Time to pick the place
It could be feast following famine for local wedding and wedding shower venues.
After a devastating 2020 that saw weddings postponed, pushed back or held in someone's backyard, some venues are seeing bookings for 2021 rapidly filling up.
Ryan Sarel, executive chef and co-owner with his wife, Valerie, of the Camelot Event Center (with two locations at 100 Mount Pleasant Road in Warrendale and 250 Swinderman Road in Wexford) said weddings were a little scarce last year.
“We can do graduation parties, weddings, showers, sports banquets, quinceañeras, anniversaries,” Sarel said.
“We do everything. There is nothing we do not do,” he said.
However, one thing he didn't do a lot of last year was weddings.“With weddings and bridal showers, we would have anywhere from 35 to 40 weddings and 25 to 30 bridal showers in a normal year,” he said. Last year, Camelot Event Center hosted four weddings outside.“We haven't been able to do any events this year because of restrictions,” he said. “We've done four weddings outside.”It was too bad that the COVID-19 pandemic, with all of its attendant restrictions, arrived soon after the Sarels had renovated and remodeled their Wexford building.But romantics must also be optimists, because Sarel said wedding bookings are on the increase for 2021.“We are already fairly booked for 2021,” Sarel said. “I don't have a Saturday available in either of the two buildings.”“We still have a little bit of room if anyone is interested,” he said. “We do Friday weddings. We do Sunday weddings as well.”Of course, Sarel added, they are prioritizing people who had booked with them in 2020 “because they had already signed contracts. That was the right thing to do as a business decision.”
Be it a wedding, a bridal shower or some other social event that could return in 2021, the Sarels are ready to provide a great location for it to take place.“We are essentially an all-inclusive wedding venues,” he said. “We want to give you the wedding you are looking for.“We offer customer service, excellent quality of food and attention to detail in both our venues,” he said. “It's a more modern look at Wexford and its more rustic at Warrendale.”In Warrendale, the Camelot Center is former Presbyterian Church built in 1913 and converted to an event center in 1972.The décor consists of large, traditional brass chandeliers, carpeting, hardwood dance floor, a new bar, a beautiful wall mural and all this is surrounded by gorgeous stained-glass windows.Also benefiting from the modern trend of rustic or barn weddings is the Barn at Ever Thine, 200 Pine Haven Drive, Fenelton, according to one of the co-owners, David Paul.
“We had some issues in May about when the state was closed,” Paul said. “But our season runs from May to October, so for most the year it was business as usual.”He said the venue was helped by the fact that its 300 acres, open-air barn, farmhouse for the bride and groomsmen and bridal cottage makes it easy for the wedding party and guests to maintain social distancing.The venue can hold weddings with up to 225 people, although Paul said last year the average size was more like 112-115.“We had a couple of brides and grooms postpone their wedding reception, but that as not based on us,” Paul said. “They were not getting the numbers they wanted.“They were inviting 150 and getting 110. Their guests had COVID-19 concerns,” he said.Those concerns don't seem to be carrying over into 2021.“2021 is pretty full, there are some June, July dates available,” Paul said.
Winemaker Jodie Stokes of Anna Marie's Winery and Cafe, 790 East Butler Road, East Butler, is hoping for a better 2021.Stokes said, “We're struggling. It's really hard right now, because we haven't done any events.“We've had so many brides reschedule, we are hesitant to even book any,” she said.Stokes added the winery doesn't have any advance notice of impending government restrictions on restaurants, wedding venues and banquet halls.“We're left scrambling like everyone else,” she said.Still Anna Marie's Winery and Cafe has been catering to wedding clients, literally.“We can provide food, wine and personalized wine labels for micro-weddings,” she said.
Micro-weddings are a new trend brought about in response to pandemic worries and social distancing guidelines.They are very small events with less than 20 people in attendance.Stokes said Anna Marie's Winery and Cafe has weathered the pandemic so far with outdoor dining in its 50-seat pavilion, takeout orders and catering.She said she is very thankful for Anna Marie's loyal customers that have helped the business through this difficult period.“It's a small family business with a lot of personalization. We treat customers like families,” Stokes said.“We focus on them and work on creating a relaxing atmosphere and providing fantastic food, wine and service.”
As far as smaller weddings and showers go, Roxann Booser, executive director of the Maridon Museum, 322 N McKean St., wishes more people would consider the museum for the weddings and showers.“We have only had a couple of bridal showers in my tenure here at the museum, which is a shame because we have a great space with large, clean bathrooms and a full kitchen to access if necessary,” she said.The Maridon had no weddings or showers take place among one of America's best personal collections of Asian art, amassed by Mary Hulton Philips in 2020.She added that, for an additional fee, wedding shower guests could take a self-guided through the museum as part of the event.“I do have two weddings backed for 2021,” Booser said. “It's a great venue for a smaller wedding.”
