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The Great “google” Venue Search – Part 2

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.

I waited patiently for the verdict from my “bridal entourage”…and… they LOVED it!  Even though they saw it in winter (aka BROWN)…they said it was perfect and that I would be really happy with it.  So as soon as I got off the phone I called Ben and Nancy at CP and put down our deposit!  On to the pics!

*they recently updated their website which has a lot more pics…and I can’t seem to copy/paste them here so you’ll just have to go there and check it out for more views!

countrypines_front

This is the main area where the reception will take place.  The barn has a large indoor part (with ac!) where the food and extra tables will be set up.  The upstairs part is really cute and is used as a bridal suite to get ready in!

countpineopenwedarea

This is the view standing on the lower deck looking out…this area is where we can have tables during the dinner and then open it up for dancing!  You can see in the distance how open it is…i love it!  The view from the top deck is absolutely beautiful! There is actually a small vineyard to the left… you’ll have to go to the website to see it.

countpin_littlearea

This is just another area on the property where people can sit and mingle…just to the left of the above pics.

*all three pics via old CP website

…and for the sake of seeing what a wedding looks like at our venue…I included some pics that our photographer has shot there!

cpwed2_khara

This area between the trees is likely where we will set up our ceremony!  Cute huh?

cpwedd1_khara

a pic in the vineyard…unfortunately I don’t think the vines will be this lush in early June…oh well.

cpwed5_khara

on the deck!

windmill_cp

oh and there is a giant windmill…SO Nebraska!

cpwed4_khara

this menu chalkboard is right inside the barn…and the tea and lemonade containers with cute chalkboard signs are included too!

*for more pics from our venue check out this wedding and this reception!

I am seriously stoked about our venue…I love that it showcases the beauty of Nebraska!  I can’t wait to put all my ideas together and make our wedding country-rustic-fabulous!

So if you’re keeping track we’ve now booked our photographer and our ceremony/reception venue…without meeting/seeing them.  Not exactly following the “rules” huh?!

What do you guys think?!?  Got any great decor ideas for me…I’m all ears…or should I say eyes?!