Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Where Da Party At? - Part I

It's Bloggin' Tuesday!  I decided that it was time to give my blog a little face lift because it was just becoming too busy for me.

Now, I don't know about you, but I remember being an itty-bitty girl who have had many dreams of what my wedding was going to be like.  Everything from the dress, to my hair, to the bouquet in my hand, the people around me, and of course... the venue.  I know, I know... the seemingly most important aspect of the wedding was missing... my husband.  But at the tender age of 3, the only thoughts in my head were, "What's a 'husband'?  I just want to wear a pretty dress!"  Of course as the 26 year-old, newly engaged woman, I had a few more worries to add to that list.  First things first, exactly where were we going to make those childhood dreams come true?

Thus begins the mini-series which I'd like to call, Where Da Party At? -Tips to Finding the Perfect Venue.

SO.....

After purchasing my 11 bridesmaids dresses, Mr. FJ and I began scouting out for venues which we wanted to have our wedding.  Very early on, we had both agreed that we were not fans of traditional Chinese wedding banquets.  For one, I personally felt that since the interior of most Chinese restaurants were either red or gold (or both), it would definitely clash with the hazel blue that I had already chosen.  Another factor was, as guests, Mr. FJ and I remembered that we were never too thrilled about the idea of having to travel for one location for the wedding ceremony, and then another for the reception.  As a planner, I would HATE for all the festivities to be behind schedule due to unanticipated traffic and travel time.  As hosts, our biggest priority was to make our wedding as convenient as possible for everyone.

Living in the metro NYC area, we knew that there were several important factors to consider when planning a wedding.  I'd like to call these the CAPS of venue selection:

                                  1. Costs/Budget
                                  2. Aesthetics/Presentation
                                  3. Proximity
                                  4. Size of the venue

Of all the criteria, I really believe that Costs/Budget should be held in high regard.  I think it's safe to say (and most people would probably agree) that it's pretty silly and irresponsible for one to run oneself into debt just because one is planning a wedding.  Two, Costs/Budget provides a good framework for how much you can spend and how many people you can realistically spend it on.  (This is the usual pep-talk I give to all my couples upon meeting them the first time.)  Our original guest list of 450 people basically informed us that we were not going to be able to have the wedding INSIDE of New York City.  It would've came at the cost of both our arms and legs.  We had to think outside of the box... literally.

To be continued....

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