We really liked both Venue 92 and The Cotton Warehouse, but I think the Cotton Warehouse definitely wins out. I have to say that I was shocked about what both locations don't offer. Venue 92 doesn't offer glassware, linens, place settings, or any attendants during the wedding. The Cotton Warehouse doesn't offer linens, any extra lighting, and you have to use their caterers which of course have minimums. Both locations do not let you on the premises until at least 4:00 PM for a 6:00 PM wedding. I guess I just really wanted the experience of being able to relax all day in the bridal suite not have to get ready somewhere else and rush over to the venue for a few pictures before walking down the aisle, so this really disappointed me.
When you add up all the prices of everything you would need to rent from each place Venue 92 goes from a $2,800 venue rental to a $6,100 rental. The Cotton Warehouse goes from $4,000 to between $8,000 & $10,000. Then there's everything else on top of the venue that you need like photography, flowers, a cake, a wedding dress, etc., etc. That makes the max $15,000 I'm wanting to spend disappear very quickly...
However, The Cotton Warehouse is supposedly working on a number for me that's much more budget friendly. I'm supposed to hear back today about that number and I'm really hoping that it's one we can actually work with. We're having a really hard time finding venues we actually like. Especially after discussing it with Brad and finding out that while he doesn't mind rustic, he really doesn't want to get married in a barn. So if anyone has any rustic venue suggestions that aren't barns and are in the Cherokee, Forsyth, Gwinnett, or Walton County, Georgia areas, we'd love to hear them.
On a more positive, exciting note, we had a blast at the Bridal Show last Sunday. We found a bakery, DJ, and photography company that we love and they're all offering deals if you book by August or September. Too bad we need a venue before that... Anyway, we came away with a few pictures of the fun we had and that makes up for the rather disappointing venue weekend. I guess wanting to book a venue this past weekend probably added to the disappointment. I doubt many people book their venue the very first time out...
Me working it in the money booth at Savvi to save us money on formalwear for the Groom & his wedding party. We ended up saving $280! Good thing Brad knows what he wants to wear already, I guess we can at least pick this out.
Here we are checking out a really neat alternative to a Photo Booth. The lady was explaining it to us while she was taking the picture, so I don't feel like we were necessarily ready for it but we still had a good time.
I can't get over how expensive weddings really are. On a side note, that booth looks awesome!!! lol
ReplyDeleteI Pink i Love You
That is a bummer that your first venue tour didn't go quite as smoothly as you'd like, but hopefully they'll come back with a number that suits your budget! I have to say, I was looking forward to reading this in hopes that you FOUND THE ONE! I'm sure you'll find something soon!!
ReplyDeleteIf you are willing to travel, and I might have mentioned this before, but we are getting married in the North GA mountains at The Ridges Resort. It's rustic but no barn and there are indoor options as backups. I have heard that they will work with your budget and you can stay on site there. Everything is all in one. Just a suggestion since you are still undecided. It's in Hiawassee, north of Blue Ridge.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, weddings are expensive. Anytime you put wedding on anything, it like triples the cost! Who was the DJ you ended up choosing? I am having anxiety about that and how much those are!
Unfortunately we really don't want to travel that far :(
DeleteWe really like Spectrum Entertainment, I think they're based in the Atlanta area but travel just about everywhere and they're preferred vendors at almost every place we have looked, both online and in person. They do a DJ/videographer combo package for like $1800 - clearly the videographer and DJ are different people but booking them together saves tons of money. So I think that's who we are going to go with as soon as we have our venue booked!
I had emailed Spectrum but I never heard anything back from them. Boo!! At least you were able to find someone who can do both video and DJ. I hope their videos are good...that's something I would worry about if I were to book them from a DJ company. I am sure they are great, I would just get nervous.
DeleteAnd trust me. I understand about traveling. I love it though since you stay there and get married all in one spot. No driving once we get up there. But it is in the middle of nowhere! HAHA...oops!
Figuring out the venue was a really tough choice! I don't think there's ever one place that can possibly have everything that you want, which only adds to the frustration! I wish I knew venue options to help!
ReplyDeleteOn a happy note, that bridal show looked so fun! Congrats on winning the money - that's quite a savings! Also, what is the photo booth alternative? We're not doing one due to our budget but am open to cheap alternatives haha! Thanks for linking up! :)