Weddings in North Carolina

Review taken down by phone from a prospective bride:

“When the Hotel Europa opened in 1981 it was considered a very luxurious hotel for the area. Many other hotels have popped up in the area since then. The Sheraton corporation has spent millions of dollars renovating this property recently. It is a bland, beige modern hotel.

“The Europa ballroom (pictures) is quite large; the literature states it will fit as many as 690 at a reception and 460 for a banquet. There are lots of smaller rooms too.

“The hotel is located off 15-501 business quite near Chapel Hill; the traffic in that area is horrible now. There is a new super-roundabout thing that was supposed to improve the situation but actually I think it’s made it worse; I often go out of my way to avoid this area.

“I had a meal there recently; it was only so-so in my opinion. It’s not very nice outside, but you don’t hear the traffic noise when you get inside…

“Wedding packages, including chairs, tables, linens, food, punch, etc. are are $50-$89 per person – that includes a night for the bride and groom with champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, and breakfast. There are a lot of upgrade options including more expensive liquor.”

A lot of people have asked if I know how much it costs to have a wedding ceremony or wedding reception at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill. I investigated this when my daughter was looking for venues and below you see what I found out. I got the information from Ashleigh Collins; she is Social Catering Manager at the Carolina Inn; for more information, contact her at phone number 919-918-2766 or email her at acollins@carolinainn.com. The address: The Carolina Inn, 211 Pittsboro Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27516.

The Carolina Inn has got a wide range of room sizes. They can accommodate as many as 500 if the guests don’t have to sit down! The Hill Grand Ballroom (below) can seat 220 for dinner.

Here’s the floorplan of the Inn:

The Carolina Inn doesn’t charge for the rooms – there is no room rental fee per se. What they do instead is charge by the person/guest, and there are minimums. They book wedding receptions in two timeframes: afternoon (12-5pm) and evening (7pm-12am). The prices you see below include food, open bar for 3-4 hours, tax, service charge and labor. Obviously, you can’t bring your own caterer or do your own rentals. Their food is good.

You notice how there are three prices for each package? You can save money by booking in less popular months, less popular days. Here’s the breakdown:

1. Package 1 is the most expensive and includes the most popular times: April, May, June, September, October, December, and the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

2. Package II: March, July, August, November, and the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend.
3. Package III, the most economical: January, February, Fridays and Sundays, some holidays, graduation weekend, and football weekends.

Ashleigh wrote:

Our Food & Beverage Minimums vary throughout the year (based on demand), and vary based on the venue. The venue will need to accommodate your guests based on how many there are, and if you would like a plated/seated dinner, or a heavy reception style (these both require different amounts of space for setup).

If all the math is overwhelming, you can get an idea of what this will cost you by looking at these examples of rates at different times. The cost differential is based on the Package I, II, III as above.

Plated Luncheon Packages: Cardinal, Emerald ($77 – $92 per person)
Heavy Hors d’Oeuvres Luncheons: Tar Heel ($76 -$86 per person)
Mid-Afternoon Heavy Hors d’Oeuvres Packages: Carolina ($73 – $77 per person)
Plated Dinner Packages: Azalea, Pine, Magnolia ($99 – $142)
Dinner Heavy Hors d’Oeuvres Receptions: Piedmont and Dogwood ($94 – $139)

You can also have your wedding ceremony at the Carolina Inn, inside in one of the ballrooms or outside in the small or large courtyard. (If you book the outdoor space, you must have made your own alternate arrangements in case of rain. And yes, it does rain sometimes.) The cost ranges from a minimum of $1,000 to a maximum of $2,000.

Courtyard fees are reduced by 25% if a tent is rented. All rental items must be arranged exclusively through your Carolina Inn wedding specialist.

I took the following pictures at the recent Bridal Fair held in this Chapel Hill venue.

I went to the Bridal Fair in Chapel Hill today – it was postponed from last weekend because of snow. Here are some of the cakes I saw there…

I’ll be featuring these “cake shooters” (above) in the next post. And here’s detail on Sugarland’s adorable Indian bride and groom:

Now that my daughter has signed a contract with Nawwaf Said of Jazmin middle eastern restaurant and our day is secure, I’m willing to tell you: after all the weddings I’ve played at, I think the catering from Jazmin restaurant is the best in the Triangle. We met with Nawwaf today and now I’m impressed, not just with his great food, but with his professionalism, courtesy, and intelligence. He really has a handle on how the flow of guests and servers and rental agencies and food must work together for maximum efficiency – and fun.

