I am curious to know from previous Sans Souci brides/guests if there was any part of the ceremony/reception that you felt could have used improvement. FH and I are considering booking the Sans Souci this weekend and have only heard fabulous reviews. Our plan is to have the ceremony and cocktail hour outside. Thanks!
Stacey1403
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Re: Sans Souci-Any Negative Feedback?
The only thing that I noticed that might bother the bride is that the dance floor is situated kinda in a weird position from the rest of the room. The food and service are great. The inside is beautiful! The dance floor was the only(depending on what bothers you) slight flaw. Hope this helps!
Meg9-20-02
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Re: Sans Souci-Any Negative Feedback?
It is so hard for me think of anything negative! We loved the Sans Souci soooo much!! I can think of a few things, though, that might bother some people . . . #1 - The place is small. If you are planning on having over 150 guests, it might be tight. #2 - Because of the layout of the room, not many guests can see the 'main events' from their seats (i.e. cake cutting, bm and moh toasts, dances with parents). I personally loved the layout . . . I didn't have to worry about who I would have sit next to the dj's speakers (which seems to be where I always get stuck at weddings and it really isn't too pleasant). I also liked that the dance floor was huge and you had extra room around it in case it was too crowded. As for the positives about Sans Souci - Too many to list!! The outside cocktail hour was amazing. The food was absolutely spectacular. I actually ate my dinner! Carol (who ended up acting as our maitre d that night) was incredible. Not one thing went wrong . . . And if it did, at least I didn't know about it. IMO, for the price, Sans Souci is one of the best places out there. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask - Good luck!
nlp
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Re: Sans Souci-Any Negative Feedback?
When I went to see the place, I thought the place was beautiful!! But then I forced myself to pay closer attention to the details and when I did I noticed the following:
1. The linens looked old. I noticed a few holes that had been patched up. 2. The chairs were also very old, which is why I guess they use chair covers. But again I wasn't happy with the quality of the chair covers. My FI and I thought about renting linens and chair covers but decided this would be to expensive for us. 3. Also the grass in the outside area looked fake. I'm not sure if it was but that's how it looked to be. It outside area is also kind of small. 4. You might also want to ask, how they handle things if it rains.
These are just my observations and my opinions. I have to say that despite this, I still thought the place was very charming but decided to book elsewhere.
GinaM
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Re: Sans Souci-Any Negative Feedback?
**Meg9-20-02**Glad to hear you had a wonderful experience. Hope you don't mind, I have a couple of questions.
Did you have your ceremony there? If so, how smoothly did the turnover between ceremony and cocktail hour go?
Did you notice the poor quality of chairs/linens?
How (if at all)did the power lines(looking towards the water) affect your pictures?
Did your guests seem to mind having to move in order to see the the first dances, cake cutting, etc..?
How many guests did you have? When I met with Nargis, the room was set to hold 136 guests and I thought it looked 'tight.' We are planning for 125 guests. Thanks for your help!
Teri
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Re: Sans Souci-Any Negative Feedback?
I've never been there but my sister looked at the hall for her own wedding, and was a little disappointed with the power lines in the way of the views.....otherwise I've heard great comments about the place!
Anedi
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Re: Sans Souci-Any Negative Feedback?
Hi Gina! I had my reception at the Sans Souci on October 12, 2002. We had 127 guests and it was quite comfortable. The food was incredible (My family and friends are still talking about it!) and the service excellent. Carol was great and Nargis was fantastic! It rained--poured--on our wedding day so an outdoor cocktail hour was not possible. There was plenty of room inside for the cocktail hour, and the room was turned around without incident. To tell you the truth, I did not notice the linens. None of my guests mentioned anything (Mom would be the first!). I liked the layout of the room, although it is different than other places I looked at. I can't say enough good things about the place. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask! And Good Luck! Diane
Meg9-20-02
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Re: Sans Souci-Any Negative Feedback?
