Return-Path: Received: from MORIARTY.THEORY.CS.CMU.EDU by K.GP.CS.CMU.EDU id aa01936; 21 Feb 94 12:51:23 EST Date: Mon, 21 Feb 94 12:50:26 EST From: Dennis.Grinberg@MORIARTY.THEORY.CS.CMU.EDU To: bovik@MORIARTY.THEORY.CS.CMU.EDU Subject: interesting wedding locations Original Post: ============= What interesting places are there to get married in around Pittsburgh? I know of Phipps (quite expensive) and the Carnegie (booked until about July of '95) but there must be a bunch of others. We need a place that accepts outside catering and isn't too expensive (that kills outdoors as tent rental isn't cheap). We are getting kind of desperate so please help us out... Replies will be forwarded to bovik, followup on discussion. Thanks, Dennis & Sharyn Our Summary and Comments ======================== - Hartwood acres You need a tent and tents are expensive. - Fire halls, Rotaries/Owls/etc Clubs, VFA's, Polish/Slav/Irish/etc Clubs, and so on. Some of these have lots of character! How about the Palisades in McKeesport? (We didn't try these.) - Top of the Triangle - Rent a tent at the war pavilion in Schenley? Tent rental is very expensive. - CFA We might have been able to get permission but it would have been very difficult to do logistically. - Birmingham Gallery Booked through November. - University Club: 621-1890 Expensive, has their own catering. $10 uncorking fee. - JCC - Pittsburgh Civic Garden Center: 441-4442 ask for Sam Mobly They can do weddings during the day, and it is outside catering. $800 includes a large room that can fit 150 people seated without dance room and kitchen, plus plain brown folding chairs (no tables). The price also includes a 22x40 ft uncovered patio. There is an additional room that seats 70 that is available for another $200. The rooms are sort of connected through a doorway. For an additional $380 they will rent you a canopy for the terrace. The park is *not* connected to them. It is basically up for grabs via the Department of Public Works. Call Betty Shavez there at xxx-xxxx in order to get a permit. He said that cheap folding white chairs run $1 each, nicer ones $2.50, and tables $8.50. - Edgewood Club 731-3443 During the summer you can't begin stuff until after 6pm. - PPG Wintergarden 434-3131 (ask for facilities management) They don't do weddings -- only used by non profit organizations. - Soldiers & Sailors 621-4253 2 places: Banquet hall can seat 500, auditorium 1500. $250 includes tables and chairs and the rest is up to you. Saturday and Sunday mornings are out because of Church services, but people can start setting up at 1 for a wedding at 2. The place is big, the room is nice but you can only use rectangular tables and there is army stuff everywhere. That makes it kind of yucko unless you are the military type. - Aviary: 323-7235, Matt Phillips $300 including tables and chairs. 200 people max but they have a tent in back that can be used for a little more. (It has a mulch floor though.) Can only do evening weddings (after 4:30). We've heard that it isn't a very nice place. - Pittsburgh Center for the Arts: 361-0873, ask for Dolly Can only do evening weddings. Cost is $2000-$3500 including tables for about 60 people. Has nice area for wedding, outside area for hor-dourves. Not great for a sit down as galleries are separated and people won't see each other. 150 people sitdown or about 200 standing. A really nice place. - McKeesport: Renzie Park, Main Pavilion city hall: 675-5040 "pretty big, lots of people use it for weddings, parties, etc" - Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, Fox Chapel 963-6100, Betsy Diller They no longer do weddings. - Frick Art Museum: 371-0600 They don't do weddings there. - Duquesne University Ball Room: Events 392-???? Must be am alumnus in order to rent the facilities. - Carnegie: 622-3360 Booked every Fri, Sat, Sun until '95. I also asked about using the Art Museum lobby and they said it could only hold about 100 people. - Phipps: Very expensive, tent rental. - Three Rivers Rowing Association they have a boathouse down on Herr's Island, a.k.a Washington's Landing 231-8772 large 50x35 ft, high ceiling,windows onto back channel,spaciousness 100 folding chairs, 125 people max. nonmember $4 per person + $10 an hour. Outside caterers allowed. - Chattam: 365-1100, ask for Community Programs and then Amy Only their own caterer (Ara Food Service). - South Park Lodge: 835-5710 administrative office Buffalo Inn: seats 200, nice, wood panelled. Home Economic Building: seats 250, not as nice. Both cost $275 and include (long) tables