Arlington Hall

awilkins78 · March 2010

Hello ladies,

I just got engaged about a month ago and have been lurking a little on here since then (ok, maybe a bit before too....)

I am just starting the planning process and we're looking for reception venues. I am wondering if anyone has info to share about Arlington Hall at Lee Park. Anyone been to or had a wedding there?

TIA!

fallbride1109 · March 2010

It's beautiful. My husband's condo was right next door and we would see weddings there all the time. We considered it but it was a little outside of our budget.

It has a wonderful outdoor ceremony space and yet the inside is very elegant. Great venue IMO.

ewinkler1977 · March 2010

It's a really beautiful venue. You can always look on Wedding Wire as well to see if there are reviews and what other girls experiences were.

wagnerj3 · March 2010

we almost booked there but it was a bit more than we wanted to pay and they were a bit snobby about some thing. But, it really is classic and beautiful so if you like it and it's in your budget, I am sure the wedding would be magical.

JessTX · March 2010

There was a girl that use to be on here that had her wedding there and I remember she really liked it but I haven't seen her on here lately.

awilkins78 · March 2010

Hmmmm...I'm a little concerned about all of you guys saying it's expensive! I'm definitely on a budget. Winfrey Point is already booked for our date, and AH seems much less expensive than the Filter Building, the Melrose, Texas Discovery Gardens, the Arboretum....am I missing something? We are getting married at Holy Trinity on Oak Lawn & Blackburn, so driving out of Dallas for the reception is kinda out of the question. Do you ladies have suggestions for things I missed?

ewinkler1977 · March 2010

Have you looked at Old Red Museum or Avanti Fountain Place, They are really pretty and I believe more affordable (if I'm wrong, sorry)

fallbride1109 · March 2010

I got married at the Melrose. In 2009 it was slightly cheaper than AH, both per person and the rental fees (we were looking to hold our ceremony there also, however). And like Wagner, I got a snooty tone from AH. In the end, I just thought the Melrose gave us slightly more for the money (bridal/honeymoon suite, I loved the linens, decor, etc.). We love the Library bar also and thought it would be great for our guests, as well as a great hotel for the OOT guests. Budgetwise, there probably wasn't a huge difference, it was more about what we got for the money. Plus, the Melrose was special to us anyway so we really didn't consider another venue once we saw it fit our needs. I loved having my wedding there.

fallbride1109 · March 2010

Oh and I also considered the Arboretum (also more expensive AND no one would call me back), the Stoneleigh (which I think is also more expensive than the Melrose--it was booked on our date). I'm not sure what your budget is, but for example, the Melrose had a $12k minimum for a Saturday last year--most of these that I have mentioned are all about in that same budget range or more.

shananagins · March 2010

I used the Texas Discovery Gardens, and we spent less than $12K. They charge for renlat of the facility, but You can bring your own caterer and alcohol, so we were able to save a lot on the food and bar. I loved it!

wagnerj3 · March 2010

I remember thinking AH was on par with everyone else $$wise until I sat down and got a real quote. THen it was like they charged for everything and their food was crazy. Plus I felt like they were trying to upsell me on everything. I would get quotes with the catering before you make any decision. THe good news is most places let you put a week hold on a venue so we did that for AH and a few others. THe Fliter Building isn't too bad if you get a decently priced caterer but I do think you have to bring in everything so that can get pricey. But, having said all of that AH is really magical. Get a quote, see if you connect with the consultant and go from there. Like at Belo, the consultant and I did not click and after 5 minutes, I was like no way. You will deal with the crew a ton in the next year so you want to make sure you trust them and enjoy working with them. Hope that helps!

awilkins78 · March 2010

Thanks for all the advice everyone. FI and I just went and took a tour. I was very clear with her about our budget and she is putting together a proposal for us. I am trying to keep it under 6k for 75 people (but we are having our reception in the afternoon and not doing a full meal). She seemed to think that was doable, but we'll see what happens when she gives me the quote. She wasn't necessarily snobby, but she was a little upsell-ish so we'll see what happens.

Old Red starts at 4k just for the facility rental, and I didn't see any prices for Avanti online.

Thanks again, and I'll keep you guys updated if you want!

Jay+Marissa · March 2010

I look at Arlington Hall's prices--the base rental price is definitely good, but if they are the only caterer you can use, run! I haven't seen prices that high ANYWHERE--some of it looks like it is double some of the country clubs we were looking at were charging!

wagnerj3 · March 2010

You can only use their caterer and you have to use Frosted Art for your cake (which is outrageously expensive) or they charged you $4/slice to cut someone else' cake. Sadly enough, we figured we could still get our Jackie Spratt cake and with the $4/slice fee it would still be about the same as just the cake from FA. Craziness. Good luck, let us know how the proposal turns out. Watch out for all of the hidden fees. Like charging you for each bartender (I have not had one other place charge a fee for that) and you have to hire and valet, last time I checked. That's where it got to be too much for us.

madiandcindy · March 2010

I also visited AH and though the price was in our budget they were snobs in my opinion so I went elsewhere. I see I am not the only one who felt that way.

