Embracing the New (Venue)!

So, we had a replacement for the Kimmel Center on the table.

With what we knew - both about the new option and the (lack of) other options for 05/XX/12 - it was nearly set that we would have our wedding at The Rittenhouse. However, we couldn't seal the deal sight unseen, so my mom came down from NY the next day to make the visit with me*. Be prepared for a very picture-heavy post!

We went over and met with Danielle, who kindly walked us around the hotel and through some of the key spaces that would be used for the wedding. I've included a lot of photos to tell the story!

First we checked out the ballroom, which was in the midst of being prepped for a wedding that evening (you'll see better pics in a bit - there were basically chairs and tables everywhere). Next we saw a space that was available for the after party - the Boat House Bar. This space was fantastic and very appropriate for our wedding .... more on that later.

The BoatHouse Bar - love the decor and comfy chairs

We then walked downstairs to see the Mary Cassatt Lounge. This is where the cocktail hour and day after brunch would be held. For both events, we would have the entire space for our guests (blocked off by glass doors and a sign), which would be nice - no loiterers!!

There's a lot of existing seating that we could use, in case guests wanted to sit

Leading up to the main staircase to the ballroom

Our next stop was the hotel - guest rooms, to be specific. Since we were booking late (and our wedding falls on a graduation weekend), we were given a limited number of hotel rooms - basically would limit access to our immediate families and some of the bridal party. Luckily, we already had a number of hotel rooms reserved elsewhere.

Apparently The Rittenhouse has the largest "standard" guest rooms in the city

In speaking with Danielle, I started to see the convenience of having a hotel wedding (against my previous bias). We received a complimentary bridal suite the night of the wedding, changing rooms for the bride and groom the day of the wedding, they would transfer all of our gifts upstairs and, the best part, could escape upstairs to sleep whenever!

Later that evening, my mom and I returned to The Rittenhouse for dinner and to see the wedding fully set up. I have to say, I was a bit WOWed. Evantine happened to be the event designer for this wedding, so it was really a "sneak preview" for what our day could be.

With reduced lighting, the votives looked amazing

This was the first time I had ever seen black Chivari chairs - kept with the amazing black - white - red theme

Cake was made by the in-house pasty chef - and that's the bride's bouquet

We were SO happy that we could see the ballroom in use - it made our decision feel that much better (again, we knew we were going to say yes). The night's fun continued with a delicious dinner at Lacroix, the restaurant at the hotel. Yum, yum...and YUM.

Mom enjoys a couple adult beverages at Lacroix

Delicious souffle!

After filling ourselves on food (and fill we did), we decided to take one last look at the Cassatt Lounge, specifically the outdoor part.

Let's hope for a nice day in May!

So, with that, we officially had a new venue and were ready for 05-XX-12! I slept a whole lot better that night than the one before, that's for sure. The only thing outstanding was for Mr. Turkey to see the space. Luckily, we had the opportunity to return a few weeks later and see the ballroom set up for a very different wedding.

We were debating whether we needed to cover the walls (like the last wedding), but seeing this, we realized we did not

The Boat House Bar - with snacks!!

Seeing two weddings helped narrow down some thoughts about what might work for our day - which was fantastic. I was so thankful to the team at The Rittenhouse for giving us the chance to visit again. And, of course, no visit would be complete without another trip to Lacroix for some delicious food!

Yes - I got ANOTHER souffle!

How did you deal with any changes to your wedding? Did you embrace the "new"?

*Mr. Turkey had a scheduled guys weekend away. I had told him to go on as planned - he trusted my judgement...and no reason to ruin his fun!