Wedding Blog

In the last couple of years, my mom (and I) threw a couple of bridal showers for the daughters of one of her BFFs. I found that it was really difficult to find a good listing of bridal shower venues… I didn’t find the Knot or WeddingChannel very helpful in this endeavor, nor was CitySearch much of an aid. So I basically cross-referenced Zagat’s and pretty much called every restaurant that had a private room. Here are some options for those of you in need of shower places!

• Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon is where we threw the first shower (in March 2004) and it was really lovely. The venue itself is in the Inn at Irving Place and is decorated in an eclectic-romantic way. We opted for a five course tea, with champagne (and mimosas) offered for a toast, and it was actually more food than a tea usually provides.

Cons: My only caveats about Lady Mendl’s are: a) the price (upwards of $50/person) and b) the room set-up–depending on how many people you have, you may be split into two rooms that, although they open into each other, do divide the party somewhat.

• North Square was the location of the second shower (February 2006) and I cannot say enough about this place. It’s a small restaurant on the northwest corner of Washington Square Park, that’s attached to the Washington Square Hotel.

We booked the lounge and had somewhere around 30 people, and the seating worked out wonderfully. Not too crowded, and all in one place. A big plus was that each guest was able to order off a special menu, which included a cocktail, four entrees and a three desserts. For a few extra dollars (the base price per person is just $30!), we added some passed fruit skewers, juices and corn muffins as people walked in.

Cons: My only complaint was that we had only one waitress for the whole room. I would check on that before you book. Though it all worked out, the order-taking process was a bit slow.

• Ruby Foo’s Uptown: Back in 2003, my dear friend Sam was getting married and I was a bridesmaid in her wedding. Her shower was at Ruby Foo’s in an upstairs private room (the Asian Den) and was a really amazing event. (I absolutely would have asked to have my own shower here but for the fact that a great many of my guests are coming from Long Island, via the East Side, and getting to the Upper West might be a pain for them–but if you are having lots of Jersey guests, this location is ideal!)

The food was all family-style on lazy susans, and was ample *and* delicious. This venue can seat up to 80 for a private event, so if you’re having a large shower, it’s a great option.

Cons: Upper West Side location, not everyone loves Pan-Asian food.

• CafÆ’© Opaline at the Dahesh Museum: In June, I attended a shower here and it was also a really lovely place for a shower. The shower was a tea, but with plenty of food, as documented more extensively in a prior post, and the CafÆ’© has room to seat up to 70, so that’s a generous space. Plus, you’re in a museum, which somehow lends the festivities a certain je ne sais quoi.

Cons: If you don’t book the entire space, a portion of it may be open to the public (though I guess this is more of a con for the other diners than the shower part, come to think–esp. if you’re a raucous bunch).

Now that my shower is approaching, I oh-so-helpfully offered to assist my mom’s friend in her venue search (yes, I am a complete control freak and have asserted myself into every aspect of the wedding, wanted or not).

• Plaza AthÆ’©nÆ’©e: The Hotel Plaza AthÆ’©nÆ’©e is located on 64th between Park and Madison. This location is about 1 block from my parents’ place, so I thought it would be ideal for post-shower gift transportation. (location! location! location!) However, a brunch or luncheon at the PA starts at $80-something/person. Not ideal. A tea at the PA is much more reasonable, priced at $45/person. With as many people as my shower will have (60 or so), the tea would be buffet style and seemed to include a lot.

  Cons: Tea would have to start at 2 or after, and I wanted an earlier shower; the room is a bit conferency; soda and other beverages can only be billed on a consumption basis and sodas are about $6.50 each (!!!)

• Rialto: Rialto has a great brunch and french fries that are stellar. They also have a private back room where you can have a shower.

Their shower prices are beyond reasonable (starting at $19/person for a two-course brunch). They will do pitchers of sangria or any other beverage to add a festive touch. And you get to do a menu with various entrÆ’©e choices, pleasing even my MOH, the Bean, the most picky of guests.

Cons: The only con to this venue was the Soho location. This is because I find Soho parking to be a nightmare and plan to drive to the shower in order to have an easy way to get the gifts back to my apartment/my mom’s place. (I recognize this is a very individual con and unlikely to affect anyone but me. I mention it only for the purposes of full disclosure. I am superlazy. To the nth really.)

• Dos Caminos Park: Less than twenty blocks from my house, Dos Caminos already had a check plus, before we even went to see the space. Since I had not yet eaten there (or yet the day we were going to see it), my mom and I gave their lunch a test drive and were very happy. The Dos Caminos brunch includes three courses (well, to be accurate, guacamole + entrÆ’©e + dessert), plus a fun cocktail to start off. There is ample choice and, Caitlin, the catering contact* with whom we’re working, is more than happy to to tweak the menu for our occasion. (i.e. the addition of a plainer entrÆ’©e option for the Bean potentially pickier guests.) We’re also able to add onto the menu course-wise, choice-wise, etc. and their guacamole is outrageously good. (As were our lunches: enchiladas and a chicken Cobb salad).

There’s a large private room, with its own bar and plenty of space for all 60 or so guests. All told? Perfect! And now booked for my shower (thanks to Denise, mom’s BFF!)

Are there any venues I missed? Or any places that we all ought to avoid?? I really am looking to compile a comprehensive shower venue list. Toward what end, I have no idea. I just kind of have this obsession to do scorched earth research on anything even quasi wedding related. See my honeymoon spreadsheet. (You don’t even want to know the hours I spent deciding on what $25 craft/heat gun to buy. seriously. I even scare myself sometimes. To mention nothing of the fear that has become a permanent installation in the eyes of Mr. Daisy.)

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* B.R. Guest Restaurants has a plethora of places, pretty much all with private rooms perfect for events. Ruby Foo’s and Dos Caminos are in this restaurant group, as well as Vento (in the meatpacking), which has a great upstairs space–entirely private for showers–and great Italian food. Blue Water Grill, Atlantic Grill and *many* others are within the group and all have great brunch/lunch options. Although in many aspects of dining, I appreciate a non-corporate environment, when it comes to showers, there’s something to be said for a company that has this kind of catering depth and tons of experience.