How did you pick your venue?

[MOB Karen]

Just wondering how everyone chose their venue. :D

[WhiskeyGirl]

When I saw it I knew it was the one. The rooms had these amazing carpets that are Navajo type prints and there are "country" pictures all over the walls. It's an elegant hotel but it's still country and that's what we loved about it!
Lobby:
http://www.capricentre.com/images/lobby2.jpg

Picture of a meeting room! lol Not the carpet I was talking about.

http://www.capricentre.com/images/convention_main_3.jpg

http://www.capricentre.com/3.jpg

These are the carpets I'm talking about. This is actually the hall going down towards the banquet rooms. For some reason they have tables in the hallway in this photo! lol

http://www.capricentre.com/5.jpg

[AngelinLove]

I saw it and I loved it and knew that I was gonna be getting married there!!!

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f375/uofdangel/garden2.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f375/uofdangel/gazebo.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f375/uofdangel/diningroom2.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f375/uofdangel/diningroom.jpg

more to come.....

[mariaandmanish]

I called about 50 places in the space of a week. We needed some place that would be able to serve both Indian and American food without breaking the budget. And we found some of those, but since I was planning the wedding only 6 months out, some of them were booked already. So, we had a choice of 2, both of which had good food. One was slightly less expensive than the other, but gave us an extra hour. So, we took that one!

[AngelinLove]

DANCE FLOOR:

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f375/uofdangel/dancefloor.jpg


Bridge in the back:

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f375/uofdangel/bridge.jpg

The front:

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f375/uofdangel/mansionfront.jpg

[LaceyinPgh]

Sean and I looked at several venues in our price range. A friend who is a member of the club that we chose reffered us to it. The club is a private, athletic, business, and social club. It is one of the more exclusive clubs in the city. With Sean's business partners referal we not only were able to come in and look at it but to apply fo membership as well if we had our event there. That was a major bonus. Plus we would be the only event that evening. We had plenty of space, unlimited time, a per person alcohol tab, any ammenity that I could ask for, an on site coordinator, ect. It was an easy sell. I don't regret it one bit. Plus everyone said the best reception they had ever been to.

[MOB Karen]

Amber & I had gone to several different venues that same day. We were so disappointed and didn't like any of the venues that we had seen, but we especially didn't like the people who worked in them. The last place on our list was the Red Mountain Ranch Country Club. It was so beautiful, and the people were so nice to us. We loved it, and knew we didn't need to go any further.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h52/Karen602/bannerA.jpg

RMRCC is the rust colored building on the right and Red Mountain on the left.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h52/Karen602/rmrcc1.jpg

Closer picture of the RMRCC.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h52/Karen602/rmrcc7.jpg

The man-made lake on the RMRCC property.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h52/Karen602/rmrcc9.jpg

[mariaandmanish]

Karen, that place is absolutely beautiful! And it's great that you found a place that is so beautiful and has the staff to make it perfect. Amber must be so thrilled!

[MOB Karen]

Karen, that place is absolutely beautiful! And it's great that you found a place that is so beautiful and has the staff to make it perfect. Amber must be so thrilled!

Thank you, Maria!!! Amber loves it there!!! We think we're going to get some really nice photos there!!! :D

[ladymelissa]

Shopped and compared- we got the most for our money at our venue.

[MOB Karen]

I saw it and I loved it and knew that I was gonna be getting married there!!!
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f375/uofdangel/diningroom.jpg

more to come.....


I love those high ceilings, Angel!!! Just beautiful!!! :D

[asm198]

We haven't picked one yet. I want something that is unique and fun and not horribly expensive, which is a hard thing to find!

[Kacie_bride]

We didn't have many options. One thing Justin said was that he wanted to get married in this county. We could have found some fabulous places in Houston or Beaumont, but that was the one thing he really wanted. We could not do it at our church because it is to small. Most of the other churches would not allow you to have alcohol there and the Catholic church will let you use their reception hall, but not their church. There is always the VFW, but it is dingy and dark in there. It reminds me of a trashy bar.

I knew of Chain O' Lakes, but I never thought of it as a place to have a wedding. Somebody mentioned it to me and I thought we would check it out. It will work for us. It is also only $500 (plus the cost of food) and we have the room from 8 AM until midnight. The food is also fabulous. Here are some pics:

http://www.colresort.com/images/resort/r2.jpg


http://www.colresort.com/images/contact/c1.jpg
http://www.colresort.com/photo_gallery/amenities/amenities13.jpg

[WebLady]

We got married in our house so ...

