Texas-Dallas and Ft. Worth

Venue Questions/Help/Advice

So we got engaged last week, and somehow I have already worked myself in to a panic over the venue... mostly due to the budget. My parents are hoping to contribute $3-$5, so I am counting that as $3 right now and hoping it can cover venue/food/drink. Which could be crazy I suppose, I have zero experience with any of this. Going to be small, guest list at 50-60. I got very excited when I saw the prices for Times Ten Cellars, BUT I need ceremony + reception and they just told me I can only get the patio for the ceremony if we rent the entire winery (aka way way way out of budget and not possible). I can't imagine it would be a fun time to have the ceremony, evacuate everyone to move chairs and tables and get catering in, then drag everyone back.

So, that leads me to consider having the ceremony elsewhere. I thought about doing that at White Rock but I am worried about the logistics of set up/take down, etc for just 30 minutes of actual use. Also not so keen on a strange church, and the cost of a ceremony at my church would be over $1k, wiping out almost half of my reception funds (loved finding out that little price point).

Is there anything I haven't thought of? Looked at Heard Museum and it was fine, did not have our preferred dates and didn't love the interior but can be a backup. Drove by Myers Park but it's just so dang far out there (maybe it felt that way after a long day of searching?). We would like to avoid a banquet/hall/hotel look but I know it may be unavoidable due to our budget. 

Edited to add: our ideal month is October

Re: Venue Questions/Help/Advice

  • edited March 2013
    So we got engaged last week, and somehow I have already worked myself in to a panic over the venue... mostly due to the budget. My parents are hoping to contribute $3-$5, so I am counting that as $3 right now and hoping it can cover venue/food/drink. Which could be crazy I suppose, I have zero experience with any of this. Going to be small, guest list at 50-60. I got very excited when I saw the prices for Times Ten Cellars, BUT I need ceremony + reception and they just told me I can only get the patio for the ceremony if we rent the entire winery (aka way way way out of budget and not possible). I can't imagine it would be a fun time to have the ceremony, evacuate everyone to move chairs and tables and get catering in, then drag everyone back.

    So, that leads me to consider having the ceremony elsewhere. I thought about doing that at White Rock but I am worried about the logistics of set up/take down, etc for just 30 minutes of actual use. Also not so keen on a strange church, and the cost of a ceremony at my church would be over $1k, wiping out almost half of my reception funds (loved finding out that little price point).

    Is there anything I haven't thought of? Looked at Heard Museum and it was fine, did not have our preferred dates and didn't love the interior but can be a backup. Drove by Myers Park but it's just so dang far out there (maybe it felt that way after a long day of searching?). We would like to avoid a banquet/hall/hotel look but I know it may be unavoidable due to our budget. 

    Edited to add: our ideal month is October
  • So $3K is your ceremony/reception budget with food and drink? 

    How about the chapel at Chestnut Square in McKinney?  (Not sure about pricing though.)
    http://www.chestnutsquare.org/weddings/chapel.asp

    or the gardens?
    http://www.chestnutsquare.org/weddings/chapel_garden.asp

    There's also the Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park.
    http://texasdiscoverygardens.org/rentals_and_weddings.php#

    I think you're on the right track:  if you like Times 10 and the price is right, work on finding a ceremony space.  I don't know of anyone here that has done ceremony only at White Rock but I'm sure it can be done. 
  • Well, how about a ceremony on one of the piers at White Rock or at Big Thicket (if you end up more in the 50 person range) and then over to x10 for the reception?  The lake is so beautiful that you would not need any set up for the ceremony part.  Is there an art gallery near x10?  Maybe you could do a ceremony at some kind of gallery and then you would definitely not need decorations. 

    Or several people have mentioned a knottie who got married on the El Phoenix rooftop.  I think I saw her on here not too long ago.

    If you're open to other cities, we're getting married at Los Vaqueros in the Stockyards in Ft. Worth and it would definitely be in your food/drink budget.  It's has a garden for the ceremony/reception and would be a nice option for October if you like outdoor weddings.  Pus there's an indoor space if weather becomes an issue.
  • edited March 2013
    "Well, how about a ceremony on one of the piers at White Rock or at Big Thicket (if you end up more in the 50 person range) and then over to x10 for the reception?  The lake is so beautiful that you would not need any set up for the ceremony part.  Is there an art gallery near x10?  Maybe you could do a ceremony at some kind of gallery and then you would definitely not need decorations.  "
    See this is what I was thinking - my only concern was dealing with the rentals. Is that a pain to get out there and set up for such a short amount of time? Is it poor form to have 50 ish people stand, with the exception of maybe a couple rows for parents/grandparetns? It would be nice just because I do love the lake so much and it is close to x10.
    And stephiehall thanks for those recommendations, especially the Chestnut Hall, not sure how I missed that one in my initial venue hunt. We are actually considering doing the whole thing over in McKinney, just wanted to exhaust my options closer to Dallas first since most of the attendees live/will likely stay in that area. 

  • I don't think it's poor form to have only a few rows of chairs for the people who need them.  I have been to several weddings where most of the guests were standing.  The ceremony was short though.  Maybe about 15-20 minutes.  One of those was definitely a very high end, expensive wedding so I would think it would be fine.
  • I actually went to a wedding at the Chestnut Square chapel and it was lovely.  She had the reception at the Bevel Reception house which had an outdoor area where the dancing was.  She had Sonny Bryan's BBQ and it was really nice and casual.  It's also BYOB which can save you some money.

