Went and looked at ceremony/reception sites.
Biltmore Hotel - right now this is at the top of the list. If you have never been, it is extravagent. My mom has held dozens of banquets there and never been disappointed. The rooms are gorgeous, and they are extremely accomadating. I think they are the top of my list. Of course, they are the most expensive.
Hollywood Roosevelt - another gorgeous old glamorous hotel. My second favorite (used to be my first but I think I like the Biltmore a little more). The room we would have would be the room they held the very first Academy Awards in (after that they moved to the Biltmore for many years). It is a tiny bit cheaper than the Biltmore, but not much. The downside is that it is darker all around, which concerns Insaniac immensly (he is worried about the cameras). Also, they gave away our date by "mistake" which pisses me off. UPDATE!The Roosevelt is booked through March. Fuck em.
Cicada Restaurant - Goreous and unique. I have been to several post-Emmy Awards parties there, and they do a spectacular job. They are very "old Hollywood" and just beautiful. If you saw "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," they used Cicada in the scene where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie dance, where Angelina says it was where they got engaged or whatever. The downside here: no on-site room to get ready in. However, they have a deal with the Biltmore (less than a block away) to get a bridal suite at a heavily discounted rate, and would send a car for me to bring me to the restaurant. Oh, and Cicada is significantly cheaper than the Roosevelt or Biltmore.
The Los Angeles Music Center - we didn't like it. The view was spectacular, but I didn't like the room and it is more expensive than any other option. The upside is that it is catered by Patina, and they do a fantastic job. Otherwise, no damn good. That's off the list.
Sheraton Universal - A very average choice. It is considerably cheaper than any other option. It is really meant for banquets and conventions. It is very average. The room we would use hass all glass walls and a fantastic view, but there is this weird emergency exit staircase in the middle of the room. This hotel offers us the fewest options for ceremony, cocktails, and reception, and I am pretty sure that their cocktail area will not hold our projected 230 guests. Plus, there is not a single attractive place to take pictures. Oh and the menu is very basic and uninteresting. My mom has attended functions there and she says they do a good job, but again, these have not been weddings. It is an average choice, but even my mom (who is paying for it) is leaning towards the Biltmore. UPDATE!My mom nixed this from the list. Even though it is cheaper, she still decided it was too much money for what it was. Which is good because the more I thought about it, the more I hated it. I love my mom.
Tomorrow we are going to go look at the Mariott which my dad swears is beautiful (but it is in Agoura Hills. For those of you not familiar, it is a really generic suburban neighborhood that is just so... icky). But I am trying to keep my mind open.
So do I go for boring and banal just to have a reception hall and save the money or do I spend the money for something fantastic that I know I will love and cater to our preferences? In this case, it is SO true when they say "you get what you pay for."
Biltmore Hotel - right now this is at the top of the list. If you have never been, it is extravagent. My mom has held dozens of banquets there and never been disappointed. The rooms are gorgeous, and they are extremely accomadating. I think they are the top of my list. Of course, they are the most expensive.
Hollywood Roosevelt - another gorgeous old glamorous hotel. My second favorite (used to be my first but I think I like the Biltmore a little more). The room we would have would be the room they held the very first Academy Awards in (after that they moved to the Biltmore for many years). It is a tiny bit cheaper than the Biltmore, but not much. The downside is that it is darker all around, which concerns Insaniac immensly (he is worried about the cameras). Also, they gave away our date by "mistake" which pisses me off. UPDATE!The Roosevelt is booked through March. Fuck em.
Cicada Restaurant - Goreous and unique. I have been to several post-Emmy Awards parties there, and they do a spectacular job. They are very "old Hollywood" and just beautiful. If you saw "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," they used Cicada in the scene where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie dance, where Angelina says it was where they got engaged or whatever. The downside here: no on-site room to get ready in. However, they have a deal with the Biltmore (less than a block away) to get a bridal suite at a heavily discounted rate, and would send a car for me to bring me to the restaurant. Oh, and Cicada is significantly cheaper than the Roosevelt or Biltmore.
The Los Angeles Music Center - we didn't like it. The view was spectacular, but I didn't like the room and it is more expensive than any other option. The upside is that it is catered by Patina, and they do a fantastic job. Otherwise, no damn good. That's off the list.
Sheraton Universal - A very average choice. It is considerably cheaper than any other option. It is really meant for banquets and conventions. It is very average. The room we would use hass all glass walls and a fantastic view, but there is this weird emergency exit staircase in the middle of the room. This hotel offers us the fewest options for ceremony, cocktails, and reception, and I am pretty sure that their cocktail area will not hold our projected 230 guests. Plus, there is not a single attractive place to take pictures. Oh and the menu is very basic and uninteresting. My mom has attended functions there and she says they do a good job, but again, these have not been weddings. It is an average choice, but even my mom (who is paying for it) is leaning towards the Biltmore. UPDATE!My mom nixed this from the list. Even though it is cheaper, she still decided it was too much money for what it was. Which is good because the more I thought about it, the more I hated it. I love my mom.
Tomorrow we are going to go look at the Mariott which my dad swears is beautiful (but it is in Agoura Hills. For those of you not familiar, it is a really generic suburban neighborhood that is just so... icky). But I am trying to keep my mind open.
So do I go for boring and banal just to have a reception hall and save the money or do I spend the money for something fantastic that I know I will love and cater to our preferences? In this case, it is SO true when they say "you get what you pay for."
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
obsidian_:
really, it was all to confuse you
bombshellbetty:
Hey, thanks for the link to that Webmonkey site! Cheat sheets rule! 
I'm kinda enjoying having to learn the basics of HTML. I'd done updating and such on websites in the past using Dreamweaver, and I had no idea how things actually worked!
I'm kinda enjoying having to learn the basics of HTML. I'd done updating and such on websites in the past using Dreamweaver, and I had no idea how things actually worked!