BLOG ARCHIVES

• March 2010
• February 2010
• January 2010
• December 2009
• November 2009
• October 2009
• September 2009
• August 2009
• July 2009
• June 2009
• May 2009
• April 2009
• March 2009
• February 2009
• January 2009
• December 2008
• November 2008
• October 2008
• September 2008
• August 2008
• July 2008
• June 2008
• May 2008
• April 2008
• March 2008
• February 2008
• January 2008
• December 2007
• November 2007
• October 2007
• September 2007
• August 2007
• July 2007
• June 2007
• May 2007
• April 2007
• March 2007
• February 2007
• January 2007
• December 2006
• November 2006
• October 2006
• September 2006
• August 2006
• July 2006
• June 2006
• May 2006
• April 2006
• March 2006
• February 2006
• January 2006
• December 2005
• November 2005
• October 2005
• September 2005
• August 2005
• July 2005
• June 2005
• May 2005
• April 2005
• March 2005
• February 2005
• January 2005
• December 2004
• November 2004

Since new management came in October of 08', the ballroom is excited to introduce a lot of exciting changes! We have brought in many new people who work different aspects of your wedding. With 100’s of weddings and events under our belt, we are confident in providing you with a seamless celebration.
Not only have we enhanced our menus and catering capabilities, but we have also added to our collection of decorations. As time goes on, we are providing more and more for our brides to help SAVE YOU MONEY. Although our building does not need many decorations because of its natural beauty, we do have a few different props you can use however you like. If you’re looking for something specific, just ask! We will see what we can do to help make your day perfect.
We also have some fabulous new vases that came in along with an assortment of new flower arrangements. We will be posting many new pictures online, so keep a look out or feel free to stop by. We always have someone available to show everything that we have to offer.
We started a new blog at grandholidayballroom.wordpress.com to showcase some of the weddings we’ve had. It also has some really good suggestions for vendors such as flowers, cake, and photography. We do not require you use any outside vendor, so you can still choose to use anyone you please.
Whether you plan on hosting your wedding or event here or somewhere else, feel free to ask us for recommendations. We are here to help in any way that we can to ensure you get the wedding you want under the budget you want.

At the Grand Holiday Ballroom, we strive to provide you with the wedding youve always dreamed of. When you typically think of weddings, you think about stress. What if there was a venue that took care of the biggest stressful details of your wedding, so you dont have to. Imagine not having to worry about a DJ& an officiant& a caterer&

Just imagine fewer worries&

Our staff puts time and dedication into your event and strives to meet all of your needs. Whether you are looking for an intimate gathering or a grand ceremony, we can provide it all. Experience the difference with the Grand Holiday Ballroom.

Services we Offer:
Ceremony and Reception Venue
Catering
DJ Entertainment/ Master of Ceremonies
Full Bar and Beverage Service
All Chair, Table, Place Setting, and Centerpiece Rentals
Officiant
Cake and Champagne Service

Schedule a tour and come experience the difference with The Grand Holiday Ballroom.

1522 4th Ave E
Olympia, WA 98506
360-570-1220
www.grandholidayballroom.com

We do other stuff too..

Proms

Reunions

Company dinners

Company parties

pretty much any party

Come on in...

Q. How far in advance should I reserve my wedding location?

From Nina Callaway,
Your Guide to Weddings.


A. As soon as possible, particularly if youre getting married in April-August (popular wedding months). A general time line is 12 months before the wedding date; if you dont have this much time, you might need to be flexible on choice of date or venue.

There ya go...give us a call...NOW! Don't lose your date.

Q. Do you provide professional catering on site?
A. We do!

The Grand Holiday Ballroom

360-570-1220

PS...See more of our pix at: www.rbphotography.com/page11.html

Wedding venue all in one?

Have you thought about where youd like your service to take place? You might prefer to get married in the church you attend, but remember that guests will then have to drive to the reception from there. You could consider asking your minister to conduct the service at the venues chapel. It might ease the tension a little if youre getting dressed in a bridal suite at the venue, with your service only a few steps away, and welcome drinks waiting for your guests after the service. When you visit the venue before the wedding day, make sure there's enough space around the altar for a minister, bridesmaids, groomsmen, photographers, videographers, musicians, mike stands, instruments, flowergirls and whoever else needs to be accommodated there. It's easier for us to be unobtrusive if we're not knocking over something or someone in an attempt to get out the way.

