Timelapse is always fun to watch, especially a transformation. Here’s a Behind the Scenes video for a Sweet 16, winter wonderland room transformation. It’s truly magical!
5 Tips For Booking Your Brooklyn Wedding Venues
So you’re getting married and looking at Brooklyn wedding venues. Congratulations! Nice choice! Brooklyn is a fabulous place for a wedding celebration! And, there are so many reasons why Brooklyn wedding venues are becoming more and more popular. The charming neighborhoods, unique warehouse venues, the quiet of traffic and noise from the city, and, still the best foods and services you could want to create unforgettable memories. While you’re considering so many things, here are 5 tips to consider when looking at Brooklyn wedding venues.
1. Cocktail Hour
More than 50% of people polled said “cocktail hour” is their favorite part of the wedding celebration. Who could disagree? It usually has great food and drinks and you’re visiting with so many of your friends and family you may not have seen for many years. It’s the beginning of the celebration. Friends and family want to sit to visit and catch up while they drink and dine. It’s important all your guests can sit and that means having enough seats for ALL your guests.
While everything may look great on paper when booking your venue, some Brooklyn wedding venues, or banquet halls, will tell you they can seat all your guest while cutting corners. What does that mean for you? They give you less seats with anticipation and hopes that a percentage of your guests will be standing during cocktail hour. Your 200 guests may be placed in a cramped space with seating for half as many people. This makes an embarrassing situation for you, your family and guests as they play musical chairs to find a seat.
Before you book your wedding venue, ask to see the space you’ll be having your cocktail hour. Inquire if every guest will have their own seat. Remember, if the food is great, which it should be, people will be sitting and eating the entire time.
2. Bar Service
Most wedding celebrations plan for an open bar with premium liquor. Great food and drink go hand in hand! Experience shows that as the evening progresses it’s natural for the guests to gravitate toward the open bar. If the bar is outside your room, you’ll find more and more guests disappearing throughout the evening and congregating near the premium beverages. This is a definite party stealer and not what you want. Drinks are a part of your celebration and not the celebration.
As you’re considering various venues keep this in mind. Ask the hard questions. Is the bar inside or outside your event space or ballroom? If it’s outside, beware! This could turn into a real problem!
3. Room Layout
Any wedding reception is filled with a host of activities scheduled thru out the celebration. Your guests, family and friends want to feel included. And, you want them to feel included. This is your special moment! Room layout is really important to helping those celebrating your special day connected on so many levels. Why? Here’s a few things to consider.
While seemingly unimportant, consider what kind of tables you’re seating your guests at for the evening. Are they oval or round? Yes, oval tables do seat more people in a smaller space but interestingly they detract from promoting the closeness and socialization you want. Round tables, conversely, promote the best socialization amongst your guests. It allows them to see and converse with each other much easier and see more people.
Where will your dias and band/entertainment be positioned in the room? Spatial constraints cause many catering halls, or wedding venues, to arrange the band/entertainment and you, the reason for the celebration, on very opposite sides of the room. As the night progresses guests will gravitate toward the entertainment leaving their backs to face the dias where you are seated.
It’s important to remember to find a Brooklyn wedding venue where the dias and entertainment are in the same area. This allows for a more intimate setting, your guests to feel more connected to you, all while enjoying the entertainment.
4. Facility Layout
Most Brooklyn wedding venues make money by hosting multiple events at the same time. It’s a wise use of their space. Some will host events on a second floor and adjoining rooms. If the wedding venue is not built correctly, noise and vibration from the other events can be disruptive to your family, guests, and most important your celebration. Yet, you’re booking a wedding venue to have an exclusive experience.
As you’re looking at various wedding banquet halls take a moment to consider how the facility is laid out. Is there a maximum capacity limit? Are other events removed far enough from your celebration not to disturb you and your guests?
5. On Premises Parking
Your guests will be traveling from a distance to celebrate with you. Yes, you may have a bus for some, but many will arrive in their own car. As a part of your celebration it’s important to consider this detail. Parking your guests takes time. Returning cars to your guests when they leave is just as important and time consuming.
Most wedding venues promote valet or on premise parking services. And, if you didn’t know, there is a big difference between the two. On premise parking, of course, means your car is parked on the event premises. Valet parking can mean a whole lot of things. It could include parking your guests’ cars close or blocks away. And, proper guest parking is critical to the timing of your event. Inefficient parking services can create lag time between your guest arrival and start time making for anxious and frustrated guests, not to mention how you’ll feel with the disruption. When reviewing Brooklyn wedding venues or catering halls inquire about their parking services, parking location and their plans to ensure your guests are taken care of and your celebration begins on time.
