Don't know where to get married! (Raleigh-area)

az3thou

Hey all - I posted this is on the Raleigh board, but I guess not too many people use it, so here I go again.

I'm hoping to have a mid-late August wedding, and I'm trying to get a location right now. It's very important that the ceremony and reception be at the same place because all but a few guests will be coming from out of state, and I don't want to make it too difficult on them.

I have an appointment to see Cafe Luna in a couple days. I really like what I see on their website, and the catering manager has been really nice and responsive to all my questions. However, I wanted to see what other options were out there. Where did you have your wedding or where have you been to one? (I don't have any married friends or really know too many people in this area so I need your help!) Have you had or been to a wedding at Cafe Luna? What did you think?

I think ideally, it would be perfect to have everything at a hotel where all my guests could get rooms so that it was easy on everyone, but I have a feeling that gets really pricey. I could be wrong. My parents are paying for it, though I want to pay for things like my dress and cake, but I just feel uncomfortable having anything too too expensive. Any suggestions?

NcsuPsych

In response to your post on the RD NC board :

[QUOTE]Thanks for the advice. I've seen people post about the Rand-Bryan House and I live next to Garner, so that would be really convenient for me. Do they cater too or is that something you have to take care of yourself? Do you have any ideas of their rates? I could never find them on the website. I'll have to shoot her an e-mail. Thanks again!
Posted by az3thou[/QUOTE]

<a href="http://www.rand-bryanhouse.com/" rel='nofollow'>http://www.rand-bryanhouse.com/</a>
Last I knew, they do not cater, but Martha does know a couple of recommendations. We brought in our own food. They do have a catering kitchen though, so that's a bonus!
I believe their rates went up with the new year, so I'm not familiar with this years rates. When we got married, it was off peak season (cheaper). You'll just have to email them for the rates / information.  Martha will do everything she can to accomodate (at least she did with me and I was a spazzed mess because I was trying to plan everything on my own).

We also did both Ceremony and Reception there which was awesome because most of our guests were OOT and so I didn't want them to have to travel any more than they really needed to.

HTH!

az3thou

Thanks again

I actually sent her an e-mail right after you responded. Were your OOT guests coming from far away? Did you have to provide transportation to your venue? Mine will generally ALL be coming 600-700 miles, with the exception of maybe 8-10 people. I'm a little nervous that people will even come, so I'm trying to get this done ASAP so I can give them as much notice as possible to get their plans together. Ideally, I'd like to have it figured out by the end of this week so that I can get Save The Dates out.

jmp0930

We are getting married at The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill. We are having our ceremony and reception there and since its a hotel, our guest have a room they can go up to after the reception. We are having about 40 OOT guests so I wanted to make sure we were having it somewhere that was close to a lot of places (eateries, shops, etc.) and somewhere where my guest wouldn't have to travel much.

az3thou

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina_dont-married?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:115Discussion:d2ee363b-dd69-4afa-af0e-a9446cef9ef7Post:df7c3429-6925-49b3-aa2b-ff135dfc657c">Re: Don't know where to get married! (Raleigh-area)</a>:
[QUOTE]We are getting married at The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill. We are having our ceremony and reception there and since its a hotel, our guest have a room they can go up to after the reception. We are having about 40 OOT guests so I wanted to make sure we were having it somewhere that was close to a lot of places (eateries, shops, etc.) and somewhere where my guest wouldn't have to travel much.
Posted by jmp0930[/QUOTE]

I think I would ideally want to do something along these lines, but I feel like that starts getting really expensive. While my dad can definitely afford it and seems willing to, I just personally don't feel comfortable with it for some reason. Ahh, I just want to get the official date and venue squared away and then I feel like everything else kind of falls into place.

I really do like the look of Cafe Luna and am excited to go have a look on Wednesday. I'm wondering - does anyone know of good transportation for wedding guests incase many of them fly and don't get rental cars?

