The Orchard in Azle

melissadavis0226

Has anyone on here had their wedding there or been to one their within last two years? I've read reviews, and been in contact with them but haven't been able to make it out there yet to visit and see.

Also, what would you consider a reasonable drive to a wedding? I live in the mid-cities, and majority of my guests would be in Arlington or where I am coming from.

melissadavis0226

In Response to Re: The Orchard in Azle:
[QUOTE]I haven't been to a wedding there, but we strongly considered it.  I have only heard good things, and it is a beautiful space.  We did drive out there and didn't have a formal tour, but looked around from outside.  It is very pretty.  I think since you and your guests are mainly in Arlington or the mid-cities, the drive is probably reasonable.  I wonder how many out of town guests you have who may fly in, though.  One of the reasons we chose another venue is the Orchard, we thought, was too far for our Dallas guests and too difficult for out of town guests.  We really wanted a venue that was closer to the airports and a variety of hotels.  Personally, I was also a little concerned about the DIY aspect of it.  I'm soooo busy with work, a child, etc., that I don't have time for all the teeny tiny details like silverware, place settings, napkins, etc., so we chose a hotel that takes care of most of that.  The Orchard would have bordered on way out of budget with all the added costs of having to DIY. It is beautiful, though, and I have only heard good things about the way its run.
Posted by nextrightthing[/QUOTE]

That's what kind of scares me. We will have SOME out of town guests from Kansas, and I do have an aunt and uncle who live out in Allen, TX. We considered doing a hotel in Fort Worth, because my FI prefers Fort Worth entertainment than Dallas. The other portion I'm worried about is details. I have two kids, I'm work full time and am currently training for a promotion, in the process of returning back to school, have two kids, and my FI is training for a new promotion at work as well. He personally wants as much all inclusive as we could get for under $10k if possible. I think that would help also, but I want to have some input on things. For example I know most venues all inclusive packages you HAVE to use specific caterers for food, cake, etc. FI and I decided we wanted Freebirds for catering. So it's little things like that that I would like to have some leniency. We did check out Fairy Tale Manor in Frisco and I liked it, except the outdoor space wasn't all I thought it would be. FI didn't care for it's location/outdoor space since it backs up to an alley and neighborhood.

melissadavis0226

In Response to Re: The Orchard in Azle:
[QUOTE]I think if you do something like the Orchard, you would be doing yourself a huge favor to get a coordinator or at least a day-off coordinator.  Mainly because of the DIY aspect.  That was really the main reason we chose a hotel. Is 10k your total budget, or just for venue?  I think if it is just for venue you could certainly find a lot of venues that would be far less than that without food.  I did think that the Orchard was somewhat expensive once I started crunching numbers.  It also depends on whether you want a traditional Saturday night party, which is more expensive. Have you looked at Winfrey Point in Dallas?  Or the YWCA in FTW?  Maybe also Belltower Chapel and Gardens in FTW, which is beautiful but I didn't like the neighborhood.
Posted by nextrightthing[/QUOTE]

I don't prefer a DIY place. I have too much on my plate as it is. Hence why we are planning as far out as November of next year. We don't want anything to do with a chapel. We are far from religious people and that is one specific detail FI stated he did not want when it came to the wedding. I would like a place that included someone else doing the work and if I CAN pick out certain things from what they have that is fine too. We are primarily just picky about alcohol and food choices. We feel we are better off finding a place that allows outside alcohol, because in the end it's cheaper. And as far as food goes, we are pretty simple, hence our decision on Freebirds. $10k is where we want to be total if at all possible. We went to Fairy Tale Manor last weekend and she gave us a tentative contract and not including tuxes, dresses, food, and alcohol we were already looking at around $10,500ish. But that's also with some things that could be flexible, such as a photobooth, and an officiant. I have some friends that do photography/photobooths, and a few priests. So there is some wiggle room. I just feel so overwhelmed in decision making when it comes to the venue. I feel as though when looking for a venue, that once I look at it I should just know that THAT's where I want to get married, just as the whole dress process. And yet both I'm struggling with. I've been to three venues so far, and have knocked out many others before even stepping foot there due to pricing, or it not being appealing or whathaveyou. Oi vey.

professorscience

Part of the reason I went with a wedding coordinator was that I really had no clue what reception venues were out there and didn't have a clear picture of what I wanted.  Also, I too did not want any part of DIYing anything.