My daugher’s getting married at Duke Gardens and they make new vendors jump through a lot of hoops to sign up, so we’re glad Nawwaf was willing to go through the process. Duke also has lists of approved rental people – there are no chairs or tables on site, we must rent them all – and Nawwaf is going to help us coordinate that.

We’re getting a very nice spread of Near Eastern food – pita and hummus and grape leaves and salads and lots of stuff including chicken and steak kebobs and felafel – and a range of soft drinks and teas etc. – with an appetizer course outside (to keep guests happy while pictures are being taken) and a buffet luncheon inside – for $28 per person. He will take care of hiring servers for us who will do set-up and break-down; we are going to provide the wine and beer but Nawwaf’s people will serve it. His people are going to cost $25/hour and it takes quite a few of them.

Anyway, I wanted to give this experience, so far, my heartiest recommendation. I first met Nawwaf when Mappamundi was playing at the wedding of a very picky bride. I told him at the time it was the best food I’d had at a wedding and asked, “Has the bride called you as often as she’s called me?” He smiled. He made her happy, so I’m sure he can make you happy too.

Jazmin now has two locations: 2430 Hillsborough Road in Raleigh, the food court in the Cary Towne Mall, and the one where we met him today, the newest, at 1624 Walnut Street in Cary, right at the highway exit. Go have a meal, you’ll like it!

Just a warning from personal experience – my daughter had selected the Mediterranean Deli in Chapel Hill as her wedding caterer. They had negotiated and all, and they sent her a contract, but she wasn’t completely satisfied because the contract was very vague, so she waited before sending it back to them, trying to decide how to feel more comfortable about it. (They had given her a “per person” price, but did not specify what items, exactly, would be provided at that price.)

By the time she sent it back, it turned out they had booked another wedding on her day (without telling her) so she is back to square one in the caterers’ department.

Don’t let it happen to you!

Sorry about the unprofessional videography. Do not hire me to shoot your wedding…

I made this for my daughter, but I may as well share it!

The biggest space available is the dining hall.

Maximum capacity is 200 people. Meeting space accommodates 150.
Day Use – 1-60 people: $330 per day, 61+ people: $5.50 per person, per day

The Dining Hall is a large open room with a central fireplace and a front wall of windows letting in natural light. The room is uniquely sectioned into three parts; partitions can be used to close off part of the room or left open to utilize the entire space. The tile flooring is newly re-finished! The building has central heat, air conditioning and bathroom facilities. The kitchen is closed for renovation, but a large refrigerator is accessible for rental use. The Dining Hall has a covered front porch that is the width of the building with rocking chairs and has picnic tables on its front lawn.

Maximum capacity is 150. Meeting space accommodates 125.
Day Use – 1-50 people: $250 per day, 51+ people: $5.00 per person, per day

This building is 1800 square feet and is one large, open space with central heat and air conditioning, two bathrooms, and a galley kitchen. Fleming Hall boasts hardwood floors, a large fireplace, large windows and a covered front porch and open back deck.

Meeting space accommodates 50.
Day Use – 1-25 people: $135 per day, 26+ people: $5.50 per person, per day

Oak Lodge has a large open room and full kitchen. Oak Lodge has meeting space for 50, bathrooms, wood stove, piano, heat and air conditioning. Oak Lodge also has a large private back deck overlooking woods.

Overnight capacity is 23. Meeting space accommodates 40.
Day Use – 1-25 people: $135 per day, 26+ people: $5.50 per person, per day

Dogwood Center is a multi-use building that can be rented for day-use or overnight. The building is T-shaped with a meeting room in front, a kitchen at the end, and two bathrooms and bedrooms on either side. The building has heat and air conditioning, fireplace, piano, kitchen, and meeting room.

For information on other buildings and outdoor spaces at the center: New Hope Camp and Conference Center. The center is located on 86 between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough. For more pictures, see my previous post.

As I pointed out in the other post, the camp has its own tables and chairs, so that saves you a considerable expense and bother. I believe there is also a discount for church-related groups.

Of the places we considered, Camp New Hope was my preference for my daughter’s wedding next year. It is big, informal, outdoorsy but with nice indoor space, very close to where we live, and inexpensive.

I took these pictures yesterday – it’s late August so everything is kind of burnt up from the sun.

