Venue Picking: Tiring? YES.

It's not about how tiring it is though. And do people really want to know how exhausted I am from this weekend? Absolutely not. So onto the good stuff.

Did I find a place? Yes. Is there a deposit down? Yes. Am I going to tell you where the wedding may be at? Not yet. I will just give you an overview of what I thought of each place. If you can't tell how biased I am in my descriptions below, that means you'll have to wait till I make the final decision. So, without further adieu, here we go!

A note to keep in mind:
Dad requested we get married in a church. So no more outdoor wedding. We will have a church wedding but there will be no mass.

Friday:
Carlyle on the Green
Firstly, never have a wedding during the US Open because this was the most stressful place to get to. But, disregard that because we wouldn't have to deal with that (obviously). The outdoors were beautiful, with rolling green hills of...grass with little holes in the ground and sometimes flags that say "18" and "19". If the US Open wasn't enough of a hint, have you guessed that it's on a golf course? Regardless...very pretty outside. There is an option for an outdoor cocktail hour by which you're enjoying the patio area decorated with rod iron seating and two wet bars. Inside, it will be decorated with sofas, couches and a full bar. The terrace room was VERY large and FULL of windows, so a lot of natural light and you had access to the outdoors so you can go outside during the ceremony. The ballroom definitely looks plenty big to hold the amount of people we're looking to hold. The full bar is in the other room though but you do get waiter service. This place is close to the house too! The menu though-not as impressive as we hoped it would be. Valet parking is also not included but required. So we have to pay extra for something that's required...eh. And our day was not available for the PM (just the AM).

The Woodlands at Woodbury canceled on me last minute due to a "last minute" event they had. We rescheduled for the 20th but I think I will cancel that.

Saturday:
10 am Westbury Manor
Mom and I were greeted by the Director of Sales, Felicia and they were setting up for a wedding so all the rooms were set up, which was really nice to see. Makes it easier on the imagination. The gardens were magnificently beautiful. Trees, flowers, bushes, mini waterfalls and mini bridges over small rivers. They have a peacock that's been living there for 18 years and recently had a baby (SO CUTE). Ducks in the ponds and three birds that they put out during the reception. The ballroom was set up for around 200 people and it looked comfortable and seemed like it could hold people no problem. Biiiiig dance floor and what's cool is, there are doors that open up into a separate private outdoor area where people can relax, smoke, etc. The cocktail hour would be held outside which means that I'm not the only one that can enjoy the flowers (Sorry Lee allergies), the peacocks and the weather! It was set up with some chairs and tables and there were a lot of spots for spillover just in case we have a bigger party come in. When you drive in, it's not as elegant or "grand" as the other places though. There is valet parking! The menu looked really tasty and there's a lot more options. I likey their options, a lot! Also, our date is available for the PM and just for shits and giggles, they decided to give us an hour extension.

1pm Oheka Castle
WHAT A GRAND ENTRANCE! And then after that, you feel rather dwarfed. I guess that's to be expected from an enormous castle. it really was beautiful and pretty magnificent, but...it felt rather posh and snobby. Not that I would mind, but it wasn't exactly my style. The place is immaculate and beautiful. Their grand ballroom has two huge chandeliers that are just...magnificent. Windows all around, access to the outdoors...access throughout the whole castle! The ballroom (or "terrace room") was just...so awesome. It was large and the dance floor was nice. The linens were nice and silky smooth feeling. The outdoors were gorgeous and made me rethink about asking dad to do an outdoor wedding. The reflection ponds in the garden were so pretty. But I'm sure you can guess...with an extravagant place comes some extravagant pricing which even I thought "That's not worth it." So at least this was a pretty sure decision.

2pm Crest Hollow Country Club
When I walked in, I felt like I was in a hotel lobby or I was waiting for some sixteen year old girls to run by me giggling like school girls or maybe some rowdy boys from a bat mitzvah to trample all over my dress. It was peaceful and empty when I walked in but that's what I felt like. There are pretty gardens available for pretty pictures though! And what's cool? You get driven around in a 6-person golf cart to take pictures on beautiful acres of green!! What's not cool? My guests never get the chance to enjoy that. Instead, they get shoved into this stuffy room to dance all night (not that my family would mind). I didn't like the decor and I didn't really like the room that was available for the night. It didn't have the decorations or the atmosphere of a ballroom. I wanted a more elegant type atmosphere. What WAS impressive though was the entrance. For a catering hall, they have a beautiful entrance that's really nice, full of flowers and feels pretty elegant.

So, there you go! I'm sure you can all guess which one I'm really gearing towards. In fact, I will be bringing Peter there this weekend to see what he thinks and we're going to eat at the restaurant and get a taste of their food!

I will let you know how all of that will pan out! Another thing too...after looking through Michelle's wedding magazines, I've decided to change my bridesmaid color. It will be a blue, not a navy and not a baby blue. Just blue.

I can't think of anything else at the moment, so if you have a question, leave a comment and I'll write another post later! Once final decisions are made, I will be posting them on the wedding website!

<3