A digression: when I was 17, I went to a classmate's graduation party at a loft on the far Westside, near Madison Square Garden. The light was truly beautiful, reflecting off of the white surfaces, and they had these neat stretchy tablecloths that reminded me of neon green condoms (I swear I've only seen one during a med school lecture on how to teach teenagers about contraception), and I may or may not have slipped a sip of alcohol. Oh, what fun that party was - and so chic! I may or may not have thought to myself, "this is where I want to get married." Granted, I understand the inherent challenges of having to bring everything in with you, but lofts are just so...New York. And with that advice, off went Tom, Mom (I have no idea how she got around the city with her cast - she's a fox), and I.
Loft Eleven and the Westside Loft are on different floors of the same building, while Studio 450 is six blocks south. All are owned by the same company.
We started with Loft Eleven. (More pictures are on the Picasa site, although it may be difficult to figure out the lay-out. See the venues' website for more pictures.) I really loved this space - it was deliciously sunny.
View as guests leave the elevator.
Start here and turn towards the camera...
...Now you're at the most typical site for the ceremony, in front of the fireplace. Walk past the fireplace, through the doorway...
...And you are at the cocktail hour. Continue walking away from the camera and turn left...
...Now you are at the reception set-up. Continue walking left and you're at the elevators. Congratulations, you've made a circle.
The Westside Loft is on a lower floor, so it's a bit darker. But it's got some painted walls and a bonus "garden" room...but with a koi pond so the Lipkins will feel right at home.
I think this is where the ceremony goes?
The great room where dancing and dinner take place.
Pictures for this site were admittedly sub-par...
Finally, we braved howling winds and Lincoln Tunnel traffic to see Studio 450. This is more of a "traditional" loft, with white epoxy floors and walls. A real benefit to this space is that it is a duplex, with a greenhouse-type room and wrap-around balcony on the second floor. For the base price of the Foundry, we would get to have an element of the outdoors at Studio 450 (which would almost double the amount of the Foundry rental).
Fist floor, where dinner and dancing typically take place. Imagine the sunset over New Jersey and the water...
Second floor where the ceremony could take place, or a "lounge" could be set up. It's difficult to see the terrace from here, but there are 360 panoramic views of Midtown and the Hudson River, including this one...
All three spaces were very clean, well-maintained, and generously spaced (they extended the entire length and width of the buildings in which they were situated). Furthermore, they're all handicapped-accessible (including the outdoor space at Studio 450), have nice bathrooms, decent-to-terrific catering kitchens, sufficient elevators to ferry guests to and fro, and are in Manhattan.
At first, I thought I preferred Loft Eleven, although it would be a hair too tight for our projected guest list. (I'm beginning to realize that I'm optimistic in the number of "yes" RSVP's I'm expecting. Judging from the latest forecasts on Indie Bride, NYC weddings have been pulling about a 60-70% "yes" rate.) Tom and Mom preferred the Westside Loft. As time has passed, I'm beginning to get more and more into the idea of outdoor space, and feel that Studio 450 may be the front-runner.
Stay-tuned for the final installment of "The Agony and the Ecstasy," as we trek back across the 59th Street Bridge to Long Island City and the Metropolitan Building.
No comments:
Post a Comment