A couple weeks after Matt and I got engaged, I traveled home to Louisville with the mission to find a reception venue.  We got engaged on August 22, 2008 and set our wedding date for July 25, 2009.  We had to base the date around Matt’s work schedule - which meant I was deciding when we got married based on the NBA Draft, Summer League, etc.  Late July worked for everyone - my only issue was the heat.  An outdoor reception was not an option.  My mom made a few appointments for us and off we went.  The first place we looked at took about 3 seconds for me to decide it wouldn’t work.  But the second space, well, it was The One.

The Henry Clay was built in downtown Louisville in 1924 and was only turned into an event space a couple years ago. I loved the history of it. I loved the colors. I loved the character.

The walls in the main ballroom are gold tones. Instead of fighting the room’s natural beauty - gold, ivory and black became our wedding colors. I eventually added in blush pink to soften the decor. Below is the inspiration board I designed soon after booking the space.

Next up: we talk paper!

We’ll there has been a lot going on in the last month or so. The original wedding location in San Clemente has been scratched. What I thought was going to be anaffordable location, turned out to be not-so-affordable (at least for us) After adding on all of the fees, permits, etc The cottage that was once oh-so affordable, because instantly unaffordable. So that began the search for a new venue. I think I knew all along that the new venue would always end up being our wedding location, but I had to first go through all of the other options in my head, and on paper before we came to a decision.

So with that being said, we have decided that our new wedding venue is….

The family lake cottage in Michigan!

This place has been a part of my life literally since the day I was born. It has been in our family for 120 years, so it has it share of family memories, traditions, and parties. Although I think this could be the 1st wedding at the cottage- which is amazing! I feel so good and at peace with this decision. I feel as though it is right, and my heart is telling me that. Everything so far is falling into place! From rentals, to catering, to the wonderful photographer I have found (more to come on that later).

I thought that planning a wedding from a distance would be super stressful and not manageable, but so far so good. I am hoping that it continues that way.

Have any of you planned a wedding from over 2,000 miles away? Any pointers you can give are appreciated!

After Brian and I got engaged, we started talking about where and when we wanted to get married. I should note here that I moved around a lot growing up and thus don’t have a “hometown” where I would want to get married. We knew the wedding had to be in the fall or winter to avoid Brian’s season, so we started thinking of places that would be nice that time of year. We initially talked about having the wedding in San Diego at Torrey Pines (my parents live in San Diego) - it’s beautiful there and would have been a fun destination for our guests to visit. The one main drawback is that we would have been limited to only 100 guests and ultimately we decided that we’d rather have more of our friends and family there than have it in California.

The other idea we had was sharing the beautiful NC mountains Brian and I both love with our friends and family. One weekend we made a trip up to the mountains in North Carolina to look at some possible locations up there and we fell in love with the High Hampton Inn and Country Club in Cashiers, NC. We went there first and could immediately envision our wedding as we walked around the property (which was gorgeous despite being the middle of winter and the inn being closed for the season), but we knew we should check out some other places just in case - what if there is something even more amazing than this place?! Of course there wasn’t and on our drive back home we decided that this was “the” place.

Ok, enough gushing. Here are some pictures of the beautiful High Hampton Inn and Country Club (all courtesy of High Hampton):

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I don’t know about you other brides, but when I come across pictures of other weddings at our venue-I get so excited!  I love seeing shots that other photographers get, and I really love picturing us there in 91 days (YIKES!)

I love thinking about me and my girls chatting it up in front of this shed:

Love this dress shot from w. scott chester:

The above and below images were taken in the cabin where my girls and I will be getting ready!

So do you girls find yourselves googling your venue on a regular basis looking for images??  Yeah, me neither.

*unless indicated, all photos by The Reason Photographers

ok picking up from where we left off…

I was pretty bummed after finding out several venues were already booked for the “date” we had our hearts set on…so when I made the call to Country Pines I was expecting the worse.  No one answered…so I left a message explaining that I was interested in renting the facility for our ceremony/reception and curious about the availability of a certain date.  Well about an hour later I got a call back and guess what?!…they were NOT BOOKED!  (hooray!!!!!)  The lovely lady I spoke with, Nancy, explained to me that her and her husband are the owners and do everything themselves from set-up and food prep to clean up.  She continued on explaining their policies and what is all involved with renting the facility and I liked every bit of it!

some of the pluses being…

-family owned and run facility
-make all the food on site themselves…several menu options (served buffet style) with insanely reasonable prices
-we have the entire venue for the entire day of the wedding till 1am the following day
-they set-up and take down tables/chairs/linens/food…basically everything but the decorations and whatever else we bring in
-complete freedom with decorations…the few exclusions would not matter for what I wanted
-tables, chairs, linens, dishes and glasses all included
-we provide our own alcohol and bartender = major budget helper!  (umm can I get a HECK YES!)

