Finding the perfect venue

I started looking for a venue like the day after he proposed. I mean, that’s one of the most important things to get, right? Seeing how I’m basically brand new to the Slidell scene and really only know where the best places to shop are… I had to get online to find these places.

Not a whole lot comes up when you are looking for Reception sites in Slidell. Actually let me rephrase that.  Only four of the Six places that I am about to talk about came up… then we started getting into all the places in New Orleans.  I would LOVE to have my wedding in the Big Easy, Lance on the other hand hates the city like I hate needles.  So basically… he only goes if he absolutely HAS to. (Like when I decide to plan our date nights down there, which happens more often than not, tee hee. I know... I’m bad)  I’m probably making it sound a tad worse than what it is, the point is, New Orleans was out. So here’s what I had to choose from…

St. Tammany Yacht Club (Actual Visit)

PROS-  SO beyond charming, and the woman who showed me around, was probably one of THE nicest people I have ever met.  The most Gorgeous view of Lake Pontchartrain, especially when it’s sunset, a covered deck, and a room just for the kiddies- with games, TV, Wii, crayons and all that good stuff.  Sunset Ceremony-  um… yes please! They were very accommodating, if you had an idea, just let them know and they’ll see what they can do! On site bar.

CONS- It seemed a little too cramped for me, and the dance floor would have been pretty tiny.  Originally there would be no spot for the ceremony. (I later got the call that… they could do an outside ceremony, but they wouldn’t be able to put out many- if any- chairs). We would also have to bring in our own caterer. I was really looking for someone who had on-site catering.

Sorry its so tiny!

Photo from tammanyyachtclub.org

Abita Quail Farm (Phone Call)

PROS- very pretty site (from the pictures I saw online), they do all the set up and clean up.  Quite a few discounts, and catering on site.

CONS- Very high ceremony fee. The gentleman I spoke with told me that they do their best to beat any competitor’s prices (which would have been a pro), when I told him about a ceremony fee I had found cheaper he proceeded to tell me “They aren’t even in our class.”  WOW, really? At that point the whole conversation just started to go downhill.  I think he was a little offended that I even compared the two? (I’d rather not say which I compared), but I did not like the way he handled this whole situation, and I never called him back.  

Photo from abitaquailfarm.com

Palmetto’s Bar & Grill (Actual Visit)

PROS- It’s right on the bayou, which I think is awesome.  The reception would be outside on the deck. Half of which is covered by a huge white tent, the other half is out in the open. It is surrounded by trees and plants… it’s quite literally right on the bayou.  Reasonable ceremony fee. Additional  room where the cake and buffet will be served. Catering and bar on site.  Day of wedding  ”Personal Assistant” available for a reasonable price. Willing to work with whatever you come up with.  They cut your cake for you.  Very reasonable kids prices. The bar is ALL brands, not cheapies and not a whole bunch more money for the good stuff.  There are two bars on site. Large area for dancing. Multiple Ceremony sites to choose from.  I’m in love with this place.

CONS – price per person is a little more than we want to spend, and that was BEFORE I decided to add more on for an extra hour.

Palmetto’s actually wasn’t even on the list I found online of sites to go to. It was recommended by a friend at work.

Personal Photo taken while visiting site

                  Just a little something I wanted to share after we visited.  As we were walking out to the car and talking about the fact that it was slightly over our budget, we were going over all the things we liked- which is really me talking and him listening… this was the end part of the conversation.

Me: So overall what did you think?
Lance:  It was nice, I wasn’t really paying that much attention to what she was saying though.
Me: What were you doing then?
Lance:  I was watching the basketball game on the TV behind her head.

                I stopped dead in my tracks and just stared at him. He just gave that little smirk and was like “what?” Good thing he's so cute. I'll probably just stick to going to look by myself, and then letting him know what it’s like.

                I did look at a few other places in person and online, but they just didn’t meet the criteria I needed. Like… having a working email so I could get a hold of them. Not exactly the way I would run a business, but it’s not my business.                

                 There was one thing about a lot of the places I looked into that kind of bothered me, and maybe you have run into this as well.  When I told them how many people I would be having at the wedding, a couple of the places told me that I didn’t have to put out that exact amount of chairs because: “Not everybody is sitting down at the same time.”  Excuse me?  I don’t want people LOOKING for a place to sit after traveling all the way here to attend the wedding.  I actually went to a wedding last year where people were looking for somewhere to sit. I was kind of embarrassed for the bride to be honest with you.

                How did your venue search go?  Did you accidentally offend anyone like I did?  And seriously, did people tell you that not everyone sits at the same time, and try to get you to have less chairs?