Wedding Would you take this place for free??

[blondebunny]

So excited... this is my first REAL post as a BIW!! yayayayaya!!!! Ok well my stepdad helped build/give money/something to this place... and well he gets it for one free rental.. and probably other perks... But Im wondering... and leaning towards having my wedding here because its a FREE rentals... and I think with some extra decor I''d be fantastic... Its just hard because the pics they have on the website are/well look very old... they have an open house on the 16th... so Im thinking I might go check it out inside and stuff... What do ya''ll think???
This place!
For the date.. we are thinking either February 27, 2010 because there is a cruise we really want to take that leaves on the 6th of march... or March 6th... but then we couldnt take the cruise we really like... Im leaning towards February 27th... what do ya''ll think??

 

[blondebunny]

and this is my inspiration board so far... except obviously the colors dont match up... hahah i want the colors that are by the dress what do yall think?

 

[Lanie]

Congrats BlondeBunny and welcome to the other side! Your proposal story is cute and your ring is DIVINE! I love it! It looks much bigger than what you said!!!!

Ok, on to reception site. You can only really judge by seeing it in person. And don''t book unless you absolutely love it. Some places we looked at were so cheap, and I kept thinking "we could put that extra money here or put it towards a house, etc". So depending on your financial situation, you will have to really think about it. But coming from me, this day is way too important to settle!!!

Good luck!!!

 

[sunnyd]

Honestly...it's okay. With a lot of fabric rentals, you could make it look great, but it kinda looks like a boring community center from the pics. The view is awesome though! Definitely go to the open house. LOL, one of the places I want to see only has pics from the 80s (mullets and all!).

 

[blondebunny]

Date: 11/10/2008 6:42:22 PM
Author: sunnyd
Honestly...it''s okay. With a lot of fabric rentals, you could make it look great, but it kinda looks like a boring community center from the pics. The view is awesome though! Definitely go to the open house. LOL, one of the places I want to see only has pics from the 80s (mullets and all!).

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA... I definitely planned on added tons of fabric, awesome lighting..I went once, but it was all locked up... and I peeked in and it was bad... just a blank canvas kinda... everything is white! so maybe with lots of pretty fabric.. and of course the silver chivari chairs i HAVE to have... I can work some magic... Im gonna call my mom to remind her that its this saturday!!!

 

[blondebunny]

Date: 11/10/2008 6:39:58 PM
Author: Lanie
Congrats BlondeBunny and welcome to the other side! Your proposal story is cute and your ring is DIVINE! I love it! It looks much bigger than what you said!!!!


Ok, on to reception site. You can only really judge by seeing it in person. And don''t book unless you absolutely love it. Some places we looked at were so cheap, and I kept thinking ''we could put that extra money here or put it towards a house, etc''. So depending on your financial situation, you will have to really think about it. But coming from me, this day is way too important to settle!!!


Good luck!!!

thank you!! I <3 my ring!! Im sitting in class right now.. and its SOOOO sparkley.. I cant stop staring... its blinding me!!
Im gonna go to the place on Sun hopefully if nothing else comes up in the mean time... But i had already planned on adding fabric, and cool lighting and stuff...I love the dock though.. its soo pretty... too many decisions.. LOL

 

[katamari]

The pro is that it is extremely blank canvas, so you have the opportunity to turn it into what ever you want. Not having to compete with horrid conference center/hotel lobby carpet can be a good thing. And, *FREE* is a word that BIWs seem to never hear and this is a HUGE pro!

The con, then, is that you would have to put work and money into decorating it to make it less plain.

So, if the decorations would be less than the venue rental, why not? Oh, and you will also want to check how "preferred" the caterers are and if they are any good. You don''t want to get locked into a venue and vendors you aren''t crazy about.

 

[katamari]

Date: 11/10/2008 6:42:22 PM
Author: sunnyd
LOL, one of the places I want to see only has pics from the 80s (mullets and all!).

Mini-threadjack. You should totally make this your wedding theme, sunnyd! LOL

 

[Dreamgirl]

Date: 11/10/2008 6:42:22 PM
Author: sunnyd
Honestly...it's okay. With a lot of fabric rentals, you could make it look great, but it kinda looks like a boring community center from the pics. The view is awesome though! Definitely go to the open house. LOL, one of the places I want to see only has pics from the 80s (mullets and all!).

ha! That is what I was going to say. The outside part looks nice but I'm with sunny- it's just ok......

On the other hand, it's free and weddings are so expensive. I would check it out for sure. Maybe it looks much better in person!!!!

YAY BB!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy for you.

I would stare at that beauty of a ring too if I were you!!! Take it all in!

 

[blondebunny]

Date: 11/10/2008 6:47:38 PM
Author: katamari
The pro is that it is extremely blank canvas, so you have the opportunity to turn it into what ever you want. Not having to compete with horrid conference center/hotel lobby carpet can be a good thing. And, *FREE* is a word that BIWs seem to never hear and this is a HUGE pro!


The con, then, is that you would have to put work and money into decorating it to make it less plain.


So, if the decorations would be less than the venue rental, why not? Oh, and you will also want to check how ''preferred'' the caterers are and if they are any good. You don''t want to get locked into a venue and vendors you aren''t crazy about.

Well, I already planned on DIY for almost everything.. because im super crafty.. enjoy it.. and have the time for it!! I kinda figured wherever I go.. I will want lots of decorations because like you said.. its a blank canvas and I dont have hideous carpet or anything...which is a plus... because I hate ugly carpet..LOL

Good question about the vendors... they are the most well known in the orlando area.. it seems like they are recommended alot.. but we dont have to have them... we can really do whatever we want... which is what i love

We wont have any rules or anything about it... and probably would get it the day before and everything too...My stepdad has alot of pull so i dont see anything really going wrong with this place or xtra added costs ya know?

 

[neatfreak]

It depends on what is more important to you: the dream venue or keeping costs down?

 

[blondebunny]

Date: 11/10/2008 6:54:43 PM
Author: neatfreak
It depends on what is more important to you: the dream venue or keeping costs down?

well my dream venue would be disney... but its outrageously priced and I''d never... But I''d love to keep down costs because I dont want anyone to go in debt because of my wedding.. and we''d like to get a house and stuff too ...

 

[blondebunny]

Think of adding fabric like this... and lighting like this too.. but different colors obvously..

 

[blackpolkadot]

If you want and enjoy doing that kind of thing, then I say go for it (after you have been there and looked at it, obviously.) With a little work, I think it would be amazing, and you would have exactly what you want.

And since you''re planning for 2010, you have plenty of time to plan and dream!

 

[oobiecoo]

I think its nice and with a little love it could be AMAZING! Definitely go for it!

 

[katamari]

BB, are you still planning on making your own wedding cake? That one in your inspiration board is beautiful and I would love to see someone be able to DIY something like that!

 

[Italiahaircolor]

I think it's all about your budget...professional fabric drapping can start as low as $1,500 for one wall and go up from there with no end in sight, with some higher end drapers costing as much as $10,000 or more.

If you have a big budget, and can really afford to blow it up--and do it right--then it'll be fine...but, if you're working with a $20,000-30,000 budget, then you're in for a tough road of planning. Those tree centerpieces alone run about $300.00 a piece or way more!!!

So, a free venue will help cut costs of course...but that venue needs a lot a lot a lot of work!!!

Most venues aren't what gets expensive...it's the food, the alcohol, the decore...that is where the bill gets big.

 

[sweetjettagirl04]

Honestly, I don''t think it''s *that* bad. The draping they have is a start, and you can just add to it. turn the lights down low, get some candles and uplighting, and I think you may be able to disguise what you don''t like about it.

The question is, how do you feel about it?

 

[sweetjettagirl04]

.... and hello!!! the FULL BAR is $15 a person?!?!

 

[Gypsy]

It would really depend on a lot of factors. Here's a few:

1. Do they have a required caterer? Are they good? If they don't require a caterer what are the requirements and deposits and insurance they need, if any. Is there a prefered list or is it just any caterer will do. Are there places nearby with more flexible catering policies? How comparable is the catering to other places you might like better?

2. Will they let you bring in your own alcohol? If they do... again what are the requirements, do you have to get your own license? if they provide alcohol, is it reasonable. Are there places nearby that will let you BYOB (big cost savings). How comparable is the alcohol policy to other places?

3. What are the rental fees like in your area. In Nor Cal, it's anywhere from 'no rental fee is you meet you F&B minimum' to 20K just for the rental of the place (not including anything else). We paid 1,500 for our rental and for me it was TOTALLY worth it to have the venue I wanted. BUT I wouldn't have paid much more than that. And fortunately, I didn't have to.


So, what I guess I'm saying is... how much money is it saving you OVERALL? Then decide if it's worth it.

It does look dated. And that drop ceiling is unattractive, but you need to sit down and figure out how cost effective this is really going to be, and then go look at the place.

There are a LOT of snowballing and unexpected costs that can pop up during planning, so if you don't like the look of the place, and you are someone who fixates (I am), you could end up eating any savings trying to put lipstick on a pig to make it look like what you want. You might save yourself money and frustration by just getting what you want in the first place. The first winery we booked was lovely, except for the reception hall, which I had plans to decorate with lanterns and fabric, and table cloths, and huge centerpieces. Then when we switched (not due to decorating), I saved a lot of money because the hall was beautiful, and I cut back my flowers, cut out special linens, fabric and lanterns. Something to keep in mind. Those chivari chairs you have in mind can be pricey to rent (I've seen them for up to 12 a chair!)... and if you went with someplace else that had chairs you did like, that in itself could save you money.

 

[bootsiekin]

sorry this is completely unrelated to your question, but I just wanted to say Congrats to my ring-twin!!! I LOVE the Disney proposal!!

 

[Deelight]

Compared to some places I have looked at here in Australia it looks much better. Personally it looks okay nothing over the top but like others have said with the right decorations it would be beautiful.

$15 open bar per person for 4 hours is insane (in a good way) most places I have looked at are charging $40-60 a hour for a limited bar.

 

[Shoopy]

Yes I would.

And considering there really aren''t that many places to choose from in Orlando (besides the resorts and some place like Gaylord Palms) I think this place looks really beautiful. Plus, with all the money you save on the actual rental, you can really do some work with great decor.

 

[blondebunny]

Date: 11/11/2008 8:35:46 AM
Author: fieryred33143
Yes I would.


And considering there really aren''t that many places to choose from in Orlando (besides the resorts and some place like Gaylord Palms) I think this place looks really beautiful. Plus, with all the money you save on the actual rental, you can really do some work with great decor.

ya there really arent alot of places here... I tried to google and its just hotels.. and then they have stupid things where they want u to book hotel rooms with them.. well you HAVE to.. and thats jsut stupid... but ya... i figured I''d be saving $2000 from the rental alone.. really the place i''d love to get married is disney... but its RIDICULOUSLY expensive and way out of budget....

But Im gonna go on Sunday and look at it and take some pics and see how much stuff Ill need to make it beautiful!

 

[Dreamgirl]

BB- I think if you did something with the fabrics and lighting like in the picture you posted above, it would look awesome! Plus, since the place is free....you would be able to afford quite a bit to design with!! So that is a plus.

 

[lauralu]

I Like it! I was focused on the decorations in the pics of prior weddings.

Than a second look and I saw that yes, the venue does seem a bit dated in some of the pics. HOWEVER!! it is free!!!! You will do your own decorations no matter where you have your reception at. So I would go for it in a heart beat if it were me.

 

[sunnyd]

Date: 11/10/2008 8:32:40 PM
Author: sweetjettagirl04
.... and hello!!! the FULL BAR is $15 a person?!?!

LOL! I saw that too.

 

[sba771]

Hi BB,

Congrats again! I am so excited for you!! (You share my passion for Disney- also got the proposal there so I am so excited for you) I also know what it feels like to want to get married there. My FI actually said to me, I know your dream was to get married in Disney so I thought why not do the next best thing- then he proposed. We are from NY so it is too hard- anyway- You can always do what I am doing which is including subtle Disney hints in my reception, sort of hidden Disney stuff, and I may even copy one of the Disney wedding cakes! They also have a really nice (not tacky) Cinderella and Prince charming lenox cake topper.

Enjoy!
-S

 

[Rhea]

I would. We had a very small budget and I''m generally of the opinion that if something is free or inexpensive and can be worked with then it''s worth it.

Do you know, do they have minimums, or caterers that you have to use? When would you be able to set it up? Draping could be much less expensive if you and your family could get in there the full day before hand to set everything up.

 

[blondebunny]

thanks to everyone who has replied! I appreciate ya''lls input!

sba771- Ya my FI (yay!) said he knew how much i wished I could get married there and that was part of the reason he proposed there too... It stinks they are soo expensive... I tried to see what I could work out for its always well over $15000 more into the 20k range... which FI would get mad if we spent that much.. and i just wouldnt dare... Im trying to figure out what to do to kind of incorporate the fairy tale thing kinda?

Addy- See what the nice thing is, is that we wouldnt have ANY rules... my stepdad was one of the ones who built it and has major pull.. so if there were... he would get them pushed to the side for us I am also positive he would get them to let us set up the day before.. on Friday.. which would be good because I''d like to do most everything myself! I talked to my mom and I think we are going to go on Sunday to see it at the open house.. I am going to try to email the person in charge there and see if they have any better pictures... they seriously from a while ago lol...

Ill keep everyone updated and see what can be done to have it updated some...

My stepdad could even fix some things to make them nicer too... which is always a plus