Updated: September 2018
From time to time, we’ll do reviews of venues and vendors we enjoy working with. Here are a few venues we visited this summer and our impressions of the rooms, the staff, and the planners.
Venues
These listings are in no particular order. We have recently performed at all these venues and love them all for different reasons.
Sandia Resort
Sandia is great for the bride looking for a view and a ballroom wedding with a built in after party. They have ballrooms of all sizes catering to any event. One of my favorite things about this venue is their ability to have a ceremony on site. The Sandia Mountain backdrop provides one of the best views in the city. Let’s just say your pictures might look really awesome! The site coordinators, Beth and Meghan are two of the best in the city! I haven’t seen an event they can’t handle and they seem to always do it with a smile. Our events always run smoothly at Sandia with a staff that are always prepared and really do care about their clients. And of course, let’s not forget about what to do after the party is over… the casino!
Isleta Resort
Isleta is also a great local casino resort. They have areas and rooms that can also cater to your ceremony. But, their ballrooms are definitely some of the best around the Albuquerque area. Combined with our uplighting, the ballrooms convert into a reception paradise! The staff have always been welcoming as well and once again, has the casino for guests to enjoy themselves later into the evening.
Los Poblanos
This is definitely one of our favorite venues in New Mexico. If your are looking for a versatile, unique venue outside of the typical ballroom, Los Poblanos has to shoot to the top of your list. This historical venue located in the valley of Albuquerque, provides outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour accommodations and indoor facilities as well. It’s impossible to not get caught up in the historical allure of this venue. We have to also mention that the staff and coordinators are wonderful to work with. The price for booking this space is worth every penny to give your guests the most unique event experience.
Tamaya
The Tamaya is another unique venue with a view. Nested along the Rio Grande just outside of Bernalillo, the Tamaya offers multiple venue types for a variety of events. They have the Cottonwoods venue space, which parallels the Rio Grande, and you have the traditional ballrooms that can accommodate weddings of all sizes. They have a wonderful patio area for cocktail hour and when the sun is setting in the summer afternoon, you get a picture perfect panoramic view of the Sandia Mountains. Once again, the staff have always been accommodating and friendly, making the drive from Albuquerque well worth it.
Hotel Andaluz
Hotel Andaluz is another great historical venue for the Bride that is looking for a unique ballroom within the Albuquerque city limits. They feature an amazing ceremony area (seen in the picture), when combined with our uplighting, can be turned into a dream wedding within the heart of downtown Albuquerque. The Barcelona Ballroom needs little decor and features a friendly staff. We have performed dozens of events here and every time you walk into this hotel you get the feeling of historic Albuquerque.
Hotel Albuquerque
Are you a bride searching for a reception venue near Old Town Plaza? Search no more, as Hotel Albuquerque provides everything you need for your ceremony, your outdoor event, or your indoor reception. Located adjacent to the plaza, Hotel Albuquerque utilizes their built in chapel for ceremonies. And this is no ordinary chapel. It fights right in with the traditional New Mexico flavor for ceremonies of all sizes. Looking for an outdoor venue? Use their Pavilion/Garden area. And of course, they have ballrooms as well. Combine our uplighting with their built-in ceiling lighting, and you have yourself the best party space around. You can’t go wrong with the total package Hotel ABQ has to offer.
New Mexico Museum of Natural History
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History is a venue that falls in the ‘unique’ venue category. If you are a bride looking for a non-traditional venue, some entertainment for your guests, and to be married next to a Tyrannosaurus Rex, then this is your place! Speaker placement and acoustics are challenging due to the unique architecture, but it didn’t seem to make a difference in quality. Guests had a great time wandering the museum and you can’t help but wonder if dinosaurs would love some wedding cake. Once again, our uplighting helped to make the room (and dinosaurs) pop.
Hotel Parq Central
Hotel Parq Central is another fun and unique space. Event planner, Noelle Wallace, has been a joy to work with and their indoor space on the first floor is nice for smaller, more intimate receptions. The hotel has its own mystique and has been known to be haunted. As of yet, we have not seen or heard any ghosts through our sound system, so we’ll take it they like what we’re playing.
Sandia Event Center
The Event Center at Sandia might have one of the best, unblocked, views of the Sandias in all of Albuquerque. The space is relatively new and can handle both your ceremony and reception. The enclosed, indoor/outdoor patio is perfect for cocktail hour and features the amazingmountain views for guests. The ballrooms are great for small to mid-sized weddings and the staff are super nice and fun to work with. What is appealing to this space is that you can get those amazing views and have an event if you don’t want the casino right down the hallway, but can still get the the casino within walking distance if the slot-machines are a must. We’d highly recommend looking at this space if you want indoor/outdoor venue options.
