Unique/Different ceremony & reception ideas

jackattack09

I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for unique & different places in the Boston area (or Metrowest) for a budget wedding.  My fiance and I are not going to get married in a church or hold a traditional reception- we just want to have our family and friends with us on the special day!

I literally have NO idea where to begin.  Does anyone have any ideas and/or could point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

spuccio

Sounds a lot like me and DH when we first got engaged. Think a lot about what you envision for your day. Drop the language--"untraditional" "different" "unique" or "want it to be an expression of us". Forget all of that and think about what your wedding looks like to you when you daydream.

Are you outside? Is there water? Are you in a rustic setting, like a barn or lodge? Are you in a crowd of people, or are you with a few people in an intimate setting? Are you in a destination, or a feels-like-home place?

Take that vision and go from there. There really isn't much of a traditional wedding anymore, anyway, so starting at "untraditional" is equally useless. For me, a traditional wedding would have been at a big banquet hall off Route 46 in NJ with 700 Italian relatives and friends I've never met. For some women in New England, its a hotel wedding with shades of pink and champagne.

Once you figure out even one structural element of your vision, then begin your search. We will all be here with recommendations ready when you get there!! GL!!

jkepros

I agree with spuccio!  Start by thinking about what you DO want.  It doesn't have to be specific, but just what kind of feel are you going for?  Romantic & intimate?  Fun & crazy?  A dance party or a quiet tea & dessert gathering? 

I think after you get a general feel for what you want, the next thing is to decide on a budget and an approximate number of guests you want to invite.  Our ideal guestlist included over 300 people, but we knew that if there were too many we wouldn't even get to say hello to everyone, so we specifically picked small venues, so we can only have a MAXIMUM of 135 guests.  When you have a budget and know how many people you want to have there, THEN you can start to look at venues and the girls here can help come up with ideas.

GL!

MeaghanandMichael

Spuccio, that was really beautiful

But yeah, don't go for non-traditional as much as PERSONAL. Do you have a vacation spot, a favorite restaurant or a garden you two walk in often? You would be surprised the type of places you can rent out like an art gallery or a public library.

spuccio

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_massachusetts-boston_uniquedifferent-ceremony-reception-ideas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:89Discussion:9d5fb8e2-852d-4b31-b6d7-21fe4d311c0cPost:5f2aca09-e92b-4607-90a3-c9bd6d26deae">Re: Unique/Different ceremony & reception ideas</a>:
[QUOTE]Spuccio, that was really beautiful :) But yeah, don't go for non-traditional as much as PERSONAL. Do you have a vacation spot, a favorite restaurant or a garden you two walk in often? You would be surprised the type of places you can rent out like an art gallery or a public library.
Posted by MeaghanandMichael[/QUOTE]

::sniff::   thanks! ;-)

jackattack09

Thank you all!  That was very helpful!