HELP! New here...venting....Little Gardens Anyone?

Re: HELP! New here...venting....Little Gardens Anyone?

• ritakelly member

  

  March 2011 edited December 2011

  I looked at Little Gardens and really liked it. Its a plantation house with a garden area. The ball room has doors and windows out to the garden ceremony area -- so people can keep enjoying that even after the ceremony is over.
  I booked with the same company (magic moments) but at the Atrium. This also has a garden wedding area and a ballroom at the same location; but its a more contemporary space. Both are really beautiful. Flint Hill is also really pretty.
  
  I know this is just my opinion; but I think its silly to have ALL your guest now have to travel and stay in hotel rooms. I understand having it at one play or the other but if everyone is going to have to pay to drive or fly and then rent a hotel room in Atlanta that seems just as difficult as going to FL. I guess the drive is less time; but just something to take into consideration. Obviously its what you two want that is best.
  
  I have also heard that the Atlanta Botanical gardens is actually fairly inexpensive for just the ceremony and you could book another space for the reception; that would make for some BEAUTIFUL pictures.
  

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• msphil32 member

  

  March 2011 edited December 2011

  Thanks! I haven't really told too many that the ceremony would necessarily be in FL and initially my friends were cool with a destination wedding to the carribean somewhere. I tried to take into consideration the costs/expenses as they would add up for flights, passports, etc. I'm just a bit frustrated because of the changes and FI being away and not realizing the time and effort that it takes to make such plans. I'm just ready to book and put things in place so I can use the rest of this time to study for a national exam, job search, do the job that I am being paid to do (which is not wedding planning :-)) and getting things in order for relocating to GA from FL. Getting married in GA is not a horrible thing, and will probably be best, it's just that it would have been nice to not let me get started on planning for FL wedding and then trying to reconsider at this point!! Geesh!!! Ok, obviously I am a bit frustrated. lol. But I will be fine....one day at a time. Not sure that getting him to understand the difficulty in planning (destination) and while he is no where in sight (Iraq), is even possible, and that is frustrating the mess out of the both of us!!!!
  Thanks again for the input!!

  

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• ritakelly member

  

  March 2011 edited December 2011

  I know what you mean. My FI had no idea how much effort goes into planning a wedding. I think he's slowly figuring it out now that we're less than 4 mo away. But at first he didn't understand why we couldn't throw it together in 3 mo.
  It took some time for us to get on the same page with everything but after he started realizing the amount of effort I was putting into it and how I felt about he was really started being more supportive. Now it may be different if he were away; I couldn't imagine trying to plan it with him here for opinion and help. But I'm sure you will figure it out and it will be perfect. I would do a search of places in Atlanta and make several appointment for the same day; maybe you could bring a family member or close friend and make a Saturday trip out of touring the places.
  

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• msphil32 member

  

  March 2011 edited December 2011

  In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_georgia-atlanta_new-hereventinglittle-gardens-anyone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:58Discussion:74896cb1-7d25-4c1f-ae07-86b52cc6c79cPost:3667a70c-7407-432d-81d1-d0a7d46418a0">Re: HELP! New here...venting....Little Gardens Anyone?</a>:
  [QUOTE]I know what you mean. <strong>My FI had no idea how much effort goes into planning a wedding</strong>. I think he's slowly figuring it out now that we're less than 4 mo away. But at first he didn't understand why we couldn't throw it together in 3 mo. It took some time for us to get on the same page with everything but <strong>after he started realizing the amount of effort I was putting into it and how I felt about he was really started being more supportive.</strong> Now it may be different if he were away; I couldn't imagine trying to plan it with him here for opinion and help. <strong>But I'm sure you will figure it out and it will be perfect</strong>. I would do a search of places in Atlanta and make several appointment for the same day; maybe you could bring a family member or close friend and make a Saturday trip out of touring the places. :)
  Posted by ritakelly[/QUOTE]
  Thanks girl!
  yes, I spoke to him a little earlier today and we are both trying to "understand" some things. His position responsibilities in Iraq have definitely hindered our planning and his ability to spend as much time as we should at least discussing it all. I don't want to book anything or anyone without him being in on it. I email him all correspondences and ideas, etc...but it has been tough. I believe that he, like a lot of FI's don't realize what it takes and thinks that you can just pick a place when you get ready, not realizing that you are not the only people getting married on set day and place...lol. He just relocated to another base with a lot of adjusting and moving going on and I know he is under a lot of stress, but I need him over here. I'm trying not to be selfish, but at the same time, I can't have him making changes like this, pretty drastic, I might add, without him being able to provide much feedback and discussion time...uuugggghhhh. He suggested that I allow him one week to get settled in and situated and then we could go from there. So, I had to cancel an appointment that I had scheduled for this afternoon and put things on HOLD....difficult to do, but definitely necessary because I have been determined to try not to overwhelm myself outside of the normal, whatever that is :-) Well, I will pick up where I left off a week from today, but I expect him to be ready and on board with this by then. Whew!!! Thanks for "listening." Much appreciated!!!

