Weddingbee Blog

When we left off, Mr. CS was fading fast and couldn’t believe we had two more venues to visit that day. With the help of a little seaside fudge and the promise of an adult beverage, Mr. CS trudged on. He is such a trooper. Our next stop was the Hotel Alcott.

Hotel Alcott (Image via Cape May Times)

This was a beautiful venue and perfect for our price range. They were super accommodating, and almost every upgrade you could want for a wedding was included in the package. Chiavari chairs, you got it! Table overlays, of course they are included. Had our hearts not been set on Congress Hall, this would have been a perfectly adequate place to have our wedding. There were a couple of downsides, though, but no venue is without fault (except Congress Hall!). Hotel Alcott didn’t really have a place to have the ceremony if we decided we wanted to have it on site instead of at the beach. They did have a courtyard, which was as tiny as it was cute. Also the ballroom seemed a little small even for our small-ish wedding.

Image via Ray and Bri Wedding Website

The courtyard (Image via TripAdvisor)

After our visit to the Hotel Alcott, we carried on to Congress Hall. To say our visit was glorious would be an understatement. Krista, the event planner, was a dream. She immediately gave us a heartfelt congratulations on our engagement and asked to hear the story. Mr. CS was thrilled because those customer-service aspects are very important and telling to him. Enough hearing about my venue/Krista crush—bring on the pictures!

The garden cocktail and possible ceremony area

Sister Sammie and Co-MOH

Beautiful ballroom

Look at those Tiffany blue walls.

I heart the checkered floor.

I H.E.A.R.T. you, Congress Hall. There was one more venue to go, though. Our quest was not over yet. The final day led us to the Southern Mansion.

Image via Southern Mansion

This was by far one of the more beautiful wedding venues. It has exquisite gardens and would have needed very little decor. The tables would all be set up on the wraparound porch, but the porch is only wide enough for one table at a time, which might make it hard for guests to mingle. We wanted mingle-age.

Image via Southern Mansion

Sadly, the dance floor was down a flight of stairs and in the basement. This would make it impossible for any of our ADA guests. Deal breakers. It was beautiful, though.

Image via Southern Mansion

Back to the ferry we went, to compare notes and decide. It was kind of a one-sided debate, but I like to let Mr. CS think he has options.

Did your fiance need convincing on what your perfect wedding location would be? How much do you love Congress Hall!?!

*personal photos unless noted