Vibrant Venues

By Sammi Fremont

Proximity, connection, aesthetic and accommodations are all crucial considerations when choosing a location and venue for your wedding reception. Professionals from Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens in Akron, Signature of Solon and House of Blues Cleveland discuss how to choose your perfect wedding site and what makes their venues special.

When we take folks out for their initial appointment, you can usually tell if they’re going to connect with you or not. If you connect with the right person, somebody that you are confi dent working with, you know that everything’s going to fall into place. ... Take a look at and see what you connect to. You’re going to connect to the landscape and the fl owers and the beautiful surroundings.

- Bob Ulm, director of rental services, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens

Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens

New Image Photography / Signature of Solon

It has to be a space that feels like a couple, which is why we tend to get a lot of more nontraditional couples. We can still do traditional weddings, but it really is for people that love rock ‘n’ roll, or if they met at a concert. ... It just needs to be a space that fits your budget, but fits your idea and that you’re going to have a good time planning and not be stressed because the venue itself is going to help you every step of the way – from the initial planning through the day of the event. If you’re doing your ceremony with us, we always have an attendant that’s with the bridal party to keep them on time and help them with any questions that they have.

- Julie Woyma, senior director of special event sales, House of Blues Cleveland

One of the things that is a true unique selling proposition for us is there aren’t very many country clubs that have a ballroom the size of Signature. We have a ballroom that can accommodate up to 500 people. And in that ballroom, there are great windows and views of the golf course and a lake. What we find is a lot of facilities that can accommodate the amount of people that we can are oftentimes hotel ballrooms with no windows, so we’ve kind of got a little bit of the best of both worlds where we’ve got the size but we also have the views that you don’t find together very often.

- Dan DeCrow, general manager, Signature of Solon

Sarah Rose Photography & Design / House of Blues Cleveland