As I said yesterday, I took the day off to meet my top two reception vendors and I was throughly pleased with both. They’re unique in their own way and there’s pros/cons for both.
Keep in mind that my theme will be black, white, and green.
Here’s the first option:
The Royal Alberta Museum.
This gorgeous government-owned facility is definately unique, grand, and neutral-toned. The ceremony would be held in a theatre downstairs, followed by a reception in the upper lobby. It requires outside catering and with that, comes many additional surcharges incurred by the museum. In terms of cost, the buffet is reasonable with a great selection. Also, I’m looking to get a night buffet as well!
Here’s a picture of the theatre where the ceremony will take place. I love the colors of the chairs!:
The front desk where my guestbook table, seating chart & gift table will be located. A security guard will be present during the night to ward off uninvited guests :P
This is the lobby where the reception will take place:
Floor to ceiling windows with a view of the Government House and outdoor scenery that is often used for brides on their wedding day.
A separate room will house the bar & buffet table. This allows for more room in the reception room and additional couch seating for guests to sit where they’d like some quiet time to chat. They’re having a “high heel shoe” exhibit right now, so the room will be empty and clean with trees & nice pictures.
Pros:
- allow me to pay a corkage fee so I can supply my own drinks
- decently priced menu with a wide selection & midnight buffet
- unique venue with ceremony & reception @ the same location
- will allow me to book ASAP
Cons:
- extra surcharges & cost for tasting/rehearsal rental
- needs chair covers (which is costly)
- doesn’t come with a honeymoon suite
- guests do not have a room rate, since there is no relationship with a hotel
- expensive rental costs
- costs for colored linens
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The second reception option is:
The MATRIX hotel
This is a newly renovated venue that is posh, sophisticated, modern, and sleek. I’m drawn to it because it fits our tastes best since we are modern minimalists @ heart! The location is fantastic..just off of the main street Jasper in downtown Edmonton and is literally 2 blocks from Jason’s condo.
The beautiful lobby:
Just outside the ballroom: where the receiving line will be
The Quartz Ballroom – keep in mind this is just one half. It will be double the size. I will leave the chairs as is, because I don’t have a problem with them and they match my color scheme. It looks empty now, but it will be full considering my extensive guest list!
Pros:
- Fits decore fits our taste best
- Provides a honeymoon suite
- Discounted room rate for guests with breakfast & wine/cheese ($10 off the reg room rate)
- Closer to downtown amenities
- Provides black and white optioned linens which is perfect for my theme
- Complimentary tasting
Cons:
- Will not book until March (meaning, I may loose my bid for my photographer of choice)
- More expensive in terms of food (but only by a bit) – though, it doesn’t come with a midnight buffet
- A small parking lot which would mean guests have to park on the street or in the lot across. But meters are free after 6 pm.
_ Need to find a ceremony location
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Can you see how I’m in a dilemma??? Let me know what you think!! I need all the help I can get.
Comments
Hi there! In my opinion, the hotel would be great especially because it provides a honeymoon suite and discounted rooms for guests which can be costly if you’ll go with the museum.. The hotel also looks modern and chic perfect for your wedding! =) but at the end of the day, it’s what you like that matters.. keep us posted! =)
tatiana on January 16, 2009Thanks tatiana! It’s great to hear what others think.
But I forgot to mention the discounted rate is 10 dollars off the rate at the time of booking, which I guess isn’t that great of an offer! :(
Agree it’s totally chic though. Will keep you guys updated :)
admin on January 16, 2009I agree with Tatiana.
The Matrix Hotel does seem a lot more contemporary and chic.
But it also seems a bit more cold in decor than the museum.
The colours of The Royal Alberta Museum doesn’t really fit to your choice of colours, but a big pro is the fact that they have a place for you to have the ceremony.
You probably should make an all-over budget on both venues, including what it will cost to book additional suite and rooms for guests in a nearby hotel, if you were to choose the museum.
Maybe the difference in price won’t be that big after all.
Best regards from Sophie from Copenhagen, who loves your blog!
Sophie on January 17, 2009Thanks for your advice Sophie in Copenhagen!
I did a budget breakdown and it looks like the hotel is about $1000 dollars more. I don’t think I’ll be paying for the hotel rooms of the guests but it would be nice for them to have access to a room in the same venue for transportation reasons.
I’ll keep you guys updated – gotta hear what the fiancé wants (but really, I decide :P)
admin on January 17, 2009Hi there, I hope you don’t mind my 2 cents! I attended a wedding at the Royal Alberta Museum in the summer a few years ago. The ceremony was outside in the gardens and then the reception was indoors.
Because the ceremony and reception were in the same place everyone loitered around while the bride and groom had their photos taken. We were under the impression that we could wander around the museum to “kill time” but everything was off-limits and we ended up sitting in the lobby for a few hours.
It sounds like they’ve changed the setup a bit because when we were there, the buffet was served out of the bug room! It was a little disturbing :)
All-in-all, I wasn’t blown away by the venue but I think the pictures of the Matrix look very nice!
Christine on January 19, 2009hey!
i really think that the hotel would be more confortable and it really goes with the colors you chose which, I may add, are wonderful! I also picked green and white :)
good luck!
gilkana on January 19, 2009Thanks Christine. Aside from the fact that I still haven’t heard from the coordinator at the Museum, you just made my decision that much easier.
On a side note, I may be booking with the Faculty Club at the University of Alberta which is a chalet-style venue over looking Edmonton’s river valley and has a city view!
admin on January 23, 2009Hi Melissa,
I came across your blog, and i’m adding it to my favourites! It’s a great resource. We’ve shot photos for weddings at both locations. The Matrix is by far my choice for aesthetics, our experience was that the food service was extremely slow there so that might be something to consider. Either one is a great choice though. I love the Matrix, that finally in Edmonton there is a really chic venue.
Thanks Haley. Actually, I saw your photos of the matrix wedding and they are very beautiful.
However, we’ve decided to go with the U of A Faculty Club. I’ve heard fantastic reviews about the food/service and the view at night is breathtaking.
Thanks for the compliments on the Matrix pictures. It was a great place to photograph and the couple (Rae-Anne and Yvan) are stunning.
The Faculty Club is wonderful for a wedding. I was lucky enough to shoot there once and you are right, the night view of downtown is spectacular. The food and service were good so I agree that you made a very good choice.
Congratulations on finding your venue!
Michael Shandro on January 28, 2009So funny! I just came across your blog by accident. I was trying to find the name of a location to recommend to my bride and saw your blog! Interesting to see wedding planning through the eyes of a bride :).
Faculty club has EXCELLENT food. The best was the desert. We eat a lot of wedding food, but this place stood out. We haven’t been there since 2008 (so please don’t take this as your only recommendation).
We love that the guests moved for the dance to the dance floor and lounge area. The U of A is a gorgeous place for photographs outside depending on your wedding date of course!
Susan Hydzik on January 05, 2010I just realize your wedding is probably over after reading your blog more. Let us know what you thought about your venue please!
Susan Hydzik on January 05, 2010I agree with Tatiana, a hotel can be a good wedding venue. Denver has many great venues fit for any occasion especially for a wedding reception (Denver).
Monica Bremer on August 02, 2010
