We got ready the morning of our wedding at Hotel Monaco, had our Cocktail Hour on the Stratus Rooftop Lounge, and held our Reception in the Lafayette Ballroom on the Sunday of Memorial Day, 2016.
Hotel Monaco was the first venue we looked at. ...Being very indecisive, I felt the need to explore practically every other option in the city before deciding to move forward with the Monaco. But, really, there was no comparison. The combo of the Stratus, the beautiful Lafayette Ballroom and the Old City location is unbeatable.
Our families were coming to Philadelphia from all over the country, so this was the perfect spot for us to host our pseudo-destination wedding. The Monaco gave us an excellent room block rate compared to other (less-nice) hotels in the area, and our guests loved the free happy hour every night in the lobby! Being able to get ready in the one of the Monaco's large rooms on the morning of the wedding was amazing. However, there were about 10 other weddings also getting ready at the hotel that day, which did cause some stress the morning of the wedding. I had been assured that there would be a barstool and extra chair in the room for hair and makeup, which wasn’t there when we checked in, and then was not delivered after my many calls. Apparently, there were so many weddings getting ready that day that they had run out of extra chairs. This was disappointing, especially since we were hosting our wedding there. But eventually, they found a substitute. And a huge shout out to the valets, who were amazingly helpful throughout the weekend as we loaded and unloaded our car in front of the hotel.
I should also say that holding our wedding on a Sunday (even though it was Memorial Day weekend), the Monaco offered us an AMAZING deal. Honestly, we would not have been able to afford this venue if we held our wedding on a Saturday, and Janet was truly accommodating in tweaking our menu to get us in right where we wanted to be, budget-wise. Throughout the entire year and a half planning process, Janet was incredibly responsive, helpful, and patient with my constant questions, and was present on the day of the wedding, making sure everything we had discussed was in place.
Our guests raved about the food (the short rib!! the crab cakes!) and the service throughout the evening was exceptional. My husband and I felt so well cared for and the catering staff had taken care of every detail. Another huge plus was that the Monaco only hosts one wedding a night. I would highly recommend the Monaco to any bride. The venue goes far and above a “standard” ballroom and the staff are phenomenal.
A few random things to consider that didn't impact us, but that might be helpful to others:
1. The bathrooms are beautiful and large, but are a floor below the ballroom. This could be inconvenient if you have a number of guests that have trouble with stairs.
2. There was quite a large charge to hand out welcome bags to guests at check in.