Venue Review! -- The Hotel at Avalon --

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.

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