Dallas Venues-- newly engaged!

EmRydz

Hi all!

I got engaged 1 week ago and after the initial bouncing-off-the-wall excitement, I've started actually digging into venue ideas. We want to keep it in Dallas proper (not McKinney, Grapevine, Fort Worth, etc) and want a place that either has a lot of character inherently, or we can make to look like it pretty easily (sweet, vintage, romantic, quirky, etc). We are going to have a small wedding-- under 150, probably closer to 100-120. And shooting for mid-late-March 2014. So far we have thought of:

*Hotel St Germain
*Nasher Sculpture Garden
*Arlington Hall

Does anyone have thoughts on any of these? Or ideas/photos of your own???

Thx!!!

fallbride1109

Those are all beautiful choices. Arlington Hall was on my short list. Ruled out Nasher since I don't know any members. Ended up choosing the Melrose since it had significance to my DH and I. One of our Knotties used Hotel St Germain for her wedding night. Those are all high end venues.

cwaggoner07

You might look into my venue, the Filter Building. It has a lot of history. It used to be the factory which they filtered the water from White Rock Lake to be used by the citizens of Dallas.  It has been out of production a LONG time, but a few years ago it was saved by members of the community from being torn down. Bonus: It's right on the lake. We had 150 guests, and I would say that was the max.

You can look through my pictures if you want. It was a great venue, affordable, and we got so many compliments. I know it books up really fast, but they have an availability calendar on their website.

ETA: My pictures are in the "Fairytale' link.

EmRydz

In Response to Re: Dallas Venues-- newly engaged!:
[QUOTE]You might look into my venue, the Filter Building. It has a lot of history. It used to be the factory which they filtered the water from White Rock Lake to be used by the citizens of Dallas.  It has been out of production a LONG time, but a few years ago it was saved by members of the community from being torn down. Bonus: It's right on the lake. We had 150 guests, and I would say that was the max. You can look through my pictures if you want. It was a great venue, affordable, and we got so many compliments. I know it books up really fast, but they have an availability calendar on their website. ETA: My pictures are in the "Fairytale' link.
Posted by cwaggoner07[/QUOTE]

Wow, your pictures are gorgeous-- you had an unbelievably pretty day! My dad and I actually drove by the Filter Bldg on Sunday, but couldn't go in due to an event-- part of my concern is that you can't necessarily rely on weather, and it seems like most of the incredible beauty of that area is due to clear skies, comfy temperatures, no rain, etc....were you concerned at all about that aspect? It also seems from their website that they're somewhat strict on extra lighting/decor/anything hanging, etc. But it looks like a wonderful option! Thank you!

cwaggoner07

Yes, we did get VERY luck on the weather. About a week before we were working on Plan B inside, which I was not thrilled about. We just rolled the dice and got really really lucky. But I knew we wouldn't regret it because we love the lake. Like, I went there twice yesterday. 

They are pretty strict on decor, but we wanted everything to be minimal to keep costs and prep time down. You can't hang anything from the ceiling, and you can only hang on a few nails that are already in the bricks.

It's definitely not the way to go if you want to do a lot of big decor, but we wanted to let the venue speak for itself and keep it simple - less work and expense for us. 

Here is a link to the SMP FIlter Building Weddings where they were able to be creative with the space. The last one, Lauren and Travis are my friends from college!

http://www.stylemepretty.com/?t=posts&s=filter%20building

professorscience

The day of Carrie's wedding, a storm actually did roll in (I was at a reception across the lake at Winfrey Point) and I remember being really jealous of the pre-storm pictures they (and the couple I was seeing) were getting!

I stayed at St. Germain for my wedding night and loved it.  I don't know anything about their events, but they did have a beautiful outdoor space.  You might also consider Maple Manor, which is right next door, but I think it's more expensive.

There's also Hickory Street Annex and 333 First Avenue in Deep Ellum that are fairly blank canvases with a modern vibe.

Stitch10

In Response to Re: Dallas Venues-- newly engaged!:
[QUOTE]The day of Carrie's wedding, a storm actually did roll in (I was at a reception across the lake at Winfrey Point) and I remember being really jealous of the pre-storm pictures they (and the couple I was seeing) were getting! I stayed at St. Germain for my wedding night and loved it.  I don't know anything about their events, but they did have a beautiful outdoor space.  You might also consider Maple Manor, which is right next door, but I think it's more expensive. There's also Hickory Street Annex and 333 First Avenue in Deep Ellum that are fairly blank canvases with a modern vibe.
Posted by professorscience[/QUOTE]

St. Germain and Maple Manor were both on our list for our wedding (we chose Maple Manor). We never ended up visiting St. Germain, both because of the guest number limit (they can do 150 for a buffet cocktail reception, but only 72 for a seated dinner) and the cost (the buffet cocktail recepetion starts at $85pp with an average cost of $145pp and for the seated meal, the starting and average costs are $85pp and $175pp, respectively. Maple Manor (at least for the time we booked) had a Saturday night F/B minimum of $7500.

