Wedding Blog

I’m sorry to have disappeared after promising a round of vendor reviews. I have been having some health issues that really scared the bejeezus out of me, and so have been keeping on the down low and taking things easy.

However, I do want to continue to share my vendor experiences. We were really lucky that the majority of our vendors were very cooperative and did a fantastic job. I’ve already raved about Christine Viola of Exquisite Affairs Productions, and our venue, The Fountainhead was no exception. I wrote about The Fountainhead after we booked the venue, so you can get some background info here.

There are just so many great things about this venue that I don’t know where to start. Although I usually prefer more modern decor, the French Neoclassical motif set an old-world and comfortable mood. Since a chapel is right upstairs, there was no need to worry about transportation between the ceremony and the reception. There were also spare rooms where we were able to take family portraits and lounge before the start of the festivities.

(all photos by Danny Weiss)

The cocktail hour was held in the beautiful atrium, and everyone was floored by the food. With a wide variety of hors d’oeuvres passed butler style in addition to two “cold” stations (one of which was a vodka-caviar bar), and five “hot” stations, many guests actually thought that this was the reception! Boy were they surprised when the hour was up and the staff ushered them into the grand ballroom.

The Fountainhead has two ballrooms, and we had our reception at the larger room, which seats up to 350 guests. The grand ballroom has a great lighting system with several spotlights for each table and colored lights reflected on the walls. I honestly didn’t think much of the gradually-changing light colors but they made for some excellent pictures!

The reception dinner consisted of a 5-course dinner: a salad/salmon sampler (they combined two appetizer choices for us!); an intermezzo of lemon sorbet; entree choice of filet steak, roasted chicken breast or salmon; wedding cake; and a dessert platter of chocolate-covered strawberries and two scoops of sorbet (one each of raspberry and mango).

A buttercream-frosting wedding cake was included in our package, and although it didn’t have the sleek, gorgeous look of fondant, it was delicious nonetheless. Plus, we didn’t need to look for a separate cake vendor or agonize over the design - we just had to look through a book and pick one.

The food wasn’t exotic or modern, nor was the presentation extraordinary. As you can see it was very traditional American and a bit old-fashioned. However, the quality of food was sensational. So many guests made a point to tell us that it was the best wedding food they ever had. In fact, many (jokingly) asked for seconds…and they got it!

As spectacular as all this sounds, it all paled compared to the service. Michael, who was in charge of our wedding, went above and beyond to make sure all our needs were met. He called to remind us of upcoming deadlines. He accepted last-minute changes to the guestlist and table plans, well after the deadline stipulated on our contract. When he found out that our family would be arriving hours before the ceremony, he arranged to have a huge array of sandwiches and refreshments available for their arrival…at no extra fee! And because we had some no-shows to the event, he kept count and sent us a check for the difference (as they had charged us per head).

In addition to Michael, who stayed by our side the entire time and opened the doors for me right before I walked down the aisle, The Fountainhead also assigned us an event manager and a bridal attendant. I loved my bridal attendant - she was almost like a second day-of-coordinator to me! She looked over my hair, makeup, and dress like a hawk. At the start of cocktail hour, when Mr Peony and I wanted some time to ourselves in the bridal suite, she went around and gathered a plateful of food and flutes of champagne. Later in the night, when my feet were aching from dancing, she went around to fetch things for me… I almost felt bad!

Our guests commented on the great service also. There was a server for each table and a drink server for every two tables (even though the bar was open and anyone could go up there for a drink). A few of my parents’ friends had to leave before dinner started so when those at their tables joked that the missing guests’ food should be divided among the rest of the table… the servers happily obliged. I mentioned that some guests got seconds, and the servers even wrapped the leftovers in boxes for guests who asked.

I would say that the only thing I didn’t like about The Fountainhead is that they require one of two florists to be used. However, flowers weren’t too important to me so it wasn’t too much trouble.

The Fountainhead certainly isn’t the venue for anyone who wants control over every aspect of their wedding. The linens, the chairs, the tables, and the food all come with the package. However, it certainly is a great choice for those who would rather not source every aspect of their wedding from different vendors. It certainly saved us a lot of time and probable headaches…..combined with their great food and spectacular service, I give them an A+!