While I love the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I always like New Years Day best.  With a stroke of the clock at midnight, the New Year arrives as clean and fresh as a new patch of fallen snow that has not been marked by footprints. 

With anticipation I envision the new people there are to meet, the new places to go visit and the adventures that await us in the New Year.  The possibilities are endless! I think the whole world felt this way with all the challenges of 2009 behind us.  For a short while, we all could feel the freshness of starting anew in 2010 and were optimistic that we are making headway to a better place financially. 

In the spirit of future adventures, it is fitting that all of you who have recently gotten engaged and plan to get married this year will start a whole new life together.   The Down Town Club is also starting fresh with new opportunities to serve you.  Our offsite sister company, Union Gourmet Catering, has been chosen as one of the preferred off-site caterers to the historic Powel House and Physick House.   

Built in the late 1700’s, both houses are open for indoor events and outdoor garden parties.  They were the scene for social gatherings of the day.  If only the walls could talk…. imagine seeing George and Martha Washington dancing on their anniversary in the parlor, heated political discussions in the drawing rooms and perhaps Ben Franklin being the ultimate guest mingling in the gardens! 

You may ask what does all this mean to you here in 2010?  It means that we can now bring the exceptional food and customer service of The Down Town Club to you at other locations.  These intimate venues are perfect for the smaller events that surround your weddings – such as engagement parties, bridal showers and rehearsal dinners.  

Please let us know if you would like more information about the Powel and Physick Houses and and tour the space.  We will be having Open Houses at the Powel House on February 18 and at the Physick House on March 25.   Please RSVP at 215-925-2040 if you wish to attend either of these. 

In the meantime, you can access their respective websites at the following links:http://www.philalandmarks.org/powel.aspx http://www.philalandmarks.org/phys.aspx   

Your guests will enjoy a true Philadelphia showcase if you pair your rehearsal dinner (or your engagement party or bridal shower) at one of these historic houses and have your wedding at The Down Town Club overlooking Independence Hall.  Like you and your fiance, I think you get the idea what a wonderful partnership this is!  

We look forward to hearing about all your events you are planning and how we can make planning easier for you.    Let The Down Town Club and Union Gourmet Catering create spectacular events for you this year…. 

The possibilities are endless!

Big spending on a splashy event may not be available to you but that does not mean you have to give up your dream wedding.  It may be overwhelming to go through all the decisions for products and services that cost money.  But keep in mind that the real “bottom line” is the mixing of good people and good food in one great place for your special day. 

People are what make it count, all assembled in one place at one time to celebrate the wondrous event of your marriage.  This is what creates that special moment in time that you will always remember. 

The Down Town Club provides an elegant, romantic setting for your dream wedding!  Our Georgian architecture and views of the skyline of historic Philadelphia serve as a base to build your vision.  Our Wedding packages are all inclusive and reasonably priced.   If you want to save money on flowers, you don’t need huge centerpieces as our décor will enhance whatever you choose.  Our Ballroom is the perfect size for either a large or small live band or a DJ.

Though your Wedding budget may have changed, the core values of our wedding team at the DTC have not.   No matter what the economy is doing, whether it is up or down, the following values remain constant for us:

• We deliver a venue of romance and history.  If these walls could only talk, they would have fascinating stories to tell of what they have witnessed over the past 85 years.  And, you could be part of that history.
• We deliver delicious cuisine with exceptional service.  We are big on quality and value and our portions are generous without being excessive or wasteful.  We are certain that all your guests will enjoy and talk about our food and service long after your event.
• We deliver what we promise. Your confidence and trust is essential to us. 

We want you to enjoy the process of planning your wedding because the day of the wedding goes fast and the planning should be part of the total experience.  Our wedding coordinators, Mary and Kelly, will help make it fun for you!

So I invite you to come in and see our venue and discuss how we can make your dream come true.  And as always, I love to hear your comments!  Please contact me if you would like to share your thoughts.

First…let me introduce myself….I am Lynne Kopchains, Director of Sales at The Down Town Club.  I have worked at the DTC for 12 years (I can’t believe it is that long but every year gets better and I have never gotten tired of the spectacular views outside my window).

I started out in 1997 as a wedding coordinator and I have overseen many beautiful weddings in my career here.  Hmmmm, out of the thousand or so weddings that the DTC has hosted in my time here, I think I have coordinated over 400 of them!   That is a lot of happy brides and grooms.Now my role as DOS is to oversee the Sales Department which has grown to be several wedding  planners.  The duties are always changing. For example, I have never blogged before - this is the first time so I welcome your feedback.

I want this post to be informative and interactive to all who visit, whether you are someone looking for a site for your wedding … got married here ten years ago…or are simply a fan of The Down Town Club!  I invite you to also check out Chef Felix’s blog to be up to date on wedding fare.

You will find tips for your wedding, stories about our brides, trivia facts about the Down Town Club.  Most of all you will find out that you have landed on the website of the best place in Philadelphia for a wedding or corporate event.

And here is why:

·        History – We have been around for over 100 years!
·        Architecture – Our Georgian Revival style building is a National Historic Landmark
·        Commitment – All of our staff are dedicated to you and your event
·        Value – We are consistently striving to give you the most for your money
·        Reputation – It is very important to us to maintain our first class reputation
·        Personal Attention – You will find friendly, knowledgeable planners that really do care about you
and your event. 

Thanks for reading - I look forward to getting to know you on this journey!  Please let me know what you are interested in and I will address it!