    I'm not a fan of standing during a ceremony for any lengh of time.  JMO.  The other problem with doing it at White Rock is that if there is inclement weather, you have zero back up plan so keep that in mind.
  • edited March 2013
    We are going to look into to some chair setup and takedown pricing this weekend. I would love to have the ceremony there but I am afraid of rain with no backup :/ As for Texas Discovery Gardens, I have searched through the old posts for this but wanted to make sure I didn't miss something. Has anyone every used/ considered using the carriage house and patio instead of the grand hall? With our guest size I don't know how i feel about the hall and I'd love to see or hear what the house is like. Google is failing me! I really appreciate the responses, this is such a wonderful resource for a lost bride! Sorry for the lack of paragraphs, phone can't handle it I guess.
  • fallbride1109fallbride1109 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper First Comment
    edited March 2013
    Uh-oh did you see this? "TDG cannot hold weddings during the State Fair of Texas, Sept. 27 - Oct. 20 2013." Not sure what the dates are for next year, but it's generally the same time every year.
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_venue-questionshelpadvice?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:102Discussion:dcc44bed-c7df-4900-ba3a-f2686bf28c14Post:b8d4fbba-a764-4b76-b26e-b8bce0bf6b86">Re: Venue Questions/Help/Advice</a>:
    [QUOTE]I actually went to a wedding at the Chestnut Square chapel and it was lovely.  She had the reception at the Bevel Reception house which had an outdoor area where the dancing was.  She had Sonny Bryan's BBQ and it was really nice and casual.  It's also BYOB which can save you some money.<strong> I'm not a fan of standing during a ceremony for any lengh of time.  JMO.  </strong>The other problem with doing it at White Rock is that if there is inclement weather, you have zero back up plan so keep that in mind.
    Posted by stephiehall[/QUOTE]

    <div>OMG this.  Please please please do not make your guests stand through your ceremony.</div><div>
    </div><div>Also, having been rained upon at a wedding at WRL, I beg you to have a backup plan, or at least a tent.</div>
    Anniversary

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  • edited March 2013
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_venue-questionshelpadvice?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:102Discussion:dcc44bed-c7df-4900-ba3a-f2686bf28c14Post:8e51c977-8c7b-4e3b-8a60-61c4dad1a77d">Re: Venue Questions/Help/Advice</a>:
    [QUOTE]Uh-oh did you see this? "TDG cannot hold weddings during the State Fair of Texas, Sept. 27 - Oct. 20 2013." Not sure what the dates are for next year, but it's generally the same time every year.
    Posted by stephiehall[/QUOTE]

    <div>Yeah I did, I was taking that into consideration but that is why TDG is lower on my list... was hoping that since I wanted the smaller space it might be less sought after and potentially still available in the remaining weekend of October. We could try mid-Sept but I did not grow up in Texas and even after 10 years I do not enjoy anything about Texas summers. I also remember being a little toasty at the fair last year so even October makes me wary, but thats TX for you.</div><div>
    </div><div>While I would be fine standing at a wedding ceremony, I would never make <em>everyone</em> stand and if I am gong through the trouble of chairs might as well get them all. Just really trying to avoid that whole scenario. </div><div>
    </div><div>We are going to do some narowing down this weekend - I think the visit list will be TDG (although after reading some reviews on responsiveness I am a little worried about getting a hold of them to tour the place, even though the website says you can do so on Saturdays), a couple of McKinney Square spots (Heard Craig and Chestnut Square)... how is Ruth Jackson Center price wise? Driving me bonkers that places don't put their prices online. I feel like I have looked through a thousand websites at this point, but I guess too many places to consider is a good problem to have?</div>
  • fallbride1109fallbride1109 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper First Comment
    edited March 2013
    We had a Knottie use Ruth Jackson a while back and I don't believe it's considered a budget venue.  The YWCA in Fort Worth is, however.

    Have you considered a restaurant reception?  With your guest list, that could also be an option.  Again, you might want to look into a separate ceremony location but a nice dinner in a private room at a restaurant would fit your budget.  We've had a few Knotties here do it at Maggiano's, El Fenix, and Ferrari's Italian Villa (the latter two also had their ceremonies there).  Lots of girls also do Marty Leonard Chapel in Ft. Worth (runs around $850 I think), then use Los Vaqueros or Joe T. Garcia's for the reception.  Just throwing it out there.  As if you don't have enough options!  :)
  • edited March 2013
    We haven't made any decisions yet but wanted to note this for anyone else that might be curious: talked to White Rock today and if you rent Big Thickett you get 40 chairs and 6 tables. If you rent a random spot on the lake, you can only bring in 20 chairs

    Also talked to a place in Plano that I found randomly on google and have not seen much about on here (could have just missed it): http://www.icehouserooftop.com/faq.aspx . Very cool outdoor patio and you get a couple of rooms, think total capacity is around 220 for wedding uses. Might be out of our price range a bit, still trying to crunch the numbers on my end, but they emailed back very promptly with rental details - on a Saturday the space is 2k  for 7 hours. You have to use one of their restuarants for alcohol and food, I am coming to about 5k for food (pizza oven option) + alc (open wine and beer) + venue for 50-60 people. A little more than I was wanting but this board has been so helpful for me, I had to contribute all my details so far! 

    FI is not a fan of the restaurant thing but we are going through all the options this weekend so he might be convinced otherwise. Looking into everything you guys have suggested, seriously so helpful!
  • I've eaten at the restaurant down below- the food was great! The gelato is wonderful too! I didn't realize the upstairs held that many, but it is a cool space! 
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