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Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

Original post by melodicharmony

NOTE: Sorry this is long!

I simply cannot decide between Swan Club and Thatched Cottage. It’s causing a great deal of stress for me. I was hoping for help and advice!

We’ll be having an intimate affair which immediately limited our options- our minimum is a mere 75. We also needed an experienced and flexible caterer to deal with our large variety of specific requests. It’s a vegetarian wedding for philosophical purposes and non-alcoholic for religious purposes, but my FH and I envisioned a wedding where the food and drinks were so varied and delicious that no one would really notice. Thatched Cottage and Swan Club both greeted our annoying requests with a big smile and willingness to create and change their dishes for us and meet and exceed our needs. We also NEEDED beautiful gardens, nice outdoor spots, and a view from the RH, and both are offering us this as well. If anyone has been to both or one of these sites, you know just how beautiful their grounds are!

So, here’s my pro-con list for both. If anyone wants to respond or FM me with advice as to how to prioritize these things, that will probably save me some anxiety and many tears, since I’m so completely torn…

Thatched Cottage
PRO: One wedding at a time! This was a dream I had for my wedding a long time ago. I was so impressed that they could offer that to us!
PRO: Included array of linens to match the colors of my wedding at no additional fee. I’m on a budget, so this was great news. And the chairs are already the exact color my theme is going for so I wouldn’t need chair covers.
PRO: I didn’t feel like I was in a wedding factory, if you know what I mean. Churning out brides and marrying off the masses feel. It had an intimate, natural, secluded feel to it. And we checked the tides, the water level would be high for the whole event, so no drained space for us, just beautiful waterside intimacy.
CON: The outdoor space, while beautiful, doesn’t exactly allow for us to slip away for
photos during the cocktail hour. We don’t want to see each other before ceremony, so pre-photo shots are out. So I don’t know if that would be difficult or distracting for us to do.
CON: The ceremony space doesn’t create the “dream wedding” scenario that I had in mind like Swan Club’s location does. I wanted to be hidden until the moment everyone stands to greet me, but also wanted a sunny space. It’s hard to explain. It’s just a little gazebo in the corner of the garden. If a TC bride loved her ceremony spot I’d love to hear from you. I’m not completely torn yet by this.
CON: On our budget, they can’t provide us a weekend date at our minimum, but rather a Thursday evening. I want an evening, but I’d prefer a Sunday evening. They were also willing to consider a Friday afternoon.

Swan Club
PRO: Amazing grounds, more space for a wide variety of shots, and probably more space for full wedding party shots, too. Loving the fountains and little details in the gardens.
PRO: Even more friendly than Thatched on creating a beautiful vegetarian wedding. They have slightly more experience with this, although Thatched can boast having done a vegan wedding, and that is a true feat.
PRO: Oh my goodness, the ceremony room. It was the one I’ve envisioned in dreams. It was actually kind of creepy how beautiful it was. My FH just stood in it gaping because it was everything he wanted in a ceremony room as well.
PRO: They’ll do a Sunday for us, so since all our guests are out of towners it will mean less inconvenience to them as far as taking days off from work to come.
CON: MANY WEDDINGS AT A TIME! Brides bumping into each other? Wedding factory style? Wedding party traffic jams? Anyone want to prove me wrong and ease my anxiety over this? Because it’s a MAJOR issue for me. From the Contessa Room they offered us, we will be able to SEE the next ceremony going on, the other bride(s)… this makes me really nervous and worried about it not having the feel that it is OUR day.
CON: While they offered us a Sunday at the exact same price as Thatched for a Thursday, they will only give us an afternoon wedding. A serious consideration, of course.
CON: The color theme did not match what I had in mind, so coordinating around it will be a real challenge. My original vision was more of an earthy, eggplant, brown type of thing, and the room is yellow and gold with lots of mirrors.

So, what is more important? The ceremony of my dreams at SC? The reception of my dreams at TC? Intimacy at TC? Grandeur of SC? I have no idea.