The Grand Holiday Ballroom

360-570-1220

PS...See more of our pix at: www.rbphotography.com/page11.html

Here are some thoughts...a re-printed article I thought was interesting

How Many & Who??

It's a simple fact: people cost money, and venues hold only a certain amount of people. Combine the money-space issue with parental input, and the scene is set for an explosive engagement. Tread carefully -- the field is strewn with landmines. Calling a long-forgotten high school friend may suddenly turn into an epic battle over whether that person makes the cut. Instead, evaluate, negotiate, compromise, and be realistic.You'll both need to reflect on which of your acquaintances is important enough to witness your wedding.



A Tale of Two Lists
Generate a fantasy guest list. Don't censor yourself. Instead, include every single person you'd like to invite. Then come back down to earth. Your target number will be determined by how many people the venue can hold and what your budget will allow. People will be cut-it's unavoidable. So to help make decisions, separate out the guests who must attend, like your favorite aunt or your fiance's godfather. This is your A list. Anyone not essential (no, we don't mean people you don't like, but rather colleagues you might be able to skip) should be added to the B list. These are people you would enjoy having at your wedding but who cannot be extended an offer in the first round.

You should invite approximately 10 percent more guests than your target number, since between 10 and 20 percent of those invited will decline. If more people decline than you originally anticipated, start inviting from the B list. If it's a week before your wedding and you guaranteed, say, 200 guests and only 192 are showing up, it's okay to call and personally ask people to attend. Apologize for the short notice and extend a heartfelt verbal invite.


Meet the Parents' Friends
Just who is Sylvia Klein and why is she invited to your wedding? You'll be asking yourself many of these questions. Traditionally the bride's parents paid for the wedding, giving them the upper hand in extending invitations. Now, many couples pay for their own weddings, but they're still subject to parental input on who gets invited.

You need to be respectful of your parents and future in-laws; realize they are as excited about the wedding as you are. They want to share their happiness with good friends, and you need to honor their wishes-or at least some of their wishes. One possible plan: If the two of you are footing most of the bill, give each set of parents a certain number of people they can invite.

Some couples on a budget let parents invite as many guests as they want-within the space's capacity, of course-but ask that they pay for those guests.


Office Politics
No doubt the talk at the water cooler will be who got the invite and who got the shaft. Deciding which coworkers to include depends on how big your office or department is. If you work in a group of six, you can't leave out the one slacker just because she pawns off her work on everyone else.

But if you have a huge office and collaborate with dozens of people, it gets tricky. A good rule of thumb is that if you socialize outside of work and have the person's home number and use it, you should probably invite them. It's okay to include close friends and key people who might help further your career in the future. But don't use an invite to brownnose-it won't get you a promotion or a bonus. As for the big boss (or bosses), choose which superiors you work with the most. Half the time they'll decline, note your generosity, and just send a gift. And if you want to keep who's invited on the down low, you can always ask those guests not to tell anyone they're invited.


Kidding Around
Weddings with lots of kids can be great for some couples, hell for others. It's your decision. But if you'd like an adults-only reception, you'll need to establish guidelines and invite children over a certain age-or keep anyone under 18 off the list.

Can't decide if kids are appropriate or not? If your wedding is in the morning or afternoon, it's more appropriate for youngsters to attend. For one, they're awake! An evening affair is usually a kid-free zone and adults generally realize it's their time to let loose and not chase after their little ones on the dance floor or scold them for running fingers through the icing on the wedding cake.

If guests make a fuss and threaten not to come to your wedding without their toddlers or infants, express your regrets but tell them that it would be unfair to others you've said no to (the only exceptions are usually for immediate family).


Making the Cut
So you've followed these points -- and you still have 300 names and a location that holds 175. Oh, the guilt! While you might feel bad about deleting names from the list, you and your fiance need to develop parameters for cutting that won't make you feel terrible.

One groom's fantasy football league is another bride's book club. You'll both need to reflect on which of your acquaintances is important enough to witness your wedding. It's probably not necessary to invite your entire sorority pledge class if you haven't seen half of them since college. Focus on people who are relevant to your life now...and who will be relevant five years from now. You know that couple you keep bailing on dinner plans with? They can probably go to the bottom of the list.

