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Newbie here. Suggestions for Wedding Planners and Venues...???

KerriCornellKerriCornell
100 Comments
in Arizona-Phoenix
Hello!

My fiance and I just started looking into venues for a possible late April/early May 2011 wedding.  Reading some of your posts makes me feel I am already waaaay behind!  We are looking at venues in Scottsdale, North Phoenix and Ft Hills.  Any hotels, golf clubs or other venues you can suggest?

Also, I am really throwing around the idea of hiring a wedding planner.  I have heard that the venue event planners don't help as much as they advertise.  I am hoping for a Mediterranean-inspired wedding and so the reception decor,lighting, etc will be very important.  Not really sure if a venue coordinator would be able to design a reception.  If you have worked with any Wedding Planners, please send me your suggestions. 

Thanks so much!!!!!!!
"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
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Re: Newbie here. Suggestions for Wedding Planners and Venues...???

  • LyndseylovesHughLyndseylovesHugh member
    Third Anniversary 100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Congrats on your engagement!  I was married at Troon North Golf Club in North Scottsdale and I highly recommend it!!!  Everything was PERFECT, the venue was beautiful, the service and food were out of this world.  If you went with Troon you would not need a day of coordinator, Amber there is amazing!  But if you do look for a coordinator Victoria Canada is the best, RHonda Rush of Impact Events and Jen Thye of Imoni Events are great too!  Good luck!
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  • NillaWafer10NillaWafer10 member
    1000 Comments 5 Love Its
    edited December 2011
    Congratulations and welcome to the board! 

    I would say definitely go with a wedding planner if you want a designed space.  I would say that your planner is going to be your most important vendor, so choose wisely.  It's really popular in this industry to provide great service and quick communication in the early stages, and then they drop off towards the end when you need them most.  We hear about it all the time :(  Check out wedding wire for vendor reviews.  You have to take these with a grain of salt, but they can give you an idea of how satisfied their customers have been. 

    weddingwire.com

    Make sure to book your coordinator before booking anything else.  A benefit of hiring a coordinator is that they can get deals on the rest of your vendors, including your venue.
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  • lgoldberrylgoldberry member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
     Congrats!  It is really overwhelming to find a site that you love, but you will feel so much better when you do.  In terms of your timeline, the site is really what you need to get figured out first (and a coordinator if you decide you need one).  You will know so much more what you need after you find a site.  A site might come with almost everything you are looking for, including photographers, food, cake, flowers and coordinator, or they may not have any of that stuff.  It really depends on the site you find.  If you are looking for a site in North Scottsdale, you might want  to consider checking out Grayhawk.  It is in a beautiful location (DC ranch area), and I was really impressed with their wedding coordinator.  I met  the coordinator for Grayhawk at a bridal fair, and when I called she remembered exactly who I was and my mother and future mother in law, what I was looking for in a wedding site, and all of the details. I decided not to go with Grayhawk, but it was definitely a contender for me.  Hope this helps
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  • LyndseylovesHughLyndseylovesHugh member
    Third Anniversary 100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Oooh, Greyhawk is really nice too, just as PP said!  It was my second choice, and a hard decision between them and Troon North.  Also, I really liked Starfire, but it was to small for my guest list.  If you are having under 90 or 80 guests I would suggest looking there too!
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  • KerriCornellKerriCornell
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Awesome.... thank you both so much for the great information!!!!
    "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
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  • misscastlemisscastle
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I'm getting married at Sunridge Canyon Golf Club in Fountain Hills. I think the site is beautiful and it's *really* affordable, especially compared to some of the other sites suggested here. I was looking at Troon North, but couldn't afford it (I have a $20k budget). The total for everything at Sunridge - food, tax, tip, bar, all fees - for the ceremony and reception will about about $10k. 

    However, when we were there in early May, we took the last date in April 2011. They might still have availability for May, though. 

    ~ Kelsey Jean ~

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  • KerriCornellKerriCornell
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Kelsey-Jean -  how many people are you expecting?  I had heard Sunridge was on the smaller side.  We may have up to 150.  If they can handle that, I may check them out :)
    "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
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  • jadel74jadel74 member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Have you looked at the InterContinental Montelucia? It's actually a Mediterranean themed-resort and it has it's own wedding chapel. Too pricey for us but it's gorgeous.
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  • KerriCornellKerriCornell
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    The Montelucia is my dream venue!  LOL  But at around $250 per person... it will have to stay a dream ;)
    "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
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  • jadel74jadel74 member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Holy cow.
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  • molzie2molzie2
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    I absolutely love Cottonwoods Resorts in the Borgata. Stacey the coordinator is amazing and will help in every way possible! Just check it out!

    Stacey Turner

    Catering Sales Manager / Wedding Specialist

    Scottsdale Cottonwoods Resort & Suites

    6160 North Scottsdale Road

    Scottsdale, Arizona  85253

    sturner@scottsdalecottonwoods.com

    D:  480.443.5866

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  • KerriCornellKerriCornell
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Thank you for all of the suggestions :)

    We ended up booking at Sassi in North Scottsdale.  April 30th 2011!  I feel much better now that we have a date secured.
    We also hired Jennifer Thye from Imoni Events as our wedding planner.  She seems extremely easy to work with, had lots of great recommendations and is one really cool girl!
    "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
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