There are so many things to consider with wedding reception venues. You’ve waited a long time for this moment and you certainly want to get it right. Using these 5 tips when looking at Brooklyn wedding reception venues will save you anxiety, frustration and help ensure the flawless and exciting celebration you deserve.
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Author: El Caribe Caterers
“Creating Unforgettable Memories For Over 35 Years
www.elcaribecaterers.com
For generations, families, organizations and community groups have come to the El Caribe to celebrate life’s most important moments. With more than 35 years of experience in catering elegant banquets and three generations of family ownership, our team at the El Caribe continues to subscribe to the old-fashioned values that built our company from humble beginnings to our current success as industry leaders.
From an intimate gathering to a lavish gala of more than 1,000, the El Caribe will provide you and your guests a memorable experience. If you are considering a venue to host your once-in-a-lifetime event, we cordially invite you to our table, to eat, drink and enjoy all the comforts of being part of our family for the next 35 years.
Irish Weddings
We’re sharing a little about Irish weddings this month as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in March. This lovely couple enjoyed creating an Irish themed wedding at the El Caribe that was truly magical. From bagpipers to some fun Irish dance steps for their first dance, this couple created some unforgettable memories. See what the El Caribe can do for your wedding. Take a moment to learn more about weddings at the El Caribe now.
4 Wedding Planning Tips For Those Who Just Said Yes
The cork has been popped after replying “yes” to the big question. There are many things to consider as you plan your big day. With more than 35 years experience, and three generations of family operations creating unforgettable memories at the El Caribe, we’d like to share four wedding planning tips, for event planning as well, to help you along.
- Define Your Guest List. You probably have a lot of people who have been a special part of your life. You’ll want to invite them to celebrate this milestone. Take time to sit with your fiancé and put a guest list from your family and friends before you consider your budget and location for the event.
- Consider Your Budget. There are a lot things to consider with your budget. How big a celebration do you want to? Is it simple and intimate, big and extravagant or a destination wedding? Do you have money in investments or savings you’ve set aside and/or do you have time to save for the wedding?
- Quality vs Size. Many hope to only marry once. Since there is a lot of time, effort and stress involved in this celebration, consider choosing higher quality over the size of your event. You have options in choosing to have a small number of guests and spending more on higher quality venue, menu, decor, and celebration than the opposite – mediocre venue, menus, décor, etc. The tradeoff can be huge in quality and creating that special experience for you and your guests with the cost being very similar.
- Vendor Packages. Your wedding is a memory of a lifetime. Many of those memories you’ll keep in photographs or experience with a DJ on the dance floor. As you look at different vendors consider quality vs quantity. While one photographer will give you all day coverage remember it doesn’t mean it’s quality photos. For instance, you can hire a wedding photographer who’s mediocre work will get you pictures all day long or you can hire a top notch photographer to get the highlights of your wedding day. In the end won’t it be the highlights and important moments you’ll frame? Take this into to consider with all your vendor choices, do you want smaller amounts of the highest quality or lots of mediocre.
Take the time to consider these four wedding planning tips, and most importantly, try to enjoy the journey to your big wedding day. Using these four tips will help you eliminate unneeded stress and give you the wedding you’ve dreamed of.
Marriage Advise from America’s Longest Married Couple
Photo courtesy of Betar Family
While the average length of a marriage today is 8 years, there are just some couples who have great longevity. Many ask how they did it? Since engagement season is upon us, we thought we’d share some secrets of love and long-lasting marriage from a couple with a lot experience.
Introducing John and Ann Betar, named America’s longest-married couple. It all began in Bridgeport, Connecticut. “We were friends. He’d drive me to school,” Ann said. John’s story, “She’s the girl I had loved. Always. And I had wanted to marry her.”
Married in 1932, 21 year old John and his 17 year old bride eloped after her father wanted her to marry an older man. Fast forward 83 years of marriage later, both John and Ann have lived to be past 100, are great-grandparents and all these years later still hold hands.
John and Ann shared their thoughts to long-lasting marriage this past year. When asked what the secret was this is what they said. “It’s a lifelong thing. How do you define love? Through actions, understanding, little things…,” said Ann. “I wish I knew! It’s natural. An understanding,” said John.
They were asked, what are some things you do to keep things fresh, new, and entertaining?” Ann emphasized the importance of touch. “We hang onto one another! Just a few little hugs and we’re fine.”
Probably the biggest question anyone would ask marriage veterans would be, what do you do after you have an argument? Do you make up on the same day? Their reply is quite humorous and endearing. Ann said, “I say, ‘Oh go do what you want.’ Nine out of ten times he doesn’t!” John responded, “We never hold grudges. Most arguments are about food.” Ann added, “Yeah, like ‘You bought the wrong kind of cucumber!'”