What is your guest count?  I think you could find plenty of outdoor ceremony/indoor reception options.  I think the biggest issue might be the Freebirds, because I feel like a lot of places that are inclusive require either their own catering or preferred caterers.  I'm not saying it can't be done, you just might have to look a little harder or work it into your budget to hire someone to handle the decorating if you don't want to.

I had my rehearsal dinner at Times Ten Cellar in Dallas (they also have a Ft. Worth location).  They have a patio space where you could have your ceremony, but you might not like the setting and it would only work with a pretty small guest list.

In addition to Winfrey Point, there's Filter Building, which is also right on White Rock Lake.  cwaggoner got married there recently and her wedding was simple and gorgeous.  I've been to weddings at Winfrey and I think I like the overall look of Filter Building more.

nextrightthing

I looked at Fairy Tale Manor, also, and I think that sounds like a LOT of money considering food is not included. 

Have you looked into Addison Event Center?  They allow outside catering, although it costs more.  The rental fee for a Saturday night with outside catering is $3500.  It looks pretty and has good reviews. 

I agree with professorscience that finding a venue that will allow Freebirds might be your biggest challenge, mainly because you aren't interested in DIYing (I totally understand where you are coming from on that - we are having a 23 month engagement because my life is about as busy as yours sounds!).  Most of the venues that allow any caterer to come in also require some DIY. 

But, depending on how ornate you want your decor to be, you may be able to swing the simple DIY stuff and hire good vendors to take care of stuff like the centerpieces.

Good luck!  Stick around, this board is very helpful. 

melissadavis0226

In Response to Re: The Orchard in Azle:
[QUOTE]I looked at Fairy Tale Manor, also, and I think that sounds like a LOT of money considering food is not included.  Have you looked into Addison Event Center?  They allow outside catering, although it costs more.  The rental fee for a Saturday night with outside catering is $3500.  It looks pretty and has good reviews.  I agree with professorscience that finding a venue that will allow Freebirds might be your biggest challenge, mainly because you aren't interested in DIYing (I totally understand where you are coming from on that - we are having a 23 month engagement because my life is about as busy as yours sounds!).  Most of the venues that allow any caterer to come in also require some DIY.  But, depending on how ornate you want your decor to be, you may be able to swing the simple DIY stuff and hire good vendors to take care of stuff like the centerpieces. Good luck!  Stick around, this board is very helpful. 
Posted by nextrightthing[/QUOTE]

I discussed the idea of what Mediterranean Villa offers in their all inclusive, but I've seen more bad reviews than good. And honestly what they have to offer and it's location is a lot more of what we would be looking for. I just didn't want to chance it. Some specifics that we have thought of already that we want in terms of details,

FI wants

-alcohol 
-pool or something to keep him busy prior to the actual wedding

-freebirds (but is willing to bend depending on the place)

I want:

-indoor/outdoor options (if possible)

-alcohol

-cupcakes instead of a cake (if possible)

-day of coordinator 

-tables/chairs/centerpieces included (centerpieces optional)

-option for inclusive packages

Guest count I believe to be around 85ish. I liked Noah's but it didn't offer an outside option, and for what they were asking price wise there wasn't as much being offered compared to some other locations I previously looked at. So far Bingham House has been the only type of "inclusive" that was within reason. But it seems a bit too far to drive and FI hasn't seen it yet.

fallbride1109

MV is an overpriced wedding factory.  Not a favorite here.  I think most would say that 30-45 minutes is about as far a drive you should ask of your guests.  We went to a wedding in Grapevine over the weekend and it was 45 minutes and that also meant we had to stay overnight at a hotel since we would be drinking.  That was our decision, of course, but it is something to think about.