Thanks for your help!
dazies1011 Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

I have to say I have never been to Thatched Cottage, wanted to look at if for our RH but, fell in love with The Riviera.
I have gone to 3 weddings at The Swan Club and I loved all of them. They were in 3 different rooms and while other weddings were going on you didnt even notice. They food and the grounds are amazing. If I hadnt gone 3 times already for other weddings I would have looked in to it for myself.
I say go for the Swan Club.
oldladybride Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

Posted by Alyssa79

Posted by melodicharmony

Hey, in response to all the great feedback:

I did look at Larkfield and thought it was very nice, but the price was a bit too high for what we can afford. We're definitely a big budget couple. But it is a very pretty place!
.


Larkfield compared to Thatched price wise?? Thatched is QUITE a bit more (at least what I got quoted)


the same was true when I checked which is why I suggested checking LM.
you mention time and also doing Thurs. - - the quotes you got which are really good when are they for - - that makes a big difference in price.
melodicharmony Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

I don't mind sharing my quotes. Larkfield, if I remember correctly, priced us at $75pp for a Thursday evening. A lot of other places had that price, too.

Thatched and Swan Club both offered $65pp. Ten bucks a person less makes a difference for us. These were the lowest we were offered of all the places we looked into (about a dozen).

This is for a July wedding. I know they're low prices all around, but it's a dry wedding, so that drops the price. I've considered haggling with Thatched for a Sunday at the same price, but the tide will be low and I've heard the water drains out of that little nook at low tide.

Technically, Thatched is more expensive because of that silly $350 'Site Fee' which Swan Club doesn't have. But they have way more food, and it's french style, and maybe that's just the price you pay for being the only wedding going on. It's an annoying fee, all the same, very 'hidden cost' like the way it was presented to us at the last minute.
mls282 Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

Posted by Alyssa79

Posted by melodicharmony

Hey, in response to all the great feedback:

I did look at Larkfield and thought it was very nice, but the price was a bit too high for what we can afford. We're definitely a big budget couple. But it is a very pretty place!
.


Larkfield compared to Thatched price wise?? Thatched is QUITE a bit more (at least what I got quoted)


Same here. Thatched cottage quotes me the most... then Larkfield... and Swan Club quoted me the least.

Another thing is it depends how far they are coming out of town. We were thinking of doing a Thursday night but then people would have to take off at least 2 days of work which we felt was too much to ask them. If you do it on a Friday or Sunday they only have to miss one day of work. But my OOT are traveling from Boston and Florida (so its only a few hours away).
HTH!
mls282 Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

Posted by melodicharmony

I don't mind sharing my quotes. Larkfield, if I remember correctly, priced us at $75pp for a Thursday evening. A lot of other places had that price, too.

Thatched and Swan Club both offered $65pp. Ten bucks a person less makes a difference for us. These were the lowest we were offered of all the places we looked into (about a dozen).

This is for a July wedding. I know they're low prices all around, but it's a dry wedding, so that drops the price. I've considered haggling with Thatched for a Sunday at the same price, but the tide will be low and I've heard the water drains out of that little nook at low tide.

Technically, Thatched is more expensive because of that silly $350 'Site Fee' which Swan Club doesn't have. But they have way more food, and it's french style, and maybe that's just the price you pay for being the only wedding going on. It's an annoying fee, all the same, very 'hidden cost' like the way it was presented to us at the last minute.


Wow. Actually that seems like A LOT for a dry wedding on a Thursday night! I have practically the same price on a Sunday evening will full open bar and tons of food in July!!!
melodicharmony Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

Seriously? That makes me suspect, then! Because Thatched wanted 95pp for a Sunday night. I didn't call CLM because it seemed a little different from our style, but now I'm curious...

