Pennsylvania-Philadelphia

Ballroom at the Ben?

Hi Everyone, this is my first post!  I've been engaged for about a month now.  We want to get married in Phila area in Feb/March timeframe.  We just saw Ballroom at the Ben and it's my favorite so far.  Can anyone whose had their wedding there give me any advice on how they liked it?  Did they work with Kathleen or does she hand it over so someone else once you reserve? Feel free to PM me if you feel that is more appropriate to talk about your experiences.  Also, what hotels did you have your guest stay in?  I'm going to see if one of the Catholic churches in the area of the Ballroom will let me get married there as it might be smarter if the weather is bad...less time for people to travel compared to Delco where I live.  I'm feeling so anxioius about this decision.
Thanks so much!
Wedding Countdown Ticker
image 235 invited so far!
image 144 are ready to party!
image 91 will be missing out!
image 0 are MIA!

Re: Ballroom at the Ben?

  • edited December 2011
    Annie,
    Congrats on the engagement.  I actually was going to have my reception at the ballroom @ the ben, until I found Cescaphe.. I highly suggest you check them out before you book if you havent already.  Their pricing is very comparable to the ballroom at the ben, yet they give you soooooooo much more for the price.  The ballroom is a great choice though to if Cescaphe doesnt work out for you.  I'm sure you'd be happy either way, but just wanted to chime in in case you hadnt checked out Cescaphe yet.  

    Also in regards to churches - we also did a center city Catholic wedding.. Some churches to look into:   St Johns, St Marys, St Ritas, The Basillica, St John the Evangelist.  Be prepared for some pretty pricey church donation fees though.
  • edited December 2011
    Thank you Ooodsie.  I will definitely check them out!
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
    image 235 invited so far!
    image 144 are ready to party!
    image 91 will be missing out!
    image 0 are MIA!
  • LadyJ10LadyJ10 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Welcome, Annie, and congratulations!

    It sounds like you're off to a great start with planning -- I had the worst time picking a venue, but once that was done planning was so much fun!
    And they're the five best friends that anyone could have, the five best friends that anyone could have! Photobucket
  • edited December 2011
    Welcome!  I recently went to a wedding at the Ballroom and it was lovely!  I can't speak about it from a bride/planning perspective, but from a guests perspective, it was a nice time.  They had the ceremony in the ballroom, then everyone moved upstairs for cocktails while they flipped the room.  The reception was really nice, dinner and dancing. The dessert/viennese table was insanely good.  Its a really beautiful venue.  I would also recommend looking into Cescaphe/Curtis as well though.
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • efred520efred520 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I've been to a wedding at Ballroom at the Ben, and it was fantastic!  Such a stunning space.  Also, my best friend is getting married there next June and she is having her guests stay at the Omni Hotel.  HTH!
  • edited December 2011
    Thank you everyone!  I did call Cescaphe and they were much higher than my price I was able to get for the Ben.  I was disappointed b/c I would have liked to go see it.  Everything I heard about the amount of food they have was true...quite unbelievable!
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
    image 235 invited so far!
    image 144 are ready to party!
    image 91 will be missing out!
    image 0 are MIA!
  • teacup0618teacup0618 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Welcome and congrats on your engagement! My FI and I are getting married at the Ben 9/4/11. We are working with Nicole. We never been to a wedding there before, but so far everything is going well. They do negotiate with you on certain things. We are planning to have our food testing soon, so if you are still thinking about using them I'll let you know how it goes! GL and happy planning :)
    Photobucket Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • edited December 2011
    Thank you teacup!  I was wondering about the food tasting so if you wanted to let me know what you think, I'd greatly appreciate it :)
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
    image 235 invited so far!
    image 144 are ready to party!
    image 91 will be missing out!
    image 0 are MIA!
  • edited December 2011
    I went to a wedding there last year. It was amazing! The food was great and the setting is beautiful. Good luck planning!
  • edited December 2011
    The only way to have a wedding at the ben is to have a LARGE budget....  Otherwise, it will feel like a huge, under-decorated, empty space....
  • teacup0618teacup0618 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Hey Annie. We just scheduled our food tasting today, but it's not going to be until Oct. 22. I thought it woulda been sooner than that but with my boss getting married Oct. 1, it's hard to request off , and try to get our parents off at the same time, so that was the soonest it would work for us. I saw that you are thinking about Feb or March wedding, so you may already book before then, but if not, I will definitely let you know.
    Photobucket Wedding Countdown Ticker
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards