Twenty Days to Go

Welcome!

This blog is a space for photos, ideas, and musings on our upcoming wedding on May 17, 2014.
A little background...

I never thought about a "dream" wedding as a kid; I always assumed that dream weddings were for people with wealthy families (or families-to-be), and that since I could not count on marrying wealthy, I would have a lovely small ceremony and reception.  I thought this right up until about a year before my wedding, when my fiance and I were joking about having a renaissance-themed wedding (and how beautiful it would be, but impossible for our families to comply).  He turned to me and said, "You know, we could have a themed wedding.  Do you want to do a steampunk wedding?"  I felt gobsmacked at the thought.  We had been dabbling in the steampunk culture for some years, and loved the romance and sophistication juxtaposed with the grit and grime of invention.  I thought, maybe not full steampunk, since that's expensive...but Victorian-inspired...

And so our real planning began.

We scoured Etsy for the right Save the Dates, began looking into reception venues with enough character to float the idea pretty independently (without needing to break the bank on decorations - so Elks lodges and city hotel ballrooms were out).  We found an abundance of ideas for decor and paper needs, but had a deal of trouble finding a venue.

Vermont is a beautiful small state, where the low population and glorious views make it perfect for a destination wedding.  What we did not like about our home state was the price of those beautiful views, and the lack of certainty about weather.  Vermonters have a saying about our fickle climate, "If you don't like the weather, wait an hour." Also, if we had had the option of a small wedding (under 100 guests), fine homes or barns all over the state could have accommodated us for not a great deal of money.  Unfortunately, our invite list was well over 150 guests, and the only country homes or barns able to handle that volume were sorely out of any price range we could dream (think: Shelburne Farms, Riverside/Amee Farm, aka $30k+ weddings).

The lovely Amee Farm in Pittsfield VT, and a  total dream wedding location

Finally, in the late summer of 2013, after striking out on a smaller venue that we loved but could not get specific costs from, we found a surprisingly lovely compromise: the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, VT.

Surrounded by beautiful Lake Morey, lovely gardens, and a rolling green golf course, the resort was a surprise on so many fronts.  They offered an all-in-one location that would shelter our guests in unexpected adverse weather, and an itemized list of every possible cost.  We were able to craft our event logistics efficiently, which left us completely open to playing with the theme.

 

And Play We Did...