That's Logistics

Before our last meeting at Greenville Country Club, we had a list of burning questions. Yesterday we met again with our venue coordinator to square away those pesky 30-day-out details and put out the embers of those aforementioned questions. So what did we figure out?

Set-up
1. Yes! to a sparkler send-off!!! Now we have to decide how to fit a sparkler send-off into the evening without disrupting the flow. The common sense approach (suggested by Linda) is to round everyone up at the very end of the night. That way they're already set to go, outside and waiting for the shuttles. Two birds, one stone! (This scenario leaves us without a photographed send-off or extending the photographers' stay by 1.5 hours.)

Mr. PaC measuring for lantern height on the terrace
2. We can set up anytime Friday (rehearsal day) before 11am or between 2-5pm. We'll be at the venue between 3-4pm on Friday to rehearse anyway. So far, there are no confirmed events the day before to limit our access. Obviously, setting up the day before is ideal but if there is an event, we still have the morning of the wedding and an army of wedding helpers (friends with ladders) to assist where needed.

Ready, set, EAT!

Tomorrow is our catering tasting. (No eating after midnight tonight.) We're trying to get our ducks in a row ahead of time, thinking of questions to ask our coordinator and other things that will aid in planning.

Boring Questions
1. Are there any costs we might not be aware of that the venue doesn't cover?
Heeding the warning of our recently married friends, we're trying to avoid being walloped by last minute expenses. Mr. P is convinced we haven't budgeted for napkins. (Of all things!)

2. Can we really do a sparkler send-off??!?
I have seen photographic evidence of sparklers at our venue, but our state is a "No fireworks. No sparklers. No fun. No how." state.

Red on a map is never good source

Meet and Greenville

Family visit to our venue! I scheduled a summertime scoping-out session so Mom, Dad and Sister L could see our lovely venue in person.

Entrance
Grand foyer and ornate brass chandelier
We toured the grounds with our coordinator as she pointed out the areas for prep, cocktails, ceremony and dinner/dancing.

Almost famous

Browsing through wedding blogs, I cam across a particularly lovely wedding on Style Me Pretty. The sneak peak of the ceremony showed a yellow stucco church that looked like nearby St. Joseph's on the Brandywine, but I couldn't be sure.

source for all
Then... I saw photos of the reception venue and fell in love. Sure it looked like the Greenville Country Club (our venue), but what's the likelihood of a national blog featuring little, ol' Delaware. It was probably someplace down in the Carolinas.

Tented reception on a brick patio with views of a rolling lawn... Hmmm.
Until I scrolled down to the vendor list, I still wasn't sure.

High-fives and Hugs

After striking out at so many venues, we started to question if we'd ever find a place to get married. Location is the all-important decision that determines so much: date, attire, food, colors... on and on. If we caved on location, would our wedding still reflect us? And what else would we have to settle for?

Bridesmaid R and I discussed the pros/cons of the many venues. Nothing was clicking. We were running out of viable options. She had seen photos of a friend's wedding at this gorgeous venue, but couldn't remember the name of it. I'd forgotten about it in a week's time, but she followed through (beseechingly emailed the bride) and recommended I check it out. Okay, many well intentioned friends and associates have recommended venues/vendors and none of them panned out. Things were about to turn around!

The mysterious venue was revealed to be...

Bellevue

Yet another venue visit. Today we me the event coordinator at Bellevue for a tour of the mansion. This venue is much closer to what we're looking for: beautiful grounds, outdoor space for a ceremony and dinner plus a gorgeous interior.

Main foyer

Hagley

The 2010 snowstorms really snarled our plans for venue hunting. In my mind, we lost two months of boots on the ground time. And I had this nagging feeling that our elusive venue was being previewed at thisveryminute by a bride and groom who were prepared to write out a check immediately to reserve it. It was probably a really bad case of cabin fever. (Next year, I ought to get away somewhere warm so this doesn't happen again.)

Since we'd only checked out three true venues and two not-so-realistic options, we decided to choose three of our favorites for round two visits in early March. Hagley (yes, another DuPont property) was first up. It was another case of "If I'd known this was here, I would have stopped by sooner". Our first impression of the 235 acres was that it is a shame they don't permit outdoor weddings. Not even ceremonies. No, not even if you bribe them with lots of money. Which we don't have.

