The hunt begins

After we got engaged and got our chance to celebrate with friends and family – and re-enact bits of the engagement to the shrieks of joy of excited girlfriends (“He literally pulled up onto the lawn of the mansion where --- there was a full picnic waiting for us…”), it was time to try to figure out the big things about our wedding. 

We both love the fall, so we decided on having it in either September or October.  We both wanted something that felt like a great big party – not too fancy, something more laid back.  That’s when the hunt began to find the perfect venue.  With dreamy inspiration like this...

Source / Inspired By This

Source / Big Wedding Tiny Budget

The tasks itself took a lot more digging than I thought. 

Being a self-proclaimed Google Queen, I looked and looked at places throughout the city and places out in the country.  Nothing really seemed “us” – at least not anything in our budget.  With thoughts of a “rural” and “old-fashioned” stuck in our heads, we were thinking about going two hours from our hometown in farm country and eventually found something that we thought could be doable.  Only after venturing out to a venue walk though one morning, I – who promised that I would be the complete opposite of a Bridezilla – broke down into tears since it wasn’t what we saw on the website at all.

The tears eventually subsided when Mama Sweet Cream’s friend’s daughter suggested a winery, moments – seriously – away from our house (and the Catholic church where we are making it official). 

A winery? I hadn’t really thought of that since all of the wineries I had been to in Bucks County – although gorgeous – just weren’t (in my mind) what we were looking for.  But this one we never have been to.  She assured her mom to assure Mama Sweet Cream to assure me that it might be just what we wanted.  So we went.  And we jumped up and down – at least I did. And then we got butterflies and clinked glasses of wine together knowing that it was it.

 Source / Rose Bank Winery

It was perfect.  We can decorate how we want? Check.  Vintage “old-fashioned” feel? Check.  Pick our own caterer? Double check.

We decided to take a trip back with FMIL and the crew & that day me and Mr. Sweet Cream signed on the dotted line. 

So that was it.  Mr. Sweet Cream is thrilled that he only had to go to two venues before we decided.  I’d love to go visit more and get special treatment and ooh and ahh over things that our wedding can be.  But we’re people who know what we want.  We’re super excited that it’s close to us because now we can get married in our church and get pictures taken in our new neighborhood, which has all of the historic touches that we love. 

We get to decorate however we want – and come in the evening before to do it if we’d like.  We can pick our own caterer and supply our own alcohol, with the exception of the wine – which I might add is A-OK by us. An added bonus: sheep.  Enough said. I can just image vogue-esque pictures with sheep.  Call me crazy.

I highly doubt I'll find enough inspiration to get my white dress all dirty ala ANTM

Source / Buddy TV

How did you find your venue?  Did you have something in mind before the search even begun?  How many venues to you visit before you found the one? Did you stumble across something by sheer luck (word of mouth) like I did?