One Down, One To Go!

More and more in my life, I believe things happen for a reason. If something is important to you and you think and hope and pray about it enough, the path and answers become clear to you. Everything works out in the end.

I say this because after all my back-and-forth about the hotels, the answer literally came to me and- I booked the first hotel room block! You may remember that I was going back and forth between two. I decided on the Omni for a few reasons.

I work a 9-5 job in downtown Indy, then some evenings and weekends work at a retail store in the mall a block away. While working in the mall last week, a customer was paying right before close and we got to talking. She was in town on business and was taking advantage of our 50% off summer sale. As she was paying she mentioned that she was staying at the Omni. Being the forward and outgoing person I am, I went ahead and asked her what she thought, and told her I was considering it for a room block. Turns out- homegirl WORKS for the Omni! She stayed a while longer and we talked about my concerns and what the hotel offered. She recommended I just go in and talk to them candidly.

So the next day, Tuesday, I just went ahead and met with the person I had been e-mailing with. Lucky for me- this is the view from my window at my day job:

(Yep, that's the Omni!)

Compared to the other hotel, my contact Sara at the Omni was extremely responsive, and continually checked in with me offering to help in any way. I felt very comfortable e-mailing with her from day one. Customer service is so important! It was also great to see the rooms and the facilities. I brought her my concerns, and she helped give me options. For example, their parking rates are not negotiable (it is a different company) but she was able to give me names of other parking garages, and also reminded me that parking at meters is free Friday at 6pm through the end of the weekend. These are important details for our guests! I learned a lot during my tour and felt really at ease on the property.

The moral of this story? There are two. The first is don't be a wallflower- if you are making a decision put it out there because you never know who could help you. For example, I was speaking with the intern at my job (shout out Lana!) about the wedding and she happens to work part-time at our venue! She's been a great ease when I'm worried about how something will look there. If I hadn't talked to her about my venue, I might still be worrying about the look of the room without chair covers. Be open. Tweet about your dilemmas on Twitter. Tell the person on the elevator that their cupcake looks tasty- where is it from? They might think you're a creeper... or they might lead you to a vendor!

The second moral is to be brutally honest. Parking was my concern and I told the Omni that. I told them what I liked about the other hotel and what I liked about theirs. If I had felt weird being honest with them, I might be still waffling over the decision.

One hotel block down... one to go! Next I have to find one on the north side, near our venue but also still within the Indianapolis area. Yuck... wish me luck.

What wedding things have snuck up on you and made a decision easier? (Katie- like your awesome wedding photog!?!) Where is the most random place you have talked wedding details? And who has been an unlikely help to you thus far?