Your Dream Day Wedding Planning Podcast with Kathy Piech-Lukas
Your Dream Day Wedding Planning Podcast with Kathy Piech-Lukas
Banking on Forever: Inside Cincinnati's Historic Wedding Venue, The Ventura
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Dive into Cincinnati's newest wedding gem as we explore The Ventura with owner Sarah Daugherty, a fifth-generation Norwood native. What was once called "the first skyscraper of Norwood" has been transformed into a stunning venue where history meets modern elegance.
The Ventura stands out for its distinctive features and unmatched flexibility. Original bank vaults add unique character throughout the space, while the hardwood ballroom accommodates up to 200 seated guests with room to dance. What truly distinguishes this venue is its rare "no curfew" policy—your celebration can continue until 3 AM if desired, a refreshing departure from the strict timelines most venues enforce. With bar packages starting at just $15 per person and thoughtful details like strategic electrical outlets (goodbye, unsightly extension cords!), The Ventura solves typical venue frustrations before they arise.
Beyond the stunning indoor space, a tranquil outdoor patio creates an unexpected urban oasis, perfect for cocktail hours or intimate ceremonies. The venue's comprehensive package includes gold Chiavari chairs (a significant value typically costing $5-10 per chair to rent elsewhere), tables, and basic linens. Sarah's team offers complimentary day-before decorating access when available and works with two preferred caterers at different price points while remaining flexible for cultural cuisine needs. Partner hotels provide complimentary guest shuttles—an increasingly rare amenity that enhances the guest experience while ensuring everyone gets home safely.
Currently booking into 2026 and 2027, The Ventura represents the perfect blend of historic charm, modern amenities, and unprecedented flexibility. Visit the-ventura.com or email bookings@the-ventura.com to schedule a tour and discover why this converted bank building might be where you want to invest in your forever.
To listen to more episodes visit www.yourdreamday.com
We are making our own story as we go from all over Southwest Ohio, southeast Indiana, northern Kentucky and anybody else who finds their way to our podcast. So today we are at a brand new venue called the Ventura, and Sarah Daugherty is here to tell us a little bit about the Ventura. Welcome, thank you. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2Absolutely.
Speaker 1We love excited people, so tell us a little bit about the Ventura. You guys are located right in Norwood, in Cincinnati.
Speaker 2Yeah, so Cincinnati surrounds the city of Norwood on all sides, so we are the prime example of centrally located. We've got 71 on one side, 75 on the other and the Norwood lateral that runs right through, so we are the perfect location to host any event.
Speaker 1Don't forget about Xavier right down the street. Yes Go, muskies location to host any event, don't forget about Xavier right down the street. Yes, go Muskies.
Building History and Unique Features
Speaker 2Yeah, no, I was when I was coming in today I'm like it's amazing how much this area has changed. Yeah, norwood is just booming, growing. It's. It's awesome. I'm fifth generation Norwood Wow. So watching the growth and the change in positive ways has happened. It's been so exciting.
Speaker 1There's got to be a plaque of one of your ancestors somewhere around town.
Speaker 2Yeah, my parents, my grandparents, met at the playing card factory. So when they worked there as teenagers. So, yeah, that is so cool yeah.
Speaker 1So you are like the perfect person to be spearheading this, then because, you're like you need, like a Miss Norwood stash.
Speaker 2Yeah, Some of my friends joke that I'm the mayor unofficial mayor of Norwood.
Speaker 2The unofficial mayor Yep, so, but so, um, our building um used to be a bank. Um, it's very, very, very old. It was called the first skyscraper of Norwood, um, so the the part of the building that my office is in is, um a seven story building, and then in the late sixties an addition was put on um and that's where the tellers and things were. So we do have um original vaults in our building, um, which is really cool and adds just this really classic piece to the venue.
Speaker 1Nobody's locked the groom in the vault yet, right we?
Speaker 2have not had that.
Speaker 1It is in the groom's suite. One of them is in the groom's suite, but we have a fireplace in there.
Speaker 2So if they do get cold feet, we've got the fireplace. Oh my gosh, yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 1So the main ballroom area, so to say, it's just beautiful. Like when you go in there you would have no idea that you're on a busy street in Norwood, because everything just looks so elegant and just so. I can't even yeah, Classic.
Speaker 2Classy.
Venue Space and Customization Options
Speaker 1Yes, it's so classy and simple and contemporary it's amazing. So tell us a little bit about the big room.
