Floral Arches
Vendor Spotlight
The Revelry Cooperative
The Revelry Cooperative is a venue’s secret weapon.
Founded by Jules Miller in 2017, The Revelry Cooperative was created to help venues better service the needs of clients and to connect clients and planners to off the beaten path venues and help them manage their events.
I first met Jules in 2008 when The Foundry in Long Island City was relatively new. It was one of the first industrial spaces that was repurposed into a venue. At the time, there were no other venues like it, New York had its share of wedding halls, hotel ballrooms, and the like, Williamsburg was still full of operational factories. The Foundry was absolutely outstanding and unique, a true pioneer.
Around that time, repurposed industrial venues like Liberty Warehouse, Brooklyn Winery, The Green Building, 501 Union, The Metropolitan Building, 26 Bridge and the Wythe Hotel all started to open. All of these spaces were created from former factories, warehouses and other industrial spaces and all had unique challenges.
It was in spaces like that where Jules learned the ins and outs of managing venues with specific challenges.
I had just founded Rose Red & Lavender and instantly fell in love with these alternative venues, and knew that I wanted to be a florist for the type of people who would get married in places like that.
Jules and I have worked on many events together over the years and I was very excited to see her venture forth and take her expertise to the next level. We used to joke about how our respective lists of terms and conditions grew every year after we became more educated and experienced. My favorite rule of hers, no mylar balloons.
In the last few years, there has been a new explosion of new venues opening. Many of these are in non traditional spaces. There is a delicate balance of maintaining the original character of a space and delivering the level of hospitality that clients expect. Jules notice a need and the Revelry Cooperative was founded. The Revelry Cooperative helps venues to make the leap to being an exceptional space and is a perfect solution for people who may have a great space, but not a background in hospitality. Her expertise is especially important to anticipate needs, and to set ground rules to keep guests happy, and the venue intact and things running smoothly.
Services that she offers venues include setting up fee structures, timelines, assistants with marketing, floorplans, event flows, contract inclusions, maintenance guidelines, operational logistics and vendor introductions.
Her clients include: Gather Green, Sound River Studios, The Bordone, Rhine Valley Farm and The Woodhouse Lodge, Town Stages, Lytehouse Studios and Sound River Studios. All of the venues she represents are in exceptionally unique spaces and are located in both the city and in the Hudson Valley and the Catskills.
Other services she offers includes venue scouting, representation and management, tours, vendor recommendations and client follow ups. She also offers month of planning services for select clients.
We talked briefly about how the industry has changed in the past 10 years. Jules has noticed a shift; planners and clients are asking for more venues and more choices. What really sets a venue apart, according to Jules, is how the space is managed and the experience they create for their clients.
Jules and I have both catered to clients who are creative, have excellent taste, and who want something different. The once edgy industrial spaces have become the norm and creative types are venturing outside of the city into the Hudson Valley and the Catskills to seek out new experiences. Websites like Escape Brooklyn, and pioneers such as Basilica Hudson have helped pave the way. It’s full steam ahead, according to Miller.
Barn weddings are going the way of the mason jar and Jules is curating an arsenal of unique venues that are event ready and who can cater to the very selective needs of city clients. She meets prospective couples in Brooklyn and recommends talent from both the city and within the region.
One of her favorite home bases for out of town weddings is Hudson. It is easy to get to by train, there are lots of places to stay it’s easy access to hiking, antiquing and spas. There is something for everyone. It doesn’t seem like a chore to go to, according to Jules, something she cautions when couples are planning an out of town wedding. Venues that are on the top of her list in that region are Meadow Ridge, Basilica Hudson, Woodhouse Lodge, and of course Gather Greene.
Originally from Minnesota, Jules has a down to earth charm and easy going personality; however, she has lived in New York long enough to have a sophisticated edge. She loves dogs, especially her little Pomeranian named Waffles.
If you are looking for something different and are interested in opening a venue, or leveling up a venue you own, I highly recommend The Revelry Cooperative.
Contact Information: The Revelry Cooperative, jules@therevelrycooperative.com, 347.204.9005
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