The Wedding Blog

Had I written this post last week, it would have been a rant. Today it’s a grateful, reflective piece.

The story begins last Monday. I finished work, went home to pick up my laptop, and headed to Hamilton where I met Darren and together we hurried downtown to meet with the Event Coordinator at the hotel at which we had finally decided to hold our reception.

This was a huge decision because we first had to gather information from the various potential locations. This involved checking information online, setting up appointments, visiting halls, corresponding with booking personnell…in short, a lot of legwork. Once the information was gathered, it had to be compared. The comparison part was just as difficult because many had hidden costs and others were extremely vague in their descriptions and pricing. In the end, we must have visited 8 or 9 halls and emailed/called at least 10 others. So you can imagine our relief and excitement when we were finally able to give an answer to people who asked “So, where is the reception?”

Anyway, we got to the hotel, parked and went to the front desk. As we waited for “Paul” to meet us, I was reviewing the things we had to discuss (menu substitutions, centerpieces, I forget what else–that’s why I was reviewing it!) and Darren was practicing his Italian.

When he came down to the lobby where we were waiting, the interaction went something like this:

D: Paul? I’m Darren. This is Larissa.
P: Hi Darren. Larissa. Did you bring your quote with you?
L: Actually we forgot it.
P: That’s ok. I’ve got it upstairs. Oh, first of all, did you park underneath?
D: Yeah.
–Paul gets parking pass–
P: OK, let’s take the stairs to my office. Now, you’re still looking for May 19, 2007, right?
–Larissa halts–
L: No…2006.
P: Oh…

Some date checking happened next, followed by a whole lot of apologizing and finally some suggestions for other locations that might still have space available for a reception 3 1/2 months away.

Needless to say, we left there very discouraged and disappointed…not to mention a little perturbed. When we checked the quote that had been sent to us, we found that it was indeed for May 19, 2006 but somehow we got penciled in the official book 12 months later. It was frustrating to say the least.

We went directly to two of the places Paul suggested (the Art Gallery of Hamilton - AGH - and the Royal Botanical Gardens - RBG - ), neither of which had people who could help us because, as I then remembered from my catering days, since events usually take place on the weekends, Mondays are like Saturdays in that industry.

But now we were more determined to get this settled. That is, after I got over feeling discouraged. For a full day and a half if anyone asked how wedding plans were going (a favourite topic of conversation these days) I would either begin moping or ranting…neither of which is a very pretty sight.

But Darren was instrumental in getting emails sent and phone calls made and the next thing I know, I get a message from that incredible man saying the woman from the AGH can meet with us at such-and-such a time but since you’re [that’s me] in class I’ll just go alone and tell you about it when you get home.

When I talked to Darren that evening he told me all about the fabulous pavilion that is so simple and elegant and wouldn’t really need decorations. He said the woman he dealt with was so nice and …I can’t even remember all the stuff he said, but it was all positive. He ended by saying that he left thinking, “This is where we’re going to have our reception.”

Now to find out about the cost.

We received a proposed menu and estimate cost the next day. It was out of our price range, but after meeting with the AGH staff again, we’ve found some ways to make it match better. Both sets of parents saw the room and agreed that it is wonderful. My mom’s exact words were, “It’s so you.”

We are so excited to be able to celebrate our marriage in such a lovely location. And to think that if it weren’t for Paul’s booking antics, we’d have settled for a hotel much like any other. We’re two thankful people today.

Post Script: Friday I got a message from Paul saying that there was a cancellation and we could have may 19, 2006 if we were still interested. Apparently he hasn’t seen the newly renovated Art Gallery of Hamilton!!