amenities, but really what are they?

At the very beginning of my adventure as a venue owner I realized very quickly one of the most commonly asked questions is what amenities are offered. It gave me this massive complex of not living up to other venues so I dove head first into the sea of venue offerings and what I learned was astounding. The word amenities brings to my mind things like a complimentary mimosa bar, or continental breakfast, things like that. What I realized quickly is how vastly different most of the venues are from what I expected. Most do not have heat or air conditioning. Now, in my time in the event business I’ve been to a lot of venues. There was one that was set atop a mountain. The view and the venue were stunning however, handicapped accessibility was impossible. Setting up as a vendor was a nightmare, walking in heels for the guests was a possible deadly situation, and God forbid bride’s Nana had to pee because there was no way her walker would travel up the very uneven stone steps that were a curved design. So I really took a peek at my venue compared to others and the way it stacked in design and what makes a bride and grooms life easy is unparalleled. Some venues have one bathroom while ours has several with a backup. Most venues have kitchens or prep spaces that won’t allow you to use them other than lay things on the counter. The parking lots for many venues are either hay, yes you read that right, hay, or they are across the highway with zero lighting, or they are tiny. Many venues misrepresent to brides their “indoor capacity” by including the outdoor uncovered patio that is considered “indoor” when they open the barn doors to it. If it rains at those venues, your guests are wet. Most venues don’t include clean up or offer multi day packages. There are a ton of groom suites out there that I’ve heard described as a closet, that’s just sad. At the end of the day, when I really stepped back and compared, our venue offered the best of the best as far as amenities and I didn’t even know it. Lakeside has the best price for its size and capacity for how pretty it is of any I’ve seen. We have the capability to have all indoor ceremony and reception for over 200 people. Our property is navigable for all ages and stages of mobility. We have a stunning water view with indoor and outdoor options. You can cook in our kitchen if you wish with any vendor selection you wish to choose. The decor closet is an amazing offering and the tables don’t require linens if you don’t want to mess with that hassle of getting them straight and wrinkle free. The chairs are chiavari inside and white wood folding outside. Groom suite is a great size while the bride and her posse has a separate cabin that is perfect for the grand entrance. Overall, ours just stacks up better. Easy access, close to fine dining, gambling, town, last minute “whoops I forgot!” runs. If you haven’t yet you should come see for yourself.