Speaker 2Yeah, so we've got hardwood floors throughout Our capacity. We can sit 200 seated for dinner and that still leaves room for a dance area. We've had stages put in, live bands or, if you want to go just the traditional DJ route. All of our lights are dimmable and then, if you wanted to do more of a fundraising event, we can do 300 standing, kind of a cocktail table vibe.
Speaker 1Well, and what's cool about the dance floor part is your floor is actually a floor.
Speaker 2It's not a rug.
Speaker 1Yes, so you don't have to worry about bringing in your own dance floor. You can just literally carve out a dancing area.
Speaker 2Yes, so, um, all of our layouts for our clients, our couples, they it's customizable, um, and so we sit down and we have a digital design and we customize where they want each specific table, where they want their desserts to go, where they want the DJ to be located, where they want the focal point their head table, um, or a sweetheart table. They want the focal point, their head table or a sweetheart table.
Speaker 1we transform the room into what their vision is.
Speaker 1That's perfect, and you have electricity All throughout the room, all throughout the room which I know it sounds silly, but it is actually very important to check out the electricity at your venue Because and again, this is not reflective on your venue. This is just other venues I've dealt with in the past where, um, they may not have had the um voltage capability, yeah, um, to run a specific dj's sound system, and so it would keep crashing, yeah, and you'd have to keep flipping the switch on the breaker. Um, we had that. I had that same situation with an outdoor wedding once, where the couple had said, oh, we'll have you use these outlets that are on the perimeter of the outdoor pool and just run a cord across. Well, it kept. What's the term when the electricity cuts?
Speaker 2off, cuts off. Yeah, the breaker, the breaker, the fuse blows.
Speaker 1There you go, fuse blows, and so we actually had to find a different one to use because we couldn't use that one, and ended up having to run a cord clear across the property.
Speaker 2Yeah, and that's what we don't have to worry about is cords going this way and that way on the floor and people tripping. It keeps everything in one spot and it also leaves open for um photo booths or 360 photo booths. You know, we have that electricity option so you can really put what you want where you want in the space.
Speaker 1That is. That is a huge. That really is a huge, huge advantage. Um cause, sometimes when you go into these older restored properties, they haven't taken the time to do something like that. When we're talking a little bit about photo booths, you have a beautiful green wall that couples can use as, like, their red carpet picture spot.
Speaker 2Yeah, and so a lot of our couples will do that. They will opt to just have their friends and family take photos on their phone instead of having an actual photo booth. So, right as you come in, we do have a greenery wall. That is permanent. It stays there all time. It's a giant grid, so they can decorate it however they like. They can do neon signs. There's again electricity there.
Bar Services and Transportation
Speaker 1Edison would love this podcast.
Speaker 2Yeah, sponsored by Duke. Yeah, sponsored by Duke. Yeah, um, and all of our light fixtures are updated so everything can be dimmable to really create that atmosphere that you're looking for.
Speaker 1After dinner is over and when the party starts so we're talking about after dinner and before the party starts. There's also something that starts after the ceremony starts and before the party begins, and that's your cocktail hour area, which is, again, it's one of those things. Whoever designed the architecture for this building with the intent of making it a wedding reception venue, they were right on the money. I mean, it's this beautiful hardwood wall that covers the eyesore of the street. That's there and it's just like you go into this little world. Yeah, and it's. It's so cool. I mean there's. I hate to use the word cool, but I mean that's really what it is. It's just really, really cool.
Speaker 2It's, yeah, it's perfect for being in this metropolis and you walk outside and it's still like a breath of fresh air. Um, so we do have our outdoor patio. Um, it planters two pergolas, bistro lighting and then, if it's a chillier evening, we do provide heat lanterns. That is all included in the rental.
Speaker 1And speaking of all night, it is all night.
Speaker 2It is all night yeah. So our reception windows start at four hours, but you can add on any additional hours. We do not have a cutoff time.
Speaker 1We were talking when we were walking through about how, if I really wanted to stay till three in the morning, I could stay until three in the morning.
Speaker 1You could stay until three in the morning. Yeah, that's amazing. Yeah, because I've had couples do that, where they're just late night people and usually it's just if you have about 200 people invited to the wedding, it's usually just a crowd of like 20 to 25 and they're the ones who close the party down, but they're going to stay until they're kicked out. Yeah, um, how does the bar work?
Speaker 2though, is that open the entire time as well, or is that cut off at a certain time? Um it? We work through all of that with our clients individually, case by case basis. Um same as the reception. It starts at a four hour window. Um, so we do have a full liquor license and provide all of the alcohol and the bartender service here at the venue. Um so whenever they want that four hour bar time to start, um, we work with that, and they can add on additional bar hours if they like for an additional fee. Um, it's not by much, and again, we can keep that party going and your bar prices are really, really reasonable.
