Sunday, August 18, 2013

The Wedding Planning Begins

I am going to start posting detailed wedding plans....basically for my own records  so if you get bored and don't want to read I won't be insulted. I'll try to put some non wedding stuff in too!

Shauna and Brad do not want to get married in a church. They want the ceremony to be at the same place that the reception is. I personally love that idea. It's so convenient and they don't have to worry about transportation to the hall from the church.

So we need to find somewhere that has a nice place to have a ceremony outdoors or indoors if the weather is not so nice. This is Michigan and the weather can be unpredictable. Brad prefers a golf course country club because they are much more picturesque!

The first place we checked is called Fox Hills. It's in Plymouth, fairly close to where we live. The hall was beautiful with windows all the way around overlooking the golf course and a wrap around balcony. This is the only picture I got of the outside.

Shauna and Rich would walk out the door and down those stairs and along the brick walkway to this gazebo


which is really beautiful with hanging baskets of  flowers so we wouldn't have to decorate it.

It's also very expensive. I'm not going to go into detail about costs in these wedding planning posts because it's not necessary but I'll give you one example. They charge $700 to rent the gazebo for a outdoors ceremony.  Fair enough because it is beautiful but the kicker is they also charge $3 a chair for the guests, so if you need 150 chairs, it's an additional $450! Seriously!  So that, along with a few other little things was a deal breaker for us. Too bad, because it truly was a beautiful place!

The next place was called Beacon Hill in Commerce . They were setting up for a wedding that evening when we got there.




Their prices for food and drink were a little more reasonable but what we really liked about this place was the outdoor ceremony area.



Beautiful and on a lake, too! And I can't remember the actual cost of the rental but the chairs are included. And we love the way they curve around the center. We would have to decorate it ourselves but I don't see that being a problem.

We are checking out a few more places but this place is a strong contender.

That's all the planning news for now. They haven't set an actual date yet but it will probably be sometime next August or September.

I did want to show you the patio of one of the apartments I walk by a lot on my daily walks.


It's a little hard to see but they have a bar with plants and solar lights in little colored buckets. A small potted tree and some chairs. And plants, wind chimes and balloons hanging from the balcony above it. So cute!  I want so bad to walk up there and tell whoever lives there that I love their little oasis and how much enjoy looking at it every time I walk by!

Until the next time....

7 comments:

  1. Well, you can be sure that I want to hear and know about everything! So excited and happy for them and for YOU! That second place is so nice; I really like that!

    At least you have a long time to plan and SAVE money for the big event. :)
    I know it will be wonderful!
    xoxo

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  2. Add the word "wedding" and the prices seem to magically double or triple. I am going to sound like a scrooge here, and I really don't mean to, but the big rip offs of this world are pretty much weddings and funerals!

    The venues you showed were absolutely beautiful though. So glad my only chick is long married off and I didn't have to pay for the boy's wedding!

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  3. Love the second one! Beautiful view...
    Mine are all married as well.
    What a fun time of your life!!
    hughugs

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  4. Such fun!!!!! I don't know if you would even have to decorate that second one. The lake makes a gorgeous back drop and if the girls dresses are in a nice color--you might need only a couple of large flower cascades on each side. Glad you had a good time at the Pictures Rocks--those Sable falls remind me of Bond Falls and--we all love Miner's Falls.

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  5. I hear ya regarding wedding costs. That's exactly why Angela & Jason had to postpone their reception until next late-spring/early-summer. I always heard that an average wedding for 200 people usually costs about $10k, and in planning a wedding, I can now see how quickly even little items can add up! And the prices are totally ridiculous.

    I really like the photo you took of Beacon Hill. We've attended a few events indoors there before, and know for sure that it's a nice place.

    Keep up the good work! I know you guys will find a wonderful place to have their reception. And in the meantime...SAVE, SAVE, SAVE! lol

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  6. I'm sure they will find a great place that is decent on the budget too. That second one looks terrific if they can swing the cost. I don't know if they have country inns in your area, but they are another venue that can be explored.

    You should stop by and say something to those apartment owners! I bet they would be thrilled to know that their place is admired!

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