A Mild Setback

So even though the day is pretty far away, I decided to begin shopping around for a reception venue a few weeks ago. I really had no idea how much a typical reception can be, so I wanted to get a handle on it so we know what we are dealing with.

The place I had my heart set on was actually one of the boats in Pittsbugh's Gateway Clipper Fleet. I attended a wedding reception of a former co-worker several years ago and it was AWESOME.

Like many places, they have an "all-in-one" deal where they basically provide everything: the cake, booze/bartenders, table/chairs/linens, outstanding food, free parking for guests and 1 night stay in the Sheraton which is next to the dock...for one price. All we have to do is show up! Sounds like a great deal, right? Well sure...if you have a spare $16,000 laying around.

The boat I wanted (the Princess) had a MINIMUM $16,000 rental fee for a wedding reception!!! The smaller boat (the Duchess) was "only" $8,000 to rental, but that is still completely out of our price range. We met with the wedding planner for the fleet and tried not to fall out of chairs when she explained the costs.

Now, for people with excellent credit and savings or have wealthy parents who are footing the bill...I'm sure this is somewhat feasible. But that is not the case for us. Reminder: we are completely funding the wedding ourselves.

So as we left the dock that day super sad and discouraged, we began coming up with a list of other possible venues. Next on my list is the Carnegie Science Center. A few years ago, a friend of several friends had her reception there and I heard it was very nice. The prices look somewhat reasonable too. We will have to meet with someone though to get the full range of options.

I have a few other options in mind if the Science Center doesn't pan out. I'm thinking a classy old hotel or something would be cool. Maybe a museum...but those seem kinda pricey too.

In happier news, I think I may have found a dressmaker (friend of a friend) who will be making my dress. However, we haven't met yet...our schedules, rather, my schedule hasn't been flexible enough for me to keep my appointment. I hope to meet with her next weekend though and see if this will be a feasible way for me to get the non-traditional vintage dress I want. *fingers crossed*

Aside from that, I attended an Indie / DIY Bridal Show of sorts a few weeks ago. It was really cool, all local independent vendors who specialize in funky, non-traditional stuff for weddings, etc. I got some great ideas and was reminded of stuff I will need to look into as well.

That's about it for the moment. I will say that I am glad that the wedding is so far away at the moment, I'm thinking we will need as much time as possible to plan and save up for this