Weddingbee Blog

While the ceremony location was a no-brainer, the venue for the reception was a bit more of a challenge. I did a lot of internet browsing. Can I say as a tightwad accountant that it is highly frustrating how far many venues go to hide their costs? My decision wasn’t made solely on cost, but it was definitely an important consideration. I didn’t want to sit through a lengthy sales pitch only to find out the venue was way over our budget.

Beyond pure rental cost, I was looking at

• Location: I wanted it within a half-hour drive of the church.
• Requirements: I didn’t want to be forced into a particular caterer.
• Availability: It needed to be available on our wedding day (duh).
• Aesthetics: We wanted it to fit with our vision of a casual reception, so nothing too fancy.
• Alcohol: It had to allow alcohol, preferably allowing us to bring our own.
• Size: It needed to be able to fit the approximately one hundred people we are expecting.

There were several places that fit the bill, but one in particular kept standing out—Ward Pavilion. First, it was in a metropark. Having spent four years of our lives in national parks (we lived in Death Valley for two years and Grand Canyon South Rim for two years), I thought it would be a cool homage to our history to have it in a park. I also liked that it was a casual location with a woodsy feel. There were no food or alcohol restrictions (except no cash bars due to the lack of a liquor license, but we were planning an open bar anyway). And best of all, it was directly across the street from the church!

Outside view / Image via Toledo Metroparks

I showed the online pictures to Mr. Cannon, and he liked it as much as I did. We set up an appointment to see it in person, and it was even better than I expected! I had been worried that all the wood paneling would look a bit ’80s, but it looked more like a lodge. We decided then and there to book it. We even got a substantial discount on the rental by becoming metropark members!

Inside View / Image via Toledo Metroparks

Did you book the first reception location you visited?