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Venue Review! -- The Hotel at Avalon --

10/24/2018

It's time for another venue review! Today I'm reviewing a new venue, The Hotel at Avalon, which is located at the Avalon in Alpharetta.

We had never played a wedding at the Hotel at Avalon before, and I have to say that overall, I thought it was pretty great! I'm a big fan of the Avalon (my husband works 1.5 miles from the Avalon, so we have a lot of date nights there!) I love the shopping and the restaurants! It's a really cool place and it's got a really fun, modern vibe.

Hotel at Avalon, alpharetta, Georgia, Avalon wedding, string trio, string quartet

Big thanks to My Life Photography for sharing all of these great photos with us! You can check them out at MyLifePhotoBlog.com

PROS:
Overall, I have lots of great things to say about this venue.

Fun/unique backdrop for photos! If you like a "city-vibe," then the Avalon can provide a really cute backdrop for photos. The inside of the hotel also has a few nice spaces for photos, like the greenery wall + swing you see above. I also really like the idea of having photos of the couple walking around the mall. Look at the photos above to see how cute they turned out!
They have multiple ballrooms of different sizes, all of which could be great options for receptions, parties, corporate events, etc. Keep scrolling for ballroom pics.
I absolute LOVE the ceremony site that you see pictured below! It's a really cute circular nook situated at the corner of the building. Because it is walled in on all sides (it just has a small opening on one side,) it has a very intimate feeling.
Acoustics: I was COMPLETELY SHOCKED by how great the acoustics were in this ceremony space. And I do mean Completely. Shocked. Most indoor spaces were not necessarily designed with acoustics in mind, so as an acoustic musician, it's always a treat to find a space that sounds good.
I really like all of the natural light that comes in, and I love the drapery over the windows. I like the idea of being able to have all of the natural light coming in, even if the weather is bad.
Indoors! Georgia weather can be super unpredictable, so I think the Hotel at Avalon is great because you don't have to worry about anything if it rains! Or sleets while the sun shines simultaneously! (Lol y'all know what I'm talking about! That crazy GA weather...)
Location: I think that the Hotel at Avalon would be a really great venue if you have a lot of out-of-town guests coming. Obviously the convenience of having a place for guests to lodge is great. But also, the Avalon is just a super fun place to hang out. They have tons of great restaurants and shopping, and the movie theater is really nice. I also think it's great because it has more of a city feel without having to fight Atlanta traffic so much.
Staff: Ok this really stuck out to me. The staff at the Hotel at Avalon were incredibly helpful and kind. The moment I arrived, a staff member appeared at my side with a cart and he offered to load all my gear on the cart and help me get to the ceremony site. He even insisted on pushing the cart for me! And when my music stand wouldn't balance on the cart, he insisted on carrying it in his free hand! My regret is that I didn't make a mental note of his name so that I could tell them to give that guy a raise!

CONS:

Parking: ya'll know me and parking! If it's not easy and free, it's a bit of a point deduction in my book. And at the Hotel at Avalon, there is NO free parking in their parking deck. Not for vendors or for guests. They did give us vendor discounts on parking, but the discount was only a couple of dollars, so I think we still had to pay maybe $8 per car? I can't remember the exact amount. It's just important to be aware of parking costs beforehand, because many vendors require their clients to pay for parking. The parking is pretty easy, though. The deck is conveniently located next to the hotel. Sometimes traffic can get congested inside of the Avalon, so it's important to plan for that as well.
Small-ish ceremony space: The ballrooms are nice and large, but the ceremony site that you see below is a bit on the small side. It was the perfect size for this wedding, but if you have a larger wedding, you could potentially be a bit cramped for space.
Not a ton of variety available for photo-backdrops: since it's a fully indoor venue, you might not have as much variety in terms of backdrops. I think the backdrops that are available are super cute! It's just that you might not have *as* much variety as some other venues.

The ballrooms have plenty of room for dancing!

And I LOVE the way the Avalon looks at night! Look how fun!!!!

Again, big thanks to MyLifePhotography for these photos!

OVERALL SCORE: 8.5 OUT OF 10: I love the Avalon so much, and I really enjoyed the Hotel at Avalon. The only reason I had to make deduction out of 10 is because vendors have to pay for their own parking.

I hope that you all found this review helpful. Let me know if there's another venue you'd like me to review!

