Starting With the “Where”

Monday night, Kate and I toured a potential wedding/reception site. (Holy, what?!) This is actually the second place we have gone to see. Are you as proud of us as I am?

We were drawn to this place for several reasons:

1. It is in Iowa...which means we could technically get married there. (Hooray for Iowa!) Plus, there are spaces for both a ceremony and reception, which would cut out traveling from one spot (in Iowa) to another (potentially in Nebraska).
2. It has character...granted, we didn't jive with all of the character (ie tacky carpet). We are looking for something that isn't your typical reception hall. This historic mansion boasts some really cool details (a giant wood fireplace, a big staircase for a grand entrance, a park with fountains that would make for beautiful photos).
3. It's cheap...which is totally a selling point. Katie and I are paying for most of the wedding ourselves, so we are trying to pinch pennies where we can to leave more money for our top priorities. (For us, these are photos, food, and honeymoon. )
4. We can bring our own alcohol...which is like money in my pocket! They do not have a liquor license, which means no money can be exchanged for alcohol (meaning, it'd have to be an open bar.) And if there is alcohol served, we are required to hire a security guard, but that is standard. The cost of alcohol at the reception is one thing I worried about a lot. I know it adds up quickly, and I was worried Katie and I would have different feelings about what we'd want to offer our guests. This just seems like such a good option.

That being said, we were a little hesitant about this place. Before we headed out, Katie said something along the lines of, "Prepare yourself by expecting it to be hideous and completely wrong for us." "Already done," I replied. Which may have been a good strategy because I was pleasantly surprised. We're not completely sold on the place, but it's still in the running.