and chairs. They are open 8:30-4 and we should stop by very soon. We have the place from 9 am until 12 midnight. Responses ========= To: Dennis Grinberg Subject: Re: Interesting locations for wedding Date: Mon, 31 Jan 94 17:17:44 EST From: gap@TRICERATOPS.SOAR.CS.CMU.EDU Sender: gap@TRICERATOPS.SOAR.CS.CMU.EDU In article you write: |> What interesting places are there to get married in around Pittsburgh? I |> know of Phipps (quite expensive) and the Carnegie (booked until about |> July of '95) but there must be a bunch of others. We need a place |> that accepts outside catering and isn't too expensive (that kills |> outdoors as tent rental isn't cheap). We are getting kind of |> desperate so please help us out... |> |> Replies will be forwarded to bovik, followup on discussion. |> |> Thanks, |> |> Dennis & Sharyn We had ours outdoors, but were able to split the cost of a tent with the wedding that occured the next day. Just a thought. Looking up parks in the phone book, Hartwood acres might be nice it is a bird sanctuary, might have an indoor area or a canopied area. Gary ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 31 Jan 1994 18:01:53 -0500 (EST) From: Mike_Kazar@transarc.com To: Dennis.Grinberg@cs.cmu.edu Subject: Re: Interesting locations for wedding The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts is about $2000 for the space, although they throw in some free table and chair rentals. It isn't really cheap, though. I think that they have packages for smaller weddings (under 150 people) that are around the $1000 to $1500 range. None of these sound all that cheap, but weddings are so expensive that it is hard to know.... Mike ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To: dennis+@cs.cmu.edu Subject: Re: Interesting locations for wedding Date: Mon, 31 Jan 94 20:38:45 EST From: mkant@GLINDA.OZ.CS.CMU.EDU Sender: mkant@GLINDA.OZ.CS.CMU.EDU JCC. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 31 Jan 94 22:10:52 EST From: David.Kosbie@KOZ.GARNET.CS.CMU.EDU To: dennis@cs.cmu.edu Subject: Wedding stuff Sender: koz@KOZ.GARNET.CS.CMU.EDU Howdy. My wife and I were married in Pgh a year and a half ago, and I have a few notes I forwarded to others who have recently betrothed. I'll append them to this note. As for location, we did have our wedding at Phipps, but we made it affordable by only having the *ceremony* there, and having the *reception* elsewhere. This worked out perfectly for us. As to other places, Hartwood Acres rents the area around the mansion, but (a) you'll need a tent (pricey); (b) it's a ways to drive; and (c) the bathroom facilities are very primitive. That said, it's a very pretty setting. There are lots of fire halls, Rotaries/Owls/etc Clubs, VFA's, Polish/Slav/Irish/etc Clubs, and so on. Some of these have lots of character! How about the Palisades in McKeesport? Almost every hotel has a few rooms for weddings (but these might be "boxy", and might also be very pricey, especially considering what you get -- but you could find a nice one). You might get a few ideas by calling the Pgh Chamber of Commerce. Finally, there may be a book or two about weddings or similar events in Pgh (try calling Borders). Good luck!!!!! --dave ------------------ So you are getting married?!? Congratulations! It can be one of the happiest times of your life. But it can also be quite harrowing. To figure out how many person-hours of planning time it takes for a wedding, use the following simple formula: take the expected number of guests, square it, then multiply by the sum of your age and your fiancee's age (in minutes, that is). And for a rough idea of how much it can cost, a good working number is the gross national product. And for the tension it can create, recall that with the exception of the Boer War, every major war has been started by someone planning a wedding somewhere. But it doesn't have to be that way. Call us strange, but we actually had *fun* planning our wedding. Sure, we also spent various stretches not talking to our families, but many might consider that a bonus. Just remember two important things: this is YOUR wedding, and it will only be fun if YOU make it fun. Otherwise, it will be hell. Let that drive every decision. It's not worth World War Three to get just the right color in the flowers when your mother is crying that her WHOLE LIFE would be RUINED if you went with that color. It wouldn't be, but don't prove it to her. The best solution for family, by the way, is to keep them comfortably uninformed. Then, when they simply *must* be involved, be