The guy who runs it is very kind and accommodating. I’ve played a number of weddings there and found the venue very pleasant.
There are two biggish cabins on site which can be rented for the weekend of your wedding, for people who don’t like to drive. The cabins have kitchens so you can settle in and have a vacation weekend!
[caption id="attachment_408" align="alignleft" width="475" caption="New Hope Camp and Conference Center dining hall"][/caption]The dining hall is large, air-conditioned, and L-shaped, so you can have one activity at one end and another at the other. Also, they have chairs and tables so you don’t have to go to the trouble and expense of renting them.Fleming Lodge, which is close by the dining hall, is smaller but nicer: it has a wood floor, I’ve done contradances there. It has a porch where people sometimes put food and/or drink.
There are several pavilions, some larger, some smaller; I’m a mentor with the Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate program in Carrboro NC and they sponsor family get-togethers at Camp New Hope, with volleyball on the grass and tons of people in the pavilion for a fried-chicken feast.

Also, having the pavilion means if it rains, or if it’s very hot, there’s shelter for you and your guests.

My daughter decided the camp was too rustic for her, but for an informal affair it would be wonderful. The next post will give prices.

On my way to the Bridal Show, held today at the Jim Graham Building at the NC State Fairgrounds, I happened across the weekly Raleigh Flea-market. It’s huge! And when I saw these $15 tuxedos I couldn’t resist.

My daughter, her sweetheart, and various members of the family sampled wedding cake from seven bakeries this past weekend.

My daughter’s favorite: Bliss Boutique Bakery in Chapel Hill.

She called them and reports that cupcakes cost $2.00 each if you buy more than ten dozen.

My daughter, the bride-to-be, and her groom were in town for a whirlwind tour. We tried several caterers, visited her venue (Duke Gardens), and sampled cake at seven bakeries. I baked the last two cakes myself, as a home-made comparison taste-test.

We tried 2-4 cake types each at:

1. Guglhupf;
2. Cake Dreams by Sally;
3. Mad Hatter;
4. Sugarland;
5. Sweet Janes
6. Bliss
7. Good Taste Cake Designs.

Now the happy couple are back on the plane to California and I’m on my bed wishing for Pepto-Bismol. Reports on what we sampled will have to wait…

Today, as part of my investigation of local letterpress printers, I visited Travis Friedrich of Parklife Press. He had warned me he was expecting delivery of a new printing press, and wouldn’t be able to talk much, but I thought watching the operation would be very cool. And so it was!

Here he is about half an hour after I arrived. The lady who sold him the machine had wheedled her friend, a real estate agent (who says: “I can’t believe it, housing prices in Virginia are so good right now, and we have so many wonderful listings, and mortgages are so low, why aren’t people buying?” – my PSA for her…) into driving this gargantuan artifact down to North Carolina in a rental truck.

The old press, which Betsy was selling because there is not enough work to keep it busy in Fairfax Virginia, weights about 4,000 pounds. Travis is installing it in his shop, which is the garage of his home in Carrboro, NC.

I bet he isn’t planning to move anytime soon.

Here is one of the machines he owns, I drooled over it.


Here’s his paper-cutter, manufactured in the 19th century and still going strong.


While I waited and watched the huffing and puffing (it was 92 degrees and just past noon, exactly the right conditions for humping a 4,000 pound machine out of a U-Haul), I discovered a box full of used polyresin plates, and Travis said they were just going back to the factory to be recycled so I could have some. I chose this, for example.

As I explained yesterday, these days very few people are actually setting metal (or wood) letters in quoins backwards and running them through a press. Instead, they design on computer and send the files off to be converted into these polyresin plates.

Travis is a super-nice young man. I hope his business will prosper!

This was my last view of him, an hour after I arrived. I hope he managed to get the thing out of the truck eventually.

Go to his website to see prices and better pictures of his perfect, meticulous work, but in the mean time here are some pictures I took while I was there. You can click on any one of them for a larger view:

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My daughter is interested in buying locally for her wedding, and so she sent me to the Carrboro Farmers’ Market to look for flower growers and vendors who sell by the bucket. The first I talked to was Cathy Jones of Perry-winkle Farm. She was friendly and confident. Her variety of flowers was the most extensive.

See her website and farm at her Cooperative Extension Service website

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The next batch of flowers were available at the Wild Hare Farm booth …


Leah Cook is the owner.

