Wedding Venue Shopping

As many of you know, Brian and I are planning to get married in the Richmond, Virginia area where  I was born and raised.  Planning a wedding is pretty intimidating,  so for the first couple months of our engagement my tactic was to delay.   I wanted to just enjoy being engaged without adding the stress of planning.

After a couple of months though, I did start to get antsy about picking a date and starting the whole process.

So the venue shopping began…

I don’t know how you other brides have felt, but picking the right venue was much harder than I originally thought.  The venue dictates the rest of the  wedding day details (color, style, decor etc.) so I wanted to be sure I picked something that fit our style and budget.

I know a lot of girls already have an idea in their minds of what they want their wedding to look like and I was no exception.  I soon came to realize though, that an idea can be harder to make a reality and you have to consider the  34570923475 details that come into play with a wedding.

I originally wanted to get married in an old refurbished barn.I grew up on a farm so I thought this would be a perfect way to honor my childhood. I fall head over heels in love with every reception photo I see with a beautiful bride in her soft white wedding gown standing in front of a rustic wooden barn.

I began searching online for venues, using sites like Richmond Weddings,  Rustic Wedding Chic,   and even posting on facebook hoping to find a barn that could accommodate our wedding. Unfortunately, the right venue just doesn’t exist in Richmond.  I did find a few barns in Charlottesville and in Northern Virginia, but I’ve always pictured myself marrying in my home town.

So I had to readjust my view a bit,  keep an open mind, and most importantly still try to have fun in the process. Here were some of our  top contenders.

Westover Plantation

I was drawn to it’s rich American history, lovely grounds, and breathtaking views of the James River.

Benefits: Duh it’s beautiful and I got that feeling that this really could be the place when I visited there for the first time.  Unlike other plantations around, guests would actually be able to view the house for the first two hours of the event.  Also I loved the event coordinator and owner of the house, Andrea.  Westover Plantation has been in her family for 6 generations!

Downside: Westover just provides the venue, nothing else. We would have to take care of renting a tent, bathrooms, tables, chairs etc. I knew this would be a lot more work and could be harder to stay within budget. Also, it’s about 30 minutes outside of Richmond so setting up shuttles would be a necessity for all of our out of town guests.

Bolling Haxall House

A Women’s Club founded in 1894. I’m drawn to its lovely,  grandiose architecture. These ladies knew what they were doing when they picked the location for their women’s club. It’s right in downtown Richmond, so its easy to get to from the church and there are lots of hotels within 4 blocks.

Also another upside, chiavari chairs (you know what I’m talking about ladies) and tables are included in the cost and we don’t have to worry about renting a tent and bathrooms. Also they allow outside caterers, so we could pick food we really like instead of being pigeon holed into using their vendors, like some venues.

Downside: It’s not the original idea of my wedding reception I had in my head…

Boat House at Sunday Park

This quaint venue right on the Swift Creek Reservoir is located about 35 minutes outside of Richmond.  This place offers breathtaking views and a more laid back feel.

Also this venues comes with some nice convenience factors like the a day of event coordinator, tables, chairs, and choice of linens are included. They also provide food and beverage packages so you can easily calculate how much the whole day will cost!

Here are some other venues we checked out in our search:

• Amber Grove
• Boat House at Rocket’s Landing
• Meadow Farm
• Virginia House
• Virginia Museum of Architecture

Brian was a good sport visiting around 10 venues 🙂

If you’re planning your own wedding, here are some helpful questions to ask your wedding venue.

Stay tuned for more wedding planning tips and details. Can’t wait till October 4th, 2014!

Rumblings of Wedding Planning

I’m just over the moon about being engaged to Brian. It’s only been a little over a month and  it feels just the same as the night we were engaged.  The main reason I want to have a longer engagement is to selfishly revel in having a finance’ for as long as I can 🙂 Also, my favorite season is Autumn and I have always imagined being married then. I especially love the weather and scenery in Virginia in October (sorry football fans).  I think by having a longer engagement, we can really take the time to pick what we want and not feel too stressed. I really want to enjoy every single moment.

It has been fun to day dream about what direction our wedding could go. I’ve started “planning” in these fun ways!