Seriously….I was about to put my deposit down right then on the phone!  Although our date was open at the time…she told me that they had been getting quite a few inquaries for June 2010 already and that I should probably act quick if I wanted to seal the deal.  I explained to her that because I live out of state I wouldn’t be able to just stop by and have a tour before making my decision…and amazingly they agreed to put a hold on our date until that following weekend when my mom, aunt, and sister would be able to drive down and take a look.

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The time has finally come to sign the contract to secure our wedding venue!

I can understand how stressful this can be to brides.  It is not only a big financial commitment but usually one of your first wedding related commitments.  For people that are pretty indecisive (like me) this can be quite a big deal.

As I mentioned before, I’m a Wedding Specialist at a Boston Hotel and used to being on the other side of things.  I am constantly putting contracts together for Brides and Grooms and because of this, I feel extra prepared and a little less hesitant about signing my own.

There are a few things that you should really look out for in your contract.  Every venue is different so this may vary but here are some tips.

via Real Simple {source}

1.) Make sure you know what you are signing for.  Speak with the Wedding Specialist to see what you are responsible for,  IE: food & beverage minimum, package minimum, deposit, etc.

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I felt like the Goldilocks of wedding venues. We visited eight, three in Southern California and four in Northern California. This one didn’t have enough room, this one didn’t have a coordinator, we didn’t like the coordinator at this one, there wasn’t an easy way to park at that one, the bathrooms had a leak at this one, there were too many ducks and too much duck poo, etc. etc. etc.

We had specific criteria in mind.

- needed to accomodate up to 200 guests (we have big families!)

- outside ceremony area preferred

- lots of outdoor spots for photography

- easy parking for guests

- private venue (we didn’t want another wedding going on at the same time)

- a coordinator or point person that we got along with (after meeting some coordinators we did not like, this became even more important!)

One night, after returning from the Wild Animal Park, we stopped by a vineyard that had a rocking party going on. There were twinkle lights and tons of people and everyone looked so happy. Unfortunately, it was a private party so we couldn’t do any wine tasting, but the boy remembered it and immediately suggested the vineyard when we first started looking for venues.

It fit all of the criteria, and the added bonus was that their coordinator was so nice and accommodating. We felt immediately at ease with her, and it made the decision that much easier for us. I was also swayed because the boy loved it so much, and if you keep reading my posts, you’ll soon realize that this show is mainly being run by me. It’s very rare that he has an opinion!

So after 8 venue visits asking about chairs and kitchen space and parking attendants and changing rooms and set-up times…we made the big decision and put down a deposit for…

**Trumpets**

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While the Monica Geller in me imagined my wedding looking a thousand different ways over the years, one element remained a constant: I would be married - come hell or high water - in my home town of Austin.  There’s no other city like Austin in the world - the energy of the people and the natural beauty of the landscape are beyond compare, and we wanted our wedding to reflect that same energy and beauty.

With the locale firmly cemented, choosing an Austin venue was one of the first tasks tackled.  My mom and I visited several different venues and were overwhelmed with the options.  It seemed (and looking back, I think it was) like the biggest wedding decision of them all - the one that completely sets the tone for the whole affair.  I’d visited Laguna Gloria (part of the Austin Museum of Art) before but never as a bride-to-be, and something clicked the minute I looked at it from my new perspective.  Laguna Gloria boasts a historical Italian-style villa that provides a stunning backdrop without being stuffy.  The archetecture compliments the stunning grounds instead of competing with the natural environment.  The entire property maintains a certain elegance without giving up that organic vibe that is so “Austin.”

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Hey everyone,

Hope you’re having very happy Saturdays. I’m currently off on a cake tasting with my Dad and Andreas! More on that to come.

Thanks again for the warm welcome last weekend. I have to say though, I’m glad we got the introductions out of the way! I’m ready to get you guys caught up on all my planning.

