Seattle Design Center Events

Oh, Seattle Design Center… so much potential as a wedding and large event venue. Yet, so poorly managed. Let me explain.
We had a beautiful wedding at the Seattle Design Center in May 2012 – both the ceremony and the reception in the Atrium (the largest room).
The venue is gorgeous – ridiculously high ceilings, full of skylights that bring in natural light, neutral tile flooring, a gorgeous grand staircase – part of the second floor balcony. The square footage is enormous and could easily hold 500 people if you wanted to.
The BIGGEST PERK of the SDC: you can bring in your own caterer. That, and it’s quite reasonably priced compared to other Seattle venues that would hold 200 or more people
The biggest downside: the people who are supposed to be helping you plan your wedding in fact know next to nothing about the wedding business – they are managers at Molly’s Salads, the daytime food cart!
After booking the SDC officially in April 2011 (13 months before our wedding), our SDC «wedding coordinator» changed THREE TIMES. That meant we had to connect with the newbie each and every time to make sure they could accommodate some of our special needs, like having a small religious fire for our ceremony (don’t ask). And also confirming (again and again) the rehearsal time and date, as well as where the bridal party would have space for changing and storing stuff.
Needless to say, we had to be very proactive in dealing with the SDC and made sure to get everything in writing.
They provided very little outside of signing the contract and some tables and chairs. If it had not been for our stellar wedding planners of Blue Ribbon, this event could never have happened.
Thus, I am torn – the SDC is a stunning venue, but really needs to focus on event management and hiring people who know what they are doing.