A Little Dash of Drama

Getting my first look at Gramercy Mansion back in November.

I know there's plenty of stress and drama when planning a wedding and I've gotten my first taste of it. This story has a happy ending, but now I definitely have an appreciation for how quickly plans can change.

This week I called Woodend Sanctuary to ask a couple more questions and see if they could pencil me in for a good date. Instead, I found out about their new 2011 rates... the price had gone up by $1,200!! I took a deep breath, thanked the event manager for her time and hung up. So needless to say, Woodend is now off my list.

To further complicate things, I was not 100% sure I could book Gramercy Mansion (my long standing 2nd choice). Over the weekend, I had begun to check into availability for Sundays (rather than Saturdays) and had discovered that the earliest wedding time on Sundays is 3 pm. Mike and I had wanted a morning wedding and a wedding from 3 to 7 just wouldn't do.

With the sudden disappearance of Woodend Sanctuary, it was time to give Gramercy one more try. I called to confirm that their prices weren't going up and to take one more stab at negotiating an earlier time on Sunday. Much to my surprise, the woman on the phone said Sunday weddings could start as early as noon. She also confirmed on the phone and via email that the rates would remain the same. Confused by the mixed answers I was getting about Sundays, I emailed to ask again. A long story short, in the four times that I asked about Sunday weddings I got four different answers.

So what is the happy ending to my story? The fourth time I talked to an event coordinator at Gramercy Mansion, the coordinator, the manager, and I discussed the time on Sunday and my reasons for wanting the wedding to be earlier. They agreed to move up the start to 2pm so that the wedding would end at 6, a good bit before sunset. In the end, I am more than satisfied with the venue. Plus, I'm happy to know that we'll be out in the gardens throwing Frisbees, dancing, and taking walks without having our fun curtailed by the setting sun.

I have made it through my first real wedding planning shock. With the venue straightened out I feel a whole lot better about all the other pieces and the many more surprises to come.

Stay tuned, a wedding date may be coming soon!