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After all my wedding planning fell apart, we needed to find a new date and a new wedding venue.
We found one that suits our needs, and gives a GREAT deal on food and liquor. The problem is that it's at a La Quinta. I'm a hotel snob. And having my destination wedding at a La Quinta is not exactly my idea of luxury.It's nicer than most, but still... its a La Quinta.
I'm being bratty?? I haven't signed the contract yet because I think the name sucks.
Here are a few pictures...
I personally don't think its that bad, the only thing that will have its name is your invites. Mine is the Polish Home Hall, so I guess I don't know how you feel. At least its not Hooter's or something crazy like that 
I'm sure you'll create a beautiful wedding and no one will care what hotel it's held at.
My fear is that people will have too-high expectations for my rustic, country-chic wedding at a place called Santillane and they will be disappointed.
Aww, I know what you mean. One venue we looked at was called the Desmond Tutu Center. It's a nice venue, but a really strange name!
If La Quinta has everything you want and you like it, you should go for it! And for the record, I think it's a pretty name...I don't have any experience/knowledge of La Quinta hotels, so in my unbiased opinon, it sounds nice!
Mine is at the Barn at Valhalla...aka The Barn at Viking Heaven?!? lol!
Mine is technically Best Western Island Palms Hotel. I'm just deleted the Best Western whenever I mention it. The guests won't even notice unless they are staying there : ). I totally get your issue! But it could be much worse than La Quinta.
haha, yes i totally get what you mean. My ceremony is at this place called coldstream park. When people hear that park they are like...ewww, the one with the skate park and lacrosse fields?? im likeNO! there are 2 parts to the park and the part that im getting married at is really pretty. it has a creek running though and lots of trees, its just harder to find than the other side of the park. the other side is all gross and...well...a dump. So yes, im embarrased that people will hear coldstream park and automatically think the dingy side.
Also, we're having the reception at FI's parents. While they have a nice place and more than enough room, its just like .."oh yeah, andrey's parents place...." people automatically think oh great...its going to be 'cheap'. But its not!!!i swear LOL. Gahhhh oh well, it means alot to both FI and his mother, so be it. We'll just have to get everyone good and drunk so they are less like "home reception" and more like "hell yah, best reception EVER!"
I totally thought about this, but in an opposite way from you. We were looking at an event space called "The Four Seasons" but it was in NO way connected to the four seasons hotel. I thought... if we book there everyone is going to get these grand expectations and be disappointed! lol.
I don't personally know what La Quinta is.... but I guess you have to figure out how much you care about what people think of your wedding BEFORE it, versus after. I mean once they get there... it is what it is. If it is a great place they will have a great time. You just need to decide if you care that they might be skeptical before the event.
Our venue is called Devil's Ridge. I was not even going to check them out because of the name but I am glad I did.
At least it's not Motel 8. Honestly, If I were a guest I wouldn't even care. = ) IF you'll get a good deal and you like it, you should sign the contract!
It's bad enough that I bought my wedding dress at the Bridal Barn (we've had lots of jokes about bridal oats and bridal hay), but FI and I considered having our wedding at the Big Red Barn. Luckily I went with a less ... er ... agrarian themed wedding location. I wouldn't be put off by La Quinta. If it's the right place at the right price, I say go for it and don't look back.
If your embarrased.. mine is called
Dog Rock Motel.....
Named after this!
We haven't decided on a venue yet, but we did find a beautiful ballroom...at the Holiday Inn. While the room is great, I would feel weird saying that we'll be getting married at the Holiday Inn. I guess i'm kind of a hotel snob too. I did think it would be funny though to have our bridal party entrance to that Holiday Inn song by Chingy, haha!
I guess I dont see La Quinta as bad & am not really familiar with their hotels (so i dont know if you're worried that it seems like a budget hotel). It sounds nice and I'm sure you're hung up on the name, but your guests probably wont think anything of it.
I have a different dilemma - We are having our reception on a lake that is located on a street named after a different lake. As in we are having it at Smith Lake, but it is located on Briar Lake Road (changed names for wb), so I'm a little concerned that it will confuse his side of the family (guests not from the area).
That's not bad! The place itself looks so nice, no one will be worried about the name of the hotel! I went to a wedding at a Holiday Inn a couple years ago. And I'll admit, before I got there I thought it would be worse than it was. We all enjoyed ourselves and everything tasted great.
@ccranetobe: LOL at that picture!!! The name by itself isn't horrible but the way you presented it with the photo just cracks me up!
Okay, I'm going to make myself look like a Bad Person by saying this, but if I got the invite and it said your reception was being held at a La Quinta, being familiar with a few of them (places my dad dragged us to on family road trips of yore...sigh) I WOULD make some negative judgments from the get-go. But not all of them are the same, and the location and outside of your particular La Quinta looks awesome. If it really has everything you need, I'm betting that you will be happy about it and be inspired to throw a great party there, and your guests will love it, who cares if it's at a La Quinta. Basically, I'm saying that though I may have some negative preconceptions about La Quintas, I fully believe that it's possible to have an AWESOME wedding at one. I would never go to what is an objectively fantastic wedding (or even an objectively mediocre wedding) and not be delighted I came just because it was at a certain hotel. And if anyone who would do the opposite is in attendance at your wedding, screw 'em--they would have found something else to complain about even if you held it at the ritziest hotel in the world.
Good luck!
