We were fortunate to find two venues
that we love. We are having a tough time deciding, as they both have pros and
cons:
Option 1-- The Golden Lamb: We like the
fact that it is very different than the typical banquet hall wedding. The barn
area where we would be eating did smell like a barn, but we were told that is
because the lambs, goats, and horse were wintering under the barn. The
barn/restaurant has been closed since Jan 1st, and opens again in the spring, so the
smell would probably be less potent in the fall. The smell did not bother me or
my fiancé, but we have a few relatives with allergies. The venue has nice
touches, such as the animals, many choices of spots for the outdoor ceremony
and cocktail hour, wrap around porch with rocking chairs overlooking a lake,
and hay rides for the kids and other guests. The decorations inside are quite
busy (there is also a deer head that I find disturbing), but they decorate it
with tons of mums and pumpkins in the fall, which will distract from some of
the wall decorations. The dance floor is not a very attractive color and is
somewhat small, but it would probably be fine.
Option 2-- Wright’s Mill Farm: Really pretty grounds
with several choices for outdoor ceremony and photos (water fall, covered
bridge, swing on tree). They have nice touches such as a horse and carriage to
bring us to the ceremony and around the farm for pictures. They also have a
horse and buggy option for the guests to get from the parking lot to the
ceremony area. They said they receive 10,000 pounds of pumpkins each fall, so
the outside would be festive. The inside is really pretty, but more modern and
banquet hall like than Golden Lamb. It does have an attached porch connected to
it for people to get air and go outside during the reception if they want. It
is also about 1500 cheaper, which is good since we are on a tight budget.
Thoughts?