Picking a Venue-- how did you decide? Glen/Towers/Bot gardens?!

i2012do · August 2010

Help!
I don’t know how everyone came to the conclusion on which venue to choseI have written downt he pros and cons. Figured a budget and still can’t decide

I am really up in the air between Glen Manor and the Towers—but my FI loves the botanical gardens at RW.

The Glen is going to be more expensive by 50% than the Towers
But the woman at the towers is horrendous to work with.
The Glen is far from my hometown etc—and not in a “touristy” location per say, so its in a bit of an awk spot.

I think the botanical gardens is too modern for my taste (I want a very feminine, gold and blush wedding and it seems like I would need a more modern, cutting edge wedding there), but my fiancé loves it—has anyone had a more traditional reception here?

How did everyone come to their final decisions??

RoyalOrient · August 2010

Location was the most important for us. Half of our guests are OOT and most will be making a mini vacation out of our wedding because it lands on a holiday weekend. We wanted a tourist town like Newport or Providence (Where we currently reside). The half of our guest live between Fall River and Providence so we didn't want them to make a long commute. So most of the venues we looked at were in those two locations.

Venue Rental & Capacity was the second consideration. We are having 200 guests and we didn't want to spend too much on a site rental fee as we had a strict budget after buying our first home.

Style was the third consideration. We liked the Botanical Garden because it was a unique space and some of the historical mansions (like Linden Place) because it had old world charm. Easton Beach Rotunda was our favorite because of the blank palette, location, unique space and the price rental was very reasonable.It was really purrfect for us because the beach and cliff walk was a place we frequent.

If the Glen is above your price point, I'd definitely try the Towers again since both venues have a similar feel. The botanical garden maybe modern but I think it can easily be transformed into a more feminine space...it does have tons of flowers and plants so you would not need to spend too much on decor. There are so many beautiful weddings held there. I would google for some of them before you rule it out completely. You also have spectacular grounds at your disposal.

amylydia23 · August 2010

My deciding factors were that I was dead set on Newport and having a tented reception. I fell in love with Castle Hill and the Regatta Place but I felt like Castle Hill's tent was just too large for the size of my guest list. Another deciding factor was my budget. I would have really had to stretch my budget and sacrifice a lot of things to have it at Castle Hill. I went with the Regatta and am so happy about my decision. If the Glen will be that much more expensive I would try the Towers again.

Mrs.McIrish · August 2010

I was just a Towers bride in June. I wanted to reassure you that you really don't have to deal with Kate very much at all. You are renting the space and the rest is up to you. I literally met her only once in person when I came to look at the Towers in March 2009. Kate didn't even come to my walk through the week before the wedding as she had her hip replaced. We didn't need her as the caterer is the one setting up anyways. Get a caterer that knows the space and you are all set. I mailed her the $$ and gave the table/chair count form via mail. She was better about phone calls once we got to the 6 week mark out from the wedding. I emailed her questions when I had some during the process and I'd just keep emailing it if she didn't respond. She is forgetful. It is so worth it in the end. It is a beautiful space that is very unique especially if you have a lot of OOT guests. Good Luck!

nbherrick · August 2010

I was interested in all the places you mentioned above. I had the same issue with the Towers being hard to reach and work with, I get panicked easily and it also did not fit my guest count. I loved glen manor but it was too expensive for our budget. I ended up with Roger Williams Casino at the RW park. It might fit both yours and your fiance's need. It is soft and romantic and you could try to incorporate the botanical gardens. I am planning my theme to be like a vintage soft garden party. Hope that might help. The casino has also been easy to work with.

Some good pictures are at the link below. I think picking the venue was the scariest part. If you go before wedding and feel excited to be there it is the right place

http://www.melissarobotti.com/blog/?s=roger+williams+casino

KB_RI · August 2010

Oh, I feel your pain. It was such a hard decision! We wanted a rustic sort of feel but had looked at several places (including two of your three finalists). In the end it came down to cost and style and we narrowed to Kinney Bungalow and the Meeting House. FI didn't love the setup at Kinney but Tiverton we'd have to rent a tent, which added to the cost. I tried to really envision the day in my head and I loved that we could marry inside at Tiverton and set it up like a church (but not as easily at Kinney) so we went with that.