The very first thing we had to figure out after we got engaged was where the wedding would be. We knew we wanted to get married in the fall, and after having been together for almost seven years, we certainly weren’t going to wait until fall of 2010. That left us with just about nine months to plan the wedding, which is a perfectly suitable amount of time… but we did need to get moving.

I always knew I wanted to get married in Boston. Even though most of our family is in the D.C. area, Boston is the place we live and have come to call home. As Andreas said, it’s where we grew up together. I also wanted to be able to plan my wedding first hand. Plus, I’ve always felt that Boston is just such a classy and charming city - perfect for a wedding.

Photo from author’s collection

So Boston it was! But where in Boston?

Well, here’s what I knew:

-We wanted some place unique. I didn’t want a function hall or what I call “wedding factory.” One of those places that turns over two or three weddings per weekend and has a tidy package deal all tied up for you. Not that I haven’t seen amazing weddings at those types of places but to us it felt somewhat impersonal and unromantic. The same went for hotels (though I know there are some lovely hotel venues floating around out there). I couldn’t really get comfortable with the idea of getting married in the same place board meetings and conferences take place.

-We needed to be able to have the ceremony and reception at the same place, since we weren’t getting married in a church.

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So you know all the details of our ceremony now…lets get to the party!!

Here are some shots my sister took this weekend when we went to see the venue…this is the reception hall when you first walk in.  Pictures just don’t do it justice-it’s amazing!

This is the dance floor area…and the two steps lead up to the tables for the wedding party…

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When we first started planning we decided that despite Ger’s family living in Ireland and my family in Pennsylvania, Boston was going to be a good mid-location for the Wedding.

As you know, plans can always change and most likely do during Wedding Planning.

In January, Ger’s mom was diagnosed with Stage IV Ovarian Cancer.  It was out of the blue and very unexpected.  Wedding Planning was put on an immediate hold.

After the shock wore off, the surgeries were over and all the tears were shed I made a decision.  The Wedding needed be moved to Ireland.  It would be much easier for Isabel, Ger’s Mom, and for the family.

I scraped the Provence-inspired wedding at Mistral and started at square one.  Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t sad, upset or even frustrated for having to change my plans.  I felt empowered, up for the challenge and knew that this wedding was going to be even more meaningful now. It definitely put things in perspective and had a little to do with some of my strong feelings towards The Do’s & Don’ts of my wedding.

Over the holidays we were visiting Ger’s family in Dungarvan, Ireland, and we took a trip over to The Cliff House.  It was absolutely stunning.  This gem is tucked away in a little town in Ardmore, Ireland overlooking the Irish Sea.  There was something so natural and fresh about The Cliff House.  I felt so at peace there.  Not only are the views out of this world but the food is amazing and the spa is state of the art.  What a perfect location for our guests!

Take a look at some of the photos of The Cliff House.

via The Cliff House Hotel  {source}

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So in the past two week I’ve met with a few clients who are having an event at a private home/estate. With this comes great flexibility [set up time, vendor selection, decor choices] but also great risk and responsibility [especially if it isn’t YOUR home, and if it’s located in a neighborhood of any kind]. The main foreseeable problems, right off the bat, consist of a few things: parking, inconveniencing the neighbors, and noise restrictions.

So, let me break them down a bit in the way I see fit.

1. The parking situation, most likely, will not be easy. My suggestion is to find a local church or business center that may allow you to rent or use their spaces for your event. If it’s a couple blocks away, offer the guests a trolley. Yes, it may add a tad more expenses than you anticipated originally when you started planning, but the convenience for your guests will be worth it! Plus, this way the driveway of the home you’re at, and right out front of that, looks clean, beautiful, and UN-cluttered with cars for that big grand exit you’re thinking of […or is that me?]!!

2. For the noise situation, the best thing you can do is speak with the city. I’ll be honest- I’m not quite sure that the city will grant permits to anyone- home or not- for “sound” after 10 or 10:30pm. I believe it’s a general respect thing for the community surrounding you. Which is why this ties so much into the 3rd point, below…

Really and truly- that third one is a biggie. Probably the biggie-est. So, I’ll tell you what I’ve told them: offer the olive branch.

3. The absolute BEST thing you can do for dealing with the neighbors near by is be preemptive about it and TELL THEM, up front, and personally. I’m not saying you need to notify all the neighbors within 2 blocks but definitely the immediate near-bys are important. More than that, say it with more than words. Say it with effort. Say it with food. A few examples:

Fresh Baked Cookies

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