Thankfully, I was able to book a couple of venues to check out. I was a bit worried, as Memorial Day weekend was going to make it a bit difficult to get the opportunity to see lots of places for a couple of reasons: One, many people like to take vacations during their 3 day weekend and are not around and two, because of the 3 day weekend, that Sunday was probably booked with a wedding. Luckily I was able to land a showing with The Manor House and Red Rocks Country Club.
Many women go with their emotions when it comes to make decisions...there was nothing different here when it came to finding my venue. The minute I stepped out of the car at The Manor House, I got this overwhelming feeling of every good feeling you can get! The place was a dream. It was like I had literally stepped into a story book. I knew this was going to be the place I wanted to get married. Oddly enough, it was quite opposite from what I originally thought about when 'planning my future wedding.' I had always anticipated something more modern chic in Downtown Denver...but here I was, falling head over heels for this beautiful gem stuck right in the middle of the hog backs of the Colorado foothills.
My venue choice:
 | |
| The Manor House |
It took every ounce of me not to rush into anything while doing the walk through at The Manor House. As a wedding planner, I knew that I needed to be sure I saw everything and knew all the details before I actually jumped into paperwork. But as we sat down to discuss price, I quickly found out why this venue was meant for our wedding! It included virtually everything, and because we were looking to book the wedding for this year, we were also greeted with a fantastic discount! I instantly asked when their first available Saturday was for this year was...Oct 22, 2011...and so became our wedding date!
It's that easy?! ha! Think again!! Though I fell in love with this place, I was not with Kiel when I went for the initial walk through...so I ultimately had to convince him that The Manor House was where I wanted us to get married. My dad and I still went to Red Rocks Country Club...but I knew nothing would compare, so I really didn't show much interest when we did the venue walk through. However, it was quite necessary for me to obtain more information on other venues to have a good case when going back to Kiel, that The Manor House was the best value and best place to get married.
LESSON #2:
Be sure to work out a proper budget and be on the same page before trying to convince anyone, especially your fiance, of anything wedding related.
Those who know my fiance will find it no surprise at all that he instantly had an issue with the price...but those who don't know him...let me give you a little insight: Kiel is a saver. He likes to pinch every penny he possibly can. And I love him for that! It's one of the many qualities I love about him! But, it's been very hard to love this quality during the wedding process.
Still, being in the wedding industry, I know the ins and outs of this business, and knew that we were getting the best deal! I knew we could probably find better deals and save maybe $1000...but would I have been just as happy and just as in love with the venue? Probably not.
It took a lot of discussing and a lot of frustrations between the two of us to finally convince Kiel to go with The Manor House...Take a month worth of discussion and cram it into 2 days...yeah, that's a lot of discussion! Either way, I was able to convince him to check out the venue! Luckily we were able to look on Memorial Day, and with the help of my dad and the wedding coordinator at The Manor House, Kiel said yes! We signed the papers that day and put the deposit down! It was locked in!
I can honestly say it was worth the long talks (and I do mean long!) and even arguments Kiel and I had the first weekend we were engaged, as I literally dream about this place! Each time I've gone back for another wedding meeting, The Manor House literally takes my breath away! I cannot wait to share pictures of our wedding day to all of you!
TIP #2:
Stick to your guns...but with in reason! Know the best way to discuss with your honey that you are making the best decision. And make sure you discuss this between the two of you. Adding others will tend to make it difficult. Keep in mind this is yours and your fiance's day!
With Love,
Cydney ~ The Soon to be Mrs Johnson
No comments:
Post a Comment