Brian and I set a budget of $25K for a 100 guest wedding to be held in the city. We're really trying hard to stay within the budget but it's been hard. Given the current economy, it's hard for us to justify spending more than that. Brian's comment when we started setting the budget was, "Do you really want to spend more than you would on a car?" Considering I drive a 1999 Kia, I probably spend more at Whole Foods than I did on my car. ;)
The first place we visited was The Langham Hotel in Post Office Square. I have to admit, when I first saw pictures, I was completely enamored with the thought of having our wedding here. The pictures seemed to make the venue seem modern, chic, and the price in their package seemed to be the best deal around. However, when I visited the venue, I was a little disappointed to learn that there was a $25,000 food and beverage minimum (not including taxes and tips). I did like the main reception room with its floor to ceiling windows; however, the rest of the hotel is very traditional and did not quite have the vibe we were looking for. The main reception room overlooks Post Office Square which is amazingly cute and makes you forget you're in the middle of the financial district. As another bonus, Bond is the hotel bar which recently opened. It's a very swanky bar that will be sure to get your guests talking. But the price minimum was just too much for us and we moved on.
Next up was Le Meridien (formerly known as The Hotel @ MIT). They just recently renovated their lobby and it's very sleek and contemporary. Our contact at Le Meridien was very friendly and experienced in the we
dding catering business and she gave us a tour while in the middle of setting up a wedding to give us an idea of how everything would look. I have to be honest and say that Le Meridien had the best prices out of all the places we looked. They have a cute courtyard area in the back hidden from the main view which can serve as the ceremony location. However, I found that their ballrooms just felt a little cramped for my style but it would be great for anyone who is having a smaller wedding. Ultimately Brian and I felt the style of the ballroom and courtyard just wasn't what we were looking for but it was definitely an option for us.
Within that same week, we visited The Charles Hotel in Harvard Square. Brian had been to The Charles Hotel before for brunch at Henrietta's Table which serves an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet. Someone else had recommended The Charles Hotel to me as having the best food also so I had high expectations. When we arrived, the coordinator Alexis gave us a full tour of the hotel. She not only showed us around the main ground areas(including the outdoor ceremony space), she was sure to give us a tour of all the different rooms available in case the weather prevented an outdoor ceremony. We were able to view the hotel rooms available for the guests (the bathroom mirror is fogless and has a built-in tv - OMG!). However, what really impressed us was the main reception room. The space she showed us was not the ballroom but the Regatta Bar, the room they use for jazz performances. I walked in and was immediately in love - it had floor to ceiling windows, was the perfect size for dining and dancing, and had the open feeling that Brian and I were looking for. I could tell that Brian and I were on the same page and we walked out feeling elated. Alexis was very prompt in getting to us a quote and that was when we discovered that there were rental fees involved with the ceremony space and also The Regatta Bar. Unfortunately this was something we had not anticipated. In addition, the taxes and fees pushed the total price way past our maximum amount we had budgeted for the reception. So the search went on for us....very sadly....
