Ceremony venue help!!

jess18563

Hi everyone! 

My FI and I are looking into holding a fun, funky reception at either Jay Verno Studios or the Mattress Factory w/approx 100 ppl, relatively open budget.  My parents are more traditional so we thought it would be nice to have the actual ceremony somewhere outdoors, maybe a pretty park?  I've never lived in Pittsburgh (in DC now) so don't know where to start. Another option, if not a park, would be a hotel or inn with a pretty outdoor space, which would be GREAT b/c then out of town folks wouldn't have to travel to ceremony.  So, any thoughts on:

1) is it too much of a pain having the ceremony somewhere different than the reception?  What are good options for transporting people, or should we leave them to their own devices?

2) Any thoughts on ceremony venues either on the north side (MF) or south (JV) that would have a "pretty" or "traditional" feel?  EIther a park, inn, or something else? 

THANK YOU

cgyvhu

1 - nope, people have ceremonies and receptions in different places all the time.  I thinkt he best way to be courteous to the guests is to not have a large gap between the ceremony and reception and to provide transportation (if you can afford it).  There are a few companies that provide trolleys to shuttle guests (Lenzer and Molly's Trolley come to mind), so that could be an option for you.

2 - My first though for a pretty outdoor ceremony is Phipips.  It's in Oakland, but it's beautiful.  I don't know anything near either of those venues, but maybe someone else will.  GL!

lindsayloo1212

I am looking into staying at The Inn on Negley the night before the wedding and possibly also having the RD there. They have a gorgeous porch, small and I don't know if they could do a ceremony - but maybe worth checking out?

www.innonnegley.com/

jess18563

@ Mdphd: Great suggestion!  I called and unfortunately they only have the early (10am) time slots available for next spring/summer.  Ack, I wish I hadn't waited!  Thanks for the recs on transport though.

@lindsayloo:  Another great idea, it looks fantastic!  I can't seem to get a sense of how big the porch is in looking at photos online, do you think it could hold 80-100?  It doesn't seem that they have a yard...well, could be a good place for the RD or out-of-towners, thanks!

deviemb

Phipps may be one of your better options.  

A few things that come to mind

Morning Glory Inn (has gotten some mixed reviews and my guess is that the prefer to do a ceremony and reception)  

We looked into Hartwood Acres for our ceremony, not exactly close to your reception places but not extremely far.  I am almost certain they do just ceremonies still

lastly Riverview park which is fairly close to MF (which is just a typical city run park so may require some creativity on your part)  

Another side note, FI cousins recently got married at the mattress factory.  They had the ceremony right out front where the ground slopes down,  They were in what was kind of considered 'the pit' and the family sat and stood around the top.

It was actually very nice!  Good Luck!

Bride2687

The Matress Facotry is a great place for a small, inimate wedding recpetion and if you are serious about hosting your wedding at the MF then there are a few places on the Northside to hold the ceremony.  There is a large park nearby called West Park, across from the Mexican War Streets, and there is a beautiful man-made lake in the middle of the park with a bridge (I've seen many wedding photos taken there).  There is also Riverview Park as well and it is quite large, has an observatory and you would be able to book your ceremony at the park too.  

Phipps Conservatory is very beautiful and has the capability to host both a ceremony and a reception.  But if your reception will be at the MF in Northside, it could be difficult for guests to from Oakland to Northside, especially depending on the date and time of day your wedding is b/c traffic can be quite crazy in the city even on weekends, especially if there is something going on (Both Oakland and Nortside are 2 of the busiest and eventful neighborhoods in the city).  

Jay Verno Studios is in Southside (Which is the BUSIEST neighborhood in the city, especially on the weekends b/c all of the bars are on Carson St. in Southside).  There really is no where on Southside for an outdoor ceremony space, except for maybe the Morning Glory Inn.  I know that that venue can host both ceremonys and receptions, but from the research I've done, the venue is pricey and I've also heard mixed reviews about it as well.  

cgyvhu

oh! The aviary rose garden hosts ceremonies too, I think.

jess18563

Very good ideas all!

Phipps looks to be out because of limited availability.

We are leaning toward MF, although I hope ~100 guests will not be overly crowded.  We will visit this weekend and check it out, I guess!  Devie, I'm very intrigued by the possibility of doing the wedding in the "pit"!  Actually sounds pretty cool!

Riverview park sounds like a good option, I read something about a non-denominational chapel there?

@Bride very good to know about the logistical details you identified.  Jay Verno looks like it could have such great possibility but maybe it just won't work.  I guess I just feel like it would be odd to have both the ceremony & reception there.  Too much indoors, and doesn't appear to have windows...maybe I'm just being too picky.

West park looks like a good option, Im assuming you can rent space there near the lake?  Or get a permit?

Thank you SO much for input!

Bride2687

Check this out for more info on Riverview Park ... and some of the other larger parks in the city:

http://www.pittsburghparks.org/riverview

I made a mistake before.  The name of the park that has the large lake in it w/ the bridge is called Allegheny Commons Park.  I always see people picnicing in the park, but I'm not sure if if it is based on a first come-first served basis or if people actually obtain permits.  You should be able to find more info about this park or at least who to contact in regards to obtaining a permit for a wedding ceremony here:

http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/parks/parks_facilities.htm

Hope this helps!

deviemb

Jess, glad you have so many great ideas!

Yes, def mention having the ceremony there too,  like I said FI's cousin had their ceremony there (about 2 years ago now)  and it was actually on the 4th of July so we got to go up to the roof top deck and watch fireworks! 

I'm not sure how many people they had, I can almost guarantee it was at least 100, b/c they both have large families and pretty much everyone was there.  Wasn't too crowded because there is space to move around.

One thing they did was have the food served in stations with different ethnicities at each one.  Now technically there was not enough seating for everyone to be seated at once, but it actually worked ok, because as you moved through each station you also switched rooms so you found a new empty table.

keep me updated on your decision!