Wedding Update: Choosing the Venue

Okay, it has been several months since I have updated you about anything with the wedding and we are getting pretty close to Fall and the big day!

I thought I would share our top three choices for wedding venues and how we came to make our final decision.  Birmingham has an amazing selection of event facilities from art galleries (www.mattjonesgallery.com, www.artsbma.org) and historic theaters to beautiful gardens, country clubs, and hip hotel ballrooms.  There is certainly a venue for every type of personality.  Since this will be the setting for the rest of your event, choose something that matches the style you want for the wedding and you'll save yourself a ton of time and money in decorating.  Don't pick a modern warehouse if you are looking for a soft and feminine feel for the reception.  For a great list of places check out http://findalabamaweddingvendors.com or just the good ol' www.weddingwire.com.  (Side note: Maybe one day, if I get my butt in gear, I will finally create the event resource blog/website that I've talked about for a year now :)


Before going to visit any venue,  I recommend that you sit down with the important people involved in your wedding decision-making and decide on budget, how many guests, and the overall feel that you want for your event.

Mark & I had a few top things in mind when looking for our wedding venue:
1. Ceremony & reception held at the same general location.
2. Natural surroundings - since we both really love natural beauty and Alabama has a ton of it!
3. A venue that was experienced with weddings and supplied a majority of the details.

We spent weeks doing a lot of online research first.  This gave us a good idea of what each other did and didn't liked before we sacrificed a Saturday to visiting venues that wouldn't work.  Before scheduling any visits we also found out:
- how many people they could accommodate
- if they allowed outside catering
- what type of fees were involved (if we could find it on their website)
- if they supplied tables, chairs, and any other items to keep us from having to rent

Once we had eliminated several places, we made phone calls to the rest to get the details on what was included with their rental fees and visited our top choices.   Once we had a top 3, we weighed the pros & cons* of each, which looked a little something like this:

1. The Sonnet House
Pros: Drool-worthy setting with authentic southern flair; the staff - Jared, Corey, & Candace - are super-friendly and knowledgeable; option for outdoor ceremony and also a chapel option if it rained
Cons: Outside of our budget :(

2. Aldridge Gardens

Pros: Beautiful hydrangea-filled gardens, option for outdoor ceremony by the lake

Cons: Even though you can use the house and the pavilion, the pavilion is open-air which meant I would really want to have a Plan B in place - whether we needed it or not

3. American Village

Pros: Rolling fields with a lake and millions of outdoor photo-ops; Although it was a bit more than our budget, you get lots of set up time and the use of several buildings so our wedding party has separate ready rooms, there is a gorgeous chapel, and a separate space for the reception 

Cons: Farther out of town in Montevallo, limited hotel options in the area,  it's out in the 'country' so our guests traveling from out-of-state will not get to experience all the city has to offer

*Please note that these pros & cons are personal opinion only and reflect what worked for our particular situation. 

Ultimately, American Village really offered a setting that Mark & I both fell in love with! Although we didn't really have any connection to the colonial theme, the property offered acres full of beautiful scenes with fields, giant oak trees, and a lake with a bridge spanned across it.  And even though we had been considering an outdoor wedding, the natural beauty of the chapel with huge windows and natural sunlight filling the space, struck a chord in both of us that made it really click as 'the right place'.   As a bonus, they have two options for the reception space - a more formal ballroom with gorgeous chandeliers or the new, more casual barn with exposed beams and a rustic feel.  We ended up picking the barn because I knew from the start I wanted a space that really made everyone feel cozy and at-home.  

The wedding coordinator out there is Lori and she is nothing short of a pro.  They have golf carts to shuttle you around on the big day and walkie-talkies to help communication between the different buildings.  We have called her on many occasions to ask more questions and she is always responsive.  The most reassuring thing has been a recent visit that I made out to the barn on a Saturday afternoon while they were setting up for a wedding.  

