Category: Wedding Venue

Plated versus Buffet: What type of menu is right for you?

Posted on by Glendalough Manor

Choosing your menu is one of the most important decisions you will make for your wedding.  One of the first decisions you will need to make is whether to serve a buffet or a plated meal.   I would first consider the type of wedding you are having.  Do you want a very formal wedding or a more relaxed atmosphere?  These answers will determine which type of menu will be best for you and your guests.

Jena Marullo, Owner/Food and Beverage Director for Glendalough Manor, says “If you choose a plated meal expect a very formal dinner service. This dinner service is at least three courses with your first course typically being a soup or salad, the second course is the main entree and the third course is dessert (wedding cake).”   Keep in mind that with a plated meal your guests will be seated for over an hour being served their meal and dinner will last longer with a plated meal versus a buffet. 

 Plated meals do make your guests feel catered to and with some extra touches “your guests will not have to get up for anything; which is the intention for a plated or seated meal”.   Jena suggests offering a wine service during the entree course consisting of one red and one white wine selection as well as offering a cocktail service in between the salad and entree course and coffee service during dessert to enhance their dining experience.   If you decide to choose a plated meal, make sure to include your selections on your response card.  This way, you can be prepared to let the caterer know how many of each entrée will be served.

Some of the biggest advantages to serving a buffet dinner rather than a plated meal are not only the amount of food but also the variety of food offered to your guests. With a plated meal your guests are limited to what the bride and groom have chosen and they must decide weeks in advance what they want to eat on your wedding day.  A buffet menu allows guests to serve multiple entrees, sides and appetizers so they can pick and choose what they would like to eat.   Jena Marullo suggests that “if you decide on a buffet style meal I would recommend choosing a facility that is familiar in properly executing a buffet service. Glendalough Manor does this by releasing tables one by one to eliminate a line forming and also having wait staff serve the main courses to avoid running out of food.

Whether you decide to do buffet and plated make sure to base your decision on what you want the overall feeling to be during your wedding.  Make sure to talk with your caterer or facility director if you are still undecided.  They can help determine what choice is right for you and what your options are.  Many facilities and caterers are now offering a heavy hors d’ oeuvres menu with chef attended stations, plated salads, passed hot and cold hors d’ oeuvres that might be the right mix for you.  Jena has completed over 400 weddings and says she “still prefers a buffet style meal over plated but this is a personal decision that needs to go with the personality of the bride, groom and their families.”

Tell us your thoughts on a buffet versus a plated meal!

Sources: www.glendaloughmanor.com  

 

I Am Not the Only Bride at My Venue?

Posted on by Glendalough Manor

Are you upset there may be another event on your wedding day?

If you answered yes, you must first consider the type of venue you are wanting to have your ceremony/reception at.  Are you visiting a private facility, a golf club, museum or botanical garden?  This may mean asking a few more questions than what is listed above to understand what other things may be going on during your ceremony/reception.  For many venues having your wedding as the only event that day is not a possibility.

For example, if it is a space open to the public like a museum or botanical garden make sure to ask about their hours and how your event will be affected.   If you are getting married on a Saturday in the middle of the day you will typically have customers walking around during your ceremony.  Ask yourself if that would bother you?  If you are looking at a golf club venue then you should expect to see golfers around while your ceremony is in progress. Keep in mind that many golf courses do not close until it is dark outside.

Make sure to ask how the process works when having more than one event.   If you are a bride that wants to make sure there is no other bride or event on your wedding day then make that known to the venue you are going to see.  Sometimes to ensure you are the only event you must rent the entire facility.  Some venues have more than one event but have a very good process of making sure that each event is not affected by the other.   At Glendalough Manor, they accomplish this by having a facility coordinator there who does their best to ensure that each event is not affected by the other except for shared spaces like the bathrooms and the bar.

 

Most facilities can walk you through the timeline of events and discuss any concerns you may have.   Decide if this is important to you and in the end if you are totally against another event being there or if seeing another bride will ruin your wedding day then I would keep looking until you are comfortable!

 Sources: www.gatorbride.com, www.ladivacucina.blogspot.com, www.telegraph.co.uk

Questions to Ask Possible Wedding Venues

Posted on by Glendalough Manor

Before you go to any venue it is best to be prepared with a list of questions.  I hope to give you a detailed list of questions to ask to help in your venue search.  Asking the right questions before you decide on a particular venue can prevent any surprise costs during the planning process!

1.       How much is the facility rental fee? Is there a food and beverage minimum or guest minimum I must have for certain days/times?

2.       What if anything is included in the facility rental fee?  If the venue provides tables and chairs make sure to ask how many of each and the sizes of the tables.  If you may use more than the allotted number of tables and chairs make sure to ask if there would there be additional costs of renting chairs and/or tables. (As a side note 60” round tables will seat 10 people and 72” rounds will seat 12 people).

3.       Is there a separate ceremony fee?  What is included? (Chairs, audio visual?)  Is there a back-up plan for the ceremony?  If there is make sure you will not be too disappointed if you have to use it!

4.       How many people can you fit comfortably for seated dinner? What is your maximum capacity without chairs?   Make sure to use the word “comfortably”.  Many venues can fit more people in the reception room than would be comfortable for your guests.

5.       How many hours are included in the room fee?  Does that include setup and breakdown? Who handles the setup and breakdown?  Try to look for a venue that handles all setup and breakdown of the tables and chairs.

6.       Will there be a facility coordinator?  Will someone be there to coordinate vendors and ceremony on the day of and coordinate the rehearsal the day before?  If the venue does not provide one you may want to look at hiring a wedding coordinator to at least run the day of.  This helps lessen the stress on you and your family on the wedding day. (I will have another blog on wedding planners later!)

7.       Do they have a preferred vendors list?  If you use those vendors do you receive any perks for using their preferred vendor?  Are you allowed to bring in outside vendors?

8.       Can you bring in an outside caterer?  If not, will there be a menu tasting?  If the facility has an on-site chef make sure they provide the dinnerware, flatware and all serving utensils.

9.       What type of bars do you offer?  Many times you are not allowed to bring in outside alcohol.  If a venue provides the alcohol they will handle all of the permits and liability.  Make sure they provide the bartenders and ask if there are additional charges for the number of bartenders.  Also make sure there are no hidden fees such as wine corking as well as whether they provide a sparkling cider or champagne toast included in the fees.

10.   Do they have adequate parking?  This can be a very expensive detail that many brides overlook. Make sure to ask this question!  Some venues partner with local hotels so make sure to ask if they provide free shuttles or any discounts.

11.   How many weddings can you have on one day?

12.   Are there any additional fees?  Gratuities, tips, etc I should be aware of?

Lastly make sure to ask each potential venue for a sample contract before leaving.  That way you can review the contract and ask any follow up questions if needed.

I hope this helps in your venue search. Make sure to check out www.glendaloughmanor.com if you are still on the search for a venue.  It is an all-inclusive facility that would be happy to schedule a tour and answer all of these questions for you!  You can click on the pricing tab or the cost calculator to get more detailed information about this beautiful garden venue.

If you know of any questions that helped you in your search please comment and let us know.

Happy Planning!