We are currently posting a series of blogs about our favorite all-in-one wedding venues in Cincinnati. These are venues where all of your wedding activities take place at the same location.
What do we consider an all-in-one venue?
- There is a “getting ready” space for guys and girls
- There are accommodations for your ceremony AND reception
- There are outdoor photography options within walking distance
- There are indoor photography options for inclement weather
*Having an indoor option is absolutely key to having a solid back up plan for photos if the weather isn’t ideal that day.
The venue we are featuring this week is the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza. This is a beautiful all-in-one venue that checks all the boxes for being a great place for a wedding. Let’s walk through an entire wedding day to see some of the features and advantages of a venue like The Hilton.
Getting Ready
When you book your wedding with The Hilton Netherland Plaza, you also have the option to book room blocks for your guests. It is really nice for families to be in one place and you can use one of those rooms to get ready in the morning. The great thing is that they can accommodate you if you have a small group or a large group. If your bridal party is large you may want to consider one of their larger suites which has tons of space for all of your hair and makeup and dressing to happen. There is plenty of light and space to get those first looks in with dad or bridesmaids and it also makes for a killer bridal portrait spot!
Want an alternative to groom getting ready photos?
Do you have a groom who isn’t super thrilled about “getting ready” photos? Some grooms just don’t want a camera around during that time of the day and we totally get it! A great alternative at this venue for some casual photos of the guys, is the bar in the lobby downstairs. There are so many great areas of this venue to utilize and this is one of them!
Outdoor Photography Locations
The Hilton Netherland Plaza is in the heart of downtown Cincinnati. Cincinnati has many great options near by for wedding day photography locations. On this particular day we went to Smale Park, but some other great options close by are P&G Gardens, Piatt Park, and Fountain Square.
Quick Wedding Planning Tip: When you are planning a downtown wedding in Cincinnati make sure to check for any events that are scheduled around the city. If a big event is happening it might be harder to get hotel rooms and of course crowds and traffic become part of the equation. Just do some research on the front end while you are trying to pick your wedding date and book a venue so you aren’t surprised by it on the wedding day. Check out this event calendar to see what dates work for you.
Indoor Photography Locations
There are so many great indoor options at this venue. The hotel is full of 1930’s French Art Deco style. The lighting is dramatic and everywhere you look there are beautiful opportunities to photograph. They reserve these indoor photography locations exclusively for their brides so that is a great perk for sure! Taking photos inside this venue is definitely something you’ll want to plan time for on the wedding day.
Ceremony
This venue has several options for ceremonies depending on how many guests will be attending your wedding. This post features the Continental Room at The Hilton Netherland Plaza, and another popular option is The Hall of Mirrors which is a bit larger and can accommodate anywhere from 150 to 350 guests. They also have the Pavilion which is fantastic space! They have several great options to help meet the needs of your day.
Wedding Planning Tip: Indoor wedding photography locations in Cincinnati are difficult to come by unless your wedding is taking place at that particular venue. So the bad news is, if you are looking for a backup indoor location they can be tough to find. However, when you book a venue like The Hilton they reserve space just for you. So on a rainy wedding day you don’t have to worry about finding that perfect indoor spot. That is all the more reason to go with an all-in-one venue.
Cocktail Hour
Once your ceremony concludes you can move into the cocktail hour space while the venue staff transforms your room for the reception. This creates a great transition for your guests and the event moves into each phase comfortably. This is also a good time for your guests to sign a guest book and pickup their table card to locate their seat for dinner.
Room Reveal
Another perk about this venue is that they will bring couples in for a quick tour of the reception all set up before all of the guests come in. You spend lots of time planning and preparing for your reception and sometimes that time gets rushed and you don’t get a minute to see it all come together. That is something that The Hilton Netherland Plaza does really well! Don’t forget to bring your photographer along!
Reception
Quick Wedding Planning Tip: Formal events at the reception can take up a lot of time. Once you have dinner and do all the formal activities… you may not have a ton of time left to dance and have fun. The good news is that there really are no rules when it comes to planning your wedding. Do what works for you and your partner and don’t be afraid to cut things from your day that feel like more of an obligation than something you really want to have part of your day. For example: If you don’t want to cut the cake – you don’t have to :). If you don’t want to toss a bouquet… skip it! The day is yours and time is valuable so make sure you are doing things intentionally and spending time on the things that matter to you.
In conclusion we highly recommend the all-in-one venue approach and we hope you love this venue as much as we do. If you want more information about booking your wedding at The Hilton Netherland Plaza, check out their site here: Hilton Netherland Plaza Weddings