The space looked great and the florists were busily putting the details on the centerpieces.  An employee came through just to check on them and see if they needed anything and after she left I heard her call in to the bride on the walkie-talkie to let her know that everything was coming together beautifully.  I almost cried! Brides are emotional people, you know - and knowing what's going on with the reception you have so carefully planned is not something you really consider.  That is the down-to-the-detail stuff that really shows a venue cares about their customers and reassured me that I would receive the same consideration when it was my day. 

First Things First - Getting Started on Planning for a Wedding

Even though I work with a variety of events on a daily basis, knowing where to start with my own wedding planning was still a bit overwhelming.  The real 'start' were conversations that Mark & I have had in the past about how we would like our wedding to feel.  What do we want our guests to see and experience?  What do we really want to focus on and what themes are important to us?  We started with those preferences which included - incorporating our love for the outdoors and respect for the environment, an intimate and personal feel, nice weather in Alabama, and conveniences like having the ceremony & reception in the same location - and started from there to build our "wedding vision".  I feel like it was really important to discuss these basics before we got into the nitty-gritty of the who, what, when, where, and of course, how, so we could come back to them if things started to get off-track.

Next, we started exploring the insane amount of resources available to brides.  There is a lot of information available online but I would also suggest visiting or calling any vendor that interests you to get more comprehensive and personalized information based on your specific needs.  I'll be honest - I'm an avid internet researcher and I know a lot of brides do their legwork online but websites don't always do the best job of getting the right information across to the bride.  I'm also a big fan of perusing the aisles of the bookstore or library for anything that catches my eye!

Want to make it easy from the get-go?  Talk to a professional event planner!  These people are unbelievable resources of information! There are different levels of planning assistance, so don't feel like a planner has to have control over the entire weekend.  These event experts can save you a lot of time and money by letting you know what will work and what doesn't and who is the best vendor to make it happen!  (I'll do another post soon on planners in the Birmingham area.)

Let's note here that a wedding can be as simple or as detailed as your prefer it to be.  If you start to get overwhelmed with all of the options, then the process is no longer fun, and it may be time to go back to the basics.  Enjoy this experience as much as possible - hopefully this is the only time you'll be planning a wedding!  But if nothing seems to be working out, just breathe - at the end of the day you will still be wed to the one you love!

Resources for Brides and Grooms: 

I really love the idea behind the Engaged! Library by Perfect Wedding Guide.  This is an actual location in Homewood where they have samples and idea books from hundreds of different vendors for you to look through.  Green Bonus: Less driving around town and wasting gas!  Just keep in mind, that while there is plenty to look through, not every vendor in town is showcased at the Engaged! Library.

**PRO Tip: Not everyone who picks up a camera, or a flower, or a microphone is a wedding professional but there are plenty of people who will say they are!  Do your research and get referrals before signing a contract with a vendor, especially if their pricing is much lower than others.  Your wedding day is NOT the day you want to get what you pay for!!

Professional organizations are a great way to find reputable vendors.  Each wedding industry - florists, photographers, bakers - all have their own certifications and organizations that will help you know who has the real credentials. Also, for a local source, check out www.ALWEP.com - this is a group of event professionals in Alabama that have plenty of experience making wedding dreams come true!

Print: 
Birmingham Bridal Directory, Tuscaloosa Bridal Directory, North Alabama Bridal Directory, etc.
Perfect Wedding Guide 

Local Magazines: 

Alabama Weddings

Birmingham Magazine - Bi-annual Bridal Edition

Books: 

Hmm... I need to do more research on this one!

Online: 
FindAlabamaWeddingVendors
Alabama Bridal.com
Green Bride Guide

Wedding Wire

Martha Stewart Weddings - I <3 their daily inspiration emails!

The Knot
Blogs (like this one!) and endless online resources

Bridal Shows: 
Southern Bridal Show, Perfect Wedding Guide, or just search for one in your area

Podcasts:
Get Real! with Alabama Wedding Vendors - interviews about wedding planning with local wedding vendors

Once you find a vendor that you like and trust, ask for their recommendations of other vendors based on your needs.  These professionals work together every weekend and they see how events come together (or not) firsthand.

My big surprise birthday party!!

