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Is it too early in the day for a little legal pun? Possibly. When the Mr. and I first got engaged we did a lot of research on possible venues in our area. We had a hard time finding one to fit the bill; we weren’t going to be inviting 350 people to our soiree, and the food and beverage minimums were a little more than what we had bargained for.
A lot of the venues in our area (like a lot of areas, I suspect) while beautiful, can be a tad on the pricey side. If we were swimming in piles of money a la Scrooge McDuck, however, we’d definitely be having our reception right on the lakefront in the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Calatrava:
We quickly came back down to reality and the first venue we visited together was the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. It was a beautiful space, and this picture really doesn’t do it justice. When all was said and done, though, it would have been pricey, and we wouldn’t have filled the space. (I’m seeing a theme here…) They could have split the room for us, but we didn’t like the partitions that they used. So, onward!
The next venue that we seriously considered was one of our favorite restaurants. We’d been there several times for dinner, and they have a private party room that we could reserve. While we both really loved this idea, we weren’t quite sure about our final numbers and didn’t want to take a chance that we wouldn’t be able to see everyone we love on our wedding day. The room had a maximum capacity of 80, so we would have to either make some serious invite cuts, or send out invites and hope like heck that not everyone would show up. (And, really? At the end of the day, my nerves aren’t cut out for that type of stress.)
Also, I hate to say it — but the uncertainty of the economy factored into our decision a bit with this one, too. The restaurant is still doing great, but when we were looking to book this past winter, we didn’t know if they would still be around in June of 2010. The space that the restaurant is in has changed hands a few times in the past few years, and we feared that might happen again. After all, we were still more than a year out at this point!
We went to a few other sites, and I sent more emails than I think I have since wasting time in the computer lab in college. We started to wonder if we ever were going to be able to find something that fit our needs. And, in the back of our minds, a separate plan to just “get away from it all” was brewing…
Did you look at several venues before you found your perfect fit?
Did you ever check out Cuvee? It’s actually a champagne bar, but they have an absolutely beautiful event space. All I could think when I was there was that I wished they had a place like that in Madison!
I had made up in my mind the museum in Baltimore where I wanted my reception about a year into dating my now fiancé. 3 years later, once we actually got engaged, we looked at 4 venues total and still agreed on the venue on which I’d had my heart set for years.
We have visited four locations thus far. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted but some of the venues took me by surprise. I’m not sure where we will end up at this point.
I am glad to hear that I’m not alone in the struggle to find a venue! Good luck, no matter what you end up with I am sure it will be beautiful!
Location, Location, Location…
My fiance and I had our hearts set on a particular location - very hip/romantic restaurant, but we quickly found out that it was out of our budget ($35/person for finger food - really!?)… So we selected a second venue - an art gallery.
We spoke to the owner several times and had site visit a 3 weeks ago. I called this week to confirm the exhibition schedule for the date we wanted and to ask for a preliminary contract… Unfortunately, the owner has decided not to rent out the space anymore.
So its on to location 3 - we’re having our first site visit next week… Wish me luck!
Ah, legal puns. Hehe. Makes me kind of miss law school.
We looked at a couple aces but pretty much knew we would be having it at an exempt club. We would love to do a path hall place but they’re soooo expensive
It took my fiance and I a really long time to find a venue. We searched all around the New England area, where we live, and places were either weird in ways we weren’t expecting, too small or too large, or perfect but too pricey.
I started getting really frustrated sending out tons of emails and going away every weekend to look at venue options, so on a whim I sent 3 emails to places in the Florida Keys that looked fun. And I chose one, sight unseen, based on the recommendations of local vendors who had seen and worked with the space. So unlike me to do that, but we have a venue and one we and our families are both really excited about.
And my fiance’s grandparents and father recently went to go see it in person and it’s going to be awesome! Thrilled.
I would HIGHLY recommend Cuvee! The owner is actually a very close family friend and I’d be more than happy to get you any information you’d like. Happy planning
I had my heart set on the Towers (where Ms. P. Chips is getting married) but had a terrible time getting a hold of the woman in charge and once i got her, she was not free to show it when we were in town. After a bit of frustration, I remembered another place about 100 yards down the beach, made an apt. to show FI and he loved it so we canceled all other appointments. We have a max of 100 people but I think it’s good because that’s the size of wedding we had in mind anyway and the fire code just enforces our plan.
I’ve known since I was 13 where my wedding reception would be. I went to my Aunts wedding and stayed up later than I ever had and had the time of my life. There was no doubt in my mind and we got it! 
There’s a place I LOVE more than anything, but more than likely, it will be booked by the time we actually get engaged! There’s another place that is BEAUTIFUL, but… their catering is gross. So… back to square 1, I guess 
We went through this too… it was horribly nerve-racking! I have had a few close friends get married at the Marcus Center & Calatrava and they are BEAUTIFUL! But you’ve got it… super pricey.
My favorite MKE wedding was at the Lake Park Bistro, did you try anything else along the lake?
Another Milwaukee bride! Yay!
I have to say, my search for the perfect location was super short. As in, two days. I wanted a lakeside wedding with a view and found it cheap! The Milwaukee County Parks have pavilions all over, and the South Shore Park Pavilion in Bayview is STUNNING! Its their most expensive option to rent, but even then its affordable! Sitting right on the lake with views of the nearby yacht club and downtown, its in a beautiful park setting. It has a 210 capasity, but that’s with both rooms. If that’s too big for you (I purposefully want to have lots of extra room for people) the parks system has a lot of other beautiful places which are smaller. Hampton Park comes to mind (a lovely building overlooking the River). Good luck finding your dream venue!
It took us a while too! After visiting a couple places, we knew our #1 priority was finding a place without partitions!
As a native Milwaukeean, I’d been to lots of weddings/events at lots of different venues (the Calatrava is $10K for JUST the hall booking!!), so we only needed to look at one place before booking! We loved the Harbor Lights room, which is part of the park system, and is attached to Coast/Betty Brinn, and has a beautiful view of the lake (and the Calatrava). We couldn’t have been happier!
We definitely would have considered Cuvee as well, but they didn’t start doing events until after we booked It’s fabulous!
The Lakefront Brewery is also pretty amazing…
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Mrs. French Fries, Milwaukee Age and Occupation: 27, Paralegal Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Investments Advisor Engagement Date: September 20, 2008 Wedding Date: June 2010 Venue: Ceremony: Catholic Church, Reception: Hotel Ballroom About Me: I'm a Midwestern girl who longs to live in a warmer climate (my feet would be happy in flip flops any day!). I love travel, impromptu napping, grilled cheese sandwiches, my iPhone, singing with reckless abandon in my car, and Mr. French Fries.
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