In the end, their secret to a long-lasting union is simple. “We struggled in the beginning, but, luckily, we were content with what we had. It’s just important to be content with what you have,” John said.
Dunavin, Davis (2016) WSHU
Yagana Shah, (2016) “America’s ‘Longest-Married Couple’ Wants To Give You Love Advice”, Huffington Post
Seven Best Event Planning Tips
Whether you’re planning a wedding, sweet sixteen, communion, corporate event or a myriad of other events, there are some important things to know. These are the kind of tips you think, “I’m sure glad someone told me that!” While you may have planned events before, here are seven best event planning tips you may have missed that are secrets to a successful event.
1. Be Our Guest
It’s always important to consider your approximate guest count before settling on a venue. This will ensure there’s enough space for everyone. Remember, you need space not only for your guests but a DJ/band, dance floor, tables, and busy servers. If you need to cut the guest list consider prioritizing by tiers. Begin with the immediate family, persons of honor, and best friends at the top of the list. Follow this with extended family; aunts, uncles, cousins and close friends. These are people you can’t imagine celebrating without. Next, list additional friends, neighbors, coworkers and so on. If you need to pare down, begin at the bottom until you reach your ideal number and budget.
2. Securing The Date
Choosing a date can be tricky. While there are several things to consider, here’s just one. Discover if your special event date falls on a holiday, convention, or large local event that would cause conflicts with traffic and hotel availability. There’s nothing wrong with celebrating on a holiday but consider your important guests may have other obligations.
3. Capitalize On The Bonuses
Want some bonuses for spending all that money on your event? Secure a credit card with a rewards program. From airline miles to shopping deals, putting all your spending on one card will help you accumulate thousands of rewards points.
4. Get Referrals
When looking for trusted vendors ask the catering hall and vendors for referrals. They’ve worked in this business a long time and know who can be trusted for the best experience. Your photographer knows which florists flowers last longer and stay freshest. The catering hall can tell you which transportation is always on time.
5. Get Organized
There is a lot to plan and keep track of. Get organized using a digital format, if that works for you, or go traditional with a three-ring binder. Compile everything; correspondences, notes, photos, ideas, things from magazines, etc all in one place. This will save you time and stress. Set up an email address dedicated to the event. Keep a contact list of important people and vendor numbers in a hard copy and on your phone. Break things down into a schedule from start to finish and follow a logical order to get things done. This will relieve a lot of stress, keep you from getting worn down and help you enjoy the event when the day comes.
6. The Signature Drink
Signature drinks are still a great way to celebrate any event. Since signature drinks are custom made, make sure you have enough servers to attend to your guests. You don’t want your guests waiting in a long line to enjoy the celebration.
7. Help Them Arrive At The Event
With all the planning you’ve done, you want to make sure your guests get to the event on time. Providing an accurate directions card, map and address will help them accomplish this. Your catering hall can help you print our driving directions. Having the address allows your guests to use their GPS to find the least congested traffic route. As a safety measure, you can create a private event page on Facebook and post the address and directions there. The Facebook site never goes down and your guests know how to easily access it.
Whether you’re planning a wedding, sweet sixteen, communion, corporate event or a myriad of other events, there are some important things to know. Using these seven best event planning tips will help you have a more successful celebration.
Three Secrets To Securing Your Event Date
Choosing an event date can be tricky. There are so many things to consider; holidays, guest availability, family conflicts and more. Here are three secrets to securing your event date that could save you time, stress and money.
1. Discover if your special event date falls on a holiday, convention, or large local event that would cause conflicts with traffic and hotel availability. There’s nothing wrong with celebrating on a holiday but consider your important guests may have other obligations.
2. Last minute bookings can save you money. Most people book their events six months or more in advance. Calling catering halls for open dates two months before your desired date can give you some bargaining power. You can save you up to 25 percent. That’s quite a bit of savings.
3. If you’re having your event on a weekend, consider any day but Saturday. While Saturday may seem most convenient, Friday night and Sunday are general less expensive by quite a bit over a Saturday event. And, if you’re booking last minute, it’s likely that Saturday is already gone. Save yourself some money and book a Friday or Sunday event time.
There are so many things to consider when choosing an event date. Using these three secrets to securing your event date will certainly help you get ahead, save your time, relieve some stress and save you money.
The El Caribe offers savings on last minute event bookings. We understand that somethings just can’t wait to be celebrated. Let us help you celebrate. Give us a call today. We can help you with your last minute event plans and leave you with unforgettable memories.