sure to neatly package decisions for them. Instead of "what color should the flowers be?", ask them "should they be THIS color or THIS color?" They still are involved in the decision process, but they can only pick from things you like. Everyone is happy. Also, it is true that wedding planning will consume any resources. There is no limit to how much time and money can be lost in this black hole. So don't get too crazy (unless you're having fun). And have fun: after all, you are spending lots of money to throw the biggest party you have ever thrown, and everyone who matters to you will be there. What could possibly be more fun?!?!? What follows are a few decisions we made along the way. These were made after a research effort that the Smithsonian would be proud of. Of course, tastes vary. You may not want an outdoor wedding (in fact, I disadvise this in general for winter weddings). And budgets vary. And information ages. But on an average budget for an outdoor wedding in August of 1992, here is the best that we could do. Good luck, and ENJOY!!!!!!!! location Phipps Conservatory- Mary Lucas, Friends of Phipps - 766-4909 The outdoor garden at Phipps is absolutely beautiful for a summer wedding. And Mary Lucas is extremely knowledgeable, professional, and helpful (and nice, too!). Hint: if you go this route, the morning worked out great -- it was still cool out, even on a hot August day. The Grand Concourse, 261-1717, Stephanie This is only available Saturday afternoons (so it's perfect for following up a morning ceremony at Phipps or a local church/temple). You get the entire main dining room, and with the huge marble pillars, the gorgeous stained glass ceiling, and the beautiful entrance, it is quite befitting a wedding! If you have around 100 people in your party, this is the right size room. The Boilermaker 5 had no trouble fitting into an area up near the front, and though there is not much floor to work with, this didn't slow the dancing down a bit!!! Stephanie is very nice, responsive, and responsible. flowers The Botanical Emporium, Elizabeth, 563-7008 Everyone raved about the flowers at our wedding. Elizabeth has a very intensive, very personal approach. And she's excellent, and offers many flowers other florists don't, and has a great eye for how to mix and blend them, and offers this at a great price. She also sent out 2 people to help put the flowers, boutonaires (sp?), etc., in place on the wedding day. music First, Call the Pittsburgh Musical Society, 281-1822 Then go to their office, 709 Forbes Ave, and pick up list of musicians (sorted by type - jazz, strings, brass, steel, etc). Then call the ones you may be interested in. Ask for prices (be very specific: how many musicians, how much time they will be there, how much of that time they will play, etc...) Ask for demo tapes. And ask everyone you know for specific recommendations. We had a string quartet (Frank Ferguson) for the ceremony, a jazz pianist (Bennie Dervin) before and during lunch, and a Dixieland Band (Boilermaker 5, David Collier) after lunch. The jazz pianist was ok, the quartet was poor, and the dixie band was AWESOME!!! Everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, absolutely delighted in the Dixie music -- it couldn't possibly have been better. (Contact David Collier -- he's listed in the Squirrel Hill area -- or just go see the Boilermaker 5, as they often play around town.) Others: Polka Band (?!?), 5-piece, play at the Saigon, 2 hours: $350-450 Karl Lukitsch, 243-6500 (wk), 325-1921 (hm) Frank Palombi,429-0390(less expensive),referred by Karl Lukitsch Do not use: Frank Ferguson, 372-4738, string quartet They were mediocre at best. They missed all their cues (we walked down the aisle mainly to silence!). They made mistakes. And they were a severe headache to deal with (major prima donnas). They were the only glitch in the whole day. photography John Kitchen, Irvin Simon Photographer, 421-3553 John is a very likeable and skilled photographer, but what most distinguishes him is his reasonable prices: he charged less than HALF of what the studios charged for equivalent work, and he definitely does studio-quality work. He was very professional. Never did anything rude or even intrusive (unlike MOST wedding photographers). He was also very efficient -- the formals took maybe 15 minutes (and turned out great)! He also got great shots of every memorable moment throughout the day. From our pre-wedding research, we found alot of sheisters and shoddy photographers out there -- you won't have to worry