NcsuPsych

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina_dont-married?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:115Discussion:d2ee363b-dd69-4afa-af0e-a9446cef9ef7Post:347a1706-2592-4fcf-9ba1-946fca8cb63f">Re: Don't know where to get married! (Raleigh-area)</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks again :) I actually sent her an e-mail right after you responded. Were your OOT guests coming from far away? Did you have to provide transportation to your venue? Mine will generally ALL be coming 600-700 miles, with the exception of maybe 8-10 people. I'm a little nervous that people will even come, so I'm trying to get this done ASAP so I can give them as much notice as possible to get their plans together. Ideally, I'd like to have it figured out by the end of this week so that I can get Save The Dates out.
Posted by az3thou[/QUOTE]

They were from GA, VA, MA,CT, NY, NH.  As well as different parts of NC.  I had a room block at the Comfort Inn in Fuquay (near where we live) and so they all stayed there (about 15-20 mins from the  venue). I offered to provide transportation, but no one needed it. Those that drove here, drove themselves. Those that flew here, rented a car.  While providing transportation is a very nice gesture, it isn'ts a 'must' and isnt required.

If you'd like to go ahead and send STD's you could, just put the general location. On ours, we simply put 'Garner NC'.But,  we were lucky and our date was open at the venue. I would suggest to wait until after finding your venue in order to make sure you get the correct date.

When are you getting married?

az3thou

NCSUpsych,

I am thinking August 20th. I'm glad to hear you had a lot of people coming from the Northeast. That's where virtually all of my guests would be coming from (primarily MA with a couple VT). I do want to wait til I have the date/place nailed down before sending Save the Dates. If I really love Cafe Luna on Wednesday, I'm pretty sure I'll just hammer it down then, make up some simple Save the Dates and get them sent off ASAP when I get them back.

I think I'm worried about providing transportation so my guests have one less excuse they can make as to why they can't come. As a note, my dad is being super negative about me getting married in NC when everyone still lives in MA. My parents, sister, FI, and I all live in NC. So basically, I just want to give them the information ASAP so they can figure it all out and come. I don't want a long engagement, and I think August is good, right before my younger cousins go back to school, so that sounded like a good plan to me.

uneek1323

I'm getting married at Barclay Villa. It's about 40 mins south of downtown Raleigh.

http://www.barclayvilla.com/

Their website does not do it justice so I added the other link for pics.

http://mediastar.smugmug.com/gallery/8433291_nwtLA#554107784_SfbB7

az3thou

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina_dont-married?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:115Discussion:d2ee363b-dd69-4afa-af0e-a9446cef9ef7Post:5c909995-c993-48c0-80f0-83909f94b240">Re: Don't know where to get married! (Raleigh-area)</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm getting married at Barclay Villa. It's about 40 mins south of downtown Raleigh. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.barclayvilla.com/">http://www.barclayvilla.com/</a> Their website does not do it justice so I added the other link for pics. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://mediastar.smugmug.com/gallery/8433291_nwtLA#554107784_SfbB7">http://mediastar.smugmug.com/gallery/8433291_nwtLA#554107784_SfbB7</a>
Posted by uneek1323[/QUOTE]

Barclay Villa is in Angier right?? Have you been to Sunni Sky's in Angier? It's an ice cream place. If not, GO! It is AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGG.

heybekaruth

I love Cafe Luna - it is super yummy!  It is a little smaller than many other venues - so how many ppl all together?  They do not sell liquor (just wine and beer) but if you get a 24 hours liquor license, they will let you bring it in and they will serve it.

We are getting married at The State Club www.thestateclub.org and we are having the ceremony elsewhere but it was an option to do it there.  They have been FABULOUS to work with!  Plus it is gorgeous!!!

I have a friend getting married on August 27th as All Saints Chapel - so you can do both there and it is beautiful!

My best friend got married as the Sheraton downtown a couple years ago and she was extremely pleased.  The food was super good and the rooms were nice.

Hiring a bus or transportation to the from your venue to the hotel of choice would be a great thing to offer - if you can afford it. 

HTH!

uneek1323

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina_dont-married?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:115Discussion:d2ee363b-dd69-4afa-af0e-a9446cef9ef7Post:5cd267f5-8a5f-4ce3-922b-d69ed78f98ea">Re: Don't know where to get married! (Raleigh-area)</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Don't know where to get married! (Raleigh-area) : Barclay Villa is in Angier right?? Have you been to Sunni Sky's in Angier? It's an ice cream place. If not, GO! It is AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGG.
Posted by az3thou[/QUOTE]
Yes it is. I'll have to look for it when I'm there. Thanks!