Speaker 2Yeah, our beer and wine package starts at $15 per person. All you can drink for four hours.
Speaker 1And it goes up from there. Yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 2Yeah, we like to have a good time.
Speaker 1And everybody can get home safely, because the police are very close by too, yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah, we allow cars to. We have our own private parking lot so cars can stay overnight to make sure that everyone gets home safe If they want to Uber or Lyft. Um, we have security cameras outside great lighting in our parking lot and our hotel partners If you book with them, they offer complimentary shuttle for your guests. That's huge.
Speaker 1Huge. That is a huge, huge, huge, huge. Plus, a lot, a lot of hotels are getting out of the shuttle business. So the fact that both of your preferred hotels offer that is huge, huge. Um, and you also have a couple of preferred caterers that you work with.
Catering Options and Requirements
Speaker 2Yeah, so we do not have a full kitchen here, um, so we do outsource all of our catering. Um. Our two preferred our village pantry and delight more. We've been working with them for since we opened um and they do a phenomenal job. They know this venue like the back of their hands. Their staff is amazing and if you book either of them, our clients get a complimentary champagne toast that's served during dinner and it's a 15% food cost catering fee.
Speaker 1And that's actually pretty standard. So for those of you who are listening, who are just getting into the process of exploring venues, and they have a preferred caterer, how does that work? This is basically how it works. The reason why venues have preferred catering lists is it protects the integrity of their kitchen, because sometimes you'll have an unlicensed person who may bring in their own food and they leave the kitchen a mess, or they don't know how to use the hot boxes, for example, to keep food warm, or they don't know how to do this, and then the next thing you know, you're shelling out lots and lots of money fixing something that should never have been broken to begin with. Right, and it also brings up the integrity of the food.
Speaker 1These two caterers I work with both of them. They're wonderful, they're licensed, they're insured, they know what they're doing, they know how to keep food at safe temperatures, they know how to offer a variety as far as menu goes, and the one thing that's great about these two particular caterers is they are two completely different price brackets, and so you don't have to feel like you're being priced out of one because you're like, oh my gosh, I can't book this many because that caterer is so expensive. Right, you have a really nice balance of the bowl.
Speaker 2Yeah, and so, that being said, we also don't require to use those, those are just our recommended.
Speaker 2They're here the most. But if a client couple, if they wanted to use a different caterer, we say okay, we have to approve them, um, to make sure that they have the appropriate insurance, like you mentioned, um that they bring a full staff to serve the food, clean up afterwards, take care of everything food related, um, and as long as they agree to our venue standards, um, and they have all the appropriate licensures, things like that, then we say okay, there you go.
Speaker 1And when you have ethnic weddings that may have a specific type of cuisine that they have to have that one of these two caterers probably won't be able to fulfill to the best of their abilities, just because it's a culture thing. And one time I had a caterer that came in all the way from columbus to serve nigerian food, because this particular groom said I know there's nigerian caterers closer, but that's the food we want, that's the, that's who we want.
Speaker 1yeah, yep, he ended up being 45 minutes late, but that's another story yeah, we had to extend cocktail hour a little bit, um, but indian weddings are the same way, where, you know, in their culture there's usually three or four caterers that they stick to like glue and they everybody uses them for weddings and they're going to feel more comfortable with somebody like that coming in. But again, somebody like that would be licensed and insured, because most of them have restaurants?
Ceremony Layouts and Wedding Planning
Speaker 2Yes, exactly, and yep, we have had that. We um, outside of weddings, we had a very large Indian baby shower, and so they did their outsourcing of their catering and the different customs and bringing in their priests and everything. It was so cool, I love.
Speaker 1Indian weddings. They're my favorite. Awesome yeah, so let's talk a little bit about the ceremony. How do ceremonies work here?
Speaker 2Yeah, so we do offer ceremonies. Um, we've three different layouts per se for our ceremonies. Um, inside there's two different setups that we tend to stick to. Uh, both of them. We only offer California style seating, so guests are already sat at their tables for the ceremony. We just have one big ballroom and not enough room to do a full flip from an aisle to tables for dinner.