I wouldn't worry about it at all. In fact, I recently stayed at a Best Western, and was NOT expecting very much. Turns out, everything was recently updated, the rooms were huge, the bedding was gorgeous and super-soft, big flat-screen TV, room service from a local restaurant, etc., etc.--nicer than a few of the "fancy" places I've stayed--I've learned that there's HUGE variation from place to place. And South Padre Island? I definitely wouldn't complain! (As I sit here where it's very chilly and damp.)
We considered having ours at a Ritz Carlton, and I was kind of worried I'd be embarrassed by the fancy-ness of telling people our wedding was at the Ritz (I'm a grad student, not used to living large!). We ended up turning it down because the quality didn't seem to live up to the price tag, especially compared to other venues we were looking at (which weren't as expensive, but seemed nicer in many ways).
Maybe the opposite phenomena is happening in your favor, and you'll get a wonderful, beautiful place (the pics look lovely!) with a better deal partly because of the label/name. Score for you!
msjellyfish: haha yeah it being named after a rock is the only downer on the reception place.. because seriously inside.. its absolutely gorgeous!
Ok well out here in CA, La Quinta is actually an uppity neighborhood outside of Palm Springs where celebrities and the like spend vacations...so no bad connotations from this end. My venue is my fiance's parent's backyard and people keep saying "ohhh" like we're going to be eating appetizers between the swingset and the slip-n-slide, but it's actually a large estate that is perfect for a wedding (not to mention free). Who cares what they think before they get there, what matters is what happens when they get there!
I heard a lot about a really beautiful venue, and I literally drove right by it and could not bring myself to stop because it was called Balls Falls. I just couldn't write "Together with our familes ____ and ____ invite you to attend their wedding at Balls Falls" on our invitations. I know I should be more mature, but come on!
our reception is at the sesnon house. FI keeps calling it the szechuan house like it's a chinese restaurant or something.
My wedding was at the C. Ted and Kelly Lick Gardens and the reception was at the C. Ted Lick Conference Center! LOL
@Freemyerbride - LaQuinta is a nice chain, don't worry! It could be worse, you could be getting married in Balls Falls ;)
@bluespurrs: Okay, we are from the same place and I know the C. Ted Lick conference center so well. It ALWAYS cracks me up to hear that name. WHY would you abbreviate your first name when it makes that?
OMG, y'all crack me up. I think Balls Fall and C. Ted Lick take the cake. Thanks for making a girl laugh tonight :)
@bakerella- I just laughed so loud I startled myself. That is hilarious.
I am getting married at the Devil's Thumb Ranch. I'm sure you know its beauty because of the lovely Mrs. Cowboy Boot, but the name sucks! What I learned is no one is going to remember the name of where you have your wedding. They are going to remember the memories they create!
Okay FreemyerBride... feel better about La Quinta yet? There are some pretty funny/odd names on this thread... and I wouldn't honestly worry TOO much about holding a wedding reception at any of them.
Our wedding reception is going to be held at Maggiano's Little Italy... a chain restaurant... in a private banquet room. I bet people have low expectations of a wedding reception in a chain restaurant, but I actually like that. This way, they come in with such low expecations that we can blow them away. :) It's better than having great expectations & being disappointed!
Don't feel silly about the name @sandblutz beat me..I am from LA and there is a super popular La Quinta Resort just 2 hrs outside of LA. Its very fancy schmancy and swanky....Like the other gals have said if it has everything you want - whats in its name anywho 
Ours is called Tivoli Too! There is a Tivoli Terrace across the street which is also part of the same company... it's like they couldn't come up with a more clever name to call the second one on the other side of the street.... and the ! is actually in the title.
Mine is unpronounceable to 80% of our guests, it's called Tlaquepaque... go ahead try it...
It's really pronounced Ta-lock-a-pock-ee. But it's beautiful and if you live in Arizona you know EXACTLY where it is...
Oh my goodness. I'm like crying from laughing so hard...Devil's Ridge, Balls Falls, C. Ted Lick!!!! Oh My! I'm guess I'm weird. My venue is just the Lenexa Conference Center. Pretty boring.
I don't think the La Quinta is bad. Granted it isn't some fancy 5 star hotel it fits what you want and is a nice place.
We haven't booked yet as we can't get my mom on board but it's the "Fairfield Glade Community Complex". It's a lot nicer then it sounds. It sounds like a rec hall but it isn't. The worst part is that it's in the retired rich part of town. All the people who live there are older and are northern snobs (no offense to you northerners, but don't come to the South and expect us to drop our customs and values for you because "That's not the way we done it in _______(name city)______). It is the nicest venue in town but still people give me that look like "Oh you're doing your wedding at The Glade". Like they think that I am snooty, a fraud, or that I think I'm better then them. Which I'm not and I know that, trust me I pick peas every summer and weed a garden often- I'm a good ole country girl and I'm not trying to be anything other than. But just because I know when the best time to plant butter beans is doesn't mean that I can't have a formal wedding.
@Cardinal Cutie: I looked at Holiday Inn too but I couldn't stop playing that song in my head "Whatcha doing? Nothin hangin at the Holiday Inn"... You get the point. I just couldn't take a place seriously after that song because I just kept thinking about when he goes "I took this chick to the bathroom... You know what's on my mind" *shiver* I don't want crazy hook up sex at my wedding reception! icky
AzinAugust: Tlaquepaque is pronounced "tla-keh-pah-keh" ...it's sooo beautiful!! *super jealous*
I had this same problem. Our original venue was called Camp Choconut. I couldn't tell whether it sounded delicious or disgraceful. Either way I thought people would laugh at it. But alas they double booked us and we moved locations. But still. Choconut.
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