about this from John. catering Gary Terner, 421-1900 He is not the cheapest. But he is the best. Period. Give him a call, pay him a visit, let your tastebuds decide. (Of course, if you use the Grand Concourse, you will use their catering, but then Gary can do the wedding cake -- his are amazing! And if you do go the private catering route, perhaps for the party for the wedding party, this is the place to go.) wedding gown Linton's (on Forbes in Sq. Hill) Every bride who gets near this place buys her dress there! We must have visited every wedding gown store in the Western Hemisphere, and this was plainly the best. bridesmaids' dresses Sorry, but bad news: every last store that sells "bridesmaids' dresses" really only sells "ridiculous costumes that cost a fortune". It is mind-boggling how absurd some of these dresses look (and cost!). So we gave up, and instead shopped at "real" stores. There, we had much success. We found dresses we liked at Kaufmann's, Horne's, and (hard to believe, but true) JC Penney's. We finally went with a very nice dress from Robinson's (in San Diego, sorry...). Everyone loved the dresses, and (get this!) the bridesmaids can even wear them again at some other occasion. tuxedos Basically, every rental place has the same tuxes at the same rates. They all give the groom a free tux (if you rent at least some number for your ushers). The ones that advertise lower prices usually charge extra for stuff like the shoes, so it all equals out in the end. So we just went with the tuxedo place on Forward by the theater -- it was close, and it was open on Saturday morning (just in case...). We had no problems with the tuxes. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 31 Jan 1994 22:53-EST From: Thomas.Gross@N3.SP.CS.CMU.EDU To: Dennis Grinberg Subject: Re: Interesting locations for wedding I know several people who got married at the Pgh Center for the Arts. Don't know the details. There is alos Frick's mansion. SCS rented space for receptions over time at the JCC, the Top of the Triangle, and Skibo. I figure if they have space to hold SCS/CSD, they might have space for you. tg ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To: Dennis Grinberg Subject: Re: Interesting locations for wedding Date: Tue, 1 Feb 94 8:21:57 EST From: smith@LUNCH.TRUST.CS.CMU.EDU We had ours at the Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, out on Dorseyville Road. Much, much cheaper than other outdoor options, wonderful scenary, no tent necessary... --S ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 1 Feb 94 08:19:15 EST From: Randy.Casciola@IUS4.IUS.CS.CMU.EDU To: dennis@IUS4.IUS.CS.CMU.EDU Subject: Re: Interesting locations for wedding Last September at the Mexican War Street House Tour volunteer party held at the Aviary on the North Side, I was talking to the director and found out that you can rent the Aviary (the whole thing) for some ridiculously low amount. Something like $300. That allows you to use the big tent in the courtyard in West Park that is surrounded by a brick wall and shaded by lots of trees. Guests also have access to the aviary to see all the birds. Randy ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 09:23:38 -0500 From: Herman Schmit To: dennis+@cs.cmu.edu (Dennis Grinberg) Subject: Re: Interesting locations for wedding My wife and I got married at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts on 5th and Shady. First the problems: 1. It wasn't cheap, but I seem to remember that it was cheaper than Phipps. 2. There is a lot of turnover in a place like the Arts Center. The facilities/events director changed three times in the nine months we were planning this. Its annoying. 3. You have to be prepared for the unexpected. For example, the week before the wedding the director calls to tell us that she didn't think we could use one of the rooms that we had planned on (we did anyway). But it was a great place to have a wedding. We had a fantastic time, and our relatives still talk about it. Check it out if you're a little adventurous, and don't hesitate to ask me about how we pulled it off. Congratulations and good luck, Herman ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 1 Feb 94 10:11:00 EST From: Sanjiv.Singh@H.GP.CS.CMU.EDU To: dennis+@cs.cmu.edu Subject: locations for weddings Dennis, Sonia and I had our wedding reception at Chatham college. It is very affordable and you shouldn't have much trouble in terms of scheduling if you are thinking about the summer. The only problem with the place is that they insist on catering it