Well, FH and I bit the bullet and hired our favorite brass band from New Orleans, LA (NOLA) to come to ATL for the wedding reception entertainment!! Yes, the cost made me cringe at first---must pay for their travel expenses as well---but, I stayed up some late nights with legs folded Indian style, hair frazzled, and a handy calculator in hand crunching numbers and re-figuring our budget to allow this treat. FH's eyes lit up when I suggested we contact them. Actually, he used to go see them perform every Thursday night with his good buddy (also a GM) when we lived in NOLA. So, I just knew we had to have them. The wedding day tends to be all about the bride, I definitely wanted him to be extra excited about the plans too. Plus, I love the band too, so we're both very excited!! These guys are sooo talented! We're doing our best to keep it a secret from our guests that are connected to us from NOLA.
Pic from Nola.com (photographer: Michael Democker)
Anyhow, we had to let go of our dream reception location, The Foundry at Puritan Mill, in order to make room in the budget. The exposed brick and plenty of windows is just our style. It has a facility charge, of course, because you have to hire a caterer (from their preferred list of course). However, the fun we'll have definitely outweighs exposed brick and windows. We also changed from evening to afternoon to reduce food and bev (F&B) costs, and we're probably going with a faux cake with sheet cakes in the back---they actually make a slot in the back for a piece of real cake for the cake cutting ceremony!
Foundry at Puritan Mill (www.novarrevents.com/puritan/)
Atlanta Cake Rental (atlantacakerental.com)
We found a great place, The Emory Conference Center Hotel, where we can pay for food and bev ONLY at a very reasonable price, and the hotel looks great---lots of stone work and dark, rich tones in the decor. It's cool! Plus, they provide a bandstand, and they have a 4 hour block of time for the actual event. And, we can now have it on a Saturday! Nips the drama from family over a Sunday wedding (It was cheaper at Puritan Mill to do it on a Sunday).
I admit to contract phobia! What if I found another rare gem???! With exposed brick???!! We did it, though. But, I scrutinized the heck out of that contract. The CM had to send me a new contract 5 times! She was making errors in numbers that could wind up in a big mess later. What if she isn't in that position a year from now? Our word against a contract wouldn't be good. She had the F&B minimum, the expected revenue--in case of cancellation, FH's last name, and the cancellation date ranges, all wrong. She'd fix one thing and mess another up. Anyway, that's all done with.
www.emoryconferencecenter.com/weddings
Ballroom (emoryconferencecenter.com)
Thought I may have lucked up when I was referred to The Freight Room, operated by the GA Building Authority. It's a great spot too, with exposed brick, a gazebo, and track lights inside. But, there was a facility charge. Understand, these charges aren't ridiculous, it just wouldn't fit with the band! All in all, we're happy with our choice!
This pic from georgia.gov
