Defoor Center

Mandy, Mrs. Pat, my Mom, and I (with Katie too!) went on our first venue tours last week and it was a ton of fun. Although more exhausting that I expected, I really could see the wedding taking shape and it was really neat. Our busy morning started at 9AM when we met with the event coordinator for the Defoor Center.

The stage in the ceremony hall at the Defoor Center

Having lived across the street for two years and never being inside the building was exciting for me. This place definitely blew me away – the seemingly small building was huge on the inside and featured three different rooms that we could use for the wedding and reception. The lighting was great and we both liked the old-timey and classic look of the building. Perhaps my favorite part of the Defoor Center was the flow between rooms and the natural comfortable nature of the spaces.

One of two 'cocktail hour' areas

I could tell that during the wedding everyone would feel at home and be able to enjoy themselves in the comfortable surroundings. On the other hand, there were a few crazy walls in the main ceremony hall that were good and bad. Good because they separated the seating area from the buffet area, bad because it broke up the room and the reception would feel disjointed. Could definitely live with them, but I would love it if those walls weren’t there.

President’s Suites

Next we left and made our way to Georgia Tech’s campus. We were both very excited to tour our next stop – the Bill Moore Student Success Center and the President’s Suites at Bobby Dodd Stadium. There were some great aspects of this space: the proximity to Tech Tower for pictures, the beautiful lobby, and the fact that it is in the football stadium. However, this trip did not turn out as well as we had hoped. This is the view we were greeted with. As you can see, the President’s Suites were under construction and it was very tough to see that mental picture of our wedding happening there, although I’m sure it would be great when the construction is done. Also, perhaps the most disheartening thing thing was that we would not be allowed to go out of the suite into the stands and I would have to pull some special strings to be allowed to go into the stadium. One of the most appealing things about this venue – the stadium – was no longer part of the deal. While there were some nice elements about this place, Mandy and I both agreed that it just wasn’t for us.

Lobby of the Student Success Center

The view of Tech Tower from the front door

Georgia Tech Hotel

Our final stop of the day was at the Georgia Tech Hotel and we were both blown away from the very beginning. Every thing about this venue screamed class and elegance, but we knew it would come at a price. The event planner that we met with, Tim, was extremely knowledgeable and helpful and he seemed like he had thought of everything. The wedding reservation included everything from a bridal changing room with windows overlooking the city to a staircase exit that looked like it was made specifically for weddings.

The ballroom at the Georgia Tech Hotel

The ballroom was absolutely breathtaking. It was just set with plain tables and chairs when we looked at it and I could have thrown on a tuxedo and gotten married in there just like it was. We discussed room layouts and options and walked through the entire area. Everything we saw impressed us more and more and we both fell in love. I think it would be safe to say that this is our front runner for the time being and hopefully we can get it to work out! We all were worn out afterward, but this was our first major step towards the wedding and we couldn’t have been more thrilled about it!