Now that we had our ceremony venue it was time to find somewhere
to chow down and dance the night away. We had already ruled out Greenbrier and
The Lodge during our initial search so we went back to the drawing board. Once
again we found three venues online and just as before we had already been to
one; once for BM Rooms’ reception and I had also been there for a Little Black
Dress party for a local radio station.
I hope our guests bring their boogie shoes (Source)
First up is the Huguenot Loft which is owned by the local theater. This is where BM Rooms held her
reception and it is exactly what we wanted. Think exposed brick, hardwood
floors, and giant windows. We did not make an appointment here since we had
already been so instead we just emailed the contact to get a quote.
The main room sans rentals and lights (Source)
Room for cocktail hour/lawn games at Huguenot Loft. Check out those windows!
The main room all prettied up. Photo Credit: b&r events
This place has a lot of character and it also has two separate
areas perfect for dinner/dancing in one room and cocktail hour/”lawn games” in
the other. We would also be able to bring in whatever caterer we wanted and
could provide our own alcohol. We really loved it but it also had its cons,
most notably the price (which they required in full upon booking).
The first venue we actually made an appointment to see in person was Larkin's Sawmill. This venue is a
renovated sawmill (hence the name) located near the downtown area. We weren’t
sure what to think going in because as much as we stalked their facebook page
we couldn’t find a lot of decent pictures. I saw this as a red flag.
No worries though because once we got there we were quickly impressed by the space and the on-site coordinator.
The main room at the Sawmill (Source). Ooooh Chiavari chairs!
Patio room with accordion windows that can be opened if the weather is nice (Source)
The Sawmill was fantastic. The on-site coordinator was
energetic and extremely helpful. Once we told her what we wanted our reception
to be like she gave us a boatload of ideas and also told us what they could
provide that would fit with our theme. Again though there were some cons. The
biggest con for us was that we would have to use their caterer. You see, Larkin’s
is a restaurant downtown that owns a few venues, including this one.
Last on our list was The Loom at Cotton Mill Place. I was in love with this place from the pictures. It
had the same feel as Huguenot Loft with the exposed brick, hardwoods, and big
windows but it was in one large open space instead of two. I knew this would be
the winner.
As pretty as it is, I was actually pretty disappointed once
we got there. Kyle and I went to this venue directly after the Sawmill and the
difference in the on-site coordinators alone was huge. The woman at the Loom was
very disorganized and did not once ask us what our theme was but instead just
told us what other brides have done. While this could be helpful to some
potential clients who may not have a clear picture of what they want I just
found it frustrating. On top of that, the space just wasn’t as great in person. There were other cons, too. For one, we only had the option of beer and
wine. Now I’m not sure that we’ll have anything more than that at our reception
but we would like the option. Another downside is that this space in
under/around residential lofts. Because of this, the music would have to be
shut off by 10pm. Now again, I don’t know when our reception will be over but I
would like to have the option to go later than 10pm on a Saturday night!
You may have an idea of which venue we chose based on this
post but you’ll just have to wait until next time to find out for sure!
How many venues did you visit? Did you have an idea of which venue you thought was "the one" before you visited?
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