Hmmm...
melodicharmony Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

Another thought: there is the issue of our guest count. Could places actually be raising the price to counter our guest count? I didn't think that was possible, seems a bit unethical. But you are right that dry weddings should be cheap. Most places said taking out alcohol chops 5-10 dollars off the price. Although one place chopped off 25 dollars and it went from $100pp to $75pp. So I don't know really what the deal is with that.

It's annoying for them, though, cooking wise, to find ways of cooking without alcohol. Since it's religious it's more strict, so maybe just the inconvenience of it keeps the price up a bit? I don't know
mls282 Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

HMMM... I don't know. I do know that the open bar piece adds about $25pp maybe more. Thats why I am surprised to hear that quote .. especially for a Thursday night. How many guests do you have?? At CLM I was quoted $70pp for Sunday evening with full open bar. And Thursday night I think was even less $$. And I am pretty sure Swan Club was cheaper than that even... Thatched Cottage quoted me higher than CLM though although I don't remember the exact price.... I think it was $90.
gabandcarl Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

Thatched Cottage quoted me 105pp plus grat. and tax for a friday night next july with open bar. Your quote seems right.

Alyssa79 Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

Posted by mls282

Posted by melodicharmony

I don't mind sharing my quotes. Larkfield, if I remember correctly, priced us at $75pp for a Thursday evening. A lot of other places had that price, too.

Thatched and Swan Club both offered $65pp. Ten bucks a person less makes a difference for us. These were the lowest we were offered of all the places we looked into (about a dozen).

This is for a July wedding. I know they're low prices all around, but it's a dry wedding, so that drops the price. I've considered haggling with Thatched for a Sunday at the same price, but the tide will be low and I've heard the water drains out of that little nook at low tide.

Technically, Thatched is more expensive because of that silly $350 'Site Fee' which Swan Club doesn't have. But they have way more food, and it's french style, and maybe that's just the price you pay for being the only wedding going on. It's an annoying fee, all the same, very 'hidden cost' like the way it was presented to us at the last minute.


Wow. Actually that seems like A LOT for a dry wedding on a Thursday night! I have practically the same price on a Sunday evening will full open bar and tons of food in July!!!


i have to agree. it does seem too much. Considering all these places have alcohol 'included' within the price and it's one of the most expensive parts (especially if it's top shelf/premium) i'd honestly think they'd be a hell of a lot better on price.

as for the $350 site fee, i don't see that on my paperwork however, i see an extra service charge for $550 on top of tax & gratuity. Also looking at my paper, maybe you should check into a Sunday afternoon. The price isn't bad at all.

As for Swan Club pricing my 1st quote I thought was cool HOWEVER looking over that menu and then being shown the upgrade for $20 more per person, my quote wasn't cool. Considering places like Fox Hollow, Thatched & Jericho Terrace already had this stuff included within their price, Swan Club now just came out more expensive.

these places are so sneaky!! lol
melodicharmony Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

Posted by Alyssa79

i have to agree. it does seem too much. Considering all these places have alcohol 'included' within the price and it's one of the most expensive parts (especially if it's top shelf/premium) i'd honestly think they'd be a hell of a lot better on price.


I should mention both places are offering us a full mocktail hour, with frozen virgin drinks and sparkling ciders, etc. That's why we loved both of them- they were willing to put in the effort to make it a great experience even without alcohol.

I'm sure if we cut out the mocktail hour the price would go down again, but I really want that. I don't plan to attend it, but I want my guests totally comfortable while we spend time with the photographer.
bensgirl Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

i don't know if this helps you or confuses matters, but swan club cost us $75pp on a sunday afternoon. we did add some 'extras' so that made the price a little higher. but even without the extras, the swan club offered SO much food there is no way i could even imagine more! :)

i don't think these places are quoting you more because you have a smaller amount of ppl though. if they are, then that's shady we only had 74 ppl and no place quoted us over $100 (keep in mind we only looked at a few places)

also, i know there's a lot to consider and you want to make sure all your needs are met, but what helped me when we were looking was trying to imagine myself walking down the aisle and where that would be! once i did that, it really helped me make up my mind. HTH!!! :)
bensgirl Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

Posted by melodicharmony

Posted by Alyssa79

i have to agree. it does seem too much. Considering all these places have alcohol 'included' within the price and it's one of the most expensive parts (especially if it's top shelf/premium) i'd honestly think they'd be a hell of a lot better on price.


