Please read, and reply!! I need help!

[shan]

We still have no date yet....CANT AGREE. Oh well. Here is what I need anyone who reads this thread to do....and I am not joking, I want all the opinions I can get! I am trying to decide on a location for the reception/dance at my wedding. One location is okay, but I can get a really great caterer, the other location is better, but I have to use the locations caterer, which is good, but nowhere near as good as the other one.

So my question is...

What is more important LOCATION or GREAT FOOD??

Thanks for the help!

[GsdDiamond]

In my opinion, location isn't the end-all for attending a social, but enough food is definately up there (I'm always last in line it seems, usually nothing left but crumbs).

May I recommend:
Comprimise: pretty fair location and more (not better) food. Lots of cheese, cold cuts, bread, crackers, pickles, chips, nachos, fruit, some sort of desert item(s). Basic social fare, but stock up on the chips and nachos (or pretzels). Munching while drinking is always a good thing.

[shan]

Gauranteed with the great caterer I will have tons of food, and he is actually fairly reasonable as well. I would most likely have a "midnight lunch" with cold cuts and such as well. So I am positive we wont run out of food. At this point I am thinking the location is what you make it...but I want other opinions as well...

[Writing4Fun]

Food - definitely food. Food and music make the party. No one will remember what the place looked like (unless it's a complete dive), but they will certainly remember if they had a lousy time and the food was awful. Then again, different cultures focus on different aspects, so that's something else to consider. No offense, GsdDiamond, but if I served chips and pretzels at my wedding, my guests would have been climbing over each other in their haste to leave! (looking back, maybe that wouldn't have been such a bad thing after all! )

[Goldenmom]

I would go with the caterer and not so good hall!!!! You can decorate even the ugliest of halls to look absolutely beautiful. We just went through this with our daughter, but we decided to go to Cuba and she is getting married there! No halls, just beach!

Good luck!

Heather and her 3 Golden Girls

[Sunkist/Winnie]

I just got married on Spet 4th so I remember all the decision making and planning that is involved.

I think we had just as many comments on the location we chose, as the food that was there. It might depend on your families - are the all about the food or are they the types that atmosphere is important too? You can always dress up a location to make it nicer if the difference is in atmosphere and not size.

We chose a golf course for our ceremony and reception. The grounds were beautiful and the clubhouse was an old fashioned log house - very pretty! I didn't want to do a lot of decorating to make a location more acceptable so for us location and food were about tied in importance. I didn't have the time to do the decorating and I didn't want to spend the money on decorations that would be used just once.

If you are willing to spend the money on decorations (and it adds up fast) and the time before the ceremony to make your location look the way you want it then I say pick the better food place and just be creative with your decorations.

Are there any other places you haven't checked that may have it "all"?

Enjoy your day, and stick to your guns...everyone seems to have an idea of what a wedding should be, but remember it is your and your fiances's day. Do it your way...it's well worth the arguments you may have when you spend the day seeing it unfold the way you pictured it.

[GsdDiamond]

Oops...misread! For some stupid reason I was thinking social...not wedding! Yes, definately food. As was said, if the hall isn't too bad, and not in a part of the city too far out of the way, or too many bad folks, then people won't mind driving to wherever you say.

[mastifflover]

Food is more important than location you can decorate and improve the location with great flowers. If the food is not great that would be something people remember.

[Princesss04]

I just got married in may and my advice is go witht he food. You can take the most ugly place and make it so pretty but if the guest get there and the food is nasty than no one cares what the place looks like.

[krdahmer]

FOOD!
I didn't get the first choice for location but where we ended up had a great menu option....my guests got to choose one of 3 main entrees when they were seated for dinner (we picked the fixins, they just chose which meat they wanted- Roast Beef au Jus, Chicken Cordon Swiss or Stuffed Sole), and it was not much more than a regular dinner.
If you can, definitely try to do that, people still talk about how much they loved the meal at mine...and it was 2 years ago!!!

Also I highly recommend having the ceremony & reception at one location. We had ours at the Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel here in the Falls, and it was so easy for everyone, especially the out of towners. And most officiants (Pastor's and Priests too) don't mind coming to you these days, you don't have to be in a Church to have a religious ceremony. We had ours in the Atrium and had most of our pictures done right there, which was so nice for the grandparents.

Most importantly, get stressed out now...get it out of your system and while you are planning make sure that all plans make that day as stress free as possible for you and your loved ones. The less you have to worry about the more you get to enjoy YOUR day!

Oh and really really really research the photographer cause a cruddy one can really put a hamper on the good mood of the day (trust me that one comes from first hand experience...the lady I went with was such a B*tch that day[she even snapped at Chase's sweet little Grandpa], and really put us in a foul mood for a bit- then at my best friends wedding she had the greatest guy to do her pics, and he made the day just that much more enjoyable!)

Anyhow enjoy planning! I know that I had a blast, and may God grant you a hubby that won't argue with your decisions!!! (I had one of those....he just didn't get the fact that I had been planning that day since about age 5!!!! He kept trying to change things on me!!!! But I guess it was nice that he wanted to be so involved... )

[BamaRama]

Originally Posted by krdahmer

....he just didn't get the fact that I had been planning that day since about age 5!!!!

SO TRUE!! I think most girls dream of their wedding from a very early age! hehe. We're kinda crazy that way!

But yeah, back on topic--definitely go for food!

[shan]

Well, I am almost positive we will go for the food, this caterer has the best roast, and usually one other meat entree, as well as excellent salad and TO DIE FOR dessert (chocolate covered strawberries and bananas etc.) Cody and his family is definitely gonna be all about the food (All boys!!!) Thanks for all the opinions! I am planning on getting married in a church in my hometown, the same one my grandparents got married in. It is so pretty, and I have wanted to get married there since I was young.

