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Weddingbee Blog
Recently we’ve received several requests for the bees to write about their venue searches, because they’ve already booked their venues by the time they join weddingbee. So this week, the bees will be doing just that!
I’ll give you a brief rundown of the venues we considered as well. At first Mr. Bee and I were going to get married in LA, so we visited the now closed Catalina Room, and La Venta Inn (owned by the same company as the Catalina Room). Another venue we considered but didn’t visit was the Chateau Bradbury Estate.
But we decided to get married in New York instead (best decision!), and visited the following venues: Twenty-Four Fifth (where Mrs. Butterfly got married!), Bridgewaters (owned by the same company as Twenty-Four Fifth), Manhattan Penthouse, Alger House, Tavern on the Green, Loft Eleven, Penthouse 15, and the Westside Loft. Loft Eleven, Penthouse 15, the Westside Loft and a newly opened Loft 12 are all in the same building and owned by the same company. You can see my pictures and reviews of these venues here. If you’re interested in any of these venues, comment below and I’ll try my best to help.
Which venues did you consider, and which one did you ultimately book? Maybe you can help out another reader going through the venue search now! 
In NY: we wanted a Brooklyn (or NYC)wedding, and wound up with the botanic gardens in Brooklyn
http://palmhouse.com/
but considered
Frankies
navy yard (not fully us)
tobacco warehouse (wasn’t accepting reservations at the time and too much DIY for our taste, but amazing location)
http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/index.cfm?objectid=826F9985-3048-2C77-F2AC4923A5172CB3
Queens farm: http://www.queensfarm.org/ too small
landmark: http://landmarkonthepark.org/home.html
I actually looked at all of the locations you looked and we also visited the yale club which was our 2nd choice. We ended up booking with Bridgewaters. Because of the size of our wedding (200+ people) some of the smaller options were out. Bridgewaters offered us the best rate (Sunday evenings are SO much cheaper!). It was also convenient since it’s only a 10 minute walk from our church. I’ll be getting married in about 4 weeks so I’ll be able to give a better review then. =)
Hi,
Are chairs provided at the lofts? I am thinking about having the ceremony at the loft and then some light cocktails and hor’duerves after and then to have a more traditional reception later in the evening. Are chairs and tables provided or those have to be rented?
yes chairs and tables are provided. there is a catering company that’s owned by the same company, but it’s optional to use them. we did and the food was great. 
dont’ forget studio 450! its now owned by the loft11 company …. GREAT site if you have a bigger party - i looked at all the lofts, the abigail kirsh locations, and castles in upstate! would be more than happy to share!
For the New York City brides, does anyone have a ballpark price per person for any of the above venues?
I’ve been to 24 Fifth before and loved it there! We’re just trying to figure out our budget (how much we contribute, how much the parents can contribute, etc.) before we start pounding the streets. Thanks for your help!
I looked at Manhattan Penthouse and Alger House, too, and Battery Gardens, which I ultimately booked. I called quite a few places before visiting any, though (including Liberty House in Jersey City, River Room of Harlem, Loft Eleven etc., Pochron Studio in Brooklyn, The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, Arthur’s Landing in Weehawken), and narrowed it down essentially by price: these three were the most inexpensive for the number of people (~ 130) we are expecting.
Luckily, I really loved Battery Gardens, so I really stopped looking once we found them. My fiance prefered Manhattan Penthouse because of its city views, which is funny because I’d looked into Battery Gardens (and other riverside sites) specifically because he had said he wanted a view of the water! I felt more strongly about BG than he did about MP, though, and BG was actually cheaper, so we went with it. I couldn’t be happier with the choice!
Oddly enough, after all the wanderings on the Knot and looking through wedding magazines galore, I found Battery Gardens after a coworker suggested that downtown might be less expensive: I did a Google search for “Battery Park wedding” and found them that way. So you never know where the suggestions will come from!
Jessie - you can really negotiate based on day of the week and season. if i recall correctly it was around $200/pp. i’ll ask mrs butterfly to comment as she’d know much better. service was impeccable at twenty-four fifth i have to say.
for the westside loft, i think we paid around $7000 for the venue, and dinner was $140pp with the on site caterer (which is optional to use). penthouse 25 and loft 11 are a little more inexpensive.
most of the places i’ve mentioned you’re looking at around $200pp. hope this helps!
We were married in Dallas with a reception of 200. After visiting several venues (Union Station–too big, would have required a lot of flowers to decorate; Aldridge House–too small for our needs, but beautiful venue; Brookhaven Country Club–pretty landscaping; Atriums at Park West–too sterile for our needs; and Cityplace), we chose to have both our ceremony and reception at Cityplace. A modern building with views and beautiful architecture which can be easily incorporated into the wedding decor. We had so many compliments on the look of our wedding. The convenience of not having to drive around town was also not lost on our guests. And the best part? The hors d’oeuvres and dinner were so tasty!
Has anyone been to or booked the Glen Cove Mansion on Long Island?
More info for NY City brides - we booked our reception site first (S. Dynasty restaurant) and it was our back up ceremony site. For the ceremony only we finally booked the Seamen’s Church Institute because it wasn’t too churchy and the price was good. They do have a small chapel if you prefer. We also looked into the UN chapel, Kitano Hotel, Propect Park, all the lofts mentioned above, and various restaurants. It’s very hard to find a place for a ceremony only!
Hi,
I’m actually getting married this August in Austin, TX. Some venues I considered were the Driskill Hotel, Intercontinental Hotel, Vintage Villas.
I decided on The Four Seasons Hotel because of the beautiful lawn facing Lake Travis and name brand.
This is a GREAT post! I’ve been stuck in the venue search phase for some time and have started to feel quite frustrated.
I’ve been looking mostly in Long Island since Manhattan is pricier. I have found this website to be very helpful:
http://www.weddingsitesandservices.com/
It has info on NY, CT, CO, and CA sites.
Nopinkertons - how many people does Battery Gardens hold? And if you don’t mind me asking, what was the price range for them?
If anyone is interested in more information about The Park Savoy let me know! This is where we decided to have our wedding in Sept.
Another really beautiful venue in nj would be The Pleasantdale Chateau but they book up REALLY fast.
My fiance and I booked Manhattan Penthouse almost as soon as we saw it. We love it and haven’t been disappointed yet- though we’re getting married in October, so we’re still pretty early in the process. The tasting was great, and Jeno, the event coordinator, responds really quickly to my emails. It also helped that there is only a 75 person minimum, since we’re planning to keep things intimate. I have to say that I REALLY am glad to be planning a wedding at a place where the food, bar, and day-of coordination is all set. And the view is spectacular- we think the space will look great with fairly simple decor choices. Anyway, good luck in choosing. There’s actually plenty out there.
Random, but I saw this and I thought I’d just post this on one of your most recent posts.
Jelly: I tried leaving a comment about costs of Battery Gardens, but I guess it wasn’t accepted. You can email me if you want, on nptog at yahoo.
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Mrs. Bee, New York Age and Occupation: 29, Weddingbee Publisher Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Internet Engagement Date: May 7, 2004 Wedding Date: March 5, 2005 Venue: Westside Loft, New York About Me: Yes, my name really is Bee! I love my blogging, wikis, and tabasco sauce!
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