So my little sister is getting married in Sept. She is probably having the wedding in the rose garden, but wants a reception that goes into the night and i guess you cant do that there because of the theater or something, so we are trying to find a venue for the reception. Ideally she would like someplace reasonably close so that its not a huge ordeal getting everyone there.

Someone has suggested the Sheraton and the Brownstone, but she is looking for more options. There will be about 150 guests, and she is trying to stick to a reasonable budget. Those two things make it tough, but thats what she wants.

Suggestions

2/23/2009 10:39:16 PM

Maybe she can do it at the Rascal Flatts concert after that one dude proposes.

2/23/2009 10:42:10 PM

a) ask in the wedding planning threads, people there will probably have great suggestions

b) what about the ncsu alumni center on centennial? also google is really helpful. if you google like "wedding venues or wedding reception venues NC" you can find a lot of info. including packages and price ranges and hours etc etc.

2/23/2009 11:10:36 PM

FWIW, I hear the alumni center is kind of pricey.

2/23/2009 11:20:17 PM

^ It is! The University Club (NCSU) is also close by though (Hillsborough St beside Vet School) and much less expensive. It's not nearly as nice - just depends on what her budget is and if it's worth it to her...

2/24/2009 12:26:38 AM

i had mine at the History Museum downtown.

best decision ever. not expensive, elegant feeling... open vertical space, built in bar/dance area, dramatic staircase, etc.

2/24/2009 1:21:51 AM

if she's going for the nature thing why not try the arboretum?

2/24/2009 5:44:44 AM

as long as there is free alcohol, it doesn't matter where it is.

2/24/2009 7:43:47 AM

i dont think ours is going to have any :/ just extra money we dont have to spend

2/24/2009 7:55:46 AM

150 guests at the Rose Garden? bad idea. parking will not be fun for that many people. not to mention, the gardens aren't really big enough to have such a large attendance.

2/24/2009 9:38:05 AM

despite the number of people...she can get around parking by having a shuttle service--esp if she has the reception at a hotel. guests can stay at the hotel, get shuttled to and from ceremony, a few will drive and park but that would reduce that problem a bit.

but 150 is a lot for the RG...

2/24/2009 9:45:59 AM

my mom got remarried there in 1998. we had 50 guests at most (not including wedding party), and it was a tough thing to pull off. first of all, we had to set up everything. chairs, tents, long cloth aisle to walk down....everything. we had to bring a boom box to play music but it was plugged in so far away from where the ceremony was, that it was really hard to hear. and there is really nowhere for the bride to hide before coming down the aisle. not to mention you can't get ready on-site. there is no indoor bathroom or dressing room that anyone can use for anything. you have to come to the RG and be completely ready to get hitched. it was just a lot of fuss to deal with, but it was cheap. so i guess you get what you pay for.

2/24/2009 10:53:44 AM

Do it at the Arboretum, just don't schedule the wedding for 2:00 on a hot day. Late September, late-afternoon ceremony and you should be fine. They'll let you rock out as late as you want in the reception hall. It worked out well for my brother.

2/24/2009 11:09:11 AM

What about the Capital Club or the Cardinal Club? Or are they too pricey?

I have no idea what these places cost to rent out, but I ahve been to several receptions in them, and all were very nice. Lots of room, too.

2/24/2009 12:11:00 PM

thanks for the input about the rose garden, but I have no input about that. this is not really about the wedding, thata why I didn't post in that thread. there will be shuttle service and our dad lives around the corner so she has a place to get ready.

the university club is probably a little less fancy than she wants, does the arboretum allow alcohol? thats a must.

something like the cardinal club would work depending on pricing, do you have to be a member?

I haven't been in the museum in years but thats the kind of thinking outside the box I was hoping for in this thread. I will tell her to look into that.

2/24/2009 1:33:06 PM

Isn't the reception space at the arboretum really small though?

2/24/2009 3:32:29 PM

We're looking into having ours at Solas if she'd want a downtown feel to it. Cafe Luna was actually pretty cheap, but can only do it during the day. We're also looking into The State Club, which we're looking at around 9k.

2/24/2009 5:06:17 PM

The Rose Garden/University Club combo worked very well for me.

As others mentioned, the Rose Garden is different from other wedding venues and requires some extra planning and preparation. You can't just show up with a boom box.

Make sure your sister reads http://raleighlittletheatre.org/about/Rose_Garden_Information.pdf.

PM me if you've got questions.

2/24/2009 6:02:17 PM