Creating a Pinterest board to organize all my wedding dreams.

View my Wedding Pinterest Board here.

Day dreaming about our honey moon!

Can we really only take one? What about a year long honey moon? Here of some of the places we’ve thought about.

Thailand! I wanna swim with an elephant!

Croatia! Just look at this beautiful beach! I’m sold.

 

 

Greece! I love the juxtaposition of the ligt and dark landscape in Santorini

.

 

Here are all my dreams of upcoming trips.

Browsing Wedding Venues

I know I definetly want to get married in my hometown area of Richmond, Virginia. I’ve contacted the owners of the farm I grew up on, North Wales Farm. You can read more about this lovely farm here. It would really mean the world to me to be married on this farm I have so many memories from.  My parents were married here, so of course it would mean even more to be married here too.

I’ve been preparing myself in case the owners of North Wales Farm say no. My mom recently suggested Meadow Farm in Doswell, Virginia. This is the farm Secretariat was born and raised. In case you don’t know, I was a horse fanatic growing up and a Secretariat groupie. I even have snap shot of him signed by Penny Chenery. ha! Dork alert.

Mike Topham Photography

Planning our Engagement Shoot

We’re taking our engagement photos next weekend! I’m even more giddy to see how my friend Heather Raeburn makes us shine 🙂 It’s comforting knowing a friend is taking the shots. I know she’ll be honest if we look awkward or corny.  We’re planning to take some shots by the tidal basin (hopefully the cherry blossoms are still in full bloom), some down Pennsylvania Avenue with the Capitol in the background, and one in the metro going up an escalator.  Shameless Plug: Win your own photo shoot or photo book from Heather here!

Inspiration from Holland Photo Arts

How did you start planning your wedding? Have any organizing tips? What was your favorite part of planning?

Virginia Really is for Lovers

For all you single ladies out there, you will soon learn that the first two questions every one asks once you’re engaged is, “can I see the ring? ” and, “when is the date?”.  Then they ask, “when are you expecting?” JK!!!

I’ve had so much fun showing off my ring from Brian and basking in all the warm, loving attention from our family and friends, especially when champagne is involved :).

Honestly though, my thoughts of planning haven’t even begun. I’m not just saying this, I promise. You can check my Pinterest board for proof. I haven’t even pinned one wedding inspiration on my Pinterest board.  Right now, I’m just loving being engaged and sharing this special time with Brian.

This all changed though when I discovered the Northern Virginia Magazine Dream Wedding contest…

And this is where my wedding planning began:

If you don’t know, Brian and I love contests. We probably each enter some kinda contest around once a month (mostly travel). Mainly, I enter these contest because I love day dreaming about all the possibilities if we won. I’m dreaming about an all-inclusive trip to Costa Rica as we speak 🙂

Brian and I were feeling a little crazy,  well mainly me, and decided to enter the Northern Virginia Dream Wedding Giveaway contest. The contest was right up my alley calling for a little creativity and a lot of silly. I somehow convinced Brian to stay in one night, play dress up, and craft a funny, cutesy-corny video that described us best.

We submitted our 2 minute video and patiently waited to see if we would be chosen by the Northern Virginia judges as worthy finalists.

Welp, guess what folks, we were chosen as a finalists!!! Holy moly!! We announced yesterday to our family, friends, and basically everyone we have known at some points in our lives that we were finalists. I must say I’m truly humbled by the response. The love and support shown has been such a blessing to see, and honestly the best part of entering this contest. I just want to say a big thank you for your support!!! You’ve made this really fun (even if we don’t win) and somehow I’m even more excited to marry Brian.

Vote for us!

Here’s the part where I self-promote. I know you were waiting for it. We truly appreciate your support in voting for us. Here’s where to vote for us, Becca and Brian.

You can vote once a day from every unique IP address you have available (work computer, cell, ipad, home computer).  Vote early, vote often! You can vote for us until, Thursday March 14th at 11:59 p.m.

Help us spread the word in any way you can.

Facebook it, tweet it, pin it, blog it, or email it to everyone you now!!!!

Here’s our video for your viewing pleasure.