Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Venue: Manhattan Penthouse

I have been meaning to post on this venue for soooo long but with all of the other stuff going on I just haven't had time but if we plan on getting hitched (which we do) I think I might need to get a move on with this wedding plan business. So here is one more potential venue that the Big Guy and I are considering, Manhattan Penthouse.

Manhattan Penthouse is located on 5th Ave close to Union Square (and my law school ... woot!) on the 17th Floor. The inside has an old-NY look and is definitely NOT one of those ruffly, lavish, chandelier swinging, windy staircase having, princess-dream-land catering halls which made me one very happy non-princessy bride to be. The simple and classic look of the decor made me break into a huge smile and a deep sigh of relief upon seeing it. 

The first room is where the cocktail hour would be and has its own grand piano and huge oval windows.


The next room is the banquet room where the ceremony and reception would be. Overall, I really liked the look of it but it left me wishing that the ceiling were just a bit higher, I mean what if my head hits the ceiling during that whole chair lift thing?? (I know I am being a brat now ... maybe I can just construct a wedding venue and then have a wedding there? That wouldn't be insane right? right!)

Now down to the nitty gritty .... the price is one of the lowest I have seen for a venue in NYC, especially for one that only hosts one wedding at a time. When I spoke to them they said the price would be between 100 - 130 per person. 

Plus, the biggest news is this: they actually said YES to having vodka bottle on the table!!! No, I am not kidding. Normally, when I ask that question, the wedding coordinator for that space looks at me with a mix of shock, disgust, terror, and confusion but the woman at Manhattan Penthouse just said, "Oh, is it a Russian wedding? Sure, we have plenty of those!" I almost cried and hugged her, but I remained composed, mostly because it still has the whole time limit problem. They only give 5 hours for the wedding which is way short for the Ruskies. They would be willing to extend the time, for a price of course but of all the other places I have seen they seemed the most willing to negotiate.

So far, this is one of our best options. I have some more places to check out this week and then we have to make a decision asap otherwise all of our friends and family members are gonna pick for us ... and that may get .... ummm lets just say we need to pick something soon.

20 comments:

EliandMe said...

Wow that's lovely. Really.

The ceilings don't seem that low?

Anonymous said...

I love this place!!

Stephanie said...

Sounds perfect for you! Woot.

Anonymous said...

ooohhh this looks gorgeous! And I am *all about* vodka bottles on the tables.

I am not sure what "cheers" is in Russian, so I will just say "budmo!" which is Ukrainian ;)

What he ate, what I ate. said...

Damn! I wish I had looked at this place. Sounds like a steal, and it's lovely!

Marie said...

Wow, looks amazing! Congrats on finding it. Good luck on choosing.

The Professional Bridesmaid said...

I'm drooling! I love the venue. So elegant.

Hannah said...

Holy CRAP!! Your venue is AMAZING!! Awesome--- and Vodka is yucky to me haha-- but still fun!!

JennyLee said...

I love this venue! It's so classy!

Yevs said...

wait, i thought this was a bar blog... what is this wedding talk?

Kate said...

this place looks GORGEOUS.

THE ALTERNATIVE WIFE said...

It's a great venue. We looked at it back in Sept when we were venue hunting and it was my second option to le Parker Meridien. The windows are amazing and I love the bar! btw that's a great price! We were quoted MUCH higher than that. I guess the recession is having some positive effect for brides :)

Anonymous said...

I love this space! Perfect location too! And I am so happy for you that you can have a bottle of vodka on the table. Awesome!

east side bride said...

Time limit is a bummer, I have to say. You don't want to hear the clock ticking while you drink your vodka :O

Gangsta Bride said...

So pretty! Great find.

Anonymous said...

If you build your own venue, I will help you and have my wedding there too. I too have yet to find anything that would be a cool, unique, modern venue that does not seem cookie cutter. This is NEW YORK, so I am thinking it HAS to exist.

Mamali101 said...

Hi,
I am also thinking about selecting the penthouse for an off-season wedding. You indicated that they quoted you between 100-130 a person. Who did you speak with and what does this cost include? I was quoted $115 if I guarantee 135 people. However, I would love to speak with them and try and get the same deal that you got.
Thanks for your help.

Bridechka said...

Irmali, they never gave me a firm price, they just said that it would be somewhere in the area of 100 -130 depending on what options we got. I think they are really open to negotiation though. Talk to them and ask what they can do for you in terms of throwing in some food freebies or maybe extra time. Venues are a lot more likely to give you free stuff than reduce the price (but they do sometimes, so never be afraid to ask and negotiate!). Email me if you have any more questions :)

Anonymous said...

I saw this venue last weekend. I am planning a wedding in New York on 12/31/09. It is going to be wedding reception combined with New Year's party. I liked the old New York charm. My parents and boyfriend really liked it. I just was concerned about the older appearance of the inside of the building and the older looking elevator. By the way, I am russian too. We are not going to have a vodka bottle on every table:), I don't want my non-russian friends getting drunk from it and being out of control :). The ceiling is slightly lower then I would like as well. I liked this venue more then I thought I would. I usually go for a contemporary look. I also saw the Glasshouses. It a contemporary looking venue, very simple loft like with huge from floor to ceiling windows. However, you need to hire a caterer for it and looks like it is going to be over my budget. I am checking it out.

Unknown said...

I one word I can say about this Penthouse is just Awesome. This looks really lavish, the interior is just beautiful. Can you suggest me some best penthouse nyc?