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.
No comments:
Post a Comment