Lippie Wedding Update - We Need Help!

 Nothing really goes smoothly during wedding planning, hmn?  At this time last week, we had everything set, the ceremony was booked, the reception was booked, the invites were printed, the guest list was drawn up, the cakes had been ordered, the photographer booked, the hairdresser arranged, the bouquet picked out, the band arranged, practically everything! Not to mention that I had literally just bought my wedding dress!

Then, a week ago today, we got  the email (well, one them, anyway) that every about-to-be married couple dreads. Our reception venue has gone bust, and can no longer honour our booking.  Now, on the one hand, we're very lucky, we still have nine months left to arrange everything , and we hadn't had to pay a deposit, so financially we haven't really lost out - okay, we have lost the money on our now useless invitations though, but we'll live - but I can't even begin to express what a kick in the teeth having to start the planning stages all over again is.  I'm heartbroken, truly.  Especially when you consider that it took me FIVE attempts just to book a damn register office!


The major problem is that our budget is very, very tight, and our guest list is long - we're having a tiny ceremony, and having only one reception that everyone is going to, no wedding breakfast, just one big party for all of our friends - so this is where you guys come in.  We need help finding a venue for our wedding reception.  I'm begging you, please help me out.


Here's what we need from the venue:


DATE:

February 16th 2013


MUST:

be able to hold 150-200 people - standing buffet-style, not all-seated.
allows live music - we already have a band arranged
allow children - just a few, but it's non-negotiable
have a minimal hire charge - we can guarantee a (very) healthy minimum spend on the night, but if one more venue gets in touch saying "Hey, we're cheap" only for me to discover that their hire charge starts at £3,500 to hire for the evening,  I will cry.  More than happy to pay a deposit too, by the way.
be in West London - we are getting married at 4pm, so travelling across London at that time won't be fun!  Chelsea/Kensington/Fulham/Hammersmith/Shepherds Bush area as a first choice, but we will consider further afield if the need arises.
Can either cater, or allow us to bring in our own food

Basically what we want is a bar, a nice comfortable bar that will let us take over the place for the evening, and let us do our own thing, essentially.  No formal wedding meal, no bloody toastmasters directing the "ceremonies",  nothing too formal.  What we're keen to avoid is a community hall, or a more traditional "wedding banquet" venue. Well, at the moment, we are, anyway!


So, please get in touch with wedding@getlippie.com if you think you can help, or if you can put me in touch with someone who can help, we'll be ever so grateful!  

I got in touch with FIFTEEN venues last week myself, do you know how many replied to my simple request for information?  One.  ONE.  There's a recession on, don't people want to take my money?

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