Monday, February 27, 2012

Our Wedding: Reception Venue

Since the biggest thing on my mind lately is the wedding (222 days to go!), I thought I'd start a series on the various choices as we make them. So first up is the reception venue.



Our initial thoughts were to go with a hotel because everything would be included in the basic price and we wouldn't have to worry about those who imbibe driving home afterwards. Unfortunately another couple booked the space we had chosen the day before we were to meet with the planner there. It kinda sucked.


We didn't want to go with a plain venue either and living in a small city didn't leave us with a ton of options. There are the gorgeous downtown hotels but all were a little too expensive for our tastes. Then there was the popular Battery Hotel with a ballroom that boasted a view of the city:



The battery is located on Signal Hill which is where the first transatlantic signal was received in 1901. It's probably the main tourist attraction in St. John's.


We debated on booking this place because the hotel itself doesn't have the best of reputations. It's also quite ugly to look at from the outside. It turned out well that we debated so long because when we did contact them, the room was booked (and the woman was sooo rude).


We then had the idea to go across the street (so still on Signal Hill) to the Johnson Geo Centre:



You probably can't tell much from the picture, but that is the only part of the building that is above ground. The building is actually built into the ancient rock of signal hill and is now a 33000+ square foot geological interpretation centre. Not the kind of place that would normally scream 'wedding,' but for us, it makes perfect sense.


The reception hall looks like this:




...and can be transformed to disguise most of the 'interpretation centre' vibe while keeping many of the unique elements.

We're really excited to have this place booked and can't wait to incorporate all the elements we've been dreaming about.

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