I should mention both places are offering us a full mocktail hour, with frozen virgin drinks and sparkling ciders, etc. That's why we loved both of them- they were willing to put in the effort to make it a great experience even without alcohol.

I'm sure if we cut out the mocktail hour the price would go down again, but I really want that. I don't plan to attend it, but I want my guests totally comfortable while we spend time with the photographer.


wow! that is so cool! :)
mls282 Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

Posted by melodicharmony

Posted by Alyssa79

i have to agree. it does seem too much. Considering all these places have alcohol 'included' within the price and it's one of the most expensive parts (especially if it's top shelf/premium) i'd honestly think they'd be a hell of a lot better on price.


I should mention both places are offering us a full mocktail hour, with frozen virgin drinks and sparkling ciders, etc. That's why we loved both of them- they were willing to put in the effort to make it a great experience even without alcohol.

I'm sure if we cut out the mocktail hour the price would go down again, but I really want that. I don't plan to attend it, but I want my guests totally comfortable while we spend time with the photographer.


Oh that sounds so nice! Thats cool that they offer that.... but it still does not account for the price. Booze is what makes cocktail hour pricey... especially top shelf which is included with mine.
Maybe I am wrong.. I don't know. I would think the price would be about $50pp without alcohol... and not much more than that especially for a Thursday night. I would at the leasy inquire about the pricing since open bar packages are usually $20-$30pp.
oldladybride Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

just wanted to tell you Larkfield price for me and say w/o alcohol your price esp for a Thurs does seem high there. I can understand moving on but don't understand their pricing.
I booked Larkfield Nov 2006 and they said prices would be going up but I have heard similar prices recently so I'm not sure what the increase was but for Sun evening in Sep 2007 it was $75 with open bar for Silver menu.
now they have at least 2 regular packages - - Gold and Silver so maybe some of it depends on which they were quoting you. we had 60 persom minimum. I think with the smaller numbers, they don't quote higher but I think they won't take much if anything off it because they want to clear X amt for the room. they threw in xtras but kept price .

BTW they served nonachols at our CH which were yummy.

Renee77 Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

I have never been to the Swan Club, but I have heard mixed reviews. I think you're going to find that with a lot of places. I am biased, we're having our Reception at The Thatched Cottage. We loved it and felt it was different than a lot of the typical RH's. They just re-did the cocktail hour room, it's beautiful.
You have to decide what's right for you guys. We just knew it was right for us.

Good Luck
Sharron70 Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

I'm not sure what their pricing is, but 'betani' just had a vegetarian wedding at the Irish Coffee Pub.

betani's review
glow25 Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

I'm leaning towards the Thatched Cottage. I'd like to check the tides as well. What website did you use?

kkoz Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

Just a response to the last post regarding the tides at Thatched Cottage: you don't have to worry about tides there because there is a 'dam' that is closed on Thursday-Mon that keeps the water level in the bay. So the water there is not affected by high or low tide...the water level stays the same. I am getting married there next summer and they explained this to me when I asked about the tides.

tgrlily339 Posted:

Re: Help me decide: Swan Club or Thatched Cottage?!

Posted by kkoz

Just a response to the last post regarding the tides at Thatched Cottage: you don't have to worry about tides there because there is a 'dam' that is closed on Thursday-Mon that keeps the water level in the bay. So the water there is not affected by high or low tide...the water level stays the same. I am getting married there next summer and they explained this to me when I asked about the tides.


They told me the same thing.. Was also told that they empty the bay during the week not only for construction purposes but to kill off the algae and what not so that in the summer and 'low tide' (even though it doesnt get low) you dont have that icky fishy smell during your cocktail hour.

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