Things Are Looking Up!

Well, it's been almost a month since my last post, and I think we're due for an update.  Things are looking on the up and up from last time.  It all started with Dana and I going to an Open House at a Country Club.  Now, keep in mind, at the beginning I had made my point to not have anything to do with a golf club.

And then we went to this country club, and it actually changed my perspective.  The scenery can be worth it.  Although having an outdoor ceremony was not something I was wanting to plan for, I was pretty thrilled with the outdoor scenery.  And even better, their ballrooms are pretty substantial.  And no view obscured!

Since then, we have visited two venues that are around the same price, but it sounds like, right now, we're leaning more toward one.  No commitments even still, but it will be imminent I'm sure.  (I think Dana is about as tired of searching out venues as I am.)

More Good News!
I received an email from The Knot about three weeks ago offering a complimentary ninety minute lesson.  And Dana and I had discussed having a couple dance lessons before the big day.  I figured why not?  I took my chances and sent an email over asking his availability.  I received a reply almost instantaneously asking to plan a date and time to meet and try him out.

We went to the lesson last night.  And it was a lot of fun!  Mainly because there were rules over what we could do.  We couldn't comment on the other's dancing skills or lack thereof.  And let me tell you, it made things much easier that way!  When there's no room to say things like that, it makes it for a very pleasant and fun experience.  I wasn't sure Dana was keen on it, but once we got proposed for scheduling and taking classes etc.  He said we should do it!  We're now on the hook for ten lessons.  We're gonna be awesome either way, but it's incredibly apparent that this could be a wonderful date night idea.

Our Premarriage Class starts up in a couple weeks.  I'm certain that when that occurs, I will have another blog post to do.  In the meantime, it looks like there are more happy times ahead!

Finding a Good Fit

Is it just me or is venue hunting a super exhausting experience?  Dana and I have visited three potential venues and at each one there was something we just couldn't really look past.  With technically only a couple weeks to go before it's the year countdown, I'm starting to get to the point where I really want to just give this over to a wedding planner.  It's a whole lot of work, and I'm not really all that impressed so far.

Well, okay, let's be clear here, I am impressed with some aspects and the more venues we visit, the more Dana and I are beginning to figure out what questions we need to ask.  Here's my wishlist so far for a reception venue though.

1) Falls within our budget.  I don't exactly want to go broke because I have to book a place.  I realize since my guest list is pretty substantial, it's going to be expensive, but I do need to reserve money for the dress and flowers.

2) Has a wedding/event coordinator I feel good about.  You know that old rule that ninety percent of the time during a vehicle purchase, it really depends on how the buyer feels about the salesman?  It's kind of similar here.  Seeing as how I will be in contact with the coordinator quite a bit, I need to feel as if my feedback is welcomed.  It is my wedding, after all.  If the venue falls within our budget, but I'm not feeling all that welcomed by the wedding coordinator, then I'm going to be much more hesitant with spending money to go to that place.

3) Willing to work with us.  No extra charges for not utilizing some services.  One venue we looked at was going to charge us to close the bar, which seems silly seeing as how we weren't using that service.  But those are just my thoughts on it.

4) Willing to let us bring in outside vendors, etc.  This one is pretty self explanatory.  Dana and I have brainstormed some cute centerpieces and we really would like to utilize that.  And since we're both really creative it would be sad not to be able to use it.

5) Willing to let a dog be there.  Since I'm planning on having my dog be a part of the ceremony, it is fairly important that she be allowed to be there.  I realize this isn't really an issue that needs to be brought up with reception venues, but it may be a good thing to think about for a ceremony.  I'm not quite sure how they would feel about something like this.  It's certainly something to consider.

This is really on the top of my prayer list right now.  I really just want to book a place so we can get started on the fun stuff of wedding planning, or at least, take a break from planning for a few weeks and enjoy the fact that we're engaged.