Weddingbee

We returned to our venue a couple weeks ago and signed the contract! It’s official - we will be getting married at The Fountainhead in New Rochelle, NY (in Westchester county, 20 mins from Manhattan).

Some photos from their website:

It actually looks so much better in real life (Mr. Peony and I were actually skeptical just based on the photos on the website) so I tried to take some pictures while there. They came out a bit disappointing, but you can get a basic idea…

The entrance (there is a circular driveway with valet parking):

My hair blew into this picture…

The entrance hall. It’s a bit more ornate than our taste, but I love its octangular shape.

The ceremony room. It looks like crap in this picture, but it’s GORGEOUS in real life…

The atrium, where cocktail hour will be held. There is enough seating for more than 200 people - I love that, because practically all weddings I’ve been to had nowhere to sit during cocktail hour.

The other side of the atrium. The granite wall on the left has water running down it.

The reception hall, where they were setting up for another wedding later that night.

I love that the dance floor is marble and not wood.

They have specialized, colored lighting affects. You can choose to have one color refracted onto the walls or have them changing throughout the night. Here it is in red…

Blue changing to green….

I wish these pictures came out better! Also, we first visited in late afternoon when they were almost fully prepared for another wedding. This time we visited in the morning where the space was empty - it’s harder to visualize.

The Fountainhead offers the following:

1. A champagne/sparkling water reception for early arrivals
2. 1 hour cocktail hour directly following the ceremony, which includes:
3. A wide variety of hors d’oeuvres passed butler style
4. Two “cold” stations:
5. Caviar and Champagne Display
   Black and Red Caviar, served with the appropriate condiments on a choice of Buckwheat Blini or Potato Pancakes, Surrounded by seven types of Frozen Flavored Vodkas and Chilled Champagne
6. Carved Smoked Fish Table
   Gravlax, Scotch Salmon and House Cured Pastrami Salmon, sliced paper thin, served with assorted Grain Breads and Condiments

My mother asked me why I seemed so excited about the food. “If you eat too much at your wedding you’ll burst out of your dress!” But I told her I’m excited for our guests. Whoever’s coming to our wedding should start starving themselves the day before. I always said the elements of a good wedding are (1)good food, (2)good music, and (3)open bar. And we’ll have all three! (Just as long as you don’t hate 80s music, that is ).

To accommodate our out-of-town guests (who will most likely be staying in or near the city) and all our friends in NYC who do not have cars, Mr. Peony and I will hire a large charter bus to pick them up and drop them back off at the end of the night. Sound fair?

We left The Fountainhead happy and excited. My checking account is considerably lighter after the deposit, but we officially have a place and time!

• A Cure To My A.R.F.
• The SHOES…