[krdahmer]

Now that is sweet, the Church your grandparents were married in... we didn't do the church wedding for other reasons too, like I haven't been to my church since I was about oh 8 and have since sworn away organized religion, and we are two different sects, he is a Pentecostal and I was baptised Roman Catholic. So, we compromised and had his Pastor, a good friend of his parents, conduct the ceremony here in that Atrium.

Man do you learn quick that marriage is all about compromise when you are planning a do like this eh?!

[shan]

My grandma started to cry last night when I mentioned it! Cody and I are also different as far as religion goes, he was baptized catholic, and probably hasnt been to church since, I was baptized United, confirmed Lutheran, so I am a little bit of a mix, the church is United. So hopefully it all works out...I may need to start going to church a bit more....

[Sneaky2006]

Every wedding I've been to I've always heard people talking about the food. Whether it was a good place or not, that was never mentioned. It was ALWAYS about the food (the piggies). It's really sad that ppl would talk about it if it's not up to par but if you want to make the guests happy, the place with better food takes my vote!

I was concerned about what ppl would think of the food we had at our wedding. Well, not the wedding but the reception. (the wedding was 2 weeks prior to the reception, we were married in St Thomas, for different reasons, one being the whole church thing, but we won't go there )
We picked a place that you could choose how the food was served also. It wasn't the fanciest place ever but it sure was pretty, it was an old (redone) mansion. I know a lot of people like a nice fancy sit down dinner but lots like a help yourself deal too and that's what we picked because this way you could eat as much as you want! lol And surprisingly it was cheaper that way!
There was like 20 different items to choose from as the main dishes and you got 5 out of those. You could pick 3 different sides, etc.
It all worked out great but in the end I was wondering why I griped about making such 'hard decisions'.
Good luck to you, let us know what you decide!

[moontamara]

Since I wasn't able to eat at my wedding (that's the way it is in Korea ) I would have to go against the grain and say LOCATION! But I'm outvoted, so go with the food!

[melanie]

location, location, location.
food is not that important, i certainly cannot remember one meal i had at a wedding and half of the meals i didnt like and never ate anyway, but i sure remmber all the nice and beautiful places ppl married and had reception, your caterer can go anywhere so you have the food covered, it will be good anywhere you go, so i say location, location, location.

[Sneaky2006]

Yeah, but Mel, some places don't let you bring your own caterer! That's the only problem, which I think is her issue... the place she likes you have to use their food and it's not that good.

[melanie]

i see, perhaps you could find a garden or bush area to hire, erect your own marque and have it that way, then you get your caterer and the loction.

[krdahmer]

Oh and to go with food, depending where you are and what your family is like....open bar!!!! I learned from my cousin that that was a must for our family! We had to buy our drinks at my cousins and they were expensive too, and I have never heard so many complaints. We had an open bar and were a bit worried about the cost, but it turned out there were only a few key 'big' drinkers and the bar bill wasn't that bad. (Heck, my parents ended up getting like $1700. back after and gave it to us as a wedding gift.)

[shan]

The decision has been made!! We are going with the food, and renting the 2nd choice location. I can get this place for like $100, and then I will have extra $ to spice it up a bit. I am sure it will all turn out OK. It is actually a curling rink, so that was my whole problem, but a ton of wedding dances are held there, and I have always had a good time at them! I just dont like the cement floor....Oh well. I shall get over it! As it is quite large, there should be no problem with room, or the space getting over heated (which I HATE!!) And I know everyone will be raving about the food.

[Sunkist/Winnie]

Before you decide on colours and decorations ask the rink if they have anything left over from previous functions. You never know you might hit pay dirt and find some great stuff!

Down here we have a bunch of Dollar stores - they are gold mines for weddings! Great for cheap candles and other things you need to make beautiful centre pieces and favours!

Enjoy the planning it is the fun part!

[chico2]

I'd say the most important part is,you are marrying the man you love
My husband and I got married in a chapel,had our 2 best friends as witnesses,afterwards we went to a bar,had 4 bottles of champagne(hate the stuff!!!)bowls of peanuts...and that was it
Of course,we had no money for a BIG wedding,my mom did not like my choice of husband,hence did not take part,she did not think we would last a year,but here we are almost 40yrs later
In answer to your question,FOOD is very important,I've been to soo many weddings where the food was terrible,the best was a Ukrainian wedding...Yum....

[shan]

You are so right Chico, I am trying not to get too wrapped up in the material part of it!! Its tough, I want it to be nice, but not extravagant!

[Catt31]

Where in Alberta are you Shan?? I too am planning a wedding for this April.....

[wAggie]

Another vote for FOOD!


Heck, I'd have the reception in my house, WITH the dogs.

[shan]

I am having the Wedding in Camrose (45 minutes south of Edmonton) where I grew up, but right now I live at Ponoka (Red Deer area). We have chosen a date August 6 2005, booked the great caterer (We are the last function he booked for that day! I am so glad I called early!!!!), were able to get the church I wanted, and rented the reception site. YAY!!! Now for the fun stuff!! Thanks guys for all the help!!! Muchly appreciated!!

[wAggie]

one day before my birthday, it's GOTTA be great

[glasslass]

Food, definitely food. When a place dictates what caterer you use, they have you over a barrel! That's why the quality of the food is less because you have no choice! Don't people have wedding cake for dessert anymore?

[shan]

I am not sure what you were meaning GlassLass, but I am for sure having cake at my wedding....Chocolate! As well, though, if I can afford it, this caterer has the BEST chocloate covered fruit, and Almond Roca. Its fabulous!!