Hello, first time posting, just recently engaged and looking into venues at the moment. We are torn between 2 venues, and I need some opinions. Here are the pros and cons of both!
Both have outside areas, Fri-Sun rental, ceremony and reception space, BYO everything, and will sort of be a "wedding weekend" -which is the way we want it.
There are no other venues in question.
VENUE 1 (lodge)
Pros
-gorgeous lodge on a private lake with about 8 cabins to sleep 20. Think summer camp.
-tons of outside (wooded and open) area to roam (a few acres at least)
-room for 20+ guests to stay the night
-secluded
-secluded parking
-everything (really, this venue is basically perfect)
Cons
-The price. It's on the high end of our budget. We can afford it, but didn't want to unless we had to. It's DOUBLE the price of venue 2.
-Distance (It's 90 min away for half of the guests, and only 30 minutes for the other half)
VENUE 2 (barn)
Pros
-price (see above con)
-distance (it's 45 minutes for all guests)
-smaller, similar set up. Won't have to worry about as much
-chairs and tables included in price
Cons
-Holds max 200, but recommended is 150. There are 220 on our guest list right now, but I know the actual amount coming will be under 200. Depending on the amount of guests that come, it could be a very tight squeeze.
-Right at the intersection of 2 fairly busy main roads, the outside area is not super private. Will have road noise
-Parking is visible from outside area
-No good picture taking areas, will have to go elsewhere for pictures.
-Just not as aesthetically pleasing. The barn itself is beautiful, but the grounds and location are not.
-Small outside area
I know it sounds like there is not much going for venue #2, but we do actually like the barn! The main selling point is the PRICE! It's HALF the price! That is a lot of money! Our main worry is the space. We don't want it to be crowded. Venue #1 is a dream venue!
WWYD? Which venue would you choose? We are seriously torn and may just draw a venue out of a hat if we can't make up our minds soon!