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“Haygroves are multi-bay tunnels that the Hitts use to grow high quality crops like heirloom tomatoes and cut flowers. The tunnels protect crops from the rain and allow the Hitts to control the amount of moisture going to the crops.” (From the Hitt Farm site at NCSU Cooperative Extension Service.)


You can email her: abhitt (at) bellsouth.net

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The fourth and last flower vendor selling by the bucket was Ken Dawson of Maple Spring Gardens.

In general, it’s great to go see the vendors in action on Sunday mornings, 9-12 (here’s the Carrboro Farmers Market website to check for updated information). There are a few small parking lots on Weaver Street approaching the market, so you don’t need to park a mile away and hike like I did.

However, you can’t have much of a conversation there because they’re very busy! If you know you want local flowers for your wedding, call them at a more peaceful time and they can tell you what can be available at your wedding date. Ken said when his daughter told him she was getting married, he knew a year in advance and planted huge drifts of “her” flowers around where the wedding was going to take place. Sigh.

Name of company: Careli Rental Service
Phone number: 919-697-3238
Showroom location: Durham NC
5? round tables seat 6-8: $8.00
chairs: wooden folding $2.60 each, plastic $1.30-1.60 each
6-8 foot buffet tables: $7
tablecloths for above: $11-15
20×20 tent: $230 (notice this is half the size of the others I’ve listed) includes setup and delivery
delivery charge: at the moment, free for orders of more than $125 in Durham and Chapel Hill, $175 in Raleigh
setup/breakdown: not mentioned on website

Shocked at the idea of spending thousands of dollars on a photographer for my daughter’s wedding, I looked on Craig’s List under services today for moderately-priced options. I was also looking for photographers who would provide copyright-free cds/dvds of the digital images.

Success! Note that I have not met or spoken with any of the photo studio folks below, but I liked the images on their websites. Each of them has a relatively low-cost package which includes a cd of your images so you can print away to your heart’s content.

I’ve decided that from now on I will feature on this blog only photographers with wedding options under $2,000 which include a cd/dvd of images which can be printed freely by the customer. If you qualify, or know a good photographer who does, please be in touch with me!

• Bennett Weddings

  Don’t let some photographer own all your wedding pictures, charging you exorbitant prices every time you want to print one! With my wedding packages, YOU OWN ALL THE PHOTOS – You can print as many as you want, whenever you want!

  I came to wedding photography through my experiences as a photojournalist. Twelve years in the newspaper business taught me to see things differently – and that comes through in my wedding photos.

  Ceremony & Reception Coverage (5 hours) $800

• Carl Johnson Photography

  Warning: Flash and automatic music

  Wedding special: Up to 3 hours of wedding coverage plus (limited time) free engagement session
  250+ images on a cd: $545 (regularly $629)

• Infantino Photography

  Photography Packages include “The Ruby” – 3 hours of photography coverage, over 250 images taken, high Resolution photo CD of all images (you receive copyrights to print all photos on CD) = $500. Additional Hour of Photography – $105.00

• Robert F. Filcsik Photography

  Warning: Flash and automatic music

  I like his images very much. He says “Offering modern and creative photojournalistic style photography at an affordable price. Wedding packages start at $600. 4 Hours coverage, including CD with edited high resolution images and the copyrights for all images.” The number of images is quite limited, however.

• Andrew Gloc Photography

  Gloc appears to be a newcomer to the business; he doesn’t have much of a wedding portfolio, but I liked the images I saw. He says: “I charge $299 for 4 hours of shooting including a cd of all images.”

This past week I went to a luncheon given by the local “Perfect Wedding Guide” folks, and I met many wedding vendors. One group I was very taken with: the people who can actually do the marrying. I met four of them and they were all friendly, smart, relaxed, and definitely people I’d be happy to spend time with. They are flexible, inter-denominational, non-judgmental folks. In the order I met them…

1. Christopher and Catherine Sanford. They say at their website:
   

   Chris and Kay work with couples to create and conduct individualized non-traditional weddings to emphasize your connection with your families and friends… We work with you to deal with [issues such as]:

   1. “We are actually already married.”

   2. “One of us or both have children. How do we include them in the wedding?”
   3. “We come from different religions (or cultures). How do we honor both?”
   4. “We have a very limited budget. We’re straining to pay for our wedding.”

