Weddingbee Blog

This weekend I went to look at Twenty Four Fifth and the Drake Hotel with a friend of mine who’s planning a wedding for the end of this year.

I’ve always been a fan of Twenty Four Fifth and it was actually the first venue I looked at when I was planning my own wedding. Although it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for at the time (a loft type space), I did love the venue. I remember being very impressed with how knowledgeable, professional, and helpful the coordinator was. This second visit was no exception.

Twenty-Four Fifth is a beautiful 6000 square foot event space. When you walk in the entryway there’s a doorman, coat check, gift table, and place card table. Walk down some stairs and there’s an area for the cocktail hour. A little further is the area where the dinner tables will be set up. Walk down a couple more steps to the dance floor where the ceremony will be held (not like it’s pictured above).

After the ceremony, guests go back up to the cocktail area and curtains close off the area where the ceremony was held to set up the tables for the reception. Guest tables are wrapped around the dance floor.

Details:

• Capacity: 200 people
• Minimum required: 125 (flexible for non Saturday and off season dates)
• Dinner: $165-$215 pp including premium bar
• 20% gratuity & NY state tax additional
• Menu: 6 hor d’oeurves, 1 appetizer, Choice of 2 entrees, Cake, Coffee & Tea Service
  Optional - 2 carving stations during cocktail hour
• $750 Ceremony Fee
• $150 per bartender
• $150 per bathroom attendant
• $2-$7 tip per person for maitre’d
• Sparkling water served before ceremony
• Bridal Room
• Bridal Attendant
• Elegant Bathrooms (one of my favorite details)

My friend loved the space. A little bit pricey, but it’s definitely a contender.

The Drake Hotel (pictured above) utilizes their entire second floor for meeting and events. The ceremony is held in a room like this with a capacity of 85.

The reception is held in this room and the cocktail hour in the foyer/hallway in between.

It’s obvious that these spaces are most often used for business meetings and events. The curved windows in the reception room were nice, but all the rooms overall had too much of a business function feel to it.

The events coordinator my friend spoke with told her to stop by any time on Saturday. When we arrived we were given a tour by someone who didn’t know the space at all and kept calling the cocktail area the reception area and confusing us.

Details:

• Ceremony Capacity - 85
• Reception Capacity - 125
• No minimum guest requirement
• Ceremony Fee - $4000
• Dinner - $149-$159 pp
• Menu - 6 hors d’oeuvres, choice of 2 entrees, appetizer
• 20% Gratuity and NY State tax additional
• Wedding Cake - Additional $7 pp
• Bartender - $150

Drake Hotel - not a contender.