So, when I started planning, I had my heart set on a venue that's also a restaurant that my family has been going to for decades. My father has a lot of memories there, and it's somewhere we've continued to go. It's also a fairly popular wedding venue, but since I was flexible with dates and was looking over a year out - I thought I'd be fine. Not! If I wanted a Saturday wedding in the fall, I couldn't start until 6:30 because they had either booked the night or had daytime events planned every Saturday.The most important thing for me and FH is our guest's comfort, and that means a Saturday is a must, and a 6:30 start for just the ceremony is too late for many of our guests. I know it's a common time, but I also know there's several of our loved ones who would struggle being awake for an 8pm dinner! We're having a small wedding, and everyone being present and comfortable is important to us.So, we started looking elsewhere. One venue had an industrial vibe that I loved, but my mom hated - and also was ridiculously expensive. Looked at another place, whose decorations leaned way more towards 'naked cherubs painted everywhere' for my taste. Finally, we looked at the venue we selected.It's also a restaurant, though the event space is separated from the dining areas. It has an older, colonial vibe to it. I didn't want a classical grand ballroom area - which the reception space is a ballroom - but it's got one wall that's all windows, is bright, and isn't over the top or leaning towards gaudy, in my opinion.However... after seeing some of the places my friends and family are getting married (FH's sister got engaged two days after us, and two of our good friends are having their wedding the WEEK after ours, not to mention all the other weddings occurring in the next six months), I'm starting to feel self conscious about my decision. This place just isn't as gorgeous as the rest of them, especially the ceremony space. I really want an outdoor ceremony, and it's so incredibly plain compared to everything I'm seeing from the people around me and on here, and it's kind of bumming me out. The venue is also right off of a major road, the grounds are somewhat small, and the ceremony space is directly next to the parking lot - they've planted bamboo to act as a cover. And suddenly I don't know how I feel about the rest of it - including the cocktail hour room, which is in between the gardens for the outside ceremony and the reception hall. It's an 'indoor' patio, with brick floors and the wall to the side an external wall facade, if that makes any sense. The windows are actually sliding doors that can be opened if it's nice out. I liked it when I was there, but looking back on photos... I'm just not sure! In the reception hall, I'm not a fan of the chairs, either, though we do get chair covers for free... but now I also think I hate the look of them. And am actually thinking of renting chairs. I feel a bit crazy, tbh. Here's some pictures of the venue, since I'm doing a terrible job explaining this all.I don't want to switch venues, though! I've assembled a great team of vendors for my date, which I don't know if I'd be able to keep them if I switched venues and probably, then, dates. Plus, this place has a lot going for it as well. I only have to meet a 60 person minimum on a Saturday night, and we get the whole place to ourselves starting at 10am. The bridal suite is GORGEOUS, and they provide food along with champagne/beer all morning while you get ready. I don't have to go anywhere all day. There's a tavern in the restaurant that we can use as our after party. Hotels are incredibly close by, and aren't too expensive - plus we found a great deal on a jitney to take guests anywhere in a nearby radius for the entire day. The food is AMAZING, we'll be able to have an ice cream bar with dessert, AND we'll be able to have a selection of craft beer with our open bar! And it fits perfectly in my budget.I started this off telling myself I cared the most about making sure the day was as stress free as possible for myself, and for my guests to have a great time celebrating with us. But it's not the pinterest-friendly aesthetic of my dreams, and every time I start searching for decorations it just comes back to haunt me. Since when was that something I cared about?? :/Anyone else go through this? Any tips for getting over it?TL;DR: Starting to question my venue because of aesthetic reasons, but switching venues isn't really an option due to a whole plethora of reasons including the great services the venue offers, other vendors, and logistics for guests. Any words of comfort? via /r/weddingplanning http://ift.tt/2tLhlBq
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