So, you've got the ring (finally!), all of the joyous calls have been made, and you and your love have settled on a time of year to celebrate your nuptials. Hooray!!
 |
| ENGAGEMENT BLISS!!!! |
Now all you have to do is find the perfect place. Sounds simple, right? Well, unless you have a spacious and stunning family property at your fingertips, this is not as simple as it seems. I must say, that this was the one single stressful part of planning our wedding.
We decided to have the wedding in New England, since Tyler and I would be settling down in the Pacific Northwest ("it's only fair!" my mom exclaimed). We knew we wanted a spot with beautiful outdoor space and something simple in it's aesthetic. While I am a beachy girl, Tyler is a mountain boy, and we both agreed that a barn would be the perfect venue. So, rustic mountain or beach barn in New England, close to Boston....simple, right?
Not quite. While there were tons of barns close to Massachusetts, the nicer ones were booked 18-24 months out. Others were run down and didn't have accommodations in the area for our guests. We began to extend the search north to Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. When my mom found one she liked, Tyler would say he had no connection to that area, having never been there before. When I would like one, my mom would say it was too expensive for what we got. Nothing felt right.
This went on for weeks. We would find a place we all agreed on, call for information, get excited that dates were available and just before putting a deposit down, realize that someone had a conflict with that date, or that the other sales-person had already booked the date. It was an emotional roller-coaster of stress and disappointment. As an event planner by trade, the lack of control I had was infuriating. Then, 8 days before Christmas, we got in touch with the Salter family of Bishop Farm. They were quick to respond, a delight to speak with, had an available date that worked for us, the photos were gorgeous and most importantly, it gave us a warm fuzzy wedded bliss feeling. Finally, I could be excited about wedding planning!
I simply cannot say enough about Bishop Farm. The Salter family, who own and operate the farm from May-October each year, are amazing, delightful, kind, welcoming, energetic and phenomenal at what they do. What started as a quintessential New England Bed & Breakfast quickly turned into a bustling wedding venue. The grounds are beautiful, complete with a fully functional 7 bedroom farm house and 6 quaint cottages sprinkled about for guest lodging. The 1876 reception barn is stunning in it's simplicity. And the chandeliers and voile curtains billowing in the doorway, is what dreams are made of. There is a wooded switchback stairway that looks as though you're being transported to a woodland oasis and when you reach the top, a sunny meadow, perfect for an outdoor ceremony . Though the days leading up to our wedding forecasted thunderstorms for our wedding day. To be on the safe side, we chose to have the ceremony in the newly finished Ceremony barn across the lawn from the reception barn. It sounds like plan B, but I assure you it wasn't. When we walked in, the air changed, the lighting was pure magic. Newly refinished antique church pews from Maine and giant stained glass windows gave it an ethereal quality; the crooked barn slats made the sunlight dance across the floor. It was something out of a movie. Aside from the unmatched rustic beauty of Bishop Farm, the Salters are the cherry on top. From the moment we got to the farm they made us feel like family. Eager to help out, and not just with the wedding. It never felt forced, or out of obligation, simply genuine kindness. If you're looking for the perfect New England barn venue, check them out first!
Bishop Farm Weddings & Events
Bishop Farm Weddings & Events
These are my tips to selecting the perfect wedding venue for your day:
1. Know your must-haves and deal-breakers before starting the search:
Close your eyes and picture your wedding day...what do you see? If you don't have a mental picture, go ahead and browse Pinterest and see what appeals to you as a couple. For us the must-haves were:
Vintage New England barn or summer camp
seats up to 150 guests
running water and electricity
on-site ceremony space
dog-friendly
plenty of local accommodations for guests
lots of natural beauty
within 3 hours of Boston
Now do the same exercise with things you ABSOLUTELY do not want the venue to have. The deal breaker list is equally as important to know before you begin, to avoid conflict. For us, the deal-breakers were:
Lack of connection (Tyler didn't want to be married in a place he'd never been before)
new construction (we wanted something with history)
unappealing surrounding area (ie: beautiful farm next to a power plant)
everything was a package deal that couldn't be customized
pre-decorated reception space
a venue that didn't allow us to arrive early for set-up
a place that didn't feel like home
unfriendly coordinators
These may seem obvious, but even as an experienced planner, I thought that I could just jump right in and pick a venue without making a list. About 2 weeks later, we did this. Doing so made it easy to decide weather or not to pursue the location.
2. Be prepared for rejection
Much like the college application process, the wedding venue search can be full of rejection. Some venues aren't strictly event spaces, so the coordinators may not always be at their desks or even know how to read their booking calendar. In fact on multiple occasions, we had coordinators promise us a September date and take it back. Once, after giving a credit card for the deposit, they called back to tell us that another couple had booked the date an hour earlier. Seriously, an hour?! You have a wedding venue and date! Just kidding, no you don't (cue the villain laugh).
Had I prepared mentally for this sort of rejection, maybe I wouldn't have been so stressed out by the process.
3. It's okay not to tour a venue in advance - but do your research
Living in Chicago, traveling for work, Tyler's family on the west coast and mine in Brazil for the winter...it was literally impossible to tour potential venues in December for an August- September wedding.
Thanks to the magic of social media, you can pretty much learn everything from on-line reviews, venue website, Pinterest, Instagram and local photographer blogs. Take your time, be thorough.
We did this and were so pleasantly surprised when we got around to touring the space, and it was everything we expected and more.
4. Once the conversation with the venue has started, ask all of the questions
Want to have 1000 candles burning at the reception? Want to have your neighbors llama in the ceremony? Want to decorate the walls floor to celing with a million roses a la Kim Kardashian? You gotta ask first. Some venues have restrictions to protect the property (totally valid) but if this doesn't work with your vision, then it might not be the spot for you.
Before signing anything, take a really good look at the contract (also true for the rest of your vendors). This way you can anticipate any additional fees, insurance issues, and rules that may not have been communicated in the initial info. You don't want any surprises on your wedding day detracting from the joy.
5. Remember that this day is about you and your fiance - do what feels right to you
If you're feeling pressure from family to have a different celebration than you envision as a couple, don't be afraid to speak up. It is important to stand your ground. After all, you could have just eloped! But do so with kindness, respect and inclusion. You don't want to start off the planning journey with tension...that's where horror stories begin.
6. Trust your gut
If something doesn't feel right, don't settle. If something feels amazing, and exactly what you envision, then try your best to make it work. Your wedding should feel right!
Happy Hunting!
xoxo,
Bee
No comments:
Post a Comment