NcsuPsych

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina_dont-married?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:115Discussion:d2ee363b-dd69-4afa-af0e-a9446cef9ef7Post:5cd267f5-8a5f-4ce3-922b-d69ed78f98ea">Re: Don't know where to get married! (Raleigh-area)</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Don't know where to get married! (Raleigh-area) : Barclay Villa is in Angier right?? Have you been to Sunni Sky's in Angier? It's an ice cream place. If not, GO! It is AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGG.
Posted by az3thou[/QUOTE]


We're like 5 mins from them. . .nom nom. . .sadly We havent actually been (even though we've lived in this area now for like 2 years). We tried once, but upon arrival, realized it's cash only (no CC) so we attempted to find an ATM but that was a fail. We're going back as soon as it opens again for the season!! :)

az3thou

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina_dont-married?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:115Discussion:d2ee363b-dd69-4afa-af0e-a9446cef9ef7Post:50a91d28-b9b5-464e-a6c8-8d69737b2790">Re: Don't know where to get married! (Raleigh-area)</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Don't know where to get married! (Raleigh-area) : We're like 5 mins from them. . .nom nom. . .sadly We havent actually been (even though we've lived in this area now for like 2 years). We tried once, but upon arrival, realized it's cash only (no CC) so we attempted to find an ATM but that was a fail. We're going back as soon as it opens again for the season!! :)
Posted by NcsuPsych[/QUOTE]

I live about 25 miles from Sunni Sky's, but I go as much as possible. I get the same thing everytime. Caramel Praline. I've actually never even tried anything else because I just became obsessed with that flavor. It opens up sometime in March. You'll have to let me know if you drive by and see it open so I can go!

kelsey+brandon

I second The State Club!! That's where we're having our reception too! Wendy will pretty much let you do whatever you want and will work with you to figure things out for your budget. You do have to become a member (small initiation fee like $250 and then month dues - $35 dues and $25 food minimum), but it's free to use the facility as long as you meet the food and beverage minimum. They have all the info on their website: stateclub.org

Cafe Luna is another great option if you have a small enough guest list that the space will accomodate you and their food is so yummy! That's awesome they can do the 24 hour liquor license, Beka! And if you do it there, your guests can just walk to their hotel!

az3thou

I'm now contemplating maybe the Mansion on the Hill hotel in Durham. It's the Hilton RTP one. It looks really pretty on the outside, and I've been e-mailing back and forth with the lady there who is super helpful and responsive. Anyone have any experience with them?

My guest list will probably be 60 people max. For anyone with experience at Cafe Luna, would I feel cramped at all? I'm a little worried because I would have an 11:30am ceremony and then reception 12-4pm. Is this long enough? I'm afraid I'm going to feel rushed, and with everyone coming from so far away, I want to have time to hang out and not be worried about the clock.

I'm also wondering what to do after. If I don't have it at a hotel, I'll have 50 or so people who are 700 miles away from home. If I had it at a hotel, we can all hang out there, but I'm not sure what to do with them otherwise. Any ideas?

NcsuPsych

well. . dunno if this would help or not. . but this is what we did.

Our wedding was at 2pm. We had a 3 hour reception and then afterwards everyone was invited back to our house.  We had about 60 in attendace at our wedding and about 35-40 ish came back to the house. Those that didn't come were mostly locals and said they would catch us later on.

At the reception we had a light buffet of sandwiches, fruit, pinwheels and so on (enough to fill you up, but it wasnt like dinner or anything).

We're pretty casual and so is most of our family. Anyways, we had whatever food was left over from the reception spread out and also had fresh pizzas and pies available for people to eat.

Our reception ended at 6 (wedding was 30 mins, then a 30min room flip / picture taking). Those that came over got here around 7:30 or so after they'd gone back and changed into more comfy clothes.

