Hey y'all. My fiance and I are very very newly engaged, but as we're planning to get married about a year from now (we're flexible-ish with the date, depending on what dates are available at sites we love), we need to book our ceremony and reception sites ASAP.
We're on a little bit of a tight budget: he's still in school and we're both working a part-time job or two, but our families are willing to lend a hand.
He is completely set on an outdoor wedding, and I am more than happy with the idea. The problem is finding a place to have a ceremony for ~100 people that will not break the bank.
So if you're from or were married in or around St. Louis, I'd love some advice on beautiful places to get hitched outside.
It might help you to know that we're going for a pretty casual vibe. We're also both quirky kids, and would like our wedding to reflect that. We've been considering using spaces in city parks, but we're not entirely sold.
It'd also be great if anyone could recommend a reception venue (doesn't necessarily have to be attached to the ceremony site--although that would be a bonus) that doesn't require us to work with their list of caterers. (We're thinking we want Imo's pizza. :P)
Thanks so much!