So many options!

When we were still considering a wedding up north, we were trying to find just one location that would be large enough to house our reception.  Now that we are having it in Des Moines, suddenly there are so many places to choose from.  I'm beginning to wonder if we won't have just as much trouble finding the right place here in Des Moines.

My mom was here this past weekend and we were able to check out a few possible reception sites on Monday.  We both fell in love with the Temple for Performing Arts which I mentioned in my previous post.  Nick got off work and we went back to show him & get his input.  He too loved the space.  He had one concern and one other possible issue.  He was concerned about whether the space could hold the number of people we believe will come to the wedding.  The other issue was that this place lacked an outdoor space, like a balcony or patio.  There is a fairly wide stairwell, however, it wouldn't be conducive to holding very many people.  The location is still on the top of our list at the moment but we need to explore more options.  These include:

Glen Oaks Country Club located in West Des Moines with beautiful grounds, club house and a large patio!

Hilton Garden Inn located in Johnston but right off the freeway.  This location has a typical hotel ballroom available with from what I can tell, a separate entrance from the main hotel area and has access to a large patio.

Renaissance Savery Des Moines which I mentioned in my last post, a great downtown location which of course could be a one stop shop for our out of town guests and has other activities to offer.

I hope that it won't be too difficult to decide.

The other issue that I see us facing is simply whether the location is available.  We're not even a year out and of the places we visited on Monday, they all had bookings in October 2011 and beyond!  We may very well end up finding the perfect location, but we may have issues with availability.  But as with everything else in life, I know it will all work out for the best.

One other side note, I feel so lucky to have my fiance who is genuinely interested in helping plan this wedding.  I've heard so many stories about the groom being a total bump on a log.  Thank goodness I don't have to worry about this! But I know the limits....he could probably care less about flowers...but for the major components, he's there and he's interested.  Just another reason why I love him!  Could not ask for a better hubby to be.

Photo Source

Bridesmaid Bouquets

I love flowers.  I gathered more of an appreciation for them after working in a flower shop for about 3 years or so.  Obviously flowers can be one of the more expensive elements in a wedding.  Unfortunately, I cannot justify spending a significant amount of money on flowers when they're only really used for one day AND they die.  I do still want to incorporate flowers but I'm trying to explore options to keep costs down and still have some beautiful accents at our wedding.  

When we were still planning a rural wedding, I had thought of doing very rustic bridesmaid bouquets featuring wheat, similar to one of the inspiration pictures in my previous post.  However, now that we are no longer having a rural wedding, the idea of wheat in a more urban setting, well just seems kind of silly.  I know we can still incorporate it but not quite to the extent I was thinking originally.  

Recently, I came across this picture via Martha Stewart Weddings:

The idea is to incorporate fresh & dried herbs into the arrangements.  I love this idea and can't help but feel like it would definitely add a very personal touch to our wedding.  Having bouquets with a very natural "just gathered" appearance really appeals to me.  I had already thought of using dried lavender (because it's absolutely my favorite smell) somewhere in our wedding flowers. 

I also want to use as many local vendors as possible.  By way of our downtown farmer's market, I know of Prairieland Herbs.  I appreciate their philosophy and that it is a mother-daughter owned business.  I love the range of products they offer.  Perhaps at the next farmer's market I can stop by to talk with them about their thoughts on this and whether they would be interested in making these bouquets.  

I'm back!

Regular posting attempt # 384,243....etc etc.  Yes, it has been a while.

We're in the beginning stages of planning a wedding.  Originally our idea was to get married in NE Iowa, in the town where his dad & grandparents live.  I loved this idea immediately.  Not only is the church beautiful, but Nick was baptized there, his dad and stepmom, as well as many aunts & uncles were married there.  It seemed a perfect place for us to start our lives together.  But alas, it was not meant to be.  The church itself was available  but when it came to looking for a reception location we ran into many problems.

1. Capacity: By the sheer number of people in our families, we could not have a small wedding.  Finding a local venue to house between 200 - 225 people was just about impossible.

2. Lodging: Although there were many Bed & Breakfasts in the area, we weren't sure there would be enough to house all the people coming into town for the event.

3. Food: I don't know if you would consider us "foodies" but we definitely have a love and appreciation of good food.  And let's be honest, from a guest standpoint, what is the thing you're going to remember the most...whether the food was good.  In rural Iowa there are not many vendors who would be able to provide the quality of food we are looking for.

I finally had to check in with myself about whether a NE Iowa wedding could be a reality. I asked myself a few questions...Would I be asking too much of my guests?  The answer, probably yes.  In addition to having to flying in to Des Moines or even Minneapolis, people would have to travel an additional 2 - 3 hours to get to NE Iowa.  The next question I asked, does it really matter what church we are married in?  The answer, no in fact the only important thing about that day is the commitment that Nick & I will make to one another in front of our beloved family & friends.   The decision had to be made, wedding location: Des Moines.

Having a Des Moines wedding opens up a huge array of choices.  From reception locations to cake bakers.  This can be both good and bad.  But I'm looking forward to the planning process.  I am very much a planner and always have been.  And I strive to make our wedding day as headache & stress-free a day as possible for the two of us.

Our first task is finding a reception location.  Here are just a few places we'd like to look into:

Scottish Rite Tapestry Room

Hotel Fort Des Moines

Renaissance Savery Des Moines

Temple for Performing Arts Grand Hall

Sticks

There is a lot to consider, cost (we want to keep it as inexpensive as possible), logistics, cost (haha).  Ideally if we could find a barn somewhere in the more rural outskirts of Des Moines that we could make work...I think that's the way we would go.  But I'm sure in the end it will all work out and we will find an affordable venue that we love.

I'll leave with some of my inspiration photos gathered from The Knot.