We have some big news!
After almost a year of being engaged, Cameron & I have officially picked a venue for our wedding! YAY! This was the hardest part of the wedding planning process, so hopefully now all our other vendors can fall right into place.
After almost a year of being engaged, Cameron & I have officially picked a venue for our wedding! YAY! This was the hardest part of the wedding planning process, so hopefully now all our other vendors can fall right into place.
Cameron & I spent probably an unusual amount of time trying to nail down the perfect venue for our wedding. For starters, when we first got engaged back in February we didn't have a clue where we would be living. We both were in the process of graduating college, so we put the wedding planning on hold until we knew where we would end up after graduation.
In June Cameron got a job in Huntsville, AL, so we ended up moving about 6 hours south from our hometown in Ohio. This made our planning process even more difficult because both of our families are in Ohio. I kept going back and forth on whether we would find a venue in Ohio or if we would search for a venue in a place Cameron and I both love.
This went on until October. Cameron and I thought we would look into a destination wedding in Savannah, GA or Charleston, SC because we love those charming historic cities. We packed our bags and took a trip to the East Coast to do a little venue searching. After going to both Savannah & Charleston & looking high and low for the perfect wedding venue, there was no luck. Don't get me wrong, there were so many dreamy options, but I couldn't get myself to fall in love with the idea of a destination wedding. I love Savannah & I had hopes to move there one day, so having a wedding there seemed perfect. After thinking about how we would have to travel there and bring everything along with us, along with our families traveling, it seemed like it would get a little chaotic really quick. So I ditched the idea of a destination wedding.
In November, Cameron suggested looking for a place in Huntsville that way we are close and can work with vendors and any decor we need to take ourselves will only be a short drive to our apartment. The only place I thought would be perfect for our big day was the Huntsville Botanical Gardens. We had went there many times during the summer and fall just to walk around. I think its one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. When we first went there in July I told Cameron I could only dream of having our wedding there. In November we met with the event coordinator there just to see what the actual reception area looks like and what having a wedding there consists of. I of course fell in love with the place when walking through the doors. Buuuuttttt I was still hung up on the thought that literally everyone will have to drive 6 hours to our wedding.
December came around and I was feeling the pressure of needing to find our venue. I mean if it's taking me a year to find a venue, who knows how long it will take to find, hire, and get everything else. I weighed the pros and cons of having a wedding close to us in Alabama versus close to our families in Ohio. I just couldn't get over the thought that a wedding in November in Ohio could be absolutely horrible. The weather could be freezing, there could be a blizzard, and I would be 6 hour away from vendors, which would make scheduling to meet with them a nightmare. Plus I looked for months for venues in Ohio and I just couldn't fall in love with any of them. If I did find one I thought could work with my vision, it was way over my budget.
That brings us to January, 11 months into our engagement, and we finally decided on our venue. We dropped off our contract and deposit to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens TODAY! We officially have our dream venue and I could not be happier! November 9, 2019 is going to be my favorite day ever! Now, just to start booking the rest of our vendors and searching for hotels. If you have any advise, I am open to all and any! :)
In June Cameron got a job in Huntsville, AL, so we ended up moving about 6 hours south from our hometown in Ohio. This made our planning process even more difficult because both of our families are in Ohio. I kept going back and forth on whether we would find a venue in Ohio or if we would search for a venue in a place Cameron and I both love.
This went on until October. Cameron and I thought we would look into a destination wedding in Savannah, GA or Charleston, SC because we love those charming historic cities. We packed our bags and took a trip to the East Coast to do a little venue searching. After going to both Savannah & Charleston & looking high and low for the perfect wedding venue, there was no luck. Don't get me wrong, there were so many dreamy options, but I couldn't get myself to fall in love with the idea of a destination wedding. I love Savannah & I had hopes to move there one day, so having a wedding there seemed perfect. After thinking about how we would have to travel there and bring everything along with us, along with our families traveling, it seemed like it would get a little chaotic really quick. So I ditched the idea of a destination wedding.
In November, Cameron suggested looking for a place in Huntsville that way we are close and can work with vendors and any decor we need to take ourselves will only be a short drive to our apartment. The only place I thought would be perfect for our big day was the Huntsville Botanical Gardens. We had went there many times during the summer and fall just to walk around. I think its one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. When we first went there in July I told Cameron I could only dream of having our wedding there. In November we met with the event coordinator there just to see what the actual reception area looks like and what having a wedding there consists of. I of course fell in love with the place when walking through the doors. Buuuuttttt I was still hung up on the thought that literally everyone will have to drive 6 hours to our wedding.
December came around and I was feeling the pressure of needing to find our venue. I mean if it's taking me a year to find a venue, who knows how long it will take to find, hire, and get everything else. I weighed the pros and cons of having a wedding close to us in Alabama versus close to our families in Ohio. I just couldn't get over the thought that a wedding in November in Ohio could be absolutely horrible. The weather could be freezing, there could be a blizzard, and I would be 6 hour away from vendors, which would make scheduling to meet with them a nightmare. Plus I looked for months for venues in Ohio and I just couldn't fall in love with any of them. If I did find one I thought could work with my vision, it was way over my budget.
That brings us to January, 11 months into our engagement, and we finally decided on our venue. We dropped off our contract and deposit to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens TODAY! We officially have our dream venue and I could not be happier! November 9, 2019 is going to be my favorite day ever! Now, just to start booking the rest of our vendors and searching for hotels. If you have any advise, I am open to all and any! :)
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