So, while some may see that as too casual, we had a blast and were able to spend more time with family that we usually only get to see maybe once a year. Plus, they all loved it and had something to do other than go to their hotel rooms and sit (not much to do in Fuquay during the winter if your from OOT lol)



Anyways, point Im getting at is you could all meet up at your favorite bar / place to eat afterwards and just visit, or bring it all back to your house LOL.

This is long. . sorry.

Another thing I've seen done is that with the OOT bags that some brides make (my guests loved those too) they put local attraction / entertainment brochures in them. That way, after the wedding the guests could venture around the town and see what is going on and tour a little

az3thou

My mom said we should just have everyone over after, which I totally would be okay with. I'm very casual as well and so is my family, so that would definitely work for me. I think if we do it at Cafe Luna, that is definitely an option. I would like to have as much time with my family as possible, so I do like that idea.

Plus, I was considering getting our reception night hotel in Downtown Raleigh if we did it there and then we could go out to the clubs/bars with the younger crown. I think that would be fun.

I am definitely hitting up Cafe Luna tomorrow and might try to squeeze in the Hilton RTP right before. While I do think having everything at the hotel the guests would stay at would be really easy for all of them (and probably me too), I think they could manage staying somewhere close to Downtown Raleigh and heading over to Cafe Luna, back to the hotel to change, and back to my house til whenever. I just gotta make a decision!

heybekaruth

You could also do Cafe Luna for the rehearsal dinner if it doesn't work out for the actual day of.  I think it is like $35pp and that INCLUDES wine and beer. 

60 would probably be tight if you wanted a dance floor but definitely doable.  They can show you, I'm sure.

I would also look into the Sheraton Downtown and the Marriot (heard good things about them).  That way, if the yonger guests wanted to go out that night, you guys could all walk to a bar or somewhere. 

I do not know much about the Hilton RTP - had a conference there once...I believe it a little smaller than some of the hotels downtown.

jmp0930

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina_dont-married?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:115Discussion:d2ee363b-dd69-4afa-af0e-a9446cef9ef7Post:5cd267f5-8a5f-4ce3-922b-d69ed78f98ea">Re: Don't know where to get married! (Raleigh-area)</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Don't know where to get married! (Raleigh-area) : Barclay Villa is in Angier right?? Have you been to Sunni Sky's in Angier? It's an ice cream place. If not, GO! It is AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGG.
Posted by az3thou[/QUOTE]

OMG I love Sunni Skys!! My favorite is the apple pie ice cream!! yum!!

az3thou

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina_dont-married?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:115Discussion:d2ee363b-dd69-4afa-af0e-a9446cef9ef7Post:aa12f93e-33cd-4b8b-9e14-37c9e1764a1a">Re: Don't know where to get married! (Raleigh-area)</a>:
[QUOTE]You could also do Cafe Luna for the rehearsal dinner if it doesn't work out for the actual day of.  I think it is like $35pp and that INCLUDES wine and beer.  60 would probably be tight if you wanted a dance floor but definitely doable.  They can show you, I'm sure. I would also look into the Sheraton Downtown and the Marriot (heard good things about them).  That way, if the yonger guests wanted to go out that night, you guys could all walk to a bar or somewhere.  I do not know much about the Hilton RTP - had a conference there once...I believe it a little smaller than some of the hotels downtown.
Posted by heybekaruth[/QUOTE]

Is the Marriott you mentioned the Marriott City Center?

AnnieK1980

did you look into Brier Creek country club? they offer free shuttle to and from hotel and airport, and to and from wedding. there is even a shopping shuttle to take your guests out to Brier Creek commons, for shopping etc, so no need for car rentals. The wedding and reception areas are on site. its not cheap, but its lovely and were gettting married there Aug 27th.

Best of luck! Anywhere you go it will be lovely, dont worry!

kelsey+brandon

I think they say Cafe Luna can hold up to 100 people for a wedding...so I think you would be fine. They give you the whole second half of the restaruant! 