Well, it’s finally happened and I’m so excited!!  I’m engaged!!  Now, finally the planner gets to be...well, the planner!!  I have had so much fun helping clients plan events and weddings over the last several years and I’m looking forward to really enjoying the process of putting together all of the little details for Mark & my's big day!  I am so excited to be able to use the talents of Birmingham's super-creative event industry professionals!

I plan to use my blog as an outlet for the research that I do around the Birmingham area, so that you can share in my planning.  If you have any topics or questions that you’d like me to check out, please feel free to offer suggestions in the comments.  

So, back to the engagement!  For my birthday, Mark had asked to plan a party for me since it was going to be the big 3-0!  Now, I will confess that I was a little nervous to relinquish ALL responsibility -I am a planner at heart- but Mark insisted and I thought it was really sweet for him to offer, so I accepted.  

As we got closer to the event date some of my friends started emailing and asking what I wanted to do for my birthday.  Panic ensued!  Terrible thoughts whirled through my head - Had Mark not even started planning? No one knows the plan, no one is going to be able to make it!  What are we to do?!? I knew I should have been involved in the planning! 

Mark reassured me that everything was under control.  Yes, he said, I remembered to invite all of the girls. They have the invites, Lindsey, calm down, there will be a party for your birthday.  His reassurance was then required on a daily basis that everything was going as planned.  Hmm...without my help? Surely, they would need my professional assistance before it was all said and done!

Finally the week of my birthday came!  It was on a Wednesday this year, inconveniently smack dab in the middle of the work week.  I took the day off and spent the whole day relaxing and shopping with my mom (except that I had pulled my back first thing that morning....hello 30!).  Then Mark met us down in Tuscaloosa, my hometown, for dinner with my family.  It was a fabulous day but Mark said that I wouldn’t get my gift from him until Saturday. 

On Friday night, my suspicions grew about what in the world was planned for my birthday.  Mark had continued to assure me that just he and I would be going to dinner and then we would meet all of our friends out for drinks after.  But on Friday, he let me know that we would need to get up early.  Early? For dinner? What was really going on?  I have to say, people, I have now realized that I’m probably the easiest person to surprise...ever!   Why in the world had I thought that he would tell me exactly what we would be doing when it was supposed to be a surprise?  Well, it worked!  Sneaky, sneaky!

The next morning we got up and he told me to dress for a walk outside.  By the time he had packed water bottles, I was pretty sure I knew what was up - a trip to our favorite nearby trails at Moss Rock Preserve.  We drive out to the Preserve and I am still completely unaware that any of this is strange. Until....he tells me that I have to go find my present out on the trail.  This comment brought a hundred questions reeling through my head.  Had one of his friends really gone out earlier that morning and hidden a present?  It was all starting to get a little fishy, but I still didn’t want to have false hopes!  

At the end of the trail, there is a gorgeous waterfall that pools at the bottom. Since we were both hot from the ridiculously high heat lately, we dipped our feet into the pool to cool off.  Mark decided this would be a great time for a photo op and I tried to argue - I mean, I’m a little sweaty over here!  But I stood up and smiled for the camera as Mark set the timer.  When the flash never went off, I looked at him confused, just as he was going down on one knee.  Excitement rushed over me as Mark pulled out a little black box and opened it to reveal the most gorgeous ring I have ever seen!  He asked me to marry him and I happily said “Yes!!”  Maybe everyone feels like they have a one-of-a-kind love but I really do feel that Mark and I have something special :)  I can not wait to share the rest of my life with my best friend!  

Oh - so the rest of my birthday was incredible!  We spent it sharing our news with our parents, enjoying champagne, 

reliving our first date of putt-putt and go-karts out at the new Treetop Adventure, and then a HUGE surprise party at Cantina! (the 'just us' dinner had always been a ploy!) where we gave our friends a surprise as well with the engagement news,

and then drinks out at the funky new Parkside Cafe!  It was a magical day and it was all thanks to Mark!  I guess he can plan a pretty good party, but next time - I get to help!!