Speaker 2Yeah, that makes sense. So our first option is guaranteed married in front of the curtain wall and standing up there. And then the second option is our more popular option is standing in front of our what we call our mirror wall, and it's more centralized, great focal point, uh. And so either either one of those um, it works for the inside really, really well, uh, after the ceremony, we do bring out a sweetheart table or some kind of head table for our guests to sit at, uh, during dinner we normally do that flip during cocktail hour, gotcha, uh. And then our third option is out on the patio. So the patio is where we can do aisle seating. We have folding chairs on site, and we can fit up to a hundred out there. So most of our clients, though, do a more intimate setting on the patio. They have small, maybe immediate family, close friends, or just the bridal party even, and then they have the rest of their friends and family come just for the reception.
Speaker 1You know, I've been seeing that more and more. Yeah, I had a wedding last year where the bride did that. They invited maybe like not even 50 people to their 300 guest wedding reception. Yeah, and they only had them there for the ceremony. And then everybody else came for the reception and then the photographer had taken some pictures of the ceremony and put them on a flash drive and had them playing on a television so that people who didn't go to the ceremony could still see it and enjoy it and appreciate it. But they're just. That wasn't what the bride wanted, and you're starting to see that more and more. I have another couple this year that's doing the exact same thing and it's just. I don't know, maybe this is a new trend that's starting to emerge for the Midwest that nobody's been aware of. It's just having an intimate ceremony and a big party reception the same day, as opposed to eloping and having a small ceremony and then three or four months later, having a big party back home for everybody, and we've seen both.
Speaker 2We do have a projector in our venue as well. So for those destination weddings, um, we have one coming up where they're going to play the ceremony on the projector and then have the reception. So they're going to have it, yeah, and then after dinner we'll just have a normal reception. So, um, if it's a, if it's a wedding out on the patio and it's a smaller guest count, we will use our dining room shivari chairs out there instead of our white folding chairs. Both are phenomenal.
Speaker 1I was going to say I had my eye on those gold shivaris. Yes, that is a wonderful chair to have as your house chair.
Speaker 2Yep, that's our standard chair. Yeah, that's amazing. We get lots of compliments on them. Oh, I'm sure they're great.
Speaker 1Yeah, because if you were to go rent those, you're going to be looking anywhere from $5 to $10 a chair, depending on where you get it and whether you have a chair pad on it. Yep, exactly, and delivery.
Speaker 2Yes, so many things go into that, and so our rental costs includes all of our chairs, all of our tables, whether it's our rounds, our banquets, our high tops, it's all included. We don't pick price per chair, per table or anything like that. That's wonderful.
Speaker 1What size are your round tables? Five foot, they're five foot rounds, Okay. So with a five foot round you can see comfortably eight people, really comfortably six people squished, but okay at 10. Yes, and I think it's important to ask when you go to your venue, what size are your tables? Because when you, I mean, there may be nine people that have to sit together because they're a group and it's just more for you to be aware it's going to be a tight squeeze, but they're only going to be sitting there for maybe 30 minutes to 40 minutes tops. They're there to eat and then they're going to get up and dance. So you know, don't let that be a deterrent. If you envisioned sitting 10 people at a table because you can do it with a five foot round, yeah. Now if you have chargers, you're not going to be able to pull it off, yeah. So if you decide you want to have a charger plate, which is a decorative plate that goes below your dinner, your dinner plate.
Speaker 1I was going to say your consumption plate, your dinner plate. I like dinner plate better than consumption plate. I get the word word coming to me Um, but it's a decorative plate. Um, but you're not going to be able to fit eight of those, or 10 of those at a table with flatware and glassware. It's just not big enough. Um, and actually that brings up another point with the caterers Since you provide the tables and the chairs, the caterer will take care of providing linens. Nope, no, you do that too.
Speaker 2We provide the tablecloths.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 2Wonderful. So our clients get to choose between white or black and that's what the room will look like when they show up the amount of chairs at each table whether it's eight or 10, six seven table, whether it's eight or 10, six, seven um, those will be set with the table cloths. Uh, we are a DIY wedding of wedding venue where our clients do have to bring in their own table decor. We don't offer that at all, so they can either hire someone out, um, or buy off Facebook marketplace and bring everything in, uh, and then our caterers are responsible for plates, dinner napkins and flatware. We provide all the barware, so all the cups, cocktail napkins, things like that. We take care of that, but, yeah, we provide tablecloths.
Decorating and Day-of Details
Speaker 1It's funny that you have a vault here, because I used to call it a vault of stuff and it was actually a storage unit and it just had all of these decorating pieces that a couple would give me and they say we don't want it. Do you want it? We don't want it, do you want it? The next thing, you know I've got this everything 10 by 20 storage space full of stuff from you know ceiling to floor. It took me a year to sell all that stuff off. Yeah, it's, it's a lot of work. I mean, you can get some great deals on those Facebook groups if you find somebody that is selling exactly what you're looking for, but be prepared to have a lot of storage and it will take you time to sell it. To sell it, yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah, and I find a lot of brides. At one point they're just like just take it, because I don't want to see it in my garage anymore. I was kind of like that.