Valentine's Day 2010

In the middle of winter's many snowstorms, we hosted a Valentine's dinner for four of our friends. Four bottles of red wine, Sauternes, port, cherry lambic and miscellaneous beer flowed freely while we noshed on a sizable beef tenderloin, roasted veggies, antipasta, caesar salad plus a chocolate layer cake with hazelnut brittle for dessert.

Mmmm, appetizers.

Venues, meet GoogleDocs.

When we're not touring venues, I'm keeping track of the misc data in a spreadsheet so we're better able to compare them. Because that's what I do... organize and plan. Thanks Google Docs!








Initially, Winterthur seemed like an outrageous option, but when it was broken down into what you get for the money, quality of service and reputation, it surpasses the cheaper options (at less desirable locations). Really need to crack down on the budget and guest list. Hoping that the hold-up with my folks is just them waiting to see the average costs of other sites before deciding.

A handful of venues still need to get back to us with costs, inclusions and restrictions. It will be the fastest way to rule out a site without a visit, which is smart when you consider this is the girl that brainstormed a 60+ venue list.

Secret garden hosts a wedding?

Shortly after visiting the DCCA, we were onto our second impromptu scouting trip of the day - the Italianate formal gardens and reflecting pool at Gibraltar. All the years I've lived around the corner, I never ventured in past the stone privacy walls. What an idiot I was!

Run down buildings,
now slated for massive renovation into commercial space
This place is gorgeous, even in January... without the beds tidied up and no flowers. (No one wants to see photos of a garden in winter, so I've swapped the originals with more seasonally appropriate images.) It has a forgotten/secret garden feel, which works well to satisfy the quirkiness aspect of our dream venue. Lots of amazing spots for a ceremony thanks to the "rooms" Marian Coffin designed.

Spring and summer

Edgy, art museum explored

For those of you keeping track, we've visited three venues already. Because our industry has a seasonal slow down after the holidays, our January-March weekends are full of blissful free time. We decided to use our time wisely and pop into a venue last minute.


The Delaware Center for Contemporary Art downtown near the developing riverfront. The views outside the building are nothing spectacular - half-complete construction sites, parking lots and vacant land. Wintertime doesn't help. However, we are not interested in the exterior here. The DCCA's urban contemporary facade with corrugated metal and exposed beams hints at what's inside.

Fiancé suggests a venue

In an attempt at efficiency, we booked two venue appointments back to back on a bitterly cold Saturday in January. The third and final choice from our original list was Brandywine River Museum. Since it was Mr. P's pick and the two previous appointments gave us practice, I let him take the lead. I did come prepared with a list of basic questions, just in case.

The interior architecture is the main draw for this venue. While the exterior is mostly weathered brick reminiscent of nearby farmhouses, the modern interior is clad in white stucco. It features a centrally located atrium that winds up several stories with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Brandywine River. What a cool event space, right?

Winterthur: Do we look like we're du Ponts?

Ah, inside joke. Allow me to explain.


Winterthur is the former estate home of a member of a local (and very wealthy) family - the du Ponts. Their legacy has left an indelible impression on the Brandywine Valley past and present. Grand country homes, acres of gardens, and impressive collections of antiques hint at the history of Delaware's own "royalty." It's nothing short of spectacular. And we wanted to marry on one of these estates. Winterthur was our first choice.

Dinner, Dancing and Dinos

In early January, I started to get anxious about securing key vendors: venue, photographer and caterer. I know vendors in our area book up often over a year in advance (and, at 17 months, we still had not set a date). The best and most reasonable vendors are likely to get snatched up quickly. I did not want our options unnecessarily narrowed by cost or availability.

The goal is to make our decisions organically and without pre-conceived notions. With that in mind, I gathered a list of possible venues ranging from Center City Philadelphia to suburban arboretums. Light brainstorming! From my original research of 60 sites, we focused on just nearby and unique. We want to showcase the best of the area and what is unique to Delaware and the Brandywine Valley. Mr. P took one look at my massive list and asked if we could choose our top 3 venues. From 60 to 3 options... to start.

First venue to explore was the Delaware Natural History Museum outside of Greenville.


(First only because their flexible schedule gave us a weekday appointment. When I get it in my head something needs to be done, I become *ahem* antsy if there are delays.)