Return-Path: Received: from KOZ.GARNET.CS.CMU.EDU by K.GP.CS.CMU.EDU id aa14687; 29 Jul 94 11:24:17 EDT Date: Fri, 29 Jul 94 11:23:49 EDT From: David.Kosbie@KOZ.GARNET.CS.CMU.EDU To: bovik@K.GP.CS.CMU.EDU Subject: Wedding Info Dear Dr. Bovik, Here are some suggestions on WHERE TO HAVE A WEDDING. The list is collated from several sources, mainly myself, Dennis Grinberg, and Heather Uljon. At the end are some OTHER NOTES about bands, flowers, tuxes, etc. Good luck! --dave -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Victoria Hall (formerly the Urseline Center): We LOVE IT!!! It is a girl's convent school that was turned (very recently, still renovating) into a reception area, charity offices (upstairs) and a day-care type school (downstairs) everything of which is closed on weekends except the reception floor. It has all these rooms which are BEAUTIFUL and a large (125 or so) dining room (round tables and NICE chairs) and a seperate other large room which can be used for the dancing. It also has a chapel (seats 125) BUT you have to get special dispensation from the bishop if you are both Catholic and aren't marrying in a concecrated church... The Priory: This place is a monastary converted into a hotel. There is a church beside it which they bought and are making plans to renovate also. It is GORGEOUS. Weekend rooms are approx $80-90 but they are NICE (wedding guests DO NOT get a discount). They charge $700 for rental and then you can use any caterer (but not really -- they have a list they "recommend" and the caterer I wanted, the Fluted Mushroom, was not on that list becuase they "no longer cater here for professional reasons" so basically the choices are limited -- something I hated). They do the alcohol (at typical prices -- $15/person open bar). The other drawbacks are that: they only seat 100 people and if you are having more than 50 or so you have to rent tents and chairs (they seat people in this gorgeous courtyard -- really the biggest selling point) because if it rains there is no other space. There are a lot of extra fees -- bartenders are "required" at 1/50 people and they are approx. $250 per bartender, etc. Be careful of the cost here. And the guy would not come down. But it is REALLY beautiful! The River Watch: Also beautiful in a different way. They are one of the set-menu places ($40 - $50 /person, inc. open bar) and they don't deviate much from that. But they have a really nice room with an outside provate deck and glass walls with a view of the river (think Crusiers). The woman was pretty unwilling to negotiate a different menu and drinks policy (I wasn't sure I wanted open bar and she wasn't all that interested in lowering her price). The place is carpeted and there is an area (small -- not OK for a polka band) for dancing. A nice place if what you want fits with what they are offering, but little room for negotiation. I liked the room and the deck and the view. Oh, and they do receptions at two set times -- the noon to 4:30 and the 5:30 or so on. If you want to get married at noon, you can forget this place. - 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.) [not as cheap as you may think. many have caterers you MUST use for $20 per plate or so] - Birmingham Gallery Booked through November [this was our second choice. bring your own alcohol, which is cheap. flexible menu. nice woman. we could get the date, but it is only one room and if you want to leave (smoke? or just leave) you are out practically onto Carson St. beautiful place though.] - University Club: 621-1890 Expensive, has their own catering. $10 uncorking fee. [I go there for events connected with work. not that great of service and I think they are too small (60 people or so, I THINK).] - 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. [We went there for a Christmas party. beautiful.] - 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. [also expensive] - 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. [My fiance is a member but he said it wasn't nice enough. too many weights and rowing machines all over. I liked it though.] - Chattam: 365-1100, ask for Community Programs and then Amy Only their own caterer (Ara Food Service). [must be before sept.] - 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. [booked for the labor day weekend -- rib cookoff. careful, though -- picnic style wedding close to all the park stuff. you have to sleep out the night before the day you want it 1 year ahead -- as in we would have had to sleep out this Sept 1-2 -- to reserve it or you might not get it] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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.