Depending on your budget, you might want to check out Belo Mansion (we loved it, but it had a $10,000 F/B minimum and a lot of added fees). Others that we didn't visit, but I've loved in photos are Old Red Museum and Avanti Fountain Place.

professorscience

In Response to Re: Dallas Venues-- newly engaged!:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Dallas Venues-- newly engaged! : St. Germain and Maple Manor were both on our list for our wedding (we chose Maple Manor). We never ended up visiting St. Germain, both because of the guest number limit (they can do 150 for a buffet cocktail reception, but only 72 for a seated dinner) and the cost (the buffet cocktail recepetion starts at $85pp with an average cost of $145pp and for the seated meal, the starting and average costs are $85pp and $175pp, respectively. Maple Manor (at least for the time we booked) had a Saturday night F/B minimum of $7500. Depending on your budget, you might want to check out Belo Mansion (we loved it, but it had a $10,000 F/B minimum and a lot of added fees). Others that we didn't visit, but I've loved in photos are Old Red Museum and Avanti Fountain Place.
Posted by Stitch10[/QUOTE]

We had a Knottie a long time ago say that Avanti WAY overestimates their capacity.  I think she said she had around 75 guests and it was perfect, and that many more would have been crowded.  Something to consider.

EmRydz

In Response to Re: Dallas Venues-- newly engaged!:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Dallas Venues-- newly engaged! : St. Germain and Maple Manor were both on our list for our wedding (we chose Maple Manor). We never ended up visiting St. Germain, both because of the guest number limit (they can do 150 for a buffet cocktail reception, but only 72 for a seated dinner) and the cost (the buffet cocktail recepetion starts at $85pp with an average cost of $145pp and for the seated meal, the starting and average costs are $85pp and $175pp, respectively. Maple Manor (at least for the time we booked) had a Saturday night F/B minimum of $7500. Depending on your budget, you might want to check out Belo Mansion (we loved it, but it had a $10,000 F/B minimum and a lot of added fees). Others that we didn't visit, but I've loved in photos are Old Red Museum and Avanti Fountain Place.
Posted by Stitch10[/QUOTE]

72 for seated dinner! What a shame...clearly that's too small for me. Maybe they could do a rehearsal dinner instead? Thanks for all the helpful info! I am also wondering about the Arboretum and what options they have.

nextrightthing

You have named some lovely venues.  The Arboretum is beautiful and I have seen some lovely photos from weddings there.  I corresponded with them but was less than impressed with their follow-up and customer service. 

Have you thought about the Stoneleigh or the Melrose?  Both are good options in Dallas proper .  The Stoneleigh is beautiful for a smaller wedding.  I chose the Melrose because it is beautiful and historic and the reception is all in one place, whereas the Stoneleigh is a little broken up.

EmRydz

In Response to Re: Dallas Venues-- newly engaged!:
[QUOTE]You have named some lovely venues.  The Arboretum is beautiful and I have seen some lovely photos from weddings there.  I corresponded with them but was less than impressed with their follow-up and customer service.  Have you thought about the Stoneleigh or the Melrose?  Both are good options in Dallas proper .  The Stoneleigh is beautiful for a smaller wedding.  I chose the Melrose because it is beautiful and historic and the reception is all in one place, whereas the Stoneleigh is a little broken up.
Posted by nextrightthing[/QUOTE]

I absolutely love the Melrose-- especially their Library Bar Do they have any outdoor/courtyard options? I'd like to keep some sort of outdoor component as an option for a ceremony.

fallbride1109

I was married at the Melrose and I had an outdoor ceremony on the second floor outdoor terrace but it will not hold 150, although the Melrose would tell you 140, I would say 120 would be the max.  I had 110 guests and it was perfect.  My pics are in the second link in my siggy "all the trimmings."

Stoneleigh was my second choice but it was not available on my date, however, there is no outdoor option that I know of.  The Arboretum wouldn't even respond to my e-mail.  They have become more of a wedding factory and have the customer service of such, they just get so many inquiries.  Their website lists all their options and seating capacities.  I don't know that they have much of a Plan B for the ceremony though and that scared me also.

Even though I got sort of a snooty tone from Arlington Hall, I do love that venue and if we had not chosen the Melrose so quickly, I would have explored it more.  The Library is where DH and I went on our first date and many times while we dated, so the Melrose was very special to us.

aeliza06

Since you are wanting a outdoor ceremony space, have you considered Marie Gabrielle? It happens to be one of my favorites. 

cwaggoner07

In Response to Re: Dallas Venues-- newly engaged!:
[QUOTE]Since you are wanting a outdoor ceremony space, have you considered Marie Gabrielle? It happens to be one of my favorites. 
Posted by aeliza06[/QUOTE]

It's a beautiful venue, but I think it's pretty pricy. I think the F/B minimum alone is 18K or so.

cbatt

Congrats! I was extremely interested in the Nasher, but unfortunately their rain contingency plan requires either a $20K custom tent, or to move everything inside, where they don't have room for dinner and dancing in the same room. PLUS you have to add like 5 security guards and pay the indoor rental fee in addition to the rental fee you would have already paid. 

I also was pumped about the arboretum, but again the rain terrified me. I was also turned off by the fact they have SO many weddings every day and it doesn't seem quite as unique. Gorgeous though! 

I also liked the Room on Main and the Dallas Museum of Art, I know it's a very popular spot! 

Hope this helps!

EmRydz

For those who know about the Filter Building-- did you get a planner or anything to assist with the set-up, break-down? And how long was your rental time for?

Thanks to everyone for their super helpful posts!

jillrenee&brett

I got married at Avanti & I definitely say no more than 100. They do have room in the bar area for seating, but then you have to split up your party. What about the Hall of State at Fair Park? I did a wedding there & it was gorgeous! I would have looked into it if I had known it existed!

PaulandBrandy

check out The Texas Discovery Gardens @ Fair Park, We were going to get married infront of the big fountain with the reception in the grand ballroom.

melissadavis0226

I am also interested in some info on how anyone has done their wedding through the Filter building. Is it something that you could with a relatively small budget or is it something that would cost more due to DIY?