WishfulThinking
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2007
- Messages
- 1,437
Okay, so for anyone who hasn''t followed the [admittedly pretty short
So we moved on. We wanted to stick with our state park/picnic setting, as in beautiful western Massachusetts it is the most gorgeous "venue" we can get with our limited budget. It is also perfect because it fits our more laid-back personalities and the level of formality we are going for, which isn''t super formal.
We found another state park in the area that seemed like it would work perfectly, has a formal reservation policy, and a specific area where weddings and other events can take place that is somewhat out of the way of the majority of people-traffic visiting the park.
We went to visit today and it worked out!! YAAAAAAY!
Link to a picture: http://www.renbuild.net/images/c5.gif
A short comparison to the original park.
Old park pros: beautiful setting and view, free, has personal significance, convenient bathrooms
Old Park cons: can''t really see the view from the area we would be in, very small pavilion covering in case of bad weather, only 3 picnic tables, rocky terrain so limited footwear options, evil director dude
New Park pros: beautiful setting, still pretty low cost and definitely within budget, pavilion is MUCH bigger and more convenient for bad weather, has 6 tables [twice as many!] and they are 8 feet long, which is larger than the other tables, way bigger grill so cooking will be faster and easier, a stone wall around the edge for extra decorating options and more privacy, nice and helpful staff, a large field next to the pavilion where we would have a lot of space, flat terrain, we can have candles!
New Park cons:No view from places in close proximity to the pavilion we would be in, not a very good place to take pictures, porta potties
Overall, I think the new place has won hands down no matter what, not only because the other place *can''t* work out, but also because it is more convenient and better for our wedding. I am excited to be able to have a wall to decorate with, it''s so much larger and more spacious, and the tables are AWESOME, with plenty of room for cool centerpieces. With more tables we can have a table for food, another for desserts, one for a guestbook and cards or gifts, and three for guest seating.
Cons in general from both parks: we can''t have alcohol since it violates open-bottle laws. This is disappointing, but we are contemplating putting it in a drink cooler so it is inconspicuous. We wouldn''t be having alcohol other than a champagne toast, but we really wanted one. It might be buggy, and there is no way to tell how dry the ground will be at that time of year. Weather is always a gamble outdoors. We will get some citronella candles to help with the bugs, wear practical shoes [or relatively more practical heels
PLUS- and this is one of my favourite parts- my dad, who is going to be the photographer [he takes awesome photos and has a high-tech camera] offered to take us around on a day sometime after the wedding for a photo shoot in our gowns so we can have great pictures in many beautiful settings. We will go up to the original park and take some photos with their great scenery- the beautiful mossy rocks and great view], and to a town nearby to do some more city-esque shots. Both places have a lot of significance for us, so we think that is a great way to compromise with the not quite as awesome photo ops from the day-of. We will get plenty of pics with family the day of, but still have a chance to have some extra-special shots of just us in more portrait-type settings.
Sorry this is such a novel- I am just excited!
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