ALCOHOLIC
BEVERAGES: You get to bring all of your own
alcoholic beverages AND there is no additional charge or
corkage fee! This will save you a small pile of
money, generally $2-$3 dollars per drink. Professional bartending staff is included
through all of our caterers. You do
need to
get a banquet permit,
($10
online), in order to provide alcoholic beverages.
All alcoholic beverages must be served by the bartenders.
We like everyone to have a great time & shake off their
dancing inhibitions, but we are not the place for a
drunk-fest.
BEER & WINE LIMITS: You may have 1 keg of beer for
every 80 guests, with a 2 keg total limit.
Each keg serves
160, 12oz glasses.
The local breweries are great places to get good prices on kegs.
Check out Northern Lights or Shenanigans for good beer that's
easy to pick up and return. If you'd like a distributed
brand of beer check out the Hi-Neighbor Tavern on Monroe.
It's very close to us so your beer stays cold and doesn't get
too shaken up during transit. (For more than 50 or so
guests choosing bottled/canned beer is not feasible due to space
constraints. Consider a pony keg if you are worried about
having too much leftover.) Wine & champagne are welcome in reasonable amounts
(1 case serves 60 glasses.) You
may also add up to 4 cases of pre-bottled beverages, such as
Mike's Hard Lemonade, which is particularly popular during the
hot season. COOLING: We provide 2 keg-cans and 4 metals tubs for the
white wine, Champagne, & Mikes. Add red wine and a signature
drink and the space behind the
bar is full. Any back-up beer in your coolers (4 cases max)
will fit under the tables, but please respect the laws of
physics. When we say this is all that will fit. . . we
mean it. We know our space. If you want to add
something else, such as sodas, be prepared to subtract something
such as the Mike's.
CHAMPAGNE must be
opened by Dance Street staff or the hired bartender. Dance Street does not charge a
corkage fee, it's simply an issue of mess and safety. Bottles may
not be placed on the tables since we require that all alcoholic
beverages be served. Feel free to skip the Champagne in
favor of a "toast with your preferred beverage." Many people are
doing this if their group doesn't particularly care for Champagne.
Champagne, white wine, and water are the only consumables allowed in
the bride's dressing room, and the former MUST be opened by us (again,
it's a safety & mess issue.)
HARD LIQUOR: If you'd like to
provide a small amount of hard alcohol for those who don't drink
beer or wine then a "signature drink"
is an excellent way to do so. This could be something simple like a rum & coke,
or something fruity like a Mai Tai or a Margarita
on the rocks. If your chosen drink contains multiple
ingredients it should come pre-mixed except for the alcohol and
you'll need a BEVERAGE JAR to serve it out of. These can
often be found at Costco, Fred Meyer, or Target, and of course
through Amazon. A 1.5-3 gallon size is perfect!
This will make your bar line move much more smoothly. Consider
providing fruit garnish or the little umbrellas if you're doing
something tropical, and remember it's always fun to match the color
of your signature drink to your wedding.
LIMITS: You may
provide up to 3 fifths of hard liquor per 100 people.
This can be part of your signature drink or a limited bar
(we suggest vodka, rum, & whiskey.) Half-gallons are
not allowed due to the difficulty in pouring from them.
Shots are forbidden.
We've had a lot of
problems with the hard stuff and are close to banning it all
together. We've also had some really good events with it
so that's why we haven't. Please don't be the event to
make us change our minds.
(as of 7-30-11,
thanks to Debbie Fancher)
A new favorite signature drink! A "John Daly" - an
adult Arnold Palmer made with lemonade and Sweet-tea
vodka - tasty & refreshing! You can purchase
lemonade concentrate at URM.
Miscellaneous
details - Guests may bring in alcoholic
beverages as long as the total provided still falls within the
stated limits, and as long as the beverages are given to
the bartenders to serve. FLASKS make a nice
groomsmen's gift but they put you at odds with this rule. Consider
engraved beer mugs instead. The bar will be closed down one hour before the end
of your time slot (at the end of your 4 hour party block, usually
when you are leaving.) Last call has a 1 drink limit.
CHILDREN- Well-behaved children are a joy to have at weddings, and
welcome at the Dance Street Ballroom. The facility is,
however, designed for adults with lots of glass, candles, and other
opportunities for ignored children to cause trouble. We expect
parents and other adults to supervise any children in attendance and
enforce good indoor manners. We love it when the kids dance
and screech in delight, but if you want a place where they can run
amok then please choose a different venue. Please avoid the
generous impulse to provide them with entertainments
such as markers, crayons, slinkies, party poppers,
connectable glowsticks, etc.
These are all a hazard to the venue and therefore your
damage deposit. Small tops & plastic puzzles are
fine.
DECORATING -
You are welcome to add favors, a floral swag on the
arch, or small personal touches such as photo displays.
Our niche, however, is to provide a decorated space
ready for revelry. We are not a blank slate for
you to rearrange and decorate as you please - it just
takes too much time, effort, & stress for us to put
things back in order afterwards. The point of this
Package is simplicity and convenience for all involved
so use the extra time it buys you to do something fun,
like use your dance lessons, instead of coming up with
countless ways to nickel & dime your budget to death.
