Advice/Opinions

NYE * Bride

Good afternoon ladies.  This may be a little long, but thank you for taking the time to read.Background: I work for a hotel that has a very nice 9,000 square foot ballroom.  I have been here a little over 2 years, and am very happy here, with no intentions of leaving.  FI and I are having a very hard time finding a reception venue.  We found one, but just found out yesterday that they will be undergoing massive renovations over the holidays next year, and there is about a 50% chance that they will not be able to do our reception.When we got engaged, FI suggested getting married at "my" hotel.  I was against it.  I am the event coordinator at the hotel - and I do a lot of weddings. I don't plan or anything, but I am in charge of the staff that set-ups, food etc.  Wedding days are usually crazy, and I always do a lot that is outside of my job description.For lack of better options, I am back to considering using my hotel for our reception.  It really is gorgeous, the owners are cutting me deals, etc.  Do you see any downsides/upsides to having reception at your job site, especially when the wedding is a little over a year away? I can't see myself leaving - but you never know.The obvious one is that I would be my own "on-site contact." I'd appreciate any input you have.Thanks again for reading.

georgia_bride09

I don't see a downside as long as you have a DOC so you're not dealing with everything day-of.

Brie2010

Who would be the day-of coordinator if you're the bride? Will staff/co-workers invite themselves to the reception since they're right there and they know you? Will you feel weird generally getting married at work? Will they cut corners because they know you're getting a deal? If something goes wrong, will there be awkwardness at work after the wedding? I would avoid it, honestly.  I'm big on not mixing work with pleasure.

ring_pop

I guess it would be hard for you to relax on your wedding day, but then again, since that's your job, you'd probably have a hard time relaxing no matter what venue you choose anyway. Surely there is another person they can assign to be your coordinator leading up to the wedding? (Assuming taht you'll be comfortable handing over the reins??) I think I'd do it, for the sake of the deal. Plus you can legitimately wedding plan while you're at work!

janedoe1113a

I personally wouldn't do it because I'd be worried about the staff not doing their job as well as they would for a strangers wedding. 

Mermaid1082

Are you ok with all of your coworkers being there, even the ones you're not besties with? Hire a DOC for sure! 

TheSaltyPeanut

I would do it for the discounts alone. Hire a DOC. You'll be fine.

munkii

I would absolutely not do it--Brie posted some really good questions to ponder.

HilaryH1231

Would it prevent any co-workers you wanted to invite from coming because they'll now have to work your wedding? I could see that being awkward... I think, as pps said, as long as you hire a DOC, you should be fine. I would definitely try and separate yourself as a bride from yourself as an employee on the day of, if possible (easier said than done, I'm sure), because otherwise you won't really be able to enjoy yourself. I don't know that I would personally be able to do that. I'm too much of a control freak and would want to be giving orders as I would if I were working that day. As for not knowing whether you'll still be there in a year...I guess if you do leave, get all your contracts signed beforehand? And leave on good terms--aka, don't slash the owner's tires

tlv204

I'm too much of a control freak and would want to be giving orders as I would if I were working that day. Me too, that's what would worry me. I was enough of a control freak without having to manage all of the waitstaff and such.

ffmaid

Pros 1. good price 2. you know what to expect at the venue Cons 1. your coworkers will be working your wedding and even as a job that can cause renstment 2. if something goes wrong you can not complain without causing issues at work 3. it is not unique or fun for you since you basically are at work 4. if great uncle eddie gets drunk and does something foolish this is your proffessional reputation at stake 5. your family will be judging your job by the wedding 6. mixing work and social is a disaster No way would I do it for the long term negatives it could have on your job

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

I don't think your wedding would affect your job, but your job might affect your wedding. I would also be a control freak and nervous about everything running smoothly without having to give people orders. I also worry that if you EVER leave the job on bad terms in the future, it will mar the memories of your wedding day.So I guess it depends on how good the price is.

SarahSmile23

it would not be my first choice...but if i got a great deal and it was truly my best option, yeah, i would go for it.

betrothed123

Like Sarah said, it wouldn't be my first choice, but if it really looked like I wasn't going to find anything in my price range, an fitting all my criteria, I'd do it.

NYE * Bride

Thanks so much for all of your opinions and questions, as it is greatly helping me through the planning process. The discounts they would give me are pretty significant for what they typically charge.  I don't know that they would make the cost less than "lesser" venues, if that makes sense.I'm not concerned about the staff - we have an awesome staff that I am very close with.  I do worry that they would be annoyed in having to work as opposed to being a guest - since yes, I would have invited most of them. I'm not worried about the quality of service though.I hadn't really considered the negatives to my professional image.  I guess you would have to know the hotel I work at, I don't think it is a concern.  It's not a massive, corporate hotel.  We only have 150 rooms and about 75 employees, so we are pretty close knit.  It is a New Year's Eve wedding - I'm sure there will be lots of drinking, but another co worker got married last year and had his reception in the ballroom, and although our owners did come by, they were there for all of an hour, so I think they'd be gone by the time the real festivities began.I would definitely hire a DOC.  I don't plan on doing anything wedding related the day of, except getting married.  LOL.I think I'll keep an eye out for something else.  Since I do all the contracts for events, no one can book the space without me knowing about it.  

FutureMrsL.R.Allen

I used to work as the Catering Sales Manager at a resort and I did all of the weddings there.  I did a wedding for another employee there and it caused a lot of issues.  She got really drunk, and some of her guests were out of control, it really made her look bad.  It was a hotel just a bit bigger than yours, 100 rooms, and I think the fact that is was small made the aftermath even worse because everyone knew who she was.  At a bigger hotel with thousands of employees it would not have been such a big deal.  Because of this scenario alone I chose not to have my wedding at this hotel, and I do not even work there anymore.  I would be very cautious, because if just one of your guests does something out of hand it will come back on you, and this is your professional reputation.

scoetto

I'm actually 50/50 on this. I would do it for the discounts but being in charge of everything would stress me out. Then again, I relied HEAVILY on my DOC the day of and she pulled it off without any major hitches. I dunno. I did everything on my own w/a DOC only. And it went off ok. I can see why you wouldn't want to, but why you would, too. Hmm... if you don't mind the added stress go for it. But part of me doesn't think there will be added stress... it's back to my first statement. Which doesn't really help you at all. Sorry!