--Amber

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Venue Review! --Crowne Plaza, Atlanta GA--

10/2/2018

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Crowne plaza, atlanta, midtown, wedding, string trio

Something that I've been wanting to do for FOREVER is venue reviews. We play so many weddings at so many different venues, and let me tell you, the venue the you choose for your wedding is EVERYTHING! You'll find a lot of client reviews online, but there are a ton of logistical aspects that the vendors deal with--things that the clients are often unaware of. Hopefully a vendor's perspective will give brides and grooms a better idea of things to ask their venue, as well as what to look for in a great venue.

My goal is to give a completely unbiased, honest review of venues where we play. The good, the bad, and everything in between!

To be completely clear, this is NOT a statement about any particular wedding that we have played at the venue, but rather an unadulterated review of the venue itself.

First up, CROWNE PLAZA in Atlanta, GA.

All of the photos in this post are courtesy of AHP Photo + Video, and I chose this particular wedding to highlight because of how much I loved these photos! Seriously, your eyes are in for a real treat with these pics. Have you ever seen such a precious couple? AND THAT DOG OMG.

Now then, on to the nitty gritty!

Crowne Plaza Midtown, Atlanta GA

PROS:

Centrally located in the city
Convenient for out-of-town guests or "destination" weddings. Not only would would it be easy for out-of-town guests to lodge at the hotel, but there would also be tons of fun things for guests to do nearby. (Tourist attractions, dining, shopping, etc.)
Great skyline views of the city--lots of great opportunities for "rooftop" pics! Atlanta has a really beautiful skyline, and rooftop photos make for seriously stunning photos.
"City" photos: Because of its location, this venue also provides a fun opportunity for folks to get some fun "city" photos down on the street. Scroll down to see some cute pics of these two strolling down the streets of Atlanta.

CONS:

Parking: The parking situation at this venue is pretty bad. They do not validate parking for vendors--they just give a tiny discount on parking for vendors, not to mention that the discount is a huge hassle to even acquire. Parking ends up being $10-$15 per car (my memory is not perfect on the exact amount,) which can really add up for vendors. There is an option to valet park, but it is $30 per car, so financially it's just not a good option.

Logistics: It's also a bit of a logistical headache. The vendor parking lot is very difficult to get to, and it is an EXTREMELY long walk from the vendor parking garage to the actual ballrooms. And I mean that quite literally. It can easily take 30 minutes to park and walk to the venue. You have to walk through multiple different buildings, taking these sort of sky-bridge walkways between buildings, and then once you're inside the hotel, you have to then get to the proper floor, etc. We have a good bit of gear that we have to carry with us (music stands, instruments, etc.) so when venues make it difficult for us to unload our stuff and get it to the actual ceremony site, it is a big downside for us. Doing valet parking would make logistics infinitely more convenient and easier, but the financial burden of valet parking is a big consideration.

Take a look at that view though!!!!!

Lighting: Something that I notice with a lot of venues is that there are often a lot of windows, which is both a great thing, and sometimes a not so great thing, depending on which way the sun is coming in. The Crowne Plaza has tons of floor to ceiling windows, which is great except for the areas that end up being "backlit." I'm not a photographer, but I do know that it's difficult for photographers to get good indoor photos when things are backlit with the bright sun. If a photo is backlight, what *can* end up happening is that the subject of the photo is a silhouette and whatever is outside the windows ends up being a white haze. AHP Photo +Video did an amazing job photographing this venue! Not all photographers could have done such a good job with these windows. (Sidebar: no matter the venue, floor to ceiling windows can sometimes get very hot!)

Gahh look at this preciousness! I HAVE NEVER LOVED A RING BEARER DOG AS MUCH AS I LOVE THIS PUP.

YESSSSS CITY STROLLING CUTENESS

I CANNOT HANDLE THE CUTENESS OF THIS BRIDAL PARTY.

Overall score: 5 out of 10. This venue gets a low score mainly because of the parking and logistical difficulties. Venues that make it more difficult for vendors to work are always going to get low marks from me!

Puppy score: 12 out of 10 for unbelievable cuteness and preciousness

If there is a venue that you'd like me to review, let me know in the comments below!

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Venue Review! -- The Hotel at Avalon --

Venue Review! --Crowne Plaza, Atlanta GA--

Crowne Plaza Midtown, Atlanta GA

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