ETA - But, DH did make sort of a cross sculpture special (kind of) for the wedding, it now hangs above our couch ;) I will try to attach a pic

http://tinyurl.com/o9eeo

[Kacie_bride]

Another thing cool about our site is all the wild life there. They are surrounded by lakes (hence the name Chain o Lakes) and there are gators and huge turtles.

http://www.colresort.com/photo_gallery/wildlife/wildlife10.jpg
http://www.colresort.com/photo_gallery/wildlife/wildlife12.jpg
http://www.colresort.com/photo_gallery/mystical/mystic1.jpg


http://www.colresort.com/photo_gallery/mystical/mystic2.jpg

[WebLady]

Another thing cool about our site is all the wild life there. They are surrounded by lakes (hence the name Chain o Lakes) and there are gators and huge turtles ...

http://www.colresort.com/photo_gallery/mystical/mystic1.jpg

I LOVE this pic ... I bet your wedding pics will be great :)

[WhiskeyGirl]

We got married in our house so ...

ETA - But, DH did make sort of a cross sculpture special (kind of) for the wedding, it now hangs above our couch ;) I will try to attach a pic

http://tinyurl.com/o9eeo

that's awesome Brandi! now you have this to remind you of your wedding day every day when you sit on your couch! ;)

[Kacie_bride]

I LOVE this pic ... I bet your wedding pics will be great :)

Thanks. Our wedding will be indoors since the wedding is in December, but we are doing some pics before the ceremony (while it is still light) and I hope to get some good nature pics.

[SoontobeMrsClark07]

Technically I shopped and compared, but when I walked into my reception venue (my church has been decided for years) I knew it was the one... not just because of the beauty but also the price. So I would say for me it was both.

[WebLady]

that's awesome Brandi! now you have this to remind you of your wedding day every day when you sit on your couch! ;)

Yeah, I love telling ppl that DH made it and that we got married in front of it :D So it means alot to me in several different ways ;)

Thanks. Our wedding will be indoors since the wedding is in December, but we are doing some pics before the ceremony (while it is still light) and I hope to get some good nature pics.

Cool (no pun intended ;)) I love nature shots with the bride and groom. Be sure to be on time and give your photographer time to get all the great shots.

One of the things that use to bother me when I was a wedding photographer was when the wedding was at a beautiful place with lots of great spots for pictures, but someone was late and I wasn't able to get the shots I really wanted.

[Kacie_bride]

Cool (no pun intended ;)) I love nature shots with the bride and groom. Be sure to be on time and give your photographer time to get all the great shots.

One of the things that use to bother me when I was a wedding photographer was when the wedding was at a beautiful place with lots of great spots for pictures, but someone was late and I wasn't able to get the shots I really wanted.

I'll be on time. We are staying there at the resort so that will help with being on time! I just hope it's not to cold and rainy that it is miserable to stand outside and take pics. I will love to get some great pics of the lake in the background with us. Fingers crossed!

[asm198]

Kacie, I LOVE your site! I wish I could find something that awesome at that price around here!! Alas, 90% of my guests are from out of town and are afraid of driving in the city, so I'm trying to find something in a certain area of town, which is hard. They are either booked or so expensive. So I'm so jealous and can't wait for the pics! Gorgeous!

[Valmai]

We went there on holidays (our wedding will be 2 years from that day) and laughingly said we will come back here and get married one day, with no actual intention of getting married at all but here we are all booked and planned! xxx

[katieandalex]

Shopped and compared. Cost was a HUGE factor in everything we chose for our wedding. If we would have gotten the venue I REALLY wanted, the ceremony and reception would have been at the same location, and the wedding would have probably cost about 3x as much!!!

[brewsells]

Well, I picked shopped and compared, although they don't have food. I am having our reception at the local FOE club. Yes, it is a bar, but I am trying to class it up where I can. Price was the huge thing for me. I only have a $2K budget and about 150 guests. It will work for what we need it for. Dancing and celebrating!

[StaceyMc]

There aren't a ton of choices close to the church where Joe and I will be married. The restaurant that my sister had her reception requires a minimum of 200/250 guests to have the room on a Saturday - that was out. I didn't want to do the fire hall reception - not that there's anything wrong with it, I've been to a ton of fire hall receptions and had a great time. So, we just decided to have it in the church hall - it's spacious and pretty. Also, it's convenient for a wedding in February in Western PA.

I also love the fact that I won't have to go outside in the potential slush and snow if I don't want to.

ETA - Since I'm a member of the church, we have use of the hall for free. We only have to pay the maintenance person $30 or something. That was another plus!

[KristyGirl]

What sold me was the people I was dealing with. I had spent 2 days driving all over and looking at all sorts of places. The second to last place we looked at was great- prices were good, location was good, room was wonderful, but the woman who we'd be working with was a total witch! We had one place left to look, and the woman was so incredibly polite and accommodating that we booked right on the spot. I still liked the other venue a little more, but there's no way I could have dealt with the witchy coordinator on such an important day. It was such smooth sailing at the place we chose that I couldn't have imagined it being anywhere else.

[Kacie_bride]

Kacie, I LOVE your site! I wish I could find something that awesome at that price around here!! Alas, 90% of my guests are from out of town and are afraid of driving in the city, so I'm trying to find something in a certain area of town, which is hard. They are either booked or so expensive. So I'm so jealous and can't wait for the pics! Gorgeous!

Thank you. The only thing about the guests that scares me is it is out in the middle of the woods. I hope they can find it!

[JennF]

We didn't get to see any venues since we're headed to England. We picked one within about a half hour of setting a date (Jonathan had visited the town and liked the hotel), but then changed our minds when objections were raised by his family. So I spent three weeks exchanging emails with his mum debating the pros and cons of various other venues. We went through a couple castles and many many old manor houses. Too expensive for what you get, too big, large group minimum required, or not great at that time of the year. Eventually, everyone agreed with us and we ended up deciding on the venue that we picked in the first first place.

I love it. We're having a tiny wedding, so it's just the right size. And everything is within walking distance for the guests so they can stay wherever they want to in town. It's going to be so much fun!

http://www.theswanatlavenham.co.uk/

I do have to say that his family's original objections were well meaning, and his mother was a huge help in picking the venue.

[Kacie_bride]

We didn't get to see any venues since we're headed to England. We picked one within about a half hour of setting a date (Jonathan had visited the town and liked the hotel), but then changed our minds when objections were raised by his family. So I spent three weeks exchanging emails with his mum debating the pros and cons of various other venues. We went through a couple castles and many many old manor houses. Too expensive for what you get, too big, large group minimum required, or not great at that time of the year. Eventually, everyone agreed with us and we ended up deciding on the venue that we picked in the first first place.

I love it. We're having a tiny wedding, so it's just the right size. And everything is within walking distance for the guests so they can stay wherever they want to in town. It's going to be so much fun!

http://www.theswanatlavenham.co.uk/

I do have to say that his family's original objections were well meaning, and his mother was a huge help in picking the venue.

How cool Jenn! I didn't know you were getting married in England! Nice choice! I can't wait to hear all about it.

[AngelinLove]

We didn't get to see any venues since we're headed to England. We picked one within about a half hour of setting a date (Jonathan had visited the town and liked the hotel), but then changed our minds when objections were raised by his family. So I spent three weeks exchanging emails with his mum debating the pros and cons of various other venues. We went through a couple castles and many many old manor houses. Too expensive for what you get, too big, large group minimum required, or not great at that time of the year. Eventually, everyone agreed with us and we ended up deciding on the venue that we picked in the first first place.

I love it. We're having a tiny wedding, so it's just the right size. And everything is within walking distance for the guests so they can stay wherever they want to in town. It's going to be so much fun!

http://www.theswanatlavenham.co.uk/

I do have to say that his family's original objections were well meaning, and his mother was a huge help in picking the venue.


Everything looks so beautiful and romantic..I think that it will be so awesome!!!

[rainbowtreat]

I could not vote as the venue I had was the only one in town lol. My home town is not very big and where I had it is where every one has theirs in that town.

[SerendipityCrafts]

Our minister asked if we wanted to use the church hall for our reception .... he said it was free (we will be donating to the church nonetheless) ... decision made - thank you very much!