You don't have to invite couples you're not close with anymore just because you went to their weddings. If anyone will understand, it's those who had to do the same. The key to the cut is doing it as efficiently and quickly as possible to ease the pain -- kind of like removing a Band-Aid.

Got any thoughts? Gimme a call

The Grand Holiday Ballroom

360-570-1220

PS...See more of our pix at: www.rbphotography.com/page11.html

Beautiful weddings require a good healthy attitude. Do you know what's realistic? What is attainable? What is affordable? What to spend your resources on?

Your fantasy wedding can happen if you surround yourself with proven (cheerful and happy) professionals. A beautiful setting helps too.

Yup...I'm going to tell you where to get all this and more...cause we love weddings, we love grooms...most of all, we LOVE brides! Yup...we do.

We have the premier wedding location of all the Puget Sound area here in Olympia. The Grand Holiday Ballroom. You get your fantacies fulfilled under budget. More bang for your buck...and super fun team to help you.

Call us at 360-570-1220


Grand Holiday Ballroom
1522 4th Ave E.
Olympia, WA 98506

GHBallroom@comcast.net

See Photos here: http://www.rbphotography.com/page11.html

Ever been to one? Sounds fun...except I get seasick :-[

The ideas sounds great...one stop shopping....everything ya need right there...except guests eh?

The idea of having all your wedding needs met at one place...one location...without worries is a great one, don't you think? If it rains at sea, you still have protection along with nautical charm.

Cruise ship weddings provide:

1. Ceremony location
2. Reception location
3. Photographer
4. Caterer
5. Florist
6. Event planner-coordinator
7. DJ & Band
8. Surrounded by water

All at one place...the only problem is...

...it will cost you $70,000!

HA! Who's got that to spend?

How many guests can actually afford the time and expense to attend...even family...unless they're made of money?

Hmmm...I have a solution. I've got all of what you're looking for here. From one to eight, including the water, so to speak;-), we are always surounded by water in Olympia, plus rain, ha-ha.

Call the Grand Holiday Ballroom at 360-570-1220

Grand Holiday Ballroom
1522 4th Ave E.
Olympia, WA 98506

GHBallroom@comcast.net

See Photos here: http://www.rbphotography.com/page11.html

Ok...we're in the great Pacific Northwest. It's pretty outside, but it can rain if you blink twice. It's a double-edged sword isn't it? Got any good ideas to protect your wedding from the rain?

We've used tents...but that's another blog...for another day.

I guess after being here in the Olympia area for three years, and having been in the northern territories my whole life I should be used to it (the rain) and I am but haveing a wedding outside is a different matter entirely!

I'd hate to gamble my wedding day like that...oh well...what do ya do?

Got any remedies? Let me know. I have been in the business for thirty years but...I can use a helpful hint from anybody...cause I don't know it all...yet ;-)

Give us a call when you'd like to tour our new facility in Olympia.

Go look here: http://www.rbphotography.com/page11.html


Grand Holiday Ballroom
1522 4th Ave E
Olympia, Wa
360-570-1220

We're just recovering from a super busy Christmas holiday party season and ready for the 2007 wedding season.

Looking for a beautiful, spacious, fun place for your wedding AND reception...in one place? Here we are!

We've got it all...really! Come by, I'll prove it!

Come see us at the bridal show and get your free gioft...lets talk.

GHBallroom@comcast.net

We have got most of our stuff ready for the bridal show next weekend....really tired now...whew!

We have a chapel thats not a church...looks like it though...really pretty. We're nice folks too ;-)

We've worked up some super beautiful and affordable reception decorating packages. I love orchids, can ya tell?

Come by our booth and say hi next weekend!

Free gift too, can't beat thet!

GHBallroom@comcast.net

Bridal Shows

Get a list of upcoming bridal shows in cities near you. Shopping at a bridal expo beats driving all over town so take advantage of this opportunity.

Wedding Magazines

A wedding magazine is the perfect start to planning your wedding; browse for ideas, pick styles and colors, and get in touch with the reality of planning.

Planning Your Wedding

• Receive exclusive special offers
• Create your budget & notes
• Share with family & friends
• Announce your wedding
• Favorites: Articles, Photos, Vendors, etc.
• Shop through hundreds of websites