The Search for the Perfect Venue
February 10, 2010
I first met Mike and Alexandra in the summer of 2009. They are an adorable couple who are getting married this October. They hired me to plan their wedding and the first order of business was to find the perfect venue for them. Sounds easy, right? Well, we were in for quite a journey, a journey that I had a blast going on with them and learned a few lessons along the way!We knew this going into the venue research
They didn’t want anything traditional, no ballrooms, no chandeliers, no fancy wedding places. They wanted a New York feel but in Boston maybe a loft, maybe a funky restaurant with amazing food. So the journey began with that. We searched long and hard for a venue that fit this couple’s style, a style in which I enjoyed learning more about every day.
I’ll digress for a minute to explain this wonderful couple: Alexandra is from NYC, goes to grad school, and LOVES authentic NYC Black and White cookies. I got the opportunity to sample these cookies and they are AMAZING. Needless to say, I don’t know how I got through 32 years without ever trying them! Mike is in a band, loves music and is a wine retailer for a super cool store in the North End, a store in which everyone who loves wine should go to (www.thewinebottega.com) He’s also a huge fan of Whoopie Pies!
We started our journey researching restaurants and loft spaces and we came across some great restaurants. None of them fit perfectly though and I never saw “the look” on their faces when we went into a space. You know the look, the one that says “this is our wedding venue!” We found an incredible loft space and we thought that was the venue. I saw the look and the excitement and we were ready to go. Unfortunately, the space fell through and we were back to square one. I scoured the web and asked everyone I knew if this perfect venue was a reality in Boston.
Then one night a month ago, I came across a website for Ginger Park restaurant (www.gingerparkboston.com) in the South End. I read an article in Boston magazine about the amazing chef, Patricia Yeo and immediately thought of Mike and Alexandra. We had the happy couple go there to check out the space and try the food on a Saturday night. I got a text message that night from them saying “when can we sign the contract”. When I went to see the space, I knew immediately that this was the perfect venue for them. I saw the excitement in both of them and I knew our journey to find the perfect venue had come to a close. Fittingly, we celebrated with a glass of champagne at Ginger Park. Melissa and her team at Ginger Park have been nothing but wonderful to us and I look forward to posting pictures of this incredible day!
So to all of you brides out there who think the perfect venue doesn’t exist for you, uncover a few more stones and you never know what you’ll find!
