Venue Victory
Our search for a wedding venue was incredibly short. Despite the fact that we found the venue of our dreams so quickly into wedding planning, it was very stressful. There are some beautiful places that fit exactly what we wanted aesthetically, but we simply couldn't justify the price tag associated with most of the places or the compromises that came with them (port-a-potties were a deal breaker). Below is the look and feeling we were going for.
Source: Utah Bride, Style Me Pretty, The Loveliest Day, Style Me Pretty
Dreamy right? Our list of needs were simple enough and pretty much summarized by the inspiration photos above. Very natural and romantic. I was never one of those "princess" brides, but the castle fits our vision. After touring the place, talking over everything amongst ourselves and getting the opinions of family members, we booked it. By choosing our venue we were already choosing our DJ, florist, photographer, videographer, caterer, and wedding coordinator. Done. All that was left was deciding what we actually wanted, no research on who was best for our needs comparison and so on. Ultimately we chose our venue for many reasons, the biggest of which being that we had a lot of trust in the owner and his vision. We know we will be in great hands and our big day will be just as we want it. Here's a peak at our venue.
Source: Clovis Castle
This is just a tease for several reasons. The first is that if any of our guests are reading this we want them to be surprised! Secondly, it's still being developed so there's no complete picture to share just yet.
There are some things you should keep in mind when doing something like this and I thought putting together a small pro/con list would help.
Pros: 1) All inclusive venue means one choice, the venue. No vendor searching and interviewing, no price comparisons for each. 2) This also means you're writing essentially one check. 3) In our case, very few planning meetings. One to make all the decisions and meet with each vendor and one to taste everything and see your decor choices live before the big day. 4) And here's the big pro, no worries on our day! Our venue takes care of set up, clean up, mishaps, everything. We're also staying there that night so we don't have to worry about driving somewhere else after partying with our guests. I just relax, soak it all in and walk down the aisle and Frank just enjoys being with his guys prepares for his socks to be knocked off by me and my dress!
Cons: 1) This is a bit of a hands-off approach. While you are deciding what you want for your wedding, there are only a few meeting and decisions are made quickly and no less than 9 months in advance. For those that want to REALLY be involved, you really have to decide if you would be able to put your wedding in someone else's hands. 2) While doing something all inclusive means you're getting the specific vendors best prices, there is no price comparison. Vendor B may have a better price on those beautiful cream linens, but Vendor A is who your venue uses, so that's who you have to use. 3) Deals such as these can easily seem and turn out to be, too good to be true. Doing your research on the venue and participating vendors ahead of time can help avoid a disaster. 4) Sticker shock comes swift. Have a budget set in mind and make sure to take into account all that is included before dismissing the venue because of how the price sounds initially.
We couldn't be happier with the choice we made and am so excited to get to planning and seeing our big day come together!
So tell me ladies, did any of you go with an all inclusive venue? What are your thoughts on our choice?