After a fairly extensive search for a good reception venue I selected Madigan's for it's location in historic Occoquan on the river, the quality of the food we had eaten in the restaurant, the charm of the upstairs reception area that would be pre-decorated for the Christmas holidays, and the reasonable pricing. Cathy was willing to negotiate on the pricing due to our reception taking place on a Monday afternoon and since I would be bringing my own wedding cake which is normally included in the price. I was even able to swap the extra desserts that are typically part of the menu for a champagne toast instead. I also made one equal swap for one menu item I didn't care for. The open bar was paid on a per consumption basis instead of a flat fee per person which I also appreciated. I was also able to negotiate a price for younger children as well as toddlers/babies at no cost. I didn't really like paying a $1 per person cake cutting fee to bring in my own cake, but that price is on the low end of what you can expect at other places. One guest had a food allergy and she made sure the recipe for the one item that included the ingredient was changed for our wedding day. She had a few different handouts with guidelines, menus, timing of meetings, etc. that made the process go smoothly. I rely heavily on email and sometimes it would take more than 24 hours for her to respond but none went more than a few days without response--I think voicemail may be a better way to reach her. Cathy was always very professional but started to loosen up a little by the end. She is not your typical warm and fuzzy, bubbly wedding coordinator so don't get offended by her 'all business' approach to the meetings. She gave me helpful feedback on my tentative timeline for the day and their previous relationship with Nelson Coffman DJ services made that part of the planning process easier for me as well. Each of the four meetings with her were very efficient which I appreciated. With another wedding reception the day before mine that wanted to change the colors of some of the decor, Cathy was still willing to change it back to her original decor in time for my reception since I preferred her color scheme compared to the other brides'. The site was lovely with all the decorations and Cathy made sure we kept on schedule the entire afternoon. Despite choosing to just have hors d'oeuvres for our short, midafternoon reception it appeared that everyone went through the line at least once before food started to run out and I enjoyed tasting all the menu items myself. A waiter specifically came to our table to get our drink orders which we really appreciated and we, of course, went through the buffet line first. We had requested one high chair at three different tables and those were set up in advance to our arrival. I did not have a huge amount of table decorations but everything I did provide was set up exactly to the specifications I gave her and we were able to borrow a few things like vases and candy dishes (she also has toasting glasses and cake cutting tools available if needed). Candles on a mirror under a hurricane globe are also included at no cost. She has a number of different linen colors. I was hoping for gold ones when we first met which were not available but when she decided to purchase a set Cathy sent me an email to let me know she now did have the gold tablecloths I had been asking about. It's still a bit shocking just how much reception venues & food cost even for just hors d'ouvres but with all the added services included I think it was a fair deal. If I have future events that need a venue and catering, Madigans will certainly be on the top of the list to consider.
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