Hi Gina, I did not have my ceremony there so I can't really tell you how the transition goes from personal experience but I did know a couple who did get married there and they had no problems as far as I know. It was even raining so the ceremony was inside. As far as the table linens / chair covers, they looked brand new to me. As Anedi said, my mom, too, would have been the first to comment on them if they looked old or worn. The powerlines did not effect my pictures at all. Honestly, I didn't even notice them. We took most of our pictures on the side of the lawn closer to the side road and then on the sidewalk down by the water. My guests didn't seem to mind at all moving to be able to see all the main events. Honestly, most of them didn't even get up - They didn't seem to be too interested in most of it. There were people who gathered around the dancefloor for the dances and the cake cutting. I don't think it was a big deal because most of our guests were up dancing the whole time anyway. I had about 150 guests (although 10 didn't show up). The room was not crowded at all. I was able to move around quite easily and I had a big dress on. If I had to have one more table, it definitely would have been tight. 125 will definitely be comfortable. If you have any other questions, really, feel free to ask! Good luck!!
ChristineC68
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Re: Sans Souci-Any Negative Feedback?
We went to Diane's wedding there and it was wonderful. The transition from cocktail hour to reception were transparent (the ceremony was elsewhere). Everything was moved around and cleared so quickly I don't think anyone really noticed.
The lay out is not tradional but makes it easier to mingle since the dance floor does not seperate anyone. Meg's point about the speakers is excellent! San Souci left a couple of the cocktail tables on the side of the dance floor for anyone that needs to take a second to rest from dancing.
It has been my experience at pretty much all weddings that the guests generally gather around the bride and groom on the dance floor for the main events anyway.
A professional photographer should be able to take pictures without capturing the power lines or be able to have them edited out.
chmlengr
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Re: Sans Souci-Any Negative Feedback?
I got married at the Sans Souci in May - and loved everything about it. We did not have our ceremony there, but did have our cocktail hour outside. I didn't think the grass looked fake!! We took all our group shots on the side of the grassy area facing the water, and the views were awesome. I didn't even notice powerlines in them, so I guess our photographer did some pretty creative shots. We also walked across the street to take shots at the beach area.
We had about 115 adults and spread them over 14 tables. It worked out well and the layout was nice. I loved the fact the dining area is a few steps up and away from the dance floor. Let me say a few things that hooked us with the place and we can say after having had our reception there, was well worth it:
The food is phenominal - I think we booked it alone on the tasting of the food. If you haven't sampled it yet, you won't be disappointed. You may think I'm biased, but ask anyone who's eaten there. (My uncle is a chef and lead us in their direction)
The cake was also delicious, and included in the package. We asked for a very simple, stacked basket weave design and it couldn't have been better if we made it ourselves. Perfect!
The flowers for the table centerpieces were also included through Donald Hedgecok florist. We got exactly what we asked for and they were perfect... We got our boks and bouts elsewhere and they all matched so beautifully.
Service was excellent. Carol was an absolute doll to work with and Manuel was our maitre d'. Excellent as well.
The only concern I ever hear people have about the place is the size - i would say 130-140 tops. Also, people wonder about the band - we had an 8-piece band and they fit nicely and did a wonderful job.
See, like I said, we loved it there. Forum mail me if you have any questions or want to see any type of picture we may have taken there.
Good Luck...
Meg9-20-02
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Re: Sans Souci-Any Negative Feedback?
Gina M - Did you book?
GinaM
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Re: Sans Souci-Any Negative Feedback?
Hi! Well, we set a tentative date of 8/31/03. I am getting grief from my FML regarding the time of our ceremony (11:30am). Apparently, that's too early in the day for her and her fabulous friends. Either way, FH and I are going back on Saturday to meet with Nargis and to officially book the date and time. Another problem is that he is Jewish and I am catholic, so, it's hard for us to find a priest and a rabbi available on the same day. My family friend is Pastor, so, I would like him to be there and perform part of our ceremony. Ugh! So much for a simple affair. FH loved Sans Souci, and so do I, ultimately, that's all that matters.
merv
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Re: Sans Souci-Any Negative Feedback?
I am so happy that you both liked it! Good luck with your planning. Piece of advice when everyone chimed in to give me their opinion (fmil etc.) I just smiled and said, that's something to think about- and then did it the way I wanted.
bride04
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Re: Sans Souci-Any Negative Feedback?
Congratulations on finding a place for your ceremony! The Sans Souci is beautiful. You are so right--if you and your FH love it that is all that matters! I got some grief from my FMIL about having an early ceremony (11am) too, but I think she's getting over it. Good luck with the rest of the planning!
