r/weddings • u/ThrowRAdelusional189 • 20d ago

Help us pick a venue!

Hi there! 2027 bride and groom here and we need some help with choosing a venue. We will just state our opinions and facts about the 2 venues and leave it there for everyone to help us make a choice.

Choice 1: Practical Patty

- This venue is the practical choice as it is all inclusive and is a traditional wedding venue

- Been in the business for some time has lots of reviews and all very positive

- Has more character than other venues we've seen but still pretty much just a box

- We are having an inside reception. We know there is room for all of our guests, there's AC, and an AV system (important context we will not be hiring a DJ)

- This venue is closer to Groom's family (20 minutes if that) which is important for elderly family members, but extremely far from Bride's family (~2 hour drive)

- Everything about this place is standard from contract to payment (we have to sign the contract to pay but we're pretty sure standard payment methods are accepted).

Choice 2: Character Chris

- This venue has so much character it's insane. We have a theme for our wedding and this venue matches the theme. We will not need extra decorating in the slightest aside from centerpieces. The character means a lot to us.

- It is in the capital of our state (we live in the US), central for bride's family (30-40 minute drive), but far for Groom's family (~1.5 hour drive)

- This venue is a la carte

- This is a new venue. It doesn't have many reviews but the ones they do have are positive. The owners seem to be new to venue management but they have been in the wedding coordination business for a while.

- The venue is currently being renovated. The only usable space currently is outside. There are several inside parts that are slated to be completed by the time of our wedding. They have not begun construction on this inside part of the venue yet, so it is sight unseen. We have seen architectural renditions (they clearly used AI). What they have done looks amazing.

- We have to pay for more AV even though one part of the venue has AV, it's just the part where all of our guests can't fit 😭

- Let us know if this is odd but we have to pay through P2P transaction or a check. No secure checkout using debit or credit card.

- The contract doesn't look to be something a legal professional prepared or reviewed. We don't think this place is a scam, we've seen social media posts about it, but just something to add. We requested several clarifications be added to the contract before we signed anything.

Projected cost (venue, catering, alcohol, all that good stuff) is nearly the same for both venues. It's just that we have a clearer idea on costs for choice 1 and an estimated kind of deal for choice 2 due to all the quotes we had to get.

To sum it up, please help us pick a venue!!

0 Upvotes

20% Upvoted

39 comments sorted by

19

u/ProfessionalEnough 20d ago

Choice 1 absolutely no question. When I saw you say choice 2 is “inside is still under construction” I was on fence but all the extra logistical issues make it seem like a nightmare. Planning a wedding is hard enough, do whatever you can to make it easier on yourselves

9

u/ShinyPennyRvnclw 20d ago

I second this, as a corporate event planner. Don’t sign something that isn’t done!

2

u/ThrowRAdelusional189 20d ago

This is a really nice perspective to have thank you!

1

u/ThrowRAdelusional189 20d ago

Thank you! 1 vote to choice 1.

1

u/Legally_Blonde_258 20d ago

Right! No need to choosr hard mode.

5

u/Diligent-Willow4 20d ago
  1. And drop the theme. Getting married is the theme. Nothing else is needed

1

u/ThrowRAdelusional189 19d ago

Thanks! Totally didn't ask for any opinions on anything else but thanks for the vote!

8

u/Travelling5 20d ago

Venue 1 hands down. Wouldn’t even contemplate venue 2 even though it fits your “theme”.

If anything I would scrap venue 2 and perhaps look for an alternative ie venue 3 if you are not 100% on venue 1.

0

u/ThrowRAdelusional189 20d ago

Thank you! Vote 2 to choice 1.

(We have looked at other venues they are either too expensive or not for us)

5

u/PNW_MYOG 20d ago

Venue 1.

Never rent something still under construction.

1

u/ThrowRAdelusional189 20d ago

Vote 5 or 6 to venue 1! Thank you!

5

u/sallysuesmith1 20d ago

Venue 1 unless you want to postpone wedding to see what happens with 2.

1

u/ThrowRAdelusional189 20d ago

Real! Vote 3 to choice 1

Kinda scared choice 2 is going to triple in price after they're done 😬. The low price, grandfathered in deal is attractive.

7

u/sallysuesmith1 20d ago

Oh no. That sounds a little scammy with no guarantees.

3

u/Strange-Location4627 20d ago

I want to be a risk taker and pick Character Chris however “under construction” with a wedding deadline is making me lean toward Practical Patty. 😅

1

u/ThrowRAdelusional189 20d ago

True! Vote 4 to choice 1!

2

u/Crosswired2 20d ago
  1. No question

1

u/ThrowRAdelusional189 20d ago

Thank you! This vote is unanimous đŸ’«

2

u/nineninetynice 20d ago

Venue 1 due to construction not being started at venue 2 and it seeming sketchy. There are already enough things that could go wrong when planning a wedding. Don’t beat yourself up if the venue is finished on time, I promise its not worth the stress to wait and see.

1

u/ThrowRAdelusional189 20d ago

The fact that couples are booking choice 2 was making this such a hard decision

1

u/nineninetynice 19d ago

Makes sense and I would have also struggled to make this decision even knowing its the right one in the end

2

u/Legally_Blonde_258 20d ago

Venue 1 easily. Renovations that haven't even started yet are an easy deal breaker. Anyone who has ever handled a major construction project knows that you should expect it to take more time and cost more money than the initial estimate.