  

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• ritakelly member

  

  March 2011 edited December 2011

  Well I think its really important for you both to understand the requirements of your spouses career. So try to think about all the stress he is dealing with and keep that in mind. I have to sometime edit myself to not 100 % talk about the wedding with my fiance and my friends and family. I think about my wedding constantly; but I know its not as exciting to everyone else constantly.
  Maybe you should be aware of his needs during this very stressful time and make sure that you not only talk to him about the wedding but also talk about him and other things that are going on here. Maybe only allot yourself 1 email every other day about the wedding and then on the other day just talk about non wedding stuff. The same with phone calls maybe the first 5 minutes you talk about friends and family and other stuff and the last 5 minutes wedding (or whatever -- I'm not sure how much phone time you get). Just make sure you don't make him feel guilty about not being here; I'm sure he is already incredibly home sick.
  

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• msphil32 member

  

  March 2011 edited December 2011

  In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_georgia-atlanta_new-hereventinglittle-gardens-anyone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:58Discussion:74896cb1-7d25-4c1f-ae07-86b52cc6c79cPost:e63bd7e4-3995-4d58-979b-8b33d9778dec">Re: HELP! New here...venting....Little Gardens Anyone?</a>:
  [QUOTE]Well I think its really important for you both to understand the requirements of your spouses career. <strong>So try to think about all the stress he is dealing with and keep that in mind.</strong> I have to sometime edit myself to not 100 % talk about the wedding with my fiance and my friends and family. I think about my wedding constantly; but I know its not as exciting to everyone else constantly. Maybe you should be aware of his needs during this very stressful time and make sure that you not only talk to him about the wedding but also talk about him and other things that are going on here. Maybe only allot yourself 1 email every other day about the wedding and then on the other day just talk about non wedding stuff. The same with phone calls maybe the first 5 minutes you talk about friends and family and other stuff and the last 5 minutes wedding (or whatever -- I'm not sure how much phone time you get). Just make sure you don't make him feel guilty about not being here; I'm sure he is already incredibly home sick.
  Posted by ritakelly[/QUOTE]
  Thanks. I definitely agree and have been trying to do that. I responded with more to say, but it did not post. In all, I was agreeing with you. One day at a time....and wedding discussion with my FI has been tabled until next week. I'm cool with that overall, especially if that means that he will be in a better place to provide his input. I knew from the beginning that he would be unable to help much with planning, but he has insisted on trying to make decisions.....again, one day at a time.....lol
  Thanks again!

  

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• lorifrank2003 member

  

  March 2011 edited December 2011

  Little Gardens is fantastic.  Though there is a endless supply of great venus in the metro Atlanta area.  Here is some of my favorites

  
  

  - Primrose cottage (owned by the same company as little gardens)

  - Piedmont room

  - Botanical Gardens

  - Chateu Elan

  - Flint Hill

  - 200 Peachtree

  - Biltmore

  - 103 west

  - Ventanas 

  - the Grande

  - Wolf Mountain

  
  

  the list is ENDLESS  

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• msphil32 member

  

  March 2011 edited December 2011

  Thank you lorifrank!!!

  

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• HYDROPHILE

  

  March 2011 edited December 2011

  Wolf Mountain can be a little pricey.  How far are you wanting to travel, msphil32?
  
  I love The Atrium and have been to a few weddings there as well.  We're having ours at Blackstock (Winery wedding without the winery wedding prices )
  
  I lovingly call my fiancé "Groomzilla" not because he's a pain in the arse, but because he's been involved in our wedding planning from the get-go
  

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• ButterflyChickadee

  

  March 2011 edited December 2011

  Little Gardens....
   MY fiance and I looked there online, the pictures were nice, the location is close enough to our family and friends. So we went for a tour...
  What a joke. My fiance and I went there for a tour, it wasn't just me and him like we were told. There were other couples. We still to this day cannot recall anyhting the woman said during the time she rambled and talked on and on and so fast it was so stupid.
  The "gardens" aren't big at all. My grandma's old garden was bigger than that. They have fee after fee. It's all hidden fees, yea the rental price was good but you have to tack on any fee for anything else. Extra centerpiece size jar was like $10 more per pot, each serving of food was insane priced. My fiance and I do catering and we were appauled by the choices, fees, and arrangement of the food plans. Horrible. It was a waste of time. Too bad because it looked so nice online. Hope this helps you. If you love fees, and spaced our seating, dining, and low ceilings this is the place for you.
  ~Amanda

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• msphil32 member

  

  March 2011 edited December 2011

  Thanks ladies!!
  @ButterflyChicka.....wow, sorry to hear about your experience, but I do appreciate your heads up. Did you end up finding something similar that the two of you liked?

  

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• rhend88

  

  May 2011 edited December 2011

  My sister is getting married at little gardens and we love it.  The food at the tasting was amazing and the location is beautiful.  She was all set when she got engaged to do her wedding at Chateau Elan (where she got engaged), but she fell in love with LG.  I think its beautiful and I can't wait to celebrate her special day there. 

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