We went out to look at a couple of venues yesterday. And by "venues" I really mean public parks that we could feasibly rent out for the wedding. I'm pretty much in love with the Botanical Gardens. The Boy is being a little more practical and thinking about things such as, "Can we fit everyone here? Do we need to decorate?" To which I said, "...it's a park, why would we need to decorate?" And if he wants flowers, he can have them. I'm still not sure if he actually WANTS these things he keeps mentioning, or if he has just seen way too many weddings (He used to work as a conference manager at a resort, so he's worked way more weddings than I'd ever even care to attend) and can't quite shake the idea that they have to look a certain way.


Wouldn't it be awesome to get married on the steps of this cabin?


View from the steps looking out.



View from the back of the field.

There are some logistical problems, of course. They actually advertise weddings on their website, which is good because it means it's doable (and they're SO cheap compared to real "wedding venues"), but we haven't yet found out things like if there's enough parking, if we're allowed to have the reception right there at the same spot as the ceremony, if there's any kind of sound ordinance that would prevent us from having music, etc.


Space around back - once the ceremony is over, the reception could span both areas.


Put up a couple of 6' tables against the back walls, instant buffet!

There are two different "wedding spots" (and a third that would be beautiful if it weren't so close to the road), and of course the one I love is the one that you have to hike to. It's not a huge long hike, and it's not very steep, but we would definitely have to put my aunt Marie in a wheelchair to get her there. Then there's the issue of bathrooms - there's one in the visitor's center, which is not close to the site I like best. I'd be willing to pay to rent a nice Porta-Potty for the day, but they'd have to walk it in and out, which would definitely cost us a bundle more (assuming it's even possible to do that).

I'm hoping that when the lady calls us back, she can answer all these questions. I kind of lost my enthusiasm right after looking yesterday because as we were driving back to my house, I quite suddenly seemed to develop the flu. Body aches, headache, and a fever that eventually peaked at 102.1, all out of nowhere. And then last night, the pipes burst in the apartment above the Boy's, which flooded his apartment. Bad news is he's having to move (again) in a very limited space of time. Good news is...he's getting a better apartment at a discount because the flooding wasn't his fault. Of course, moving always causes expense, no matter if it's just across town, so I'm crossing my fingers that this all works out in his favor.