Wedding Blog

So, when we last left the story of our venue selection, we were starting to wonder if we would ever find a place to hold our reception that would fit what we needed. We had considered a few options, but nothing had really stuck. So, we made some more phone calls. And sent even more emails. And then one afternoon, while we were running errands, I did a few Google searches on my phone (Mr. French Fries was driving, no worries). An option that we previously hadn’t considered popped up in the browser window, and I made a quick phone call to see if we could view the space. The event manager was there — and he had time to show it to us!

When we walked into the ballroom space, I immediately knew that it was where we were going to have our wedding. It just felt right. I loved the ceiling height, the options for a cocktail hour, and how the room was private and set off from other foot traffic at the venue. I didn’t love the chandeliers, though, but was reassured that they’re in the middle of remodeling and that they will be replaced before our event. So, it had a lot more pluses than minuses. Since Mr. French Fries is the negotiator in our partnership, he suggested that we sit down and talk turkey.

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This was the part that I was dreading; the numbers game. Would they come in under budget? What were their room minimums? What was included in the prices? The venue had everything laid out in simple terms, and we quickly figured out that this venue could work, but we would have to make budget cuts in other areas. Their packages were all-inclusive, which was nice, but this meant that it was a higher price per person than we were originally anticipating. We discussed our options privately, and determined that this was — by far — the best option we had seen. So, we went home to look over the contract.

We let the idea sit for a few days, then realized that it was time to make the decision. We signed on the dotted line, paid a deposit, and had ourselves a venue! We were happy with our decision for a few months… but then stress started to mount. Decision after decision needed to be made. Questions from well-meaning family members started to pile up. And, after 9 months of trying to figure out the logistic boondoggle that is wedding planning, I got tired of the whole thing. So, Mr. French Fries and I started kicking around a crazy idea. An idea that we tossed around when we first got engaged, but eventually forgot about. An idea for a destination wedding.

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We thought that this might be the path of least resistance. “It’s perfect!” we told ourselves. “Low stress, everything planned out for you – and look! The wedding could even be free!”

It was all a great idea in theory, but after meeting with a travel agent, getting all of the details, and talking to our families about it… in practice it was a little different.

First of all, we weren’t entirely sure that the”key players” in our wedding would be able to make it. Secondly, we felt like it was asking a lot of our families in a recession to pay for flights, hotel rooms, passports… Thirdly, I really wanted to get married in the church, and marrying abroad posed a very large logistic hurdle. Not impossible, but not easy, by any stretch. I had been reading some recaps from Mrs. Sea Breeze, and while her pictures were amazingly gorgeous and it was obvious that she had a wonderful wedding, it was clear that it wasn’t exactly the cake-walk that Mr. French Fries and I were expecting.

Hmm. So, with legal pad in hand, we sat down and made a pros and cons list. Cost, convenience, religious reasons – all of these things (and more) played a factor in our decision. And, in the end, a DW ended up not working out to be the best option for us.

Thankfully, we hadn’t canceled any of our deposits and still could continue on with our “Plan A”. This was a stressful time for us, no doubt, but somehow, this brought a new sense of focus to our planning. We felt like we had given every option careful and thoughtful consideration, and had made the best possible choice.

Even greater than that, though, was knowing that we had backed each other up 100% with all of our decisions. When we originally talked about a DW, some family members were less than thrilled at the prospect (although it should be said that most of them were overwhelmingly supportive). No matter what we decided, I knew that Mr. French Fries had my back. And I, of course, had his back. And while it wasn’t the first time in our relationship or in our wedding planning where we worked as a team, I felt like it was the first time when we worked together as a family.

Was deciding on a venue impossibly difficult for you? Were you and your FI in harmony when it came to your decision?