The first decision we wanted to nail down was the venue. While a beautiful venue would certainly be nice, convenience and practicality were more important to us. We didn’t have a specific date we were tied to, but the priest had provided us with a couple auspicious dates to choose from. Lastly, we needed a venue that could accommodate the number of people that will probably be at the wedding and allow us to have the fire necessary for a Hindu ceremony.

Photo from australianindianweddings.com.au

Keeping our priorities in mind, we decided that a hotel ballroom was going to be the easiest way to go. All of our events could be at the same venue so we wouldn’t have to worry about arranging transportation. We wouldn’t have to worry about pricing things like linens, tables, etc. all separately. The price (and extra work) can add up pretty quickly that way.

We spent an exhausting day going from hotel to hotel in Columbus. The first one wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing place I’ve seen, but the consultant was amazingly helpful. They had tons of free parking, a free shuttle to the airport, a free shuttle to a neighborhood with lots of restaurants, bars and shops, and only one ballroom. So we would be the only event going on in the hotel. Best of all, they were throwing in a lot of perks and extras for a relatively low price. The only downside with this venue was that they would be renovating the ballroom in December. But the consultant assured us that the color scheme would remain the same. As we were looking at September for our wedding, that was plenty of time for the ballroom to be finished, even if they ran behind schedule. The price convenience, and extras made this a risk worth taking to us.

The second hotel was gorgeous. It was new, chic and modern. It very much appealed to my aesthetic tastes. But the consultant seemed cold, and not particularly helpful. Not much was included in the price and it seemed like lots of hidden costs were guaranteed to crop up. It was on the other side of the city from the airport, and there was no shuttle. Plus, she wasn’t sure that we could have a fire without the sprinklers going off. That would certainly be unfortunate in the middle of a wedding ceremony. And there was a strong chance that they would book another event on the same weekend.

The third hotel we looked at was huge. As in attached to the convention center huge. We would certainly be just one more thing going on. Plus, there is a Ohio State football game the day of our wedding and this hotel was not that far from the campus. They had state of the art facilities, huge ballrooms, and everything was very sleek. The consultant here was very efficient and capable but friendly at the same time. They also seemed willing to throw in some extras for a decent price. But it was downtown, no free parking and no shuttle.

Given our priorities, we ended up going with the first hotel we had seen that day, the Columbus Airport Marriott. We even were able to negotiate them down from the initial proposal, which was very generous to my used-to-DC sensibilities. I also think that we will get the best customer service at this venue. Which is important, because the last thing I want to deal with the week of the wedding is last minute prices surprises or non-delivery of services I was expecting. We have now seen swatches of the wallpaper and carpet for the renovated ballroom, and it will work perfectly with our colors.

In addition, I think our guests will appreciate the convenience. I know that out of all the weddings I’ve attended, my favorites have been the ones where I have felt that the hosts have given thought to the guests’ comfort. Its definitely something we want to keep in mind!