Speaker 1There's an event that happens around here a couple of times a year called the wedding resale market, and basically that's what it is. It's past. Brides buy a table. They sell them to vendors too. And they buy a table, they sell their stuff and they get to keep their money from all their proceeds and sales and they just pay that fee for to rent a table. That's awesome, and at the last one I was at, I literally was like no no, you can just have it.
Speaker 2I didn't want to put it in the car, yeah, and so that's kind of what we have ran into with this venue is we don't have a lot of storage space and trying to keep track of inventory, so we just let the clients take care of the decorating themselves. It depends on scheduling, so we do offer a day before decorating for no additional cost to come in during business hours, yeah, so that way they can get the decorating out of the way.
Speaker 2And then we also offer rehearsals the week of their wedding. That does cost an additional fee, but that fee covers having a venue manager on site to help with their rehearsal that makes sense.
Speaker 2So, um, if, if, for some reason, there is an event that takes place the night before, um, they can come in that morning of and get all their decorating Once the room, the ballroom, is ready. But, um, as far as access to the venue, that starts at 8 AM so they get to come in, they can use our getting ready suites, our bridal suite, our groom's den to get their hair, their makeup done, get dressed, relax, get photos done, all that extra stuff, and then, as soon as the ballroom is ready, they can get in there and get their decorating done.
Speaker 1And if you have an entourage, it goes pretty quickly. Yeah, absolutely so. If you have and again this is just you know, sidebar, kathy, here, like when I think of things, it's like here we go If you have a large wedding party, like let's say you have eight bridesmaids and eight groomsmen, you have to allow 30 minutes per application. So make sure that if you're planning on having your wedding party, help you decorate, make sure that you allow enough time for their hair and makeup to get done in addition to that decorating for you, cause you don't want them decorating in heavy makeup and crispy hair from all the hairspray. Yeah, even though Kenra 25 tends to keep everything shellacked. Pretty well, ask any makeup artists or hair artist what hairspray to use and I would say probably 95% of them use Kenra 25. I don't know what it is about that hairspray.
Speaker 2It works.
Speaker 1It works.
Speaker 2All they hold, you don't have to worry about it. No hair out of place.
Speaker 1I was talking with one of my, a girl who's getting married, and she booked us for planning for this fall and she was talking about her makeup artist and she said, yeah, I don't know what she put on my face, but man, it stayed in place Like I slept through it and everything was like, wow, yeah, I think that's what I'm most excited for when one day I get married is getting my makeup done.
Speaker 2It's the airbrush is what I'm looking forward to. That stuff doesn't go anywhere.
Speaker 1You know, it's so funny, like when people in the wedding industry get married. It's like so weird because you almost have to, you almost have to be private about it, because if a vendor finds out that you booked a different vendor as photographer instead of them, they get like so jealous. They're like what do you mean? You booked so-and-so. What about me?
Speaker 2Yeah, I don't. I don't even know what I'm going to. We were talking about eloping earlier. I might have to do that, yeah, Um, I don't know, We'll see. But yeah, I'm hoping soon my boyfriend will pop the question.
Speaker 1So well, when he does, we'll just have to get like an engagement proposal like video or something Be like look, we saw, we met her before.
Speaker 2Yeah video or something Be like look, we met her before, yeah. I'll just slide your card to him.
Speaker 1Here you go. This is a client. There's not a 20 underneath it, don't worry. That would be awesome, sarah. How can people find the Ventura? How do they get information?
Speaker 2Yeah, so we are on Facebook, instagram and we also have our website. It is the-venturacom, so everyone can find us there. Our pricing is listed, my contact information is on there, but the best way to get ahold of me is just email. It's bookings at the-venturacom and I would be glad to set up tours with anybody. Respond to any inquiries. Talk about what dates I have open. So we're booking into 2027 right now. That's amazing. That means it's going to be 2030 pretty soon. Oh goodness, wow, that's crazy to think about. It's 2025. That's too far away.
Speaker 1Wonderful Sarah. Thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you so much for tuning in. Be sure to subscribe to your Dream Day Podcast. You can subscribe here on YouTube, or you can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, whether it be iHeart, Pandora, Apple podcasts anywhere, you should be able to find us. This is Kathy Peach Lucas with your dream day. Happy planning.