themselves with one exception- if you can persuade them that you are making the food yourself rather than getting another caterer, they will recant. This is rather nice, because you can get them to provide other things like chairs, tables, glasses, drinks, etc. We had our reception in a hall that is used for music recitals. It is gorgeous. I think they charged us something like $200. Another place you can look at is Hartwood Acres. I forgot what you said about tents, but if you want to have it outside then, this is a perfect place. They are also quite inexpensive but will probably be booked quite a bit. Please send this info to Bovik. -Sanjiv ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To: dennis+@cs.cmu.edu From: jcj@cs.cmu.edu Subject: Interesting place for wedding Date: Tue, 01 Feb 94 11:37:03 EST Sender: Jeffrey_Jackson@FURST4.THEORY.CS.CMU.EDU Hi Dennis, Somehow, in attempting to reply to your post to general I ended up with a post to discussion... it's cancelled now. Anyway, here's what I was going to say: This is just a wild idea, but... have you asked the Gateway Clipper Fleet about the possiblity of a wedding on one of their boats? BTW, I've been meaning for some time to thank you for the invite to your engagement party. Sorry we didn't make it, but you have our sincere best wishes. Congrats! Jeff ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To: Dennis Grinberg Subject: Re: Interesting locations for wedding Date: Tue, 1 Feb 94 11:57:31 EST From: zumel@TRURL.TASKS.CS.CMU.EDU Sender: zumel@TRURL.TASKS.CS.CMU.EDU Dennis, I don't know about actually having the ceremony there, but the Campus Club (I think that's what it's called) on Craig (sort of across from Oakland Catholic High) is apparently availiable to members of the CMU community, and I believe Randy Brost, when he was here, had his wedding reception there. Sorry, I don't know any details, as to cost or catering policy. nina ----------------------------------------------------------------------- From: R_Hugo_Patterson@cs.cmu.edu To: Dennis Grinberg Subject: Re: Interesting locations for wedding Date: Tue, 01 Feb 94 13:10:36 EST Sender: R_Hugo_Patterson@TIPS1.DSSC.CS.CMU.EDU The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts on 5th at Shady does weddings. I have no idea what it costs. Good Luck! -- Hugo ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To: dennis+@cs.cmu.edu Subject: Re: Interesting locations for wedding Date: Tue, 1 Feb 94 13:37:42 EST From: tammy@GS91.SP.CS.CMU.EDU Hi! If you want to have your wedding in a church setting, there is Hienz Chapel, beside the Cathedral of Learning. It is an inter- denominational chapel, but I don't know the criteria for getting married there. It is pretty, though. Tammy ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 13:59:04 -0500 (EST) From: "Mitzi E. Morris" To: Dennis Grinberg Subject: Re: Interesting locations for wedding contact the Three Rivers Rowing Association they have a boathouse down on Herr's Island, a.k.a Washington's Landing. (from the Strip, go over the 31st bridge, at the first light, make a left, another left over the 30th street bridge, and you're on the island.) good luck, Mitzi ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To: Dennis Grinberg Subject: Re: Interesting locations for wedding Date: Tue, 1 Feb 94 17:33:16 EST From: dnj@BEMBO.SP.CS.CMU.EDU Dennis, A friend of mine got married in the park near the intersection of 5th and Shady. It's just gone out of my mind what it's called, but I think it's the Pittsburgh Arts Center, or something like that. I'll ask Claudia. I do know that they have a room inside that's often used for weddings which has a nice open area adjoining it, and that there's a garden in the middle of the park that's available too. --Daniel ----------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Robert Frederking Date: Wed, 2 Feb 94 17:45:02 EST To: Dennis Grinberg Subject: Interesting locations for wedding I don't suppose a church is a possibility. You could talk to the Unitarians; they believe in at most one god (i.e., would not be dogmatic). Actually, a friend was married by a Unitarian outdoors, without a tent, at Beechwood Farms (a nature preserve about 30 minutes north of here). The reception was in their "barn" (nicer than it sounds). Bob ----------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Daniel Sleator Date: Wed, 9 Feb 94 10:43:52 EST To: Dennis Grinberg Subject: hi Possible wedding place: 7 oaks country club, in Beaver. 495-3300 I think it's about an hour drive from here. Danny