This review is for roughly between 3.5 stars to 4 stars (I can't make up my mind). I came here one day with my fiance for yet another venue site tour for our wedding and met with a woman named Terry. The woman's club of Arcadia is located in the residential area and there seems to be adequate parking in the residential streets, however the people living in the apartments on these streets may get annoyed by our wedding guests for stealing their parking.
The building itself has a cute little garden outside that looks big enough to probably sit 150- ish people outside for a ceremony. This garden is gated so if you have a dog like us, and want to have your little pup act as ring bearer in your wedding as well (stop copying us, lol), you are able to close the gate and allow for your dog to participate. Then he or she is free to roam the garden after your ceremony (but I would probably keep our dog in a crate just to be on the safe side).
Upon entering the building, you walk into a small room that has all hardwood flooring. Inside the lounge room to your right, furniture looks to be antique, but kept in good condition, and a bit outdated (I'm thinking the 80's....). Right next to this lounge area is the main hall and there is a stage in front. This room looks like it could probably sit 130- 140 ish, or a little more or less, without a dance floor. However, Terry reassured me that this venue can seat 250 people. But they would not all be in this main hall and would have to spill over into a room right next to the main hall. This was something my fiance and I did not like. We would rather prefer our guests to all be in the same room together so that they would not miss out on anything during the awesome reception we hope to have.
Since there was a baby shower going on in the main hall, we were unable to walk around and look at this room more closely. But Terry told me that there is a separate bathroom behind the stage area that the bride can use as her own personal bathroom. (what a nice touch!)
Behind the main hall is a nice sized, well equipped kitchen. I've worked in the food service industry and from experience, this is a pretty nice kitchen that any caterer should have no problem to whip up some delicious meals for your event. With that being said, you have to bring in your own caterer.
Oh and in case you are wondering, there are only two other restrooms (one for men and one for women) in the building. They are located close to the front entrance (which is close to the main hall... the layout of the place isn't that big).
Terry quoted me $2,200 for having the venue all day, table and chairs and security. Music has to stop playing by 11 pm and everyone must be out of the building by 12 am. If you are going to have your wedding on a Saturday, you can pick up the keys from Terry on Friday evening. There is no additional discount if you have an event on a Friday or a Sunday in case you were wondering (however, most venues I have researched often times do give some kind of discount on a Friday or a Sunday. This goes the same for vendors as well in case you are flexible with your event date and have a limited budget like us).
Overall, my fiance liked this place because of it's charm. It had that home feel and sweet and welcoming environment. I thought this place was nice overall and liked that it was somewhat unique, in comparison to some of the places we have already visited. But we both felt that this place was still a little small. If this place was bigger, then we would consider having our wedding here because the rental fee is reasonable, especially since you would be able to decorate prior to the wedding. Some places only give you an hour of decorating or you have to pay for decorating time. (But if you are hiring a florist, then it wouldn't matter. But for us, we are making all of our own decorations and centerpieces to save money and so therefore we would benefit greatly with additional --free-- decorating time). read more