Another Fucking Wedding

Gary's Loft

Well, Charles and I have finally found a reception site, Gary's Loft. It's more than we had budgeted -- $3,200 for a Sunday -- but then every space was more than we budgeted.

Gary's Loft is a huge, nicely designed penthouse (5,000 square feet on one floor, plus an additional floor for the ceremony) with funky thrift-shop furniture. Unlike a lot of places, we can choose our own caterer and do our own liquor, which is how we're planning to cut costs. It's in midtown--so it'll be easy for out-of-town guests to reach. It not only has air conditioning and heating (many sites don't) but a fancypants stereo system. And it's a least $1,000 cheaper than any other comparable loft we could find (not exactly a bargain but affordable under our budget).

Charles and I also just really liked Gary, who strikes us as a reliable, no-bullshit type. He said he'd even give us a finder's fee if we refer someone to him. Sooooo if any of you reading this are looking for an event space, kindly mention our names....

A pineapple for me

In response to previous charges that Charles has no sense of romance, I stand by my man and present the following for your consideration:

One of my favorite recordings - ever - is Lotte Lenya and Jack Gilford's "It Couldn't Please Me More (A Pineapple)," recorded in 1966. (Listen to mp3) The lyrics are sweetly goofy (even a bit dada), but that's largely what I find so wonderful about it. The song is a duet from Cabaret, following a scene in which an eldery gentleman (Gilford) buys a pineapple for his "lady love" (Lenya). Upon receiving the gift, she is overwhelmed with emotion and begins singing:

If you bought me diamonds
If you bought me pearls
If you bought me roses like some other gents might bring to other girls
It couldn't please me more than the gift I see
A pineapple, for me!

I put this song on just about every mix CD I make, including one I made for Charles last year. And so, on the anniversary of our first date (last May), when he came to pick me up for dinner, he brought me... a pineapple!

Affordable reception sites around New York

I write this with the full understanding that the only people who'd possibly be interested are the 1 in 100 looking for NYC wedding/event spaces (which wouldn't be so bad if we had 100 readers)...but hey, what can you do. I've spent so long researching receptions sites, I have to tell someone.

These places have two things in common: a) they're among the best deals we could find in the city and b) we've ruled them all out. The prices listed below are just for renting the space; food, tables, chairs, dishes, etc. usually aren't included.

WOMAN'S CLUB OF MAPLEWOOD
$900 (7 hours) + incidentals
Woman's Club of Maplewood
60 Woodland Road
Maplewood, NJ 07040
(973) 762-9119

A friend told me about this beautiful reception hall with a high, arched ceiling. Of the places we've looked at, this was the only one that was architecturally interesting. It has a small but nicely secluded outdoor space. And the hall can seat up to 180. I loved it and, for the size, it was by far the cheapest raw space we could find. (There's also an upstairs room that you can use for the ceremony but it's a bit dank, with old carpet sticking up in places.) Ultimately, we ruled this one out for geographic reasons. Though only 2-3 blocks from NJ Transit, it's too far from New York for out-of-town guests and for the old folks in Long Island.

QUEENS FARM MUSEUM
$800 for Barn Complex (four hours)

Another affordable place. We ended up not visiting this one because the indoor space can only seat 110 (we need at least 120), but friends say the orchard makes for a beautiful setting and that the barn is a nice, clean space. If we were doing something smaller we probably would have done it here.

BOHEMIAN HALL & BEER GARDEN
$1,000 for 4 hours (for the outdoor park/garden)

Our friends Joe and Anita got married in the Beer Gardens (after meeting at a Stay Free! party, I'll have you know....) and it was great, but for one thing: it rained like hell. Fortunately, they rented a tent that was much larger than they needed, but it was still a bit cold and damp and the tent alone was $5,000, making the affordable catering deal not so affordable. Still, I like the unpretentiousness and non-glitziness of the place. And the rental fee includes tables and benches (I think).

You must use the restaurant's food, but that too is a real bargain - as little as $8 per person (and it's not bad). Unfortunately, we want to do something kosher-friendly and this place is a bit too aggressively non-kosher. I think they even butter the sausage.

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UPDATE (11/11/05): And the winner is... Gary's Loft in Manhattan. We thought this was the nicest space large enough, for the best price.