The Reception
We chose to have our reception at the Lower Providence General Washington. This banquet hall is located about 30 minutes from our wedding ceremony in Audobon, Pennsylvania. We went with this site over all other choices due to the classical look of the building, both inside and out. There is plenty of room to spread out inside the banquet hall, as well as a large terrace outside to gather on. There is a large dance floor as well as a huge open bar for your entertainment. The Lower Providence General Washington is easy to get to from our church, and there were hotels close by for any of our guests to stay at overnight.
The exterior of this building has the look of an 1800's mansion. It is all white with a white gazebo in the front of it. The actual banquet hall is to the left of the front entrance. Behind the banquet hall is a large olympic size pool with a terrace overlooking it. The cocktail hour was located on this terrace since it was nice outside. There was ample parking available in front of the banquet hall.
The inside of the banquet hall is just as beautiful as the outside. With an estimated guest list of about 130 people, Stacy and I needed a hall that would not be too crowded. The inside of the General Washington could probably hold over 300 guests, so there was plenty of room to spread out. The dance floor takes an entire fourth of the hall. Placed in the back left corner, the dance floor held the DJ as well as any guest who chose to get on the dance floor and have fun. We hired a DJ from Signature DJs for the evening's music.
Since the reception started and 5:00pm and did not end until 10:00pm, dinner and dessert were served. Each guest had the choice of Chicken Cordon Bleu or Prime Rib. This was decided before attending the reception, but at least you were given a choice. There was wedding cake after the meal (of course) as well as other desserts. Upon arriving at General Washington, there was a cocktail hour with food to snack on before dinner.
To make sure everybody had a good time at our reception, we offered a four hour open bar. There was beer on tap, as well as mixed drinks. One of the on tap specials was Yuengling Lager. Shipped out of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Yuengling is a favorite in this area of Pennsylvania. Since the open bar was included in our package, I hope that all of our guests drank all they want, but at the same time drank in a responsible fashion.
I just wanted to make a last note saying that Stacy and I will miss this reception site. It closed down shortly after we had our reception. We have heard all sorts of rumors as to what will go in it's place. At one point, it was going to be a new water park. Now it seems that they will be building a brand new banquet hall. Either way, the original building no longer exists. The last time Stacy and I drove by (February 2001), the windows were all boarded up but nothing had been torn down yet.