We looked at the botanical center and I liked it in theory but they were setting up for a wedding and it felt like everything was so separated, so we crossed it off the list. However, did you look at the RW Casino? When you said you wanted a feminine gold and blush wedding, I thought of the casino! It's beautiful there. Here are some pics of them setting up for a wedding in case you haven't been there.

ETA: Oops, I was digging out pics when the PP posted about RWC! Haha.

i2012do · August 2010

Thanks
I think I will give the Casino a second look.
we never went inside and instead took a LONG walk all aaround the outside- my fiance felt it needed a little TLC.
I know the inside is beautiful-- and I should go see it

i have heard things about poor acoustics-- has anyone been to a wedding there and felt this way?

I do love the fact that I can get ready at my parents- and go to my local church to get married-- it makes things cheaper and easier-- plus a limo ride isnt as long etc.

devcipps · August 2010

While i'm a huge fan of the Glen it sounds to me that you should go for one of the Providence venues. The gardens and the casino are both beautiful and it just seems that it would be easier and more economical. Based on your previous postings I know that you are a litle worried about budget and it seems that if you go with the Glen things will be a little more stressful money wise. I think you will have a gorgeous wedding at any of the above locations so you should focus more on what fits the budget the best.

mrssunshine2be · August 2010

I'm a Towers bride (it was me in the skirt and tshirt at the tasting the other day! I thought I heard someone behind me mention the Towers). It was the only place we looked at because I really wanted something with a blank slate because we have obnoxious colors (navy, orange, and apple green) that wouldn't work in a room with colored carpet/curtains/etc. The Towers was by far the cheapest place we considered. I feel like we don't need to work with Kate much after you get the initial booking over with.

That said, if being at home and at your church is important to you you should definitely give places in Providence a closer look. A friend from work just got married at the Botanical Gardens and she said it was beautiful.

jlsimon56 · August 2010

I also think you should look at the Casino!! :-) That's b/c my wedding was there. Haha. I am "Jennifer and Aaron" in the Melissa Robotti link above. We used pewter/charcoal grey with a light blush pink for our colors, with some ivory b/c of my dress. The upstairs has a gorgeous painted ceiling with grey, blush pink, gold, some sage green, mustard, and white-ish. Would look awesome with what you're describing. If you have any questions, just email me at jlsimon56 at hotmail dot com. The Casino is cheaper than the Towers. We did our room blocks in Warwick so that saved our guests money, and they liked being close to the airport (since everyone flew in). The grounds are lovely. When is your wedding? You have to book space for photos in Roger Williams Park, but it's free for Casino weddings. (Otherwise like $50 per location?) The woman Heather is very blunt and to-the-point, which I liked b/c I don't like to be BSed to. :-) I actually photographed a wedding at the Casino before my own wedding there, and took notes about what things to do and what NOT to do. We set up small tables outside on the porch for the cocktail hour, what a hit! We added a bar upstairs so guests didn't have to go downstairs during the reception. We put the DJ on the stage. Oh, and the acoustics are amazing there. In fact, the Casino tells the DJs to keep the volume lower than usual b/c the sound travels so well.

Anway, it's definitely worth a look! Sounds like you and your FI aren't 100% sold on any one place yet. When we went to the Casino, we KNEW.

i2012do · August 2010

Thanks JLSimon-- ya I am so up in the air and I want to walk into one place and "know"..
I think i might have felt that way tat the Towers if Kate didint forget our appointment--then lie about why she wanst there (that was super obnixious) then berate me on the phone and tell me shs sorry, but she works 60 hours a week (sorry im rambling --- but that realled PO'd me!)

If we get married at the Towers- my fiances family is likely renting an entire beach house so his family can stay there and we will have our rehearsel there.

As devcipps mentioned-- I am concerned about the budget.
I never imainged that in order to have a wedding I would be paying over 30,000 to have it the way I imagined-- it seems insane!!! My parents are footing most of the bill and have set a $ amount-- and FI and I are trying not to start our life together in a boatload of debt--- -I know they call people "house poor" when they throw their entire payheck into a home-- I dont want to be "wedding poor"

I am willing to give the casino another try-- especially because I love the huge rooms at the biltmore and could picture my entire wedding party getting ready there and getting married at the cathederal-- and then guests could stay at the hilton or the Hope club near brown for a reasonable price.

