We have a VENUE!!!!!

Please save the date, for the wedding of Alejandra and Jessy, June 14, 2014 at Deep Woods Events in Elmira, Oregon!

That's right folks, we have reserved a venue!!!

We saw a total of three locations, had six scheduled, when we knew we found the right place.  It was venue #3, and venue #last.

Everyone was telling me when I found the right place I would know, and they were right.  From the moment we first walked into the hall I knew it was where I wanted my reception to take place.  When we saw the rest of the location I knew that I could envision my day there.  It was an amazing feeling.

We wasted no time and the next day we called to schedule an appointment to sign a contract and lock in our date.

Here's some photos that I took today of our ceremony/reception venue!

The ceremony would take place under the pergola, with guests seated in the lawn.

Entrance to the bridal room.

Back patio where a cocktail hour could take place.

Entrance to the reception venue.

What to you think?  Do you love it as much as I do?

First Site Visit: Venue - Dancing Deer Mountain

We visited out first venue today, Dancing Deer Mountain.  The photos on their website do not do it justice, it's beautiful, even in early spring before the flowers have bloomed.

I really liked that they only host one event per week, and that they are set in the mountains.  I also liked that they have items on hand that we can use for centerpieces and a parking attendant, both at no extra charge.  They also have a nice collection of antique/vintage plates and silverware they we can rent for $1 per set.  We would be able to use the venue on Thursday/Friday to set up, create the centerpieces, rehearse, whatever we need, and we can go back on Sunday to pick up any items.

The cons were that we need to be done by sunset, so there would be no dancing into the night, and the caterer would need to haul away their own garbage, they would not take care of it for us.  Also, it's quite a bit out of the way from town, so that would be a concern for those who are coming from out of town.

It was a beautiful location and I could see myself getting married there.  Let's see if that changed after we see some more venues.

Some photos we took today:

The guests would be seated on either side of the walkway, facing us.  This would be our view from the ceremony circle.

This is the view of the lodge from the ceremony circle.

View of the property from the ceremony circle.

View of the gazebo, from the ceremony circle.

How I almost ruined my own wedding...

Our wedding date has been an iffy subject for a while.

When we were originally engaged, we planned on getting married in Spring 2013.  Last year we realized that since we are paying for the wedding ourselves, cash, we needed more time to save money.  We moved the wedding to 2014.  This also has the added benefit of my having 10 years at my work, so I will have 4 weeks of vacation instead of my usual 3 = I can take a whole week off leading up to the wedding without 'feeling' like I'm loosing a week of vacation.

Over New Years, talking to my mom about a family vacation to Las Vegas (no one in my family has gone) we somehow got onto the subject of my getting married in Vegas.  I was completely against the idea (it had been brought up a million times by friends here in Oregon), until my mom pointed out a fact that I had overlooked.  Getting married in Vegas did not mean getting married on the spur of the moment in a place like the Chapel of the Bells:

Source

This thought had never occurred to me.  I could get married in a nice location? A very very nice location?  Hmmm... Now I had something to think about.

Based on this tidbit, I have spent the last twoish months talking myself into getting married in Vegas, at the Venetian, on their Wedding Bridge.

Source

Going this route would mean having a lot less people at our wedding, and we would not have selected to have a formal reception, just everyone going to dinner afterwards.

While this would have been a beautiful, and somewhat simpler, option, and I would have been happy on my wedding day, I was having trouble fully investing in this idea.

Then a friend asked me the other day if I really wanted to get married in Las Vegas, or in Eugene.  I closed my eyes and imagined my wedding day.  I imagined myself walking towards my fiancee.  I was not in Las Vegas.  I was not indoors standing on a bridge over a canal.  I was outdoors, surrounded by the beauty that in my home.  I was in Oregon.

That was it, I knew what I wanted in my heart. I talked to Jessy about it and I asked him, where do you want to get married?  He said he wanted to get married here, in our home, with our friends and family.

That was it.  Decision made.  We are getting married in Oregon.

Now to find a venue.

Did you have a hard time choosing what city/state to get married in?