Which would you choose?

Hi Ladies!  This is my first post in the bride forum!  So exciting  My fiance proposed about 3 weeks ago.  Since we want a June 08 wedding, planning as begun!  We live in NJ, so $$$ for this thing is a huge issue because I just don't feel the need to spend ridiculous amounts of money on one day.  What I do want though is something intimate and elegant with close family and friends.

We want to do everything at one place.  Garden type ceremony (definitely outdoors at least, weather permitting).  We have about 100 potential invites right now (i have a HUGE family).

So here are the options and I'd like to get your opinions on each.

Option 1: The Tides (www.thetides.com).  Only place of the 12 that we have looked at that evoked ANY feeling what-so-ever.  Honestly, if it wasn't for the fact that they have the outdoor ceremony area, this place wouldn't have done much for me either.  But the price is very reasonable for what you get (which is A LOT of food).  Biggest downside, it's a good 2 hour drive (likely more) for all of my family, so I would basically be forcing 65% of the guest list to get a hotel room.  Which I feel kind of bad about (as does fiancé).  Another downside is they require a 100 person minimum on a Sat. night (which we prefer).  So we would basically have to up our list by at least 25 to ensure we get to the 100 attendees.  Other thing I’m not crazy about here is that the interior is like EVERY other place I’ve seen….ornate is the only way to describe it.  Just not my style.  But I understand that it’s to be expected if we choose this route.

Option 2:  My aunt lives in eastern PA in a gorgeous home on 10 acres of land.  Really this place is stunning.  She’s offered her home and yard as our wedding site.  I’ve contacted a caterer in the area and he basically told me that it’s MORE expensive to great a wedding as opposed to doing something at a reception hall.  I was kind of surprised by his response.  However, after more discussion it really would be about the same for us because he’s in PA (pricing is lower) vs NJ pricing…. HUGE difference.  The benefit to this is I can start things early afternoon and finish much earlier if we do it in my aunt’s.  Also, it’s more intimate because there will only be our wedding going on, not others like at the tides.  Most of family will be short drive away so that hotel rooms will not be needed.  Immediate family can stay at my aunts (we do this a lot during parties and holidays she hosts).  But the downside, is the obvious…weather.  If it rains, my “dream” wedding goes out the window.  And I think this option will be a lot more work because we are essentially starting with a blank canvas. 

Overall I think each option will have a completely different feel.  The feel of the wedding I’d like is what I can create at my aunt’s house.  But I’m unsure about the weather risk, and $$$ is still a factor because I don’t want things to get out of control. 

OHhhh….i don’t know what to decide.  My fiancé says it’s up to me, but I just can’t make a decision.

Most June 2008 dates are NOT available already at the places we’ve looked.  The Tides has one Saturday available, but we need to make a decision soon. 

Sorry for such a long post!  But I could really use some opinions on this.

Thanks ladies!