Thanks for sharing your photos-- it def. changed my mind on the casino--and i even made an appointment to give it a second look-- its def. more my style over the gardens!

ps. Mrssunshine-- as soon as you said u were at the Morins open house a Tower bride i knew it was you!! We were sitting at the table by all the linens with antoher girl and her mother ! So funny!

nbherrick · August 2010

Your where I was a few months ago. The cost of a wedding is horrible and can be a huge stress. If the venue selection is stressful for you it gets worse with catering...that is where the big cost is. The only tip, I have is everything adds up really quick. If you start with a place like glen that has a higher cost plus you have to rent tables and chairs it become much more expensive pretty fast. I am finding I have to make little sacrifices every where to stay in my budget. You don't want to start too high with the venue and end up in stressful spot for every other vendor you have to look at. The only tip I have is way out all the hidden costs with the venue as well. I think you have to pay for tables and chairs at the towers. The nice gold wedding chair cost about $6 to rent per chair. That was another factor that led me to the casino. They were one of the few venues that included chairs and tables. Anothor place I liked was the aldrich mansion. If you have a Friday wedding you could save some money there.

i2012do · August 2010

nbherrick -- are the gold chivari chairs included at the casino?

I saw that the tables were , but wasnt sure about the chairs.

If so, thats a good deal-- that saved you a lot of money.

nbherrick · August 2010

Yes, the casino purchased 180 gold chivari chairs in the fall and they are included in the rental cost. It helps save a lot of money.

jlsimon56 · August 2010

Yes! They did! I thought we were going to have the folding wooden chairs, so I was SHOCKED when I saw the chivari chairs. Our wedding was last October, so they must have just gotten them. I didn't even know about it. :-)

(I will admit....I didn't notice them right away. Then during dinner, I was like, wait a minute - what am I sitting on???)

i2012do · August 2010

oh wow! That is great they are included-- I have quotes for 6- 9 dollars for the chairs!!

I love the gold chivari chairs-- they are a part of my theme hahahah

I am going to give the casino another look then-- -I wish they would repaint the deck on the outside-- maybe they will before August 2012!!

Thanks for the help ladies-- I am having crazy wedding dreams of being all dressed up adn literally NO PLACE to go, almost every night!

And Im not sure who-- but someone mentioned the sticker shock on catering-
I have to say if you havent tried them Russ Morins is so amazing-- I am def. using them-- we literally have a menu for twice as much food as we would get with other caterers and its amazingly delicisous and its not bad at all-- I was quoted liek 120pp for what I want- -and that is a lot of "out of the box" apps-- and even late night sliders and fries served an hour before the end of the reception!

jmp1978 · August 2010

decissons decissons. I have not been on this board in over 6 months,but a friend of mine is planning a wedding so I thought I wuld check out what was happening. I looked at all 3 places you looked at. The most important factors for me in choosing a venue was price, something different and having a place to our selves. All 3 are great but I felt the Glen was too separated, we would have to put one side of the family in one room and the the other side in another and I jsut didn't like that idea. Plus not sure if you have any guests from Portsmouth but if you do those guests have probably been there like 100 times before. The Towers is really nice but hte day we went down there I swear every motorcycler with in 100 miles was driving threw that day. It was too busy in the area plus the hotels can be quite expensie down there and most have 2 night minimums. SOOOOO we got married at the BG. ( we also looked at like 20 other places). It was so amazing, it is soo different it really leaves an impression with the guests. My wedding was not super modern. I would not have changed a thing about the venue. The guys that work at the BG are soo nice. i must ahve went in to look around 10 times, and they always welcomed me. have you had them turn on the radio. It makes the place come alive and feel so romantic. If you have any questions feel free to email me jenpaz78 at yahoo dot com. GOOD LUCK

Motes414 · September 2010

I too am having some issues with picking a venue location. Although our wedding isn't until 2012, I want to choose a location, so that I can take advantage of the current rates. My budget is a bit on the smaller scale....we're trying to decide between Linden Place or the BG at RWP - decisions, decisions... : /

Picking a Venue-- how did you decide? Glen/Towers/Bot gardens?!

Re: Picking a Venue-- how did you decide? Glen/Towers/Bot gardens?!

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