Wedding days

My advice to you would be to find another venue. If you want your reception to be longer the 4.5 and want to arrive earlier to get ready that's really the best option. Nobody wants to be rushed on their wedding day and I can't see a venue only giving you 4.5 hours. I fell in love with a venue and want to book but it was out of our budget because they had preferred vendors that charged too much for us.

If you really are set on this venue then I suggest a date in December. FH and I are not fans of the heat either and love the cold so a fall or winter wedding was for us.

I agree with PP. Find a venue that fits your needs, or go with the December date Congrats!

I agree with the PPs. I'd find a different venue that meets your needs better

If you're 100% set on this venue, you could have group and family pictures taken before the ceremony, so that you can go straight into the reception afterwards. However, based on my experience, I'd say look at some more venues. Each one has it's charms. You might find one that you like just as much, or nearly as much, that allows for a bigger window.

Honestly, the flow of your day will be more impactful than the venue itself. Allowing yourself and your guests to experience the day the way you want, with ample time for getting ready, and dancing into the night (or whatever your vision is). The day will go very quickly. You'll want as much time as you can have.

For reference, venues I looked at allowed anywhere from 6-10 hours for the reserved time. Some allowed additional time for set up, but others had it already built in. The 10 hours includes set up. The 6 didn't. I hope this helps!

View Quoted Comment Thank you so much!!!

View Quoted Comment Thanks for your response! I am set on this venue mainly because it’s gorgeous, the most affordable compared to like 10-29 others, like $10k less and does everything for you except the dj. So way less stress but yes the time allotted is a shame so I may not go with them.

How committed are you to this venue? Prior to WW, I have never as a guest come across venues that had time limits. So the idea that you can and are supposed to only have a set block of time for everything and not feel rushed is bizarre to me, and others in our circles as well when they heard about it. Brides already say the day feels rushed as it is so there is no reason to make that literal. The fact that venue rentals for the shorter blocks are more expensive makes no sense either.


One of the requirements we had when looking for a venue was we could show up anytime and have a very late (2am) or no curfew. These are actually not as difficult to find as people believe. In some circles and cultures the party is getting started when everyone else is getting kicked out. Also, many of our relatives are Catholic and have always avoided the Catholic Gap by going with venues that allow you to start whenever you wish. For example, most have been held either at Elks Lodge type halls with Costco platters or a local parks department owned community center. Those weddings were not low budget but people had fun which is what counts. As for the venues we found: the parks department owned venues (community centers specifically) mostly let you start whenever you wish and have 8-10 hour blocks. Some have 12 hours.
In the LA area, ones that have no time limit to leave and let you come in as early as you need to are LA River Studios, Brickhouse Studios and Frankie Los Angeles. They are blank slate with tables/chairs/kitchen but still much cheaper than a an all inclusive. Just hire your favorite local casual restaurant to provide drop off catering. The Majestic Downtown has a 12 hour block and 2am curfew with hefty price tag. No need to go elsewhere at any of them for an after party which is extra $$.

View Quoted Comment Thank you Michelle! These are great ideas. I was really wanting this place but I am finding as well that they don’t answer my questions clearly and because of some phone line issue we are needing to email everything today. It makes me question how they will handle things going forward.

View Quoted Comment Exactly. If they are not responsive before you book them, they will not be on your wedding day either.