20th Century Club

UPDATE:
I called the Twentieth Century Club today (February 19, 2010) and they informed me that you "absolutely" need to know a Member in order to be sponsored to have a wedding reception at their facility. The Club does not facilitate sponsorship in any way. Once you found a Member (on your own) willing to sponsor you, you can call to speak with the Manager to set up your wedding date.


Steel from Buffalo Rising posted a story yesterday on the 20th Century Club, its history and architecture. I’ve heard great things about having wedding receptions there from many forums, as I discussed in a past post. Next time I'm in Buffalo I will definitely have to check it out!

It’s such a beautiful place!

Buffalo bridal shop seized by the State: Brides left without gown

There is an article from the Tonawanda News from earlier this month that talks about how Mary Lee's bridal shop in Kenmore was seized by the State Department of Taxation and Finance. The bridal shop failed to pay $10,000 in taxes to the State.

Officials are trying to fill existing orders for anxious brides and prom goers. The Buffalo News reports that it appears that the shop owners continued to take orders without ordering the merchandise. In light of this, the shop owners may be faced with criminal fraud charges.

Many are rightfully upset.

According to the Buffalo News, online customer reviews gave the bridal shop an average of 1.5 out of 5 stars. I also found a few sites [site 1; site 2; site 3] which showed a pattern of poor behavior. Again, word-of-mouth is important!

[Mary Lee was interviewed by the Tonawanda News in 2007]

Wedding Planner Notebook

Microsoft has an amazing Wedding Planning Notebook to use within Microsoft OneNote.

With multiple tabs/sections, it's easy to keep all of your digital details in one place.

OneNote is basically a digital notebook. You're able to add pages, move them around, and capture all of your thoughts, pictures, data, all in one place.

I have modified this particular template for what I need. This is particularly helpful for the tech-savvy bride and groom, especially with saving pictures and screen-shots you find online (no more multiple photo folders, word documents, etc. this handles it all).

Word-of-Mouth... read it online

User-review websites are a great starting point. If enough people comment about a particular store or vendor, it's easy to see a trend in service and quality. While I will contact the vendors on my list, and ask for references, this entails minimal effort!

Laura O. on yelp reviewed all of the services/vendors she used for her wedding. Not only do I get her opinion, I also gain greater exposure to other vendors I may not have known about.

On Wedding Mapper, people can give their reviews as well (not all are wedding-related reviews). [Find reviews on reception sites here.]

Discussion Boards: Buffalo Reception Venues

I'm not the only one! There have been discussions on venues in the Buffalo-Niagara-Rochester (WNY) for out-of-town brides on different discussion-boards. The most recent one I found is on yelp.com, a user-review website.

I figure the venue search is going to take the longest time to figure out. Luckily, I have plenty of time to visit sites as I (a) am not getting married anytime soon, and (b) visit Buffalo on a semi-regular basis. I'm currently in the "making a list of all possible places" stage.

Unfortunately, it seems that many wedding websites only list those venues and vendors that pay to be placed on the list. Therefore it can be hard to get a complete list of locals: something I wish to remedy.

I also found another Buffalo reception venue discussion on city-data.com.

There was also a lively discussion on Buffalo Rising.

Mapped: Buffalo Reception Venues

Possible Buffalo Venues

Planning Step:
What I have started to do is to map out the locations of the possible reception venues within google maps. After I narrow down the venue, I will plot area hotels within the map too. It will give me an idea of the locations, distances and times to the various places. I'm not sure if all sites allow receptions, but these were various locals and venues that I found by searching or using a websites like Eventective.

My intent is to find a venue close by the parish I will have my wedding ceremony in; and in/around downtown Buffalo for ease of access to the church, hotels, Buffalo sites, etc.

You're welcome to use the map too! Just click on the above link!

Am I forgetting a venue? Just let me know!

My Destination Wedding: Buffalo

I've been a transplanted Buffaloian for nearly the past decade. After living around the world, and currently in the Nation's capital, I've seen varying wedding traditions and cultures.

The main purpose of this blog? Well… as a transplanted Buffaloian who wants to get married in Buffalo-Niagara, where most of my family lives, I've found it difficult to research and preliminary-plan my wedding from afar. (I'm not sure if I want to hire a planner, but if I do, I definitely want to know what my comfort zone is: my parameters for the wedding; how much I'm willing to spend, etc. Prices and places are very different in Buffalo as compared to Washington, DC!)

While many sites and resources from the Buffalo area talk about "destination weddings" as meaning "a wedding in an exotic place, aka Mexico," I feel as if there are many people in my shoes: planning a wedding in their hometown from afar. I hope to shed light on area venues and vendors from my perspective.

I also hope to have some DIY tips and ideas that any bride or groom can use regardless if you're a Buffalo-Niagara Bride.