Picking A Wedding Venue - The Final Part

So our first option was a beach house. Then that was gonna cost an arm and a leg, so we nixed that idea and decided to look for outdoor venue options around town. Our next choice was Maclay Gardens State Park - and we loved it. But we weren't quick enough and it was already booked for our original October 12th date, and the whole rest of the month too. Then our next option was The Dogwood House. It was a good option, and we definitely liked it, we just weren't in love with it, and were a little hesitant to book it.

So we looked around some more, and then last week Jeff and I and my parents finally went to go visit the Wakulla Springs Lodge, at Wakulla Springs State Park. And we absolutely loooooved it. Like a lot.

The bad news was however, that there was already a wedding booked for October 12th. Sad news. However, pretty much every other weekend in October was available, so we talked about changing our date. It ended up being a really quick talk though, because we both loved the Lodge so much, that we could find no real reason not to change our date. The next day (last Thursday), I contacted the Lodge once more, to get the contract started! And that afternoon I sent in our signed contract with our initial deposit. So our new wedding date is October 5, 2013!

Now I guess I should share some pictures of the place, right?! This pretty little gazebo is where we'll do the actual ceremony. Jeff and I and the pastors will stand in it, with our bridal party down on the stones, and then we'll set up chairs facing it, obviously. I want to try to decorate it a bit by either doing something on the backdrop, or something around the front two columns. Not exactly sure what yet though, but I'm trying to think of something!

And then the reception will be just about 200 feet away, back inside the main lodge building, on the glass-enclosed terrace room. We're not doing a full, sit-down meal, but just appetizers and hors d'oeuvres and cake, so we won't have tons of tables and chairs taking up too much space. However, the room itself is pretty huge, and is actually way bigger in real life than it looks in the pictures. It's so pretty in there, and I think it will make a really gorgeous place for our wedding reception! (The first picture below is just to show you how close the gazebo is to the main building.)

This is the door leading from the main lobby, inside the terrace. And it's gorgeous!

So our venue has officially been booked now! And we both couldn't be more excited about it. Seriously. And this beautiful place is only about 20-25 minutes outside of Tallahassee, which makes it easy for us to visit and plan, and easy for our guests to get to as well. I'm already trying to envision how we'll decorate and set everything up, and I think it's going to be so great and gorgeous and I just can't wait to get started on some of the projects in my head! So glad we finally have this huge detail finalized, and that we can now move on to other things. That's one big stress lifted off my to-do list now, and I'm so thankful for that.

At dinner with my parents after visiting the Lodge last week.

P.S. - My awesome and amazing friend and blog designer Erin has been working for me the past week or so, and things should be changing around here today! Get excited for that folks, because I'm super pumped about it!

P.P.S. - UPDATE! The blog redesign is now complete, and Erin did such a great job bringing my ideas and visions into a real life layout and design. And I absolutely love it. Check her out if you're looking for great design work, at awesome prices, from someone who's incredibly easy to work with. Seriously - go check out her design page!