Keep us updated on what you end up going with!

az3thou

Soooo, here's an update:

I ended up going to the RTP Hilton (Mansion on the Hill) and then hitting up Cafe Luna right after today. I REALLY liked the Hilton. Lauren, who I met with, is SO nice and really responsive. It's a really nice hotel, they give you the room until 2AM, and the bar stays open til around then, so I'd definitely have tons of time to hang out with guests. The guestroom rate was good, too. They were all trying to give me and my mom free hot chocolate, fruit, croissants. It was awesome, haha. Plus, they do free transportation to/from the airport, and will take people to Brier Creek or Southpoint for free. I thought that was awesome because people would not even need a car, but there would be tons to do. The cake is included (for only 3.50 a serving) too and you can choose from 3 preferred vendors, one of them being Ashley Cakes which I've heard a lot about.

I went to Cafe Luna right after. It was actually bigger than I thought. But in terms of convenience for guests and time I could spend with them at the reception, it just didn't match up. I feel like I would be worried about time and checking the clock often to make sure we were out of there in time. If my guests all lived around here, I think I would definitely go with them, but in terms of convenience for me and all of my guests coming from 600-700 miles away, I just really really really liked the Hilton.

Me and my mom loved it, so it's just a matter of convincing good ole dad now. I'm hoping to have that talk with him ASAP so I can tell Lauren to sign me up, and I can start letting people know when this lil shindig is going down.

uneek1323

Between those 2, I would be leaning towards the Hilton too. Also, Ashley Cakes is AWESOME!! Her and her husband are so nice and the cake is so good.

Good luck with your chat with your dad.

heybekaruth

glad you liked the hilton!

and to tell you the truth, i don't know the full name of the marriott...it's whichever one is near downtown

az3thou

Ok - I need some reassurance from you ladies. I've only visited the two places (The Hilton Mansion on the Hill and Cafe Luna). I liked both, but definitely felt that Cafe Luna had a lot of drawbacks because of the fact that everyone is coming from Massachusetts, and the Hilton just seemed much more convenient and included a lot more things that would be helpful for me. I thought it was really pretty and so did my mom.

I just feel like weddings probably get judged a lot by the guests, and I didn't know if people would think the hotel was tacky or something. I think I'm just being paranoid. My cousin got married at a hotel with a view of the water in Massachusetts almost 2 years ago, and I feel like my wedding will be compared to his. I really really liked his wedding, but he had this nice view and big windows looking over the water.

The room the reception would be in... I don't think it had any windows. Not that there would be much to look at. It's not like Raleigh-Durham is on the water, haha. Again, I think I might be worrying too much what other people will think, and I think it has everything I would want and be so convenient for everyone. Ugh, I just need some reassurance

NcsuPsych

I think you've already made the decision and from the sounds of it, the correct decision.
You're ALWAYS going to have someone judge. I think it's more about what YOU'RE happy with, not them. Seeing as it is your wedding day, you and your FI need to be happy with it. Did Auntie Sue pay for it? Nope. . okay then!

Also. . .while Im a person that loves windows, you can easily erase the fact that there may not be any. Uplighting is your friend!

While Cafe Luna does sound fun. IMO the Hilton sounds like its the right choice based on what you're wanting


P.s. I don't judge people who feed me cake

az3thou

Hahaha, I agree. I don't judge anyone who feeds me ANYTHING.

Thank you though. I think I am going to try to get my sister and dad out there this weekend so they can tell me if they like it. I think that will make me feel much better.

uneek1323

What does your FI say about these 2 options?

az3thou

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina_dont-married?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:115Discussion:d2ee363b-dd69-4afa-af0e-a9446cef9ef7Post:b3434452-dd64-4d04-9450-345b4cd1c64b">Re: Don't know where to get married! (Raleigh-area)</a>:
[QUOTE]What does your FI say about these 2 options?
Posted by uneek1323[/QUOTE]

He's upset because he was working when we visited the Hilton. He went to Cafe Luna and didn't really like the menu choices (lots of fish, though you can work around it). He thinks going the hotel route is better because of the fact that all but a handful of guests are coming from 600-700 miles away. Basically though, he wants to do whatever I want to do.

uneek1323

Before you sign any contracts anywhere, would it be possible to go back to the Hilton at a time when FI can go? Maybe he would feel better about it if he saw it.