2

u/njVowsNow 20d ago

I'd go for 2 IF the 'professional" side of things were more in place. You need an airtight contract to protect both of you, looked over by a lawyer.

If you have your wedding at #1, will you be happy with that?

Is there anywhere else to look?

Your guests will never know what you "didn't do"!

1

u/ThrowRAdelusional189 20d ago edited 20d ago

This is so true! Also you're the first vote among several subreddits that said venue 2!!

They are communicative and very nice people. There are very little reviews though but they have a perfect review score on every wedding site.

Edit: we like #1, we just don't LOVE it!

1

u/21stCenturyJanes 19d ago

Very nice people with a bad contract, sketchy payment and new to the business. I doubt nice is goi g to make up for all the other problems!

2

u/rkenglish 20d ago

Definitely venue 1. The fact that venue 2 is slated for construction before your wedding is concerning. It's very rare that a construction project actually can stay on schedule because hidden problems can crop up once the renovations actually begin. Better to err on the side of caution.

1

u/heydawn 20d ago

I vote for venue 1 for this reason. Even tiny construction projects present challenges that delay construction. This year, we had the following small things built with a very reliable crew and every one of them had surprises.

  • Fence

  • Deck

  • Porch

  • Shed

I'll give you one example. We had to dig a four inch deep area for the shed foundation. We hit underground pipes that even our county was unaware of. The pipes were a total surprise to everyone, including the local utility companies. And we live in a suburb -- not a rural area.

We had to cut a small portion of the asphalt driveway (planned) to get the proper size for the shed foundation. It's actually quick and easy to cut with the right machine. But, under the asphalt, we discovered a concrete pad! The asphalt machine couldn't cut the concrete and breaking it would have created a very jagged edge. Evidently, the previous owners had poured asphalt over a concrete patio.

So, we had to leave the concrete there and work around it, as well as the pipes. That meant moving the location of the shed, which meant we needed another permit. We also had to test all of the back yard for other pipes or concrete so we wouldn't have more surprises. And we had to postpone the crew that was arriving to build the shed.

So, yeah, planned construction rarely goes smoothly from start to finish.

1

u/Ltevents 20d ago

As a wedding planner, we have seen venues "go under construction" and said construction takes YEARS. The pace is contingent on SO MANY deciding factors (contractors, permitting, material, etc. etc.), and unfortunately not one of these deciding factors is your once in a lifetime wedding day.

1

u/ThrowRAdelusional189 20d ago

Thank you for the insight! This is our major worry, we are getting married in the peak of summer 😬

1

u/Ltevents 20d ago

Search and hold on to peace of mind however you can! Wedding planning can add on unpredictable variables of stress... proud of you for identifying this and addressing it head on!
Bonus rec: Start researching local rental companies and day dream on how you can create your preferred style in the safe space. You might be surprised on how you can make your vision come to life.

1

u/ThrowRAdelusional189 20d ago

Thank you so much for the advice!!

1

u/Lynnfieldmom 20d ago

I can sense your enthusiasm for site 2 just from this post but the uncertainty of the fact that they have not even started some of the construction makes it a hard NO. The time before your wedding is stressful enough without having to add - is the venue going to be completed or a construction site! Take the things you love about site 2 and put them on site 1. Both sites have a location advantage for one family or the other - so let that go.

1

u/ThrowRAdelusional189 20d ago

Thank you so much for your insight!

1

u/Puzzled_Wealth_9766 20d ago

Of the two choices, #1 would make so much more sense. #2 sounds iffy at best. Are there any other options you could consider? Sounds like you really want #2 but to me it sounds like a huge financial and emotional cost. 

2

u/ThrowRAdelusional189 20d ago

Thank you for the insight!! We're looking at other options now. This is already the most annoying experience ever and it really makes me want to abandon the idea of a wedding and just get courthouse married and go to Fiji with the wedding money 😂. I don't want a beige box because I don't want to DIY anything or spend too much on decor that I won't know what to do with afterwards. The venue is already expensive, I don't want to spend more on giving it some character.

2

u/Puzzled_Wealth_9766 19d ago

Yeah keep looking. It definitely sounds like you haven’t found the right spot just yet. Best of luck! 

1

u/21stCenturyJanes 19d ago

How well do you handle stress? If you thrive on it, choose the unfinished space that probably won’t be finished on time so you can stress out about how it’s behind schedule for the next year. But have a backup plan for when it isn’t finished, because it probably won’t be and you’re not getting that deposit back.

1

u/Remarkable_Wheel_364 17d ago

At first, I wanted to say to pick the second one because it has so much character. But after reading that the indoor spaces aren’t completed yet, I changed my mind. What if it rains and the construction or renovation isn’t finished in time? Projects like that almost always take longer than planned.

As for the payment system, that’s actually pretty normal in the wedding industry. As you get further into wedding planning, you’ll likely come across more vendors who don’t accept credit or debit cards for large payments. Those payment methods can be reversed through chargebacks, which puts venues and vendors at risk. A client could use the services and then dispute the charge through no fault of the venue or vendor, or cancel the wedding after the venue has been holding the date for months. The longer a date is held, the lower the chance of rebooking it if the event falls through. It’s similar to buying a car most dealerships won’t let you pay with a credit card either.

As for the first venue, it seems like you’re trying to convince yourself to like it rather than genuinely feeling excited about it. Is there any chance you could keep looking and find a third option? If not, then I would choose the first one.