

chubbybunny

Yes I think HMcP has it right. The bride and groom are introduced into the tent. Good luck with your meeting, I hope you get everything answered on Friday! Look forward to hear about planning for both of you going forward

susie22

We are having our wedding there too! I love that place. We are having a more intimate wedding 50 guests, and are thinking about having the ceremony there as well. My only concern about that is i would love to have t outside, but late Oct, is pretty chilly. Has anyone ever had or been to an outide wedding in Oct? We may have to have it inside, from what you have seen would we be ale to have it in the main dining area? I know there is room upstairs but we are using them for dinner/ dancing! Let me know, thanks!

christindonahue

hello!  so we met with alex last night and to my relief all of our questions were answered and we like al lthe answers we got!  alex told me they did a wedding of 185 last summer and it was great.  we will have to rent an additional tent (that will be like an extension of their tent) and he knows just how to set it up.  so we are just going to check with the church before we finalize the date.  im so excited!

HMcP

Congratulations!  Yay for another Lanam bride :-)

audrey9398

I am so excited to find other Lanam Club Bride's. I have found some reviews from past years, but nothing recent. We are having our wedding September 2010 at the Lanam Club. Ceremony in the gardens followed by reception. We are inviting around 150 guest. We had our tasting last week and the food was wonderful. There was a bit of a mix up when we went two weeks ago, so we ended up eating off the main dining room menu and returning for the tasting last week. I was not upset about the mix up because we got to have two wonderful meals instead of one. I think we are going to go with the filet and the firenze chicken. I did not think I would like the chicken, but it was AMAZING. Depending on the head count we are thinking of having our outdoor ceremony on the side lawn next to the tent. I am affraid that 150 people in the back garden will be too crowded.
I'm excited to be having our wedding at a venue that most people have never been to before. 

christindonahue

Hello Lanam Brides!  So we booked our wedding-July 2011.  I'm so excited!  We are really looking forward to the rest of the planning.  Is anyone going with the vendor package?  I think it sounds promising but we still want to explore other local vendors.  Any suggestions?

audrey9398

I am not going with the venor package, because I have a friend who is a florist and I had a DJ in mind.
For our vendors we chose:
     Photographer: Dodge Imagery http://www.dodgeimagery.com/index.htm
     DJ's: Music Sensations http://www.music-sensations.com
     Flowers: Bittersweet Gardens www.bittersweetgardens.net/index.html">http://www.bittersweetgardens.net/index.html

audrey9398

FYI- I am a Lanam Bride and I just found out yesterday that Alex has been fired or let go. I don't know any of the detail, the assistant manager Ron is now in charge. I really liked Alex. I am concered that all the questions and answers that I discussed with Alex will now all need to be repeated and hopefully everything he told me I could do, can still be done. Less than 8 weeks to go and need to start over with someone new. Ugh

christindonahue

Hello Lanam brides,

Im curious to hear if anyone has had any interactions with Ron yet.  We did meet him a few weeks ago to discuss the additional tent rental and set up.  He was very nice in person and made me feel at ease.  But I'm a but unsettled with his response time to phone calls and emails or lack there of.  None of my calls or emails have been returned.  Ive only been able to speak with him if he's available when I call.  I'd like to hear what you have t osay.

Thanks!

audrey9398

As I mentioned in my email. I have not been happy with my lack of responses either. I emailed Ron three times in the last two weeks and have heard nothing. I did notice that the president of the club's email is on the webpage and I might email her directly with my concerns. I think that it was really unprofessional for the manager to be fired and for no one to contact us directly. A simple letter stating that Ron would now be in charge of your event planning would have been just fine. Rather that finging out six weeks when I got a call for Ron- who up until that point I didn't know at all. I have enough things to worry about 4 weeks before my wedding then having to start from scratch with a new event manager who never emails me back. I work from 8-5 and I like email because I can do it on my break, when I don't have time to make a call.  Also, the gardens looked like a dead mess the last time I was there, another huge disappointment this close to my wedding.

christindonahue

Hi!  Well I had emailed Ron several times and called twice and left 2 messages within the last 3 weeks and all were unanswered until today.  I wrote a firm email this moring explaning we were upset that we had not been answered and I asked that he atleast respond to this email as soon as possible.  Ron called me back this afternoon.  Our conversation was comforting as he had done the research and asked questions to a text rental company as we had previously (3 weeks ago) spoke about.  I undersand he is probably overwhelmed and in my case, hes dealing with summer 2010 weddings.  We are not until 2011.  But still, proper customer service is to answer a phone call or email within 24 hours.  I agree, that the garden and grass outside the tent looks pretty bad.  I would mention that to him if you hear back from him.  To make you feel a bit better, I know someone who got married there very recently and she was thrilled with how things turned out on the big day.  If you are that concerned this close to your wedding(which Id be) you should definitely send an email or make a cal lto whomever you feel is appropriate including the president.  Or try my route and send a firm email!  How many people are you having at your wedding?

audrey9398

We have invited 150, but looks like we are going to be between 130-140. I left a message this morning and I am going to take your advised and send another firm email today. I am really disappointed that he has not gotten back to me. I agree that you would think he would be working with upcoming brides and then working on next years wedding, but my wedding is one month from today and he is still not getting back to me. Ugh.....I will keep you posted.

audrey9398

I took your advice and also wrote a strongly worded email and I got a response as well. I am going to be meeting with him tomorrow, but so far things are going better. I'll keep you posted.

audrey9398

 I had a great meeting with Ron today. He answered all of my questions, walked me through everything to expect and confirmed all the plans I had made with Alex. I was also very disappointed in the landscaping the last time I was there and things looked better today. The club is also going to freshen up the gardens, mulch, weed and put out fall flowers. I am so relieved and everything seems to be back on track. I think they are going through an adjustment right now with Alex being gone. Things seem to be back on track.

audrey9398

I just had my wedding at the Lanam Club. Everything was wonderful the gardens were all redone as promised and the guest raved about the food. Everything was just as I had imagined. I will post pictures shortly. Feel free to message me if you have any questions.