2. Ron Grillo. He writes:
   

   I’m an ordained nondenominational interfaith officiant, a graduate of The New Seminary in 1994… I have performed a variety of different wedding ceremonies, including, but not limited to, Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Interfaith, Non-traditional, Medieval, Native American, Civil and Renewal of Vows. Depending on a couple’s wishes, I have incorporated into my opening and/or closing words, or their vows, wording from their native language, such as Hebrew, Turkish, Russian, Spanish…

3. Robin Renteria. She gave the keynote address on “The Five Languages of Love” and was sweet and funny. She writes:
   

   I’m a seminary educated, ordained non-denominational U.U. minister.

   I offer religious, interfaith, spiritual, and civil ceremonies, both traditional and contemporary, in the language of your beliefs and traditions.

   Whatever your faith, culture, life style, or traditions, it’s my joy to help you relax and enjoy your wedding, by creating a ceremony that is unique and personal to you…

The hopeful customers: my daughter and me. She’s been planning a modest (well, maybe not austere, but hopefully not luxury-priced) wedding and is researching, of course, on the internet, since she’s in California but is marrying here in North Carolina. Well, she’ll need a beautiful delicious wedding cake, right?

Anyway, she came across a high-class (apparently) cake baker and sent me a link to his site. We agree – his site is so arrogant and annoying we won’t consider contacting him.

What’s not to like? Check out this language from his website:

We invite you and one (1) guest to one complimentary cake tasting/consultation, by appointment, to sample our cakes and review our portfolio. We also request that the person who will make the final decision for your wedding cake be present at the tasting. Additional tastings are limited to weekdays, for a fee, and are subject to availability.

As a courtesy, we request a minimum of 48 hours notice should you need to cancel your appointment. If notice of an appointment cancellation or an appointment reschedule is not confirmed within 48 hours, and a revised appointment is requested, then a $25.00 tasting charge will be incurred.

At the conclusion of your consultation, we will provide you with an estimate of projected costs.

Consultations last for approximately one (1) hour and can be scheduled Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Prior to our meeting, we request that you have an event site, caterer and florist secured with deposits, as well as preliminary floral and theme decisions. We also strongly recommend that you determine your overall budget for your wedding cake prior to consultation. If your cake budget is undetermined, please contact us prior to consultation to evaluate our predetermined pricing packages. This collaboration will determine and promote a complimentary and successful understanding of any budget requirements and/or restrictions and ultimately determine if the consultation and tasting appointment should resume as scheduled.

If you desire to purchase a full-color rendering with 3-Dimensional details of your designed wedding cake prior to construction and the contract stage, please provide a check for $185.00 at the tasting/consultation appointment. After completion of the color board , you will be invited in for approval before advancing to the creative construction stage.

Maybe I’m naive, but especially in this economy I don’t think wedding merchants can afford to alienate potential customers. If my daughter and I wanted to bring her groom (well, fiance) to the cake testing, actually one of us would have to stay home?

My comment when I saw this site: “I bet we’d have to take out a second mortgage on the house to afford this cake.” And, as an experience old mom, I say life is too short to spend it dealing with irritable artisanal cake creators who assume you are not worthy of their artistic creations.

If you plan to separate the mother of the bride from a whole lot of money, you better be at least a little bit friendly and welcoming.

I went to a party in Greensboro today and met a woman whose daughter married at the Carolina Club a couple of years ago. The Carolina Club is on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, near the Bell Tower. This lady told me that graduates of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill can use the Carolina Club for functions, and the space is free – but you must use their food, drink, and service.

Her daughter’s wedding was for approximately 120 people, and they ended up paying the Carolina Club – for catering, service, and drinks – something in the neighborhood of $15,000. (Not including cake, see next paragraph.)

Mother of the bride: “They let us bring in a cake from the outside, but I had a friend who wanted to donate some wine and the Carolina Club would not allow it.”

I have done quite a few functions at the Carolina Club, including weddings. The approach is nice. Parking is not great but adequate. This would not be a difficult location for somebody in a wheelchair, because you can drive up near the lobby and I am pretty sure everything is on one level.

The lobby is impressive, the setup is high-class. As for the space – there is a big stage at one end of the room typically used, you can get an 8-piece ensemble up there, and the room is large enough that it can be partitioned. There is a nice back patio so people can wander in and out at will.

While I’m reporting, this MOB spent $2,000 on her daughter’s wedding dress and $5,000 on a photographer.