Round 3! Scott and I took a trip down to Plymouth, MA this weekend to check out the third on our list of potential wedding venues: White Cliffs County Club.
If you're looking for a place away from the fast-pace of the city with a beautiful water view for your ceremony/reception, this place is pretty hard to beat. Standing on top of a 200+ foot cliff, White Cliffs had a ridiculous view over Cape Cod Bay. Don't be deceived by the gray branches in the picture to the right, everything is green and in full bloom once Spring rolls around!
The event coordinator Linda told us that the grounds crew plants new flowers every season and keeps things in tip-top shape during wedding season. The photo albums we saw later had some unbelievable pictures of the bride and groom down on the beach below. The gazebo where they typically have the ceremony was really cute too (pic on the left) -- there was enough room to fit 160 chairs on either side of the path/aisle, and all of the pictures looked nice when the flowers and bushes around the gazebo were all in bloom.
As the view outside was awesome, we knew that the reception details would pretty much make or break our decision to go with White Cliffs. We met with Linda in the room where they'd have the dance floor and DJ (pic on the right) -- it had really nice high ceilings and big windows that looked out on Cape Cod Bay. It was what I'd consider to be a "classic" style, with chandeliers and more traditional-looking decor. The dance floor was well sized, but you couldn't really change the size or placement, like you could at Ipswich.
For the dinner/cocktail hour, they set up a tent over the back patio (pic to the left) that connects to the clubhouse (where the dance floor is). The tent holds up to 200 people, and they can set up stations in the corners if you'd prefer buffett over plated dinners. In October, we'd have to have heaters out in the tent in case it got chilly -- which it definitely could with the way the winds can whip off Cape Cod Bay.
I was, however, surprised to hear that the dance floor and DJ would be completely separate from the dining area. When I started thinking about the reception and having a great time dancing with family and friends, I realized how awkward it might be to have that big of a separation between the main clubhouse and tent. When "Don't Stop Believing" comes on, I want to be able to just reach out and grab Katie Traut or Ben Haber (after he's had a few raspberry beers) and bring them right in to the joy that is fist pumping! I told Scott I'd rather have the dance floor right in the middle of everything, so if my Grandpa or G-Ma want to sit and watch the "kids" dance and just chat with friends, they could still have a great time and not feel like they weren't a part of the celebration.
The menu had tons of options for all different tastes, although it was definitely more expensive than the other two venues. We ran the numbers and it was definitely a $$$ on a $$$ scale. White Cliffs didn't have a bridal suite but Linda said the girls could use the office if we needed to leave our stuff or touch-up makeup and whatnot. Scott and I asked about nearby accomodations since we have a lot of guests coming from out of town, but it didn't seem like there were many nearby options -- I realized that for an ocean view like that, you might have to compromise on a few things, like proximity to hotels. But then I said to myself... screw it! It's our wedding... compromise-shmompromise!
Did I mention that the bar must be closed by 10pm (5 hours after the start of the cocktail hour at 5pm)? Let's be serious people... we all know what the real dealbreaker is here.
My rating for White Cliffs Country Club: 3.5 out of 5
I was, however, surprised to hear that the dance floor and DJ would be completely separate from the dining area. When I started thinking about the reception and having a great time dancing with family and friends, I realized how awkward it might be to have that big of a separation between the main clubhouse and tent. When "Don't Stop Believing" comes on, I want to be able to just reach out and grab Katie Traut or Ben Haber (after he's had a few raspberry beers) and bring them right in to the joy that is fist pumping! I told Scott I'd rather have the dance floor right in the middle of everything, so if my Grandpa or G-Ma want to sit and watch the "kids" dance and just chat with friends, they could still have a great time and not feel like they weren't a part of the celebration.
The menu had tons of options for all different tastes, although it was definitely more expensive than the other two venues. We ran the numbers and it was definitely a $$$ on a $$$ scale. White Cliffs didn't have a bridal suite but Linda said the girls could use the office if we needed to leave our stuff or touch-up makeup and whatnot. Scott and I asked about nearby accomodations since we have a lot of guests coming from out of town, but it didn't seem like there were many nearby options -- I realized that for an ocean view like that, you might have to compromise on a few things, like proximity to hotels. But then I said to myself... screw it! It's our wedding... compromise-shmompromise!
Did I mention that the bar must be closed by 10pm (5 hours after the start of the cocktail hour at 5pm)? Let's be serious people... we all know what the real dealbreaker is here.
My rating for White Cliffs Country Club: 3.5 out of 5
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Ginger, seriously you are the best! i love your blog!
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