The Search For A Venue Begins!

SBR proposed on Valentine’s Day 2009. It was a complete surprise, so I had not even begun to think about wedding plans. The following day, we chatted about when we would want to get married and I always wanted a long engagement, so we decided on a fall 2010 wedding….plenty of time, or so we thought.

I left on the 16th for a 2 week business trip, and at the airport bought my first bridal magazine as a bride-to-be. Then, while sitting alone in my hotel room one night, I decided to start looking at potential venues and prices to get an idea of what we were looking at….and there the avalanche began.

As it turns out, taking 20 months to plan a wedding isn’t that unheard of and several venues already had dates booked for fall 2010. As more and more packages came in, I felt the urgency to start determining what we could afford and start doing site visits ASAP.

Here are our criteria, to try and book a venue that can hold both the ceremony & reception, preferably an outside ceremony on or near the ocean.

So here we go, the good, the bad & and the we can’t afford

Let’s start with location only venues, meaning you rent the space and bring in everything else.

Coral Gables Woman’s Club

Price: Sat. $2800, Fri. $2000, Sun. $1400

This was the first venue we looked at. SBR and I had both been to weddings here, but were now seeing it in a different light. There are 2 buildings, so it is possible that 2 wedding receptions could happen at the same time. I also only liked the South building (formerly the Juniors Woman’s Club), which meant no place to hold the ceremony. If someone is having a wedding in a church in Coral Gables and needs a reception location, this is a great space…just not for us.

Coco Plum Woman’s Club

Price: $2340 Fri-Sun; Must use their in-house caterer
SBR really liked this place. I did as well, but I didn’t like the restrictions on using a caterer. The packages they offered were $100/pp and included pretty much everything, but didn’t give us the freedom to pick our own photographer, dj, etc. You could, of course, go with someone else (with the exception of the caterer), but the discounts they give you off the pp rate were minimal. On that basis alone, I put it on our “B” list.

Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove
Price: Sat. $1800, Sun. $1000; Must use their in-house caterer
This is a beautiful space, and like Coco Plum, you must use their exclusive caterer, Bill Hansen’s (who is well-known in Miami). However, their rates were much more economical and more customizable. Unfortunately, 1. There was no space for the ceremony & 2. Its capacity is about 100 guests (we are expecting a minimum of 120. However, for anyone who is looking for a space for a small reception, take a look at this location. The rental fee is economical and the space is gorgeous.

Douglas Entrance
Price: $3000 - $6000 depending on date
We never really considered this space, as we didn’t like the fountain area for the ceremony. However, we did attend a bridal show here and the space is gorgeous. I’ve also been to 2 weddings here and the space was really created for weddings. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for just a reception space in Coral Gables.

Deering Estate

Price: $4600 for 125 guests (plus tax)
Honestly, I was convinced this was going to be the place before we got there. All of the pictures I have seen are simply breathtaking, and the ceremony location is just that. However, I didn’t like that dinner is in the courtyard and the dancing is in the Stone House. For my guests, we really want the dance floor to be the center of everything. That combined with the fee and no guarantee that it won’t rain, ruled it out for us. But for anyone who does select this venue, you will be sure to have gorgeous pictures.

The Shane Center

Price: Sat. $2600, Sun $2400
When I first drove up to this space, I thought, “oh no”. It’s a plain white building on a busy street and is very industrial looking. However, once I walked inside, I thought “WOW”. The space is very clean and modern and gives you the option to do whatever you want. And the view at Sunset is amazing. Our only concern was where to hold the ceremony. The terrace was nice, but overlooks the parking lot and Indian Creek Dr on one side. The though here would be to rental greenery and encompass the entire terrace like a garden. Another thought would be to hold the ceremony inside and use the terrace for cocktail hour. Either way, this was our top contender at this point. On a side note, the manager Rosie is a doll!

Other venues worth mentioning:
Fairchild Tropical Garden - Price: $6,000 for 100 people, $20 each additional person

Because of the large fee, we didn’t consider this location, but I’ve heard it’s a beautiful location for a wedding
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens - Price: $12,500…..my dream location, but it’s price tag is a tough pill to swallow. Beautiful if money is not object
Miami Beach Botancial Garden Price: $4500 for entire garden, $2500 for Great Lawn, $850 for Banyan Room

Price was reasonable, but after driving by the location, I ruled it out. It’s across the street from the Miami Beach Convention Center. If there’s a big convention in town, your guest can forget parking.

Well, that’s it for now. In my next post, I will give some reviews on my hotel visits.