Looking to get married in New Jersey, the Philadelphia area, or Wilmington? We are! And we are close to finalizing our date and venue – hopefully, by tomorrow morning! We didn't do the most exhaustive search, but we did visit over ten places. As you can imagine, we saw a lot of theme and variation – lots of places seemed to present similar ideas of "wedding glamour" (yes, that u is deliberate); other places offered "unique" "features." Here is a brief visual survey illustrating what I noticed; all are from venues we did not choose:
Domes are nice:
A whole bunch of bridal books show brides and grooms kissing in a gazebo. What's so great about gazebos? My dad speculates that they are popular because of the Sound of Music:
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| Get away from that Nazi, Liesl! You are way too young for this business! |
Apparently, grand staircases are also de rigueur! I'm not exactly sure why...is there a related iconic image or movie for our generation of women? Cinderella? But there she's running
away from the prince...
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| You know what else I like about this one? The indoor fountain next to the staircase! Because fountains belong indoors? |
The flora of these sites is mainly of the landscaped, annual variety. But here's the fauna we encountered:
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| A belated picture of the shark tank! |
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| I don't think this guy gets advertised in the wedding package, but maybe he should be! |
Some venues had features that genuinely confused me. For example:
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| What are these painted nudes doing over these doors? |
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| Why is the ceiling painted like the sky? We can look out the window and see the sky! |
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| What is this I see? An indoor waterfall with silk hanging flowers? Of course it makes sense to put this indoors and in the corner of a ballroom! |
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| Can you see the billboards right next to this venue? Advertisements for "Banger's Sport Shop" and the "South Jersey Shooting Club." That large gun makes me feel a wee bit nervous... |
I'll stop here. Thanks for coming along this little journey with me!
Maybe it's just that staircases are convenient for pictures and grand entrances? You know, haven't we all posed on a staircase for prom? ;)
ReplyDeleteIn Downton Abbey Season 2 they almost have a wedding in the house, and they decorate the huge staircase with all these flowers... maybe people like feeling like they're in the nobility getting married / having balls at home? There are several grand staircases in Gone with the Wind...
ahh, Gone with the Wind! yes, I suppose it is very grand...except in the first example above, where the grand staircase leads up to a floor that basically only has sales offices, and no guest will get to go up them! maybe my issue is that I'm trying to AVOID the prom-y feel! for example: the groomsmen's vests do not need to match precisely the color of the bridesmaids' gowns...
DeleteYes! And I have no doubt your wedding will not feel like prom at all :)
DeleteHEY "tomorrow morning" is now TODAY! Also, I have "I am sixteen, going on seventeen" stuck in my head now. Thank you. And, I think you should go with the venue with the little groundhog-esque critter. He's cute. Potential ring bearer? And I second my own opinion of that is also the venue with the painted nudes. Heehee!
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, all those venues look great! Domes, staircases, billboards and all!
What FUN!
In other news, your blog rocks.
I too loved the groundhog! I was following him in pursuit of a good picture, and D. had to remind me to stay focused on evaluating the venue! ;)
DeleteSarah, I JUST realized that the painting is depicting the Judgment of Paris. He's seated on the right, holding the Apple of Discord, with the 3 goddesses on the left! Geez, I'm a terrible classicist. Now I can say, though, that I'm glad I'm not getting married in a place that features the Trojan Cycle, since that didn't end well for anyone.
wow, we sure looked at a lot of places!! Don't forget for fauna, there was also a ballroom with a SHARK TANK :)
ReplyDeleteoh yeah! i didn't have a picture of it, though. if you have one and want me to post, send it over! =)
DeleteI'll send it over!
DeleteHaha, nice roundup of venues! True, can't forget the sharks! Too bad the Adventure Aquarium doesn't have a wealthy benefactor/corporation backing it like the Georgia Aquarium does. http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/book-your-event/weddings/ I don't care for their Wolfgang Puck catering but the setup looks awesome here! They have a dedicated special events space called the Oceans Ballroom!
ReplyDeleteI was always so disappointed and appalled that Mr. Going-on-Eighteen (I think?) turned Nazi.
ooo, oceans ballroom! sooo different from camden's "currents ballroom"! ;) looks nice, though.
DeleteI love the comments almost as much as the post hahahahhhahahah :)
ReplyDeleteWow, I thought I had seen the good, the bad, and the bizarre of wedding venues here in Cincinnati. Clearly, Jersey has us beat. I have definitely never seen a shark tank....gazebos galore, though! Gotta admit, they can look nice in the pictures...
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