I suspect that I always knew what I wanted for my wedding, but I didn't know I knew it yet. Not until my super-smart fiance told me, at least. He told me by tracking down (on his own initiative, y'all! He def wanted to marry me...aww) and showing me the most gorgeous, Scarlett-esque, waterfront, billowing plantation house I'd ever seen at that point in my life. I fell in love. Hard. And so our summer semi-destination Charleston plantation wedding was born.
I dreamed of this venue for most of the nearly 4 years that we dated before he proposed. But after we got engaged, reality struck. Duh, because why would anything ever go according to my very specific life plan? #thankslife. As I excitedly emailed around to various venues in the area, I began to feel somewhere deep down that that venue would not be, in fact, my venue. Wedding Sticker Shock hit like a brick wall. I scoured over the menu of their required caterer (can you say delish?), and rearranged a suddenly barely existent budget that had seemed so ample the day before. It wasn't that we couldn't do it at all; I was so uncomfortable trying to make it work that I didn't want to try! I was already sooo stressed out over even potentially having to work a budget that hard. What would the next two years of wedding planning would do to my nerves? Plus, we had a short-list of other venues to visit, and I liked them too! So, with a heavy heart, I said goodbye to my 4-year-long dream and learned an invaluable wedding planning (and life) lesson. And it goes like this:
It's absolutely okay to splurge in the places that are most important to you! This is your one day, your fairy tale, your dream come true. Whether you have a private elopement of two or a guest list the size of Texas, you deserve (at least some of) the things that make your heart flutter. But it's so not worth stressing over! Wedding are hard enough. Chances are you have a budget, and a strict one at that. Most of us aren't celebrities, unfortunately. There's no need to nitpick every penny and starve to death for something material. There will be other venues/bakers/stationers/insert-vendor-here that will eventually make you forget all about the first one! And that's exactly what happened!
Without further ado, I proudly introduce my NEW dream venue:
Isn't it stunning? Seriously, I could not imagine anything better for my handsome beau and I!
I knew the second I walked on to the property that it was MINE. That avenue of oaks captured my heart and soul the moment I walked onto the property. Let's take a closer look at that adorable little house shall we?
And that's not even the original plantation home! It's no longer standing, but can you just imagine how grand and stunning it was? The patio in front is now full-size, which is perfect for what will be the best reception ever.
I'm incredibly excited to share my wedding planning journey with you all, and hope you will stick with me until June 2016 to experience my ups and downs (and share your own)! Feel free to share your own thoughts and stories in the comments below. Picking a venue is just the first of many, many decisions we all will make along this journey they call "wedding planning." Good luck to us all!