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Glen Manor or the Hyatt Rose Island Ballroom???

Luckyxo14Luckyxo14 member
First Comment
in Rhode Island
Hey ladies! I'm trying to decide which venue to have my reception at...either the Rose Island Ballroom at the Hyatt or Glen Manor. I want to have a fun and memorable wedding and will be having all guests coming from out of town...HELP!
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Re: Glen Manor or the Hyatt Rose Island Ballroom???

  • jonnysbride2010jonnysbride2010
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I just had our wedding at the Glen and it was perfection! Pics in my Bio along with reviews :) All of our guests are still raving about it and said it was the most fun they have ever had at a wedding. The Glen is to die for xoxo the gardens, the mansion, the dock and bridge, the staircase, amazzzzzing
    For Sale Planning Bio Married Bio
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  • Island_Bride2011Island_Bride2011 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Glen Manor!  Super beautiful and private.  You won't see 6 other brides around the property.  :)
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  • KB_RIKB_RI
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    It sort of depends on whether you want an all-inclusive like a hotel for your venue or one where you bring in everything yourself. With a big OOT crowd, I think the hotel is probably more convenient, as there aren't many hotels around the Glen.

    BUT, that said, Glen Manor is gorgeous and unique and would definitely be memorable. And when I booked my venue, I liked the idea of choosing all of the details, catering, etc. myself. I suppose providing guest transportation would alleviate the OOT issue, so if that's in your budget, I'd probably go with Glen.
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  • SummerBoston10SummerBoston10
    First Comment Combo Breaker First Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    I've never been to Glen Manor but we are holding a welcome reception at the Hyatt and that is where our room block is.  I can tell you that the Hyatt has been fabulous to work with.  If the Rose ball room is the main one, it does have nice views and it nice deck right out by the water.  It would also be more convenient for your guests since they could stay right at the hotel and be within walking distance of downtown Newport.

    With that said, if transportation is in your budget, I would probably pick a more "special" place like Glen Manor and just make sure that you make it very easy for your guests to get there and back.  I personally don't love hotel ballrooms or hotel weddings in general so that is why I feel that way. 
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  • Luckyxo14Luckyxo14 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks for the input everyone! I still haven't made a decision yet because there are things I like about both venues...and things I don't like! Does anyone know how much it would be to provide transportation like was suggested?
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  • SummerBoston10SummerBoston10
    First Comment Combo Breaker First Anniversary
    edited December 2011

    I decided not to offer transportation when I realized that 90% of our guests would be staying at the Hyatt, right next door to our venue but I did get some quotes early on in planning.  I do not have any trolley quotes. 

    Prestige Limo - $125/hour plus 20% gratuity for a 26 passenger executive coach

    Archway Bus - $650 for a 31 person bus (transport before and after wedding)

    Newport Limo - $650 without tip for a 29 person minibus (transport before and after wedding)

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  • lwolf2001lwolf2001 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I am a Hyatt bride next weekend, let me know if you have any questions.
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  • massetobemassetobe
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I was also considering both places. they are so different! below were my personal thoughts on them (i did not end up selecting either).

    Glen manor
    pros
    *you can bring in your own caterer which gives you a lot of flexibility with menu options/pricing. 
    *you can buy your own alcohol with most caterers which save A LOT of money if youre looking at open bars in newport
    *you have the property for a huge portion of the day (no rushing in or out) and are the ONLY event there. no other brides or tourists to see
    *tons of character and waterfront. 

    cons
    *for a wedding our size we would have had to seat people for dinner in different rooms which was the deciding factor. if you have a smaller group or don't mind people sitting in different rooms then it may not matter.
    *the con of having the flexibility of using your own caterer is also dealing with other details that some of the hotels will take care of for you.
    *you either need to provide transportation for guests or have them drive

    Hyatt
    pros
    *i was reallly impressed with steven and thought he would really take great care of us during the planning. having him help us would have been a huge plus. he's great!
    *the packages include food, beverages, linens, etc so its all wrapped up together which ends up being less to manage as a bride.
    *guests can stay there so less transportation issues. the hyatt also has a shuttle to downtown newport for guests.
    *the ballroom is GORGEOUS. they really did a nice job where its a hotel but doesnt feel like a typical hotel ballroom. 

    cons
    *multiple weddings in one day. if you care about this (i did) its hard to get over
    *there will be guests/other people around. you are secluded but still....
    *the rain option would have been to get married inside another ballroom...that was the kicker for us. 

    good luck! someone above mentioed archway bus. we are using them to shuttle our guests to and from castle hill and they were the most reasonably priced and SO nice to deal with.


    *
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  • devcippsdevcipps
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I'm a Glen bride so of course I'm going to say go for the Glen Manor. I think the property is absolutely stunning and I love the fact that it is off the beaten path and more private. It was also important to me that they only have one wedding a day and we essentially have the mansion for that day to ourselves.

    I understand the convenience of having your wedding in a hotel. I originally was looking for a place where I could have my wedding and have my guests stay on site. In the end I just couldn't find a place that offered this and was reasonably priced. The hotel rooms at the hyatt are our my guests price range so that would just not work for me.

    I am using a school bus to transport my guests to and from my wedding and it is only costing me $300. You do not need to provide transportation for your guests. I am inviting a lot of guys in their late twenties and I was getting a little concerned about drinking and driving so that is why I got the bus.

    If you do go with the Glen I would suggest using Glorious Affairs as your caterer. Baraba does a lot of weddings there and was actually married there herself. She is very comfortable with the venue and what works there. I also found her pricing to be extremely reasonable especially her open bar fees. I think her open bar was cheaper then all the other places I talked to.

    I was a little nervous about essentially having to bring everything into the mansion and going through multiple vendors but it really hasn't been difficult at all and I have come to appreciate that I can make the wedding custom to my needs and price point.
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  • hollygb22hollygb22 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I looked at Glen Manor.

    While I thought the venue was beautiful, all my guests would be seated in different rooms. I couldn't get over that. If I were I guest, I'd feel uncomfortable being in a separate room, so I opted for a different venue where everyone could be together.

    It might not matter to some, but it irked me, so we let the search continue to other places.
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