That said, if you
have a "vision" for your tables and a host of helpers
willing to swarm in and put it together then we are
happy to accommodate that. If your ceremony is
off-site or you are participating in the Package-Lite
then you will need to book an extra hour of time to make
this happen ($150).
FOOD -
Please understand that while the Packages feed up to 100
guests that is based on an average appetite/meal size.
Portions are generous but not gargantuan! If you
have a lot of heavy eaters then you will need to pad
your numbers. Having several guests who take 3
helpings of mashed potatoes on their first round is
going to run you out of food.
GUEST COUNT
- To figure out
how many people you're going to have, wave your magic wand, utter
your incantation of choice, spin the dial on a clock, and multiply
by 20. Yes, it's that easy to figure it out. The best formula I
know of is to count everyone you're inviting, and figure that 80%
will show up if most of them are in town and it's a good-weather
time of year, but not too hot. About 70% will show up if there are
a lot of out-of-towners, if it's too hot, or if it's a bad-weather time of year. If it's
two of three you might get 60%. Oh, and time of night makes a difference
too. Some people don't like to be out after dark. Really, you just
have to give it your best guess, make RSVP-ing easy, and then still
contact the non-responders. RSVP cards are good, but I think it's
also helpful to include a phone number and especially an email
address for them to respond to. I wish there was a polite way to
say, "RSVP if you want to eat."
Is it critical that
you have an accurate guest count? Yes, very.
It makes both the venue and the caterer look bad when
there is not enough seating or food, so the price per
extra person after the fact will double to $30.
That doesn't mean more food will magically appear (our
wand was stolen, sorry) - it just means that it's much
smarter to make the effort to get an accurate guest
count in the first place.
HOURS & TIME
- Dance Street only books one full event per day. Your time block can be anywhere from 11:00am to
Midnight and is all inclusive. It must allow for vendor set up & take
down, any additional decorating on your part, and your clean up (packing up
gifts, leftovers, and any added decorations.) The eight hour block
generally breaks down into 1/2 hour to dress, 2 hours for pictures,
1/2 hour to hide while guests arrive, 4 hours for the
Event, and 1 hour for vendor clean-up and your
good-byes. This seems to be just the right
amount of time for most groups. Remember, you've had a really long,
exciting day & will probably be very ready to go by the end. Extra
time may be booked if necessary, up to 2 hours, for $150
per hour ($250 Midnight-1am.)
Package-Lite:
$200 per hour, available up until Midnight only.
PICTURES
- Before or after? Most couples are now choosing to do all of their
formal pictures before the ceremony. You'll still get that "first
look" moment, it just won't be in front of all of your guests. It
actually gives you the option of having that moment be just between
the two of you and your photographer. It also allows your
photographer to capture that moment with both of you in the picture
instead of having to choose between you. Taking your pictures
before the ceremony lets you get all of the pictures you want
without the stress of rushing through them to get to your reception,
and allows you to fully enjoy the moment. In our opinion this is
absolutely the way
to go. Just make sure you're on time!
Some couples are
very set on not seeing each other until she walks down the aisle.
Keep in mind that the bulk of your pictures will involve both of
you, as well as family members and the bridal party, so the "just
the ones with both of us" segment will take at LEAST an hour.
This can be arranged, but in order to not sabotage your reception
too much keep two things in mind: feed & refresh your guests
while they wait, and you must arrange outdoor pictures. Why?
The well-wishing of your guests will keep you from getting your
pictures taken if you stay in the same place with all of your
guests. Therefore this is not a practical option in
the winter!
THROWABLES
- Silly string,
party poppers, confetti, birdseed, rice (in any form), & flower
petals are not allowed. Basically, anything that can be seen
the next day is on the Forbidden Substances list. Bubbles, glow
sticks, bells & party horns are all good suggestions for "going
away". We would also like to see someone try a "Just Married"
banner (perforated) for the couple to run through. Sparklers
are also fun but illegal, fyi. If you use them please put
someone in charge of making sure they are cleaned up properly.
We're happy to provide a bucket of water to cool them off before
disposal.
PACKAGE-LITE SUMMARY
- The Package-Lite is the wedding of many people's dreams.
Guests will never dream that small corners have been cut.
It is our effort to make a complete wedding available to as
many people as possible!
It is only
available on weekdays (Friday evenings are terrific for
wedding celebrations!)
Your total event-day time-block is 7 hours
(instead of 8) which means you have to be very efficient
about pictures.
The menus are less varied but still delicious
and plentiful.
The photography package is much smaller but you
still get ample coverage and your disc of images with a
release.
Instead of a 3-tier cake it includes a small, 1
tier cutting cake and cupcakes (a very popular choice in
any case.)
It includes a $200 floral credit which is enough
for a few bouquets of seasonal flowers, corsages, &
bouts for the boys.
Remember, the centerpiece flowers and accessory bouquets are
something WE provide and not part of your floral credit.
We hope that this package will make it possible for
more people to enjoy a fully planned and prepared event without
experiencing all of the stress that can accompany planning such a
thing yourself. We want you to ENJOY your wedding day, and for
your family and friends to revel in the celebrations also without having to work
your wedding.
We look
forward to hearing from you, answering your questions, and giving
you a guided tour of our venue. Please email or call for an
appointment. Happy Planning!
Amanda Hansen,
Owner/Operator/Wedding
Guru
The Dance
Street Ballroom
