Rehearsing Drama

When C & I got engaged, we started talking with his parents about a venue for our rehearsal dinner. Two places came to mind: The Chop House and Lakeside Tavern. Lakeside has always been a favorite of C & his family, and it was even the place he took my parents to ask for my hand. I've always been a fan, and after my parents experienced the restaurant for the first time, they loved it, too. So, Lakeside was at the top of our list.

C's mom first called Lakeside in August to ask about their reservation policy regarding their private room. The folks at the restaurant told her the earliest she could book was 6 months in advance--during the month of November. Between August and November, FMIL called back two more times to confirm that the earliest she could reserve the room was in fact November, but that rather than waiting for November 22, she could reserve on November 1st.

So, on Saturday (November 1st) FILs went to Lakeside to reserve the room. After taking one last look at the space and talking with the reservation manager, FMIL happily handed over her credit card to book the room. A few minutes later, the manager came back to FILs and apologized, because the room had already been booked for our date, about a week earlier. WTF? FMIL called THREE (3) times to establish the earliest possible booking date! She was ready to book the room the first time she called them, in August! She followed the rules and did everything right to reserve the private room for our rehearsal dinner. Yet someone decided that the rules would only apply to some people wanting to book the room, and not others.

FILs left Lakeside angry, but also keeping everything in perspective. They were off to find an alternative for our rehearsal dinner venue. They went to The Chop House, which was on our short list, and were greeted by a very professional and friendly manager who was more than willing to work with us. Since we'd decided on Lakeside, FILs wanted to run a few choices by C & me, so they got "pencilled in" there. They also visited another local restaurant, Peerless, and were treated with the same professionalism and respect.

We decided to go with The Chop House for our rehearsal dinner. We all love their delicious food, and it's within walking distance from the church! The room isn't completely private, but we figure we'll be the loudest ones in the place, so it shouldn't be a problem :) We know they'll take great care of us, and we know that the food will be fantastic!

Overall, we're excited to have our RD at such a great restaurant. And you can bet it will be a long time before any of us head back to Lakeside....

Did you have any venue drama? Are you happy with the way things turned out?

-Amore'