I hit the "fuck it, let's just get a keg and head to a bowling alley" moment over the weekend, but Trevor has persevered. Sure, we're going to plunge into debt, but what's a little bankruptcy amongst friends, am I right?
Anyway, we've pretty much narrowed it down to two places that we feel comfortable with, and both have their pros and cons. I'll be honest and tell you that we haven't done the official tally for both venues yet, to put together the official price comparison, but I'll tell you what I can about both.
First, we have La Scala. It's an Italian restaurant, all on its own, but also has two banquet halls and a bar attached to it. We'd be having our reception in the Caruso Room, which clearly means I'll say witty or punny on-liners, put on my sunglasses, and cue The Who.*
The Caruso Room:
And for my PSSWR girls...
We're looking at a $500 deposit for the room, approximately $22 per person for the plated entrées (a choice of two will be available, one pasta--gag,gag,gag--and one chicken--whew!), which will also involve salad and veggies; an additional $14.50 per person for the minimum open bar of domestic beer and select wines; and additional kids' menu options, at a reduced price, for our horde of wee ones. We have to order and pay for our cake, which doesn't have to be from La Scala, and we have to pay state tax and 17% gratuity. Honestly, after all the math (ow! my brain!) that I've done for other places, that's pretty effing cheap. And they'll still let us do our alcoholic wedding favors, as long as the bottles are tagged to indicate that they are not to be consumed on the premises. The room will accommodate up to 300 and, after writing up our guest lists, we're looking at likely just over 200 people (and that's after assuming a certain number of people won't come). They said they really don't care what time the party breaks up, just as long as we're out by 1:00 a.m., so they's our kind of people! All the reviews I've read have been great and, more to the point, I've actually BEEN to a wedding there, with Trevor, last September... the food was AMAZING! Really fantastic.
Our other option was used by one of my sorority sisters (Robbi) for her venue. That would be the Clintonville Women's Club (CWC).
The room is beautiful... big windows, hardwood floors, a raised dais upon which the head table might be placed, and two raised sections on either side of the main floor where there are more tables. Chair linens cost extra, but the rest of the linens are included. They also have a large selection of centerpieces from which to choose and they incorporate the cake into your overall cost per guest (they have a deal with a local, well-known bakery).
The images I had to choose from really weren't the best, but I included this one so you could see the ceiling, with its exposed beams, and the twinkle lights (*twinkle*twinkle*twinkle*), as well. Also, I believe Robbi said this was one of the pictures from her wedding... nice roses! Anyway, the price per person is $36 and, again, we'd have a selection of two plated entrées with salad, veggies, etc., and the cake is included in that price. I don't think Trevor has asked them whether they have kids' menu options. There is no rental fee, but we do have to pay 20% gratuity as well as state tax. This place is not a professional restaurant, but by all accounts the food is good. We would have to provide our own alcohol and would have to hire a bartender (or, with our friends, two), but in some ways that is a significantly cheaper option than paying for an open bar... we could gradually stock up on liquor over the year, sodas and such as it got nearer to the date, get a keg just before, and Trevor could be making a massive quantity and variety of wine in the meantime... and we'd get to keep everything left over and spend the first four months of our marriage thoroughly plastered. The rental is for four hours and they want you out on time, though additional hours can be purchased at $350 an hour. They say they seat up to 180 and, though they are willing to go to 200, truly prefer to stay at the 180 number... which would mean some slashing and burning of the guest lists (slashing and burning that, admittedly, probably ought to be done anyway).
So, that's where we are with our venues. As of our earlier conversation today, Trevor and I were leaning (not so far as to fall over, but just gently off balance) toward La Scala. I would, however, like to entertain your observations and opinions. You guys may think of things we haven't; we're a bit muddled at the moment... what with being so popular and awesome...
*That's a CSI: Miami joke. Yeah, I don't watch it either, but still...
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