Archives for December 2016

Dreaming of your own Christmas wedding? We love the idea! However, holiday weddings come with a few pros and cons you might want to consider before setting the date in stone.

Pros:

• Event design: need we say more? Whether you’re embracing traditional burgundy and emerald colors, or working with a modern white and gold holiday palette, there are so many opportunities to craft an exquisitely designed event.

• More intimate crowd: some guests may have holiday plans, so you’re likely to end up with a smaller guest list. For many couples, this can be considered a pro—fewer guests means you can stretch your budget much further per head count. An intimate ceremony and reception allows you to truly customize the experience for each guest.

• A fun anniversary date! In the future, an anniversary near the holidays can be a fun pro of a Christmas wedding. You may have more time off around the holidays, opening up your schedule for anniversary travels or special celebrations.

Cons:

• Church availability: a Christmastime wedding might not be ideal if you plan to tie the knot inside a church; with countless holiday services going on, it’s hard to find a date and time for a wedding. Instead, consider a venue that can host both the ceremony and the reception without any previously scheduled religious services to worry about.

• Vendor availability: First things first! Make sure your Dallas TX wedding reception venue is available. Holiday dates can be tricky for wedding vendors—after all, they have holidays to celebrate too. You may have to sacrifice a couple of top choices in favor of available vendors (but don’t worry, there are plenty of top-notch wedding industry vendors out there!).

• Shorter guest list: while this is a pro for many couples, it can be a double-edged sword. If you intend to host a holiday wedding, make your peace with a shorter guest list. Some loved ones may not be able to attend a Christmas wedding, due to previous plans or holiday travel expenses.

Think a holiday wedding could be in the cards for you? We’d love to hear more about your ideas! Book a tour of our Dallas TX wedding reception venue to learn more about our offerings. In the meantime, check out our post on hosting a successful winter wedding here. We hope to hear from you soon!

And to all our couples, vendor connections, and loved ones… Merry Christmas! We wish everyone a happy holiday season, filled with joy, peace, and laughter. 

Downtown Dallas Reception Venue | Christmas in Dallas

One of the things we love most about our venue is our location. Nestled in the heart of downtown Dallas, our unique wedding venue setting is perfect proximity to the city’s best attractions and community… especially this time of year! If you’re celebrating the holidays in The Big D, take a look at our list of Christmas activities you might want to check out:

• Catch a holiday movie at Alamo Drafthouse: newly constructed just a few minutes away from our downtown Dallas reception venue, Alamo Drafthouse is a fun locale for offbeat movies and local brews. From Christmas romance to cult classics, there’s something for everyone.

• Experience Downtown Wanderland: close to our venue, you can visit Dallas’s Downtown Wanderland on Main Street. Browse pop-up shops, take in the lights, hear some live music, and catch a favorite movie screening.

• Reunion Tower’s Geo-Deck: if you’ve never visited Dallas’s infamous skyline “ball,” there’s no better time than the Christmas season. Check out the best view of downtown Dallas at Christmastime, and enjoy delectable sweets from Cloud Nine Café. Rumor has it Santa will even be there on Saturdays!

• The Twelve Days of Christmas at the Dallas Arboretum: one of the most popular Dallas holiday attractions, this fantastic Christmas spectacle is one for the books. Although it’s a bit of a trek, head over to White Rock Lake area for an evening of enchanting displays.

As a downtown Dallas reception venue, we love connecting to the city’s best events. Our location is convenient for Dallas locals, and perfectly situated for out-of-town wedding guests to enjoy Dallas attractions during their stay… especially during the holidays! We hope you’ll tour our downtown Dallas reception venue so we can talk about your vision for the big day, and we hope you enjoy a very merry Christmas here in our favorite city.

Recently engaged? Congratulations! We’re so excited that Engagement Season is finally here. This special window from Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day holds more proposals than any other time of year. We think that’s plenty of reason to celebrate, don’t you?

If you’re sporting a new sparkly ring (or perhaps are expecting one in the near future?), this holiday season is guaranteed to be special. Perhaps you’re meeting the soon-to-be-in-laws, or spending Christmas with his family for the first time. Whether you’ve known his relatives for years or will be making introductions for the first time, Christmas is a perfect opportunity to make a great impression and spread some holiday cheer. After all, there’s a lot to celebrate this year!

So how do you make it through a successful holiday season as an engaged couple? We’ve got you covered with all the tips and tricks needed to breeze through a stress-free, cheer-filled Christmastime:

• Define expectations sooner rather than later: as wonderful as the holidays can be, Christmas can sometimes cause a few roadblocks for engaged couples. After all, now you have two whole families to think about! Will you open presents with his parents? Or are you dead-set on Christmas dinner with yours? Define your expectations early on, and ask your fiancé to do the same; planning ahead can help you both stay on the same page and avoid stepping on any toes.

• Never arrive empty-handed. Nervous about meeting his parents? Not sure about holidays with the future in-laws? Here’s our best tip: never arrive empty-handed. Grab a festive succulent arrangement or favorite bottle of wine to offer as a hostess gift when you knock on his family’s door. You’re guaranteed to start your visit on the right foot!

• Be ready for questions: if you’re recently engaged, you can definitely expect a lot of wedding-related questions over the holidays. Even though your families just want to share in the excitement, it can be a bit overwhelming for the bride-to-be. You and your fiancé might want to talk about a few of the “big questions” before any holiday parties (i.e., When’s the big day? Where’s the wedding? What are your colors?). It helps to have at least a general answer ready: “We haven’t set a date in stone, but we’re thinking about next August!”

• Bring a list:  We recommend making a short list of tasks you want to cover with any extended family—especially if they’re out-of-town relatives. Since everyone will be gathered together, it could be a good time to get family input on any wedding planning items. For example, invite your grandmother to join you for dress shopping and a modern wedding venue tour, or ask your future mother-in-law to start thinking about a guest list for x number of people.

• Spend some time for just two: in all the holiday chaos, don’t forget to set aside a little time for the two of you. Pick a night to cruise the neighborhood looking at lights, or decorate a tree together. Even though this time of year is a great opportunity to connect with family, it’s also a special holiday for the two of you as an engaged couple. Don’t forget to enjoy it!

With these tips in mind, the holidays will be a breeze. Set aside any wedding planning stress, and just enjoy celebrating this treasured time with friends and family. We hope you’ll tell your family all about The Empire Room, and maybe even schedule a tour to start talking about your wedding vision coming to life here at our modern wedding venue in Dallas.

Enjoy time with family (and with each other) during your special engaged Christmas! Stay tuned to our blog for more holiday tips throughout December. Again, congratulations!