So yesterday we went looking at reception halls. It was our first time out, and we had 3 appointments. First we went to a place up in Plantsville, CT. It was beautiful - nice rooms, great grounds, but it had a few issues. First, the place is a wedding factory. There can be up to 4 weddings at a time and pictures on the grounds are "first-come-first-serve", so we might find ourselves waiting around with our photographer and wedding party trying to be next at the windmill. Second, the chapel. We want to have our ceremony at the reception site and this chapel was NOT my dream location. If we used that place we'd need a different ceremony site and that only adds to the confusion. So, we kept it on the "maybe" list and went on to appointment #2. As we're driving through the worst sections of New Haven discussing how "we can NOT send our guests this way!!" we get in to East Haven a bit and things improve somewhat and we find this run-down looking BRIGHT PINK building. Now, I like pink, but this was a bit much. We walk in to find the place covered in mirrors and all-around tackiness (is that even a word?). Anyway, just to sum it up...as we're waiting for the woman who's supposed to show us around - who shows up 15 minutes late to our 30 minute appointment - we're seated next to a glass table with pastries on top and fish swimming inside. That's right...fish. I tell Pete if the tables in the function room have fish in them then we're DEFINITELY using the place, but alas, they don't. At any rate, we find this place awful, and the prices are more than double what they said on the website, so we're considering burning their material on the walk to the car. Now I'm discouraged and we head to the 3rd appointment at a country club in Orange. It feels like it's in the middle of nowhere, so I'm not feeling so sure, until we go inside. The woman there makes us feel great! She's friendly, helpful, so NOT pushy and we think "we could see ourselves using her as our coordinater for sure". She shows us around the grounds and I'm loving it. The gazebo is really cute for the ceremony, the main ballroom is nice (even though at the time it's decorated for some western-themed dinner. Our guide promises we don't have to have plaid plastic tablecloths or bandana and sheriff star give-aways unless we REALLY want to). I also like the room for the cocktail hour, though I prefer the larger one that we'd have to pay a little extra for (but only because it has a patio and I like the idea of having some stuff outside). Also, we're the only wedding there, so we know we'll get their full attention. The prices are fabulous and the stuff they include looks great, so I'm totally sold. Now I just have to go back with Mom so I can make sure she likes it too!! It totally makes up for the fact that our other 2 favorite places seem to have gotten themselves crossed off simply based on their phone skills. One woman at a place in Branford told me she doesn't have any appointments until Feb. 4, but we can't make it then, so I ask for Feb. 11. She says she's not booking that far in advance, so I have to call back, but she reminds me not to wait too long or I'll loose the appointment. At this point I'm thinking "and they don't even have my money yet!" Next is the place in Derby I thought I might like that finally returned my call and informed me they have office hours Mon-Fri from 10am-2pm. Wow...with hours like that who needs to retire?! So I'm really loving the country club in Orange and I just hope the rest of the family gives it their approval!! And that's the wedding search update! Oh!! I also think I chose the wedding band I want, but we're not getting that yet just in case I change my mind (about the ring. I'm SURE about the wedding!). All-in-all it was a very productive day. :) Did I mention that we have a date?
We're going with July 21, 2007 because we're pretty sure that's the date Danielle said she could make it (though looking now maybe it should be the 14th? Help us Danielle! We're date-challenged!).
