September 1, 2009
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Decisions, decisions
So we did take pictures of the two sites that we toured but the Architect has all of the pictures. I think that our choices for both the wedding ceremony and reception are down to these two places. I just haven’t found any other place that was really economical or that I was really excited about. There are pros and cons to each place as there would be to any other place and I still don’t quite know which way I’m leaning. I’m having such a hard time making decisions.
Site One: Hollow Creek Golf Club
Description: The country club is in a town just outside of my hometown. It’s very hilly and the country club is a very classy looking building. As the country club part would suggest, it has a very nice golf course. It’s very pretty.
Pros: Ceremony and reception could be totally inside if the weather is bad with no problem, there’s air conditioning in case it is hot, even though it’s a little more expensive than option two we get a little more for our money including a wedding coordinator and a plated dinner, there’s a place for both the bridesmaids and the groomsmen (and the bride and groom of course) to get ready, the wedding coordinator is super nice and flexible, we could have a Saturday wedding.
Cons: It’s a bit more expensive, the place where we would have the ceremony has houses in the background (but if we could come up with a creative way to try and obscure the view a little, I would be happy).
Site Two: Shade Trees and Evergreens Nursery
Description: A little more rustic. It really is on the grounds of a nursery. It’s beautiful. There are lots of flowers and plants and trees. The reception would be under a pavilion that used to be a greenhouse (it doesn’t have sides now).
Pros: The background is beautiful, we could get our own caterer (this is a pro and con actually), we could have a little bit more flexibility maybe
Cons: We’d have to have a buffet, we’d have to get our own caterer, weather could be a huge issue, it could be too hot or too cold or rainy or cloudy and there would be no real way to solve that issue, I got kind of a weird vibe from the wedding coordinator there (I can’t tell what it was, she may not have been very professional), we’d be forced to have a Sunday wedding (I’m not sure that I care that much but it would be more difficult for people coming in from out of town), we would have to rent extra chairs because they only provide us with 200 chairs and if we didn’t rent chairs, people would have to move their chairs from the ceremony to the reception, there’s only a place for the brides and the bridesmaids to get ready.
Sigh, I think we’re getting close to our answer. It doesn’t help that I’m really mellow about the whole thing and can see work-arounds to pretty much all of the cons. I hope by the end of the week, we can make a decision and move on to more planning.
Comments (18)
If you want my 2 cents…the Golf Club sounds like it has more pros and less cons to me. I’d be worried about the chance of bad weather. I’ve been to an outdoor wedding where it was extremely windy and unseasonably cold…it was miserable and we left early from the reception.
Sunday weddings are often a lot cheaper caterers because they arent as busy. How much is the cost difference of the place? Will that be offset by having to get your own food brought in?
What is the price difference if you use the golf club for a Sunday wedding rather than a Saturday wedding?
Having people move chairs isnt really that big of a deal. At my sister’s wedding (at her in-law’s overlooking a meadow) the ceremony and the reception were literally in the same place. The kids went on a hayride while the adults moved the chairs around and set up the tables.
Some sort of trellice decorated with flowers would give a beautiful background that obscures the houses.
For the greenhouse, what kind of flowers would be in season when you have the wedding? Are those the kinds of flowers you want in the background of your wedding?
Sorry to throw more questions at you, but I hope it helps more than confuses! Good luck.
I’m for Hollow Creek.
The other is just as good, but I like the Golf Club better. 
Have fun! And enjoy choosing.
The golf course would be less hassle for you, wedding planner, etc. there. Garden would be great, weather depending, but you’d have more work to do. It’s up to you. I’m sure either way it will be beautiful!!!
It seems like you have already made up your mind more or less. when you want the best wedding ever, you shouldn’t mind the extra cost. Perhaps you could cut down on a few things at the club. Don’t waste money on flowers too much. Some people can get carried away with the arrangements. Any way, I am sure you both and your families will be influential in your decisions.
Go with the Golf Club. Greater flexibility in case the unforseen pops up…
From what you described, I got for Hollow Creek. It might be a bit more expensive, but hey it’s your wedding!
The golf club sounds like there would be less hassle in the long run. As others have said, cut costs in other areas if necessary. The less stress, the better. And you’ll want a place you’ll know you can turn to with questions they can answer instead of hearing ‘that’s something you’ll have to do’.
@ZSA_MD - Zakiah said exactly what I was going to share with you.
I feel like the country club would provide peace of mind but the nursery is gorgeous. Are there any resources that help tell you like, what the weather has been like historically on and around the date of your wedding? If it is raining or something are you just screwed and left to get married in the rain? Are bugs and mosquitoes an issue? Such a tough decision. Hope you figure it out!
I think you want to do the Golf Club. Go for it.
Site 1 – I think you have more control over the elements. Trust your vibe as well.
If the weather is going to be unpredictable, then if I were you,I’ll go with the golf club? It’s gonna be a bummer having to worry about the weather although the idea of a outdoor wedding does sound very romantic. But being practical is important too. All the best!
Both venues are lovely!
@WakeUpLaughing -@Drizzles - @travelerblue - @Redshirte - @Roadlesstaken - @icepearlz - @ElusiveWords - @i_was_there_and_back_again - Yeah, I think we are kind of leaning that way towards the golf club. I’m just really worried about the weather. My mom is going to tour it today since she didn’t get to see it this weekend when the Architect and I went but she did go with us to the nursery. I want to see if she thinks that there is some way to hide the houses in the background. That’s really only the really big issue.
@der_lila_Stern - No, no, questions always help. To answer yours: what we found with the nursery is there is a lot of potential for hidden costs both with the site itself and with the caterer. Economically speaking, both sites will be about the same price when all is said and done. There is kind of a trellice type thing that we could probably use to obscure the houses a bit using some flowers. The other thing is that there is a balcony where a photog could stand and shoot down at us meaning no houses in the background. Hah, the Architect is very good with Photoshop as well
. As far as flowers at the greenhouse, there seemed to be a lot of greenery with some bushes that had bright pink-ish flowers. Our colors are going to be red and black so the flowers wouldn’t match but that’s not a big deal to me at all!
@FillTheSpace - Apparently the Farmer’s Almanac comes out right after Labor Day. I could look at that. I think that actually has a tendency to be pretty good most of the time.
@endlesssummer128 - And they are which is why I’m having such a hard time!
@christao408 - @ZSA_MD - Yes! There’s definitely ways to cut costs in other places. The good thing about the golf club is that it wouldn’t require much more decoration at all. As far as flowers, I’m planning on using locally grown, seasonal flowers (probably dahlias) which will cut down on cost a lot. If I decide to do my own bouquets, I could save even more (I’m strongly considering doing that.
Something that I thought was cool, and I thought of you because of this blog. An old neighbor got married this past weekend. It started to rain during some of the pictures. But they ended up with a rainbow. So there are a bunch of their wedding pictures with a rainbow in them. How cool is that!?!
Animals in Translation is one of the awesomest books out there. I understand our dogs so much better. And I wish I’d read it before having a few autistic students mainstreamed into my English classroom. I’d have approached a few things differently.
Did you pick a site? (I’m still wading through sub emails as far back as Sept 2nd)