Donnaaries · March 2010

When I talked to AH back in early 2009, their food & alcohol minimum was like 15K for a Saturday night wedding, tack on the cake cutting fees, linens, etc, and that was way outta my budget. Maybe the economy is affecting their minimums?

The Filter Building is very DIY so you can make it as expensive or as economical as you'd like. We are not doing much decor because we like the simple look of the steel and brick in the building, so it turned out to be one of the most affordable choices. They rent out their tables and chairs that they have at the building for $1 a piece or something like that, you can't get those rental prices anywhere else.

letu9017 · March 2010

Hi, I'm getting married April 24th, 2010 at Arlington Hall. I got engaged Dec 26th, 2009 and it has been a whirlwind experience! I wanted to get married in Dallas (uptown area) because of the locatation to all our out of town guest. My finance lived in a condo next door to AH and every weekend I would walk by just to take a peek at the weddings. I fell in love with the location and it is my dream wedding to have the reception there! Compared to many locations, AH is pretty much the same as far as cost. We are having a afternoon receptions so it is a little cheaper and also a soft bar.
We also used Frosted Arts as our cake vender and they are amazying! Their cake taste great and do a great job on the cake decorations. I am really excited about the wedding and reception and if there are any questions, just let me know!

awilkins78 · March 2010

Well, we got our quote and it was nowhere near 15k, but it was still a little high for our budget. I've asked her if she'd be willing to work with us, but I haven't heard back yet. I've asked a couple restaurants for quotes too. Filter Building was booked. Our reception will be at 3pm (so Discovery Gardens isn't possible either, they don't let you start unt 5pm including set-up), so I don't think we have to have a full dinner or a full bar. With that and our small guest list, I didn't think we'd have so much trouble staying on budget.

****sigh****

Jay+Marissa · March 2010

Have you thought about a country club? Some of them actually didn't have bad prices at all, and didn't charge you for use of the facility.

fallbride1109 · March 2010

Oh darn, I'm sorry to hear that. Did you try Avanti? That might fit your needs really well. Sambuca maybe? Perry's? Al Biernats? The Mansion? I know the Ritz Carlton has a small area besides their main ballroom (I think it might be part of Fearings). Everything in this area is expensive, unfortunately, but maybe for an afternoon wedding it could work--have you considered maybe doing a Sunday instead?

awilkins78 · March 2010

I assumed they'd be out of our budget if we don't belong to one. Any ideas?

awilkins78 · March 2010

Steph-our church only does weddings on Saturdays. I assumed all those other places would be out of our budget too. But maybe I should stop assuming You're the second person to suggest Avanti so maybe I should call them!

fallbride1109 · March 2010

Yeah I have no idea what anything costs really--but $6K for 75 people is $80 a person. You would think you could get something really nice for that!

awilkins78 · March 2010

Yeah, you would think! Especially cuz like I said, we don't feel we need a full meal or full bar at that time of day. What makes me angry is that I feel like as soon as I say "wedding" the price for everything goes up 30%, and people start talking about minimums, etc. Even at Arlington Hall, I bet if I wanted to do a PARTY (like, say, a birthday or a baby shower) at the same time of day with the same menu and number of people, it would be no sweat for 6k.

I did put in a request for Avanti, so we'll see. But I found a catering menu of theirs online. Light buffets start at $29/pp for 200 people (so I bet they'd charge us more for fewer people) which doesn't include the facility or any rentals. Or any alcohol. Plus it says something about a minimum (which would vary by day of week and time of year).

Seriously....maybe we just take our parents and go see the priest. Blow the rest on a fabulous honeymoon. </rant />

fallbride1109 · March 2010

Yeah, even though you are doing an afternoon, I think because it's a Saturday, you're still getting screwed. A nice restaurant may be your best bet. Let us know what happens!

Donnaaries · March 2010

Agree with Stephie, if your wedding is at 3:0pm on a Saturday, your venue won't be able to host another wedding that evening (with the usual Saturday minimums).

With 75 people, I think a restaurant is your best bet. Have you tried Maggiano's? Or St Martin's Wine Bistro? I think a girl on here used Ferrari's earlier this year and raved about their service and prices.

Jay+Marissa · March 2010

I checked out 3-4 golf clubs (though they weren't downtown) and I found for $60/person you could get a very nice meal, full bar, etc.

Check out The Cooper Institute--they weren't too bad. If you are willing to go further North, The Tribute is awesome

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