misAdventures of Workmonkey 3.0

The votes have been tallied and .... didn't count for shit. As always, reality and budget made the decision for us.

The Foundry was beautiful, and perfectly suited for an urban wedding: Soaring brick skylights, finely-tuned staff, outside deck perched over the city. In the end, however, it had two mortal flaws: Firstly, it is in Long Island City, as close to the middle of nowhere as New York has. Secondly, it is the totally hot place to get married these days, and thus was already booked on all the good days. And yes, both of those reasons are in addition to the fact that just the space, without caterers, booze, DJ (would have consumed 60% of our budget, which simply wasn't acceptable.

Smack Mellon was visually similar to The Foundry (industrial factory feeling) but even better, as it was located at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge Park. The price was right and they had some days available. The problem, which is a non-starter for me, is they were total assholes. It was a pain to take the time to meet with us, nobody was forthcoming with information, everyone there saw themselves as artists not wedding vendors, and would we just make up our mind already? Fair enough, we will. Go fuck yourself. That place is dead to me. The anti-Smack Mellon advertising campaign starts now.

Brooklyn Historical Society was nice, in that throw on a dinner jacket and talk about Otto Von Bismarck kind of way. The old library, replete with signed editions of Walt Whitman books and the like, would only work in a fall or winter wedding. And due to the many artifacts, they didn't allow red wine upstairs. As my father only drinks red wine, that was an unforgivable complication.

Galapagos Art Space required purchase of the bar and staff in addition to the venue itself. With water as a floor, gangplanks, and intense red lighting, it had a great vibe, if I were throwing a Christmas party for the Asian Society of Nightclub Professionals.

So, we've arrived at the announcement: Pochron Studio, the 11th floor penthouse with roof deck with a full view of New York City and the Manhattan Bridge. It is intimate, flexible, urban, and affordable. The owner was intensely polite and accommodating. And it only required a 20% deposit versus the usual 50%. It is, in other words, perfect for the wedding/party we want to throw. With the outdoor roof deck, a summer wedding was required, and after seeing available dates, we decided on Saturday, August 1st.

Thanks for your input. Next, you'll help us craft the specialized food and alcohol menus.