What To Do? What To Do?
August 18th, 2006 @ 1:50 pm by Mrs. Grasshopper
My venue called the other day to tell us that the people having a wedding the day after us are using a much larger tent that covers the entire courtyard, and that if we wanted to use it for the same fee as our smaller tent, we could. Hmm. My first instinct was to pass because I wanted an outdoor ceremony in the open air (if it doesn’t rain) and then the guests could head under the tent to “tent it up” (as one guest told me she was going to do) and enjoy cocktails. After that everyone could head inside for dinner and dancing…
But now, everyone could enjoy the cocktail hour and dinner under the tent and it could be beautiful, like this:
But that would mean dancing would take place IN the Foundry (doors open to the courtyard). Is it odd to have the dancing in another room where people are not sitting and relaxing post dinner? We would add a few cocktail tables for the relaxers on the main floor and the entire mezzanine would be dedicated to the non-dancers. The ceremony would also take place indoors too, but that is not so odd I suppose.
Thoughts? Ideas? Opinions? It’s like I cannot make a wedding related decision without reader input!
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18 Responses to “What To Do? What To Do?”
wowsers… sounds great for the same fee… however… if i had planned everything according to the outdoor ceremony & then tent… i would feel like i had to start over 
i’m not sure how much time you have left…
would you need MORE decorations? more cocktail tables? more more more…
i personally like the outdoor ceremony idea… then having your reception under the tent 
I went to a wedding once where the dancing was in a different room than all the tables and people did not dance - it was like nobody knew where to be - should I be in this room dancing? Am I missing out on anything in the other room, where my friends are talking/hanging out and eating cake? It made it hard for people to decide.
That is exactly my concern, Susan. Will people know where to be? Also, this also makes the dance floor much larger than we originally anticipated, meaning people may not have the comfortable, hidden feeling they get on a crowded dance floor.
Kanipark, your “more, more, more” comment was how I felt this morning when we were working though the details of what else this would create for us… the wedding is three weeks away! But dinner under the tent is nice
Turtle, excellent point about more decor. That and what to do about music during dinner is something to consider.
ugh, i face the same dilemma due to space limitations in the main dining room. i might have to move my dance floor to another room and am afraid no one will go into it to dance. my saving grace is that i’m pretty sure there won’t be anyone who will get down and boogie (my wedding is during the day) so i don’t mind it too much. still, in a perfect world, i would have everything in the same room.
i agree w/ kanipark. have the ceremony outdoors and have the reception under the tent. if the tent is big enough, add the dancefloor in there too.
I love tents! I dream of having a tent wedding. But it’s just too complicated so that’s not going to happen.
I do think it’s weird to have the dancing people in one room, separated from the non dancing, sitting-at-the-dining-tables people in the other room. That is why we Xed out a venue we looked at (and will continue to X out any such venue) that was of that arrangement….where the dining room is not together with the dancing room. When you and the groom are in one room, isn’t it odd that there are some people who won’t even get to see you because they’re in the “other” room? Well, good luck!
Our dance floor was very large for the size of our wedding (just over 100 people) and the dance floor really felt empty half the time (even if like 30-40 people were dancing, it never looked packed).
I think tented wedding can be gorgeous, but you really have to decorate the tent and it will cost $$$$. Plus, the foundry is so unique; I think some of that would be lost if you moved the wedding to a tent (and just have dancing inside) .
Well, my first reaction was that despite the fact that I LOVED the space at the Foundry, I’m glad my chosen venue doesn’t raise these issues…
I think your original plan of having dinner and dancing together should stay — for reasons above. So, the questions would be: dinner + dancing both outside under the big tent vs. dinner + dancing inside. The other question: ceremony plein aire vs. tented vs. inside. And again: cocktails.
I’d just play around (draw pictures/timelines if you have to) with the flow of the night, and remind yourself what you first thought/wanted when you chose the space there to decide.
I don’t think I’d like having it split up like that, even though under the tent would be lovely. It would just seem odd to me.
I say do it.. But ask for a a discounted fee since you guys would be saving them the trouble of taking down and setting up another tent!
I say have the ceremony outside if possible but dinner and dancing under the tent. Since the tent is larger, you should be able to fit a dance floor in. Good luck!
I say keep it simple - dinner AND dancing under the big tent, all reception in one space.
I think you should close your eyes and see your vision.
Maria- great point! Plus its gonna cost more money to add tables, decor etc. Ask if they can work with you on those (if they’re providing seating/tables)
it definitely is a mood killer if your dinner tables and dance floor are in separate spaces. the foundry is such a cool location, it’d be a shame not to use it in all it’s full glory by having everything under the tent.
i think it’s prolly best to stick to your original layout.
When do you need to decided by?
Don’t go for the larger tent if: you had your heart set on an outdoor ceremony, the main floor/mezzanine won’t have chairs for the non-dancers to sit and relax, the dessert and cake cutting will take place in the tent and interrupt the dancing indoors
Aaak! I went to a wedding (reception only) at the foundry last weekend, and there were TONS OF PROBLEMS! It really was an amazing venue but just so you don’t have the same problems, I’ll tell you all the bad stuff. For starters I should preface this by noting that I think they didn’t do their due dilligence and got ripped off by their caterer. They had about 200 guests for cocktails inside, dinner outside, and dancing inside. The worst problem was that the terrible caterer (I don’t know what company) *claimed* that the ovens in the kitchen were broken, and served bad, cold food at a snails pace as a result. I don’t know if it’s true, or if the caterer was making excuses, but you might want to check on it.
Other issues: 1. about 50+ people arrived 15-30 minutes early and were forced to wait outside. 2. piano player hired for coctail hour didn’t have an amplifyer and was totally inaudible over the crowd. 3. the dj set up on mezz. bridge, but wireless mike didn’t work if he got more than 5 feet from his table, plus he didn’t set up any speakers outside, so there wasn’t really any music during dinner. This also meant the toasters giving speaches during dinner had to just shout.
The flow from dinner to dancing was okay. I think it would be better to have everything in one area, but they had the bar inside which brought folks back in. They did the first dances and cake cutting inside too, so everyone got up to go see that stuff.
The lesson here is to really make sure your caterer is on their game, and make sure you think about the logistics of using the indoor & outdoor spaces together.
Sorry to be a downer. We all still had a wonderful time, but I’d want to know what to plan for. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Hi Sally,
Sally, thanks for this response! It is super helpful to hear how other weddings at the Foundry have gone.
Good thought about the early arrivers! I will definitely discuss with the caterer to make sure everything is ready about 30 minutes beore the wedding…
You mentioned a lot of things we discussed in considering the outside area for dinner (shouting the toasts!). Luckily we have a smaller wedding guest list and can easily fit everyone indoors for dinner and dancing, which I am thinking is the best route now!
Mrs. Grasshopper, New York
Age and Occupation in 06: 28, Interactive Communications
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Product Manager
Engagement Date: October 8, 2005
Wedding Date: September, 2006
Venue: The Foundry
About Me: I like puppies, technology, baked goods and naps. Our engagement went down in Paris on the Alexander III bridge where my fiance nearly dropped the ring into the Seine.
Inside of that tent is beautiful. One thing to keep in mind is, the larger your tent is, the harder it is to decorate, and more expensive. Our reception is going to be a huge tent, but i’m having a hard time figuring out how to decorate it. I think I may have to resort to a simple, candlelit area with minimal flowers.
If the tent is large enough, can you put a dance floor into the tent?
If you want the more relaxed and people spread out all over, then I think you should go for it. But you had a more intimate idea for your reception where everyone is together, I’d say stick with your original plan.
Good luck!