After formally seeing a dozen places, I can pretty confidently say that we have an idea of what we want. Our key attributes include: hotel on site, no other weddings in earshot, Ketel One, mashed potato bar capabilities, location (within 30 minutes of church), flexible coordinators, and accommodating space. Additionally, things that are nice are martini bars, good default centerpieces, liquor serving duration, nearby/on site bars that are open late, charging actual prices for entree selections (instead of just charging the highest price for everyone), brunch capabilities for the following day, a good bride’s room with private bathroom, an outdoor patio, and being able to BYOB in addition to the package offering without a corking fee.
Given these priorities, we’ve narrowed it down,more or less, to Pheasant Run Resort or Eaglewood Resort. The biggest difference between the two are monetary, as Eaglewood works out to be about 10% more expensive. Both venues have similar offerings, as they are both resorts with a spa, restaurants, bars, golf, etc. Both of them even have a bonfire area outside, which I adore (and is one of the reasons I want to have our rehearsal dinner at Pinstripes). Pheasant Run’s stage in the reception hall area and gigantic bar along one full side of the wall are big selling points for me. Eaglewood’s posh tent has more outdoor appeal, including an outdoor (with indoor option) cocktail hour area and a patio for during the reception.
One of the biggest surprises was how much more expensive having a hotel on site makes the reception — in the vicinity of 20%, and that’s not counting the price of the rooms. Other surprises were unexpected additional charges, like cake cutting fees or fees for offering an entree choice, not allowing you to pay with a credit card, and photography limitations (as in, “yes, you are hosting your wedding here for tens of thousands of dollars, but we won’t let you take any photos on the outdoor areas.”). It really can be a crooked business, and we have seen both ends of the spectrum in our gamut of venue appointments.
They say that once you make your reception site choice, the rest of the decisions are easy. Considering how much time, work and thought has gone into this one decision, I certainly hope so.
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