this is the code for the render ad
Outdoor Weddings

Outdoor venue - ANYWHERE...please help!

FI and I have been engaged for almost 5 months and have seemed to hit a wall in our wedding plans. We toured a lot of wineries and outdoor spaces near both of our hometowns and fell in love with one but decided it was too expensive. Now I'm at a loss. As nice as if would be to get married in our home state of California I've decided to widen the search so....

any beautiful outdoor locations in any of the lower 48 you can suggest would be wonderful! Here's what we're looking for:

-Outdoor Ceremony & Reception (preferably under trees, not pine-like but any other variety)

-A venue that is a little secluded (ie the ceremony isn't directly next to a house/building/parking lot, and preferably the whole place would be a little out of the way)

-No ridiculous site fee...to give you an idea the place we loved, but was too expensive, was $7000 and that didn't include ANYTHING, no place to get ready, no rentals, no coordinator, nothing! And we would have to rent a shuttle to get our guests around: an additional $700-1000. So...something less expensive than that :)

-We're having a small wedding -how small? we're not sure yet- somewhere around 15-50 guests.

-Oh, and we love the idea of a winery but aren't married to it!

Thanks Ladies!!!! All suggestions will be much appreciated...even if you just know of an 'area' that you once saw on a vacation that was pretty - I'll be happy to Google it...We're just super stuck on finding the perfect venue.

Re: Outdoor venue - ANYWHERE...please help!

  • Try looking at state/local parks, there are tons.  Don't lose hope.  Most local parks may have a very small fee.  I've had a few friends get married in city parks and they've been beautiful.  Wineries are going to be on the higher end.
  • Wow, I can tell you are desperate if you are willing to go anywhere in the US to get what you want!

    You don't say where your two hometowns are. It might be best to get a good answer if you specify.

    I checked your bio and see you are planning on a wedding in August of 2011. That's when I'm getting married as well!

    Check my bio, not sure if the facility is available that day, but it has a small chapel, indoor option for banquet (in case it rains), restrooms, and we are getting a tent as well. It's an historic village owned by the city. To get the chapel and banquet facility is probably $1500 for non-residents of the city. They have a large grounds area with historic buildings, and I can recommend caterers and rental facilities (they have picnic tables and chairs and tables for free, but you have to rent table linens, china, glasses, tent, dance floor, etc).

    Mackinac Island in Michigan is fabulous in August, not sure about outdoor weddings and costs, but look into it. If you ever saw the movie "Somewhere in Time" it was filmed there, and to this day, there are no automobiles on the island, just bikes and carts. It might be pricey, but maybe you can get a private home rental for a weekend for less than $7000........with our economy, I'm pretty sure of it LOL.

    I'd also recommend putting a similar post on your two hometown local boards, as well as in states/cities near CA if that would make it easier for people to travel.
  • http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=23428

    Above is a link for all the venues in california (state parks). It's got contact information on it too. Also, check craigslist ads! huge help. A friend of mine rented an old barn for her wedding about 3 yrs. ago thru craigslist. Check out property rentals on craigslist. Also, you may think about putting an advertisement on craigslist too. let people know what you are looking for and they will contact you if they have something that matches.
    Another option, check out the site "stylemepretty.com"...lots of outdoor weddings to check out on that site. It could give you a nice lead.

    We are doing ours in our very own backyard. Under our oak trees. We've got about 1/4 acre. expecting about 70 people.. Good luck to you!
  • There are some beautiful vineyards here in NC - I'm not sure how many of them do weddings, etc. but it wouldn't hurt to explore: http://www.visitncwine.com/

    Another idea would be Chateau Elan in Georgia. It's a little distance from Atlanta (about an hour), but it's beautiful. And the hotel is nice. http://www.chateauelan.com/events/wedding/

    HTH!
    tiffandshel.tumblr.com
    www.tiffandshel.com/wedding

    Photobucket

    Anniversary
  • Hello future brides! I just got married in August, and call me a geek, but I can't get enough of this stuff! So, I made a blog for you! I want to share my dos and my don'ts and advise! Check out my blog! I just wrote about VENUES!!

    If you have any questions, leave a comment on my blog, and I will get back to you! 

This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards