One of the very first things I did after we got engaged –
after calling people, and immediately ordering a bunch of wedding planning
books (yep, I’m a nerd, even about wedding planning), and just enjoying the
first few days of our engagement – was start thinking about where our wedding
might take place. Since I had spent the year before as a bridesmaid in a
friend’s wedding, I knew a bit about the planning process – and I knew that the
venue is typically the first thing to decide on, because without the venue
booked you can’t have a definite idea of the mood, style, and most importantly,
the date of the wedding. With that in
mind, I knew I wanted to find a venue before I started getting carried away
with the other details.
(The day after we got engaged - can you tell that I'm already thinking about the wedding here?)
Of course, as it is for two people in their 20s and 30s who
come from different places, the question wasn’t as simple as it is for many
people. With my hometown halfway across the U.S., I knew that getting people to
actually come to the wedding might be
difficult. But although it’s traditional for the wedding to be held in the
bride’s hometown, it just wasn’t an option for us. My home now is here in
Massachusetts – by the time the wedding rolls around, I will have been here for
2 ½ years, and I will have been away from Minnesota for over 11. I also knew
that we wanted to be able to be hands-on in planning, and it just isn’t in the
budget for me to fly back and forth every few months. Besides, my friends and
family are scattered across the country, so Minnesota wouldn’t really be any
more convenient for many people. Massachusetts it was.
Before setting out to find a venue, Brendan and I talked a
bit about our general time frame. Keeping in mind the budget (not super high,
but definitely high enough that we need time to save up) and our favorite
seasons, we decided to go for about 14 months out from our engagement date,
which meant some time in the fall of 2013. Living in New England, the fall is
definitely the most beautiful time of the year, and we want to make sure that
everyone coming to the wedding from far away is treated to something
quintessentially New England.
(Our guests are lucky we aren't making them take a wagon!)
Knowing that we were aiming for fall got my mind racing in a
zillion different directions. I had a few places bookmarked that I had come across
before (what, not everyone looks for wedding venues before getting engaged?!?),
and I had a few new ideas to add to the mix, too. We wanted a rustic, fall, New
England feel, so we chose places close to our home in Central Mass. We also
knew we were getting married in a church (more on that later!), so we were only
looking for a reception site. I won’t bore you with ALL of the places we
looked, but here are a few of the highlights:
(source: Tower Hill)
Tower Hill Botanic Garden is near to our house and a
favorite place for us to go during the summer. They are surrounded by a
gorgeous landscape and the grounds are absolutely beautiful. My favorite
feature, though, is the Orangerie:
It's even more beautiful in person than it is in this picture, especially all lit up at night. It’s because of the Orangerie that I fell in love with this
place – it was the first place I bookmarked for the wedding, well before there
was even a ring. With the flowers all over this place, I knew it would be
beautiful without much work. Unfortunately, though, the site fee was a bit
steep, and catering had to be separately arranged. I wanted to be hands-on, but
this felt a little too hands-on for me!
(source: Harrington Farm)
Harrington Farm was another early favorite. I knew we wanted
rustic, and this place screams “rustic
elegance.” How can you not love the
exposed beams lined with lights? I had dreams of dancing our first dance in the
center of their beautiful barn.
But although it’s beautiful, the space was a bit too big for
our wedding – we expect less than 100 people, and that would be a tiny party
for the huge barn. If I remember correctly, the site fee was a bit steep here,
too – we wanted to spend more on being able to offer our guests better food
rather than just on the beautiful space. So on we went!
(Source: Zukas)
Zukas is actually the first place we toured, and it was a
top contender. The “barn” is actually more of a countryside lodge – there is a
huge fireplace and everything is made out of wood. The tent space for dinner
was very elegant, and the grounds were gorgeous. I could picture our wedding
taking place among their rolling hills. And the coordinator, Alyson, was very
welcoming. We thought long and hard about Zukas, but ultimately decided that
our wedding was a bit too small for their space, too, and at 45 minutes away
from our house, it was a long haul for everyone.
What a fun tent - but too big for our party!
(Source: Zukas)
I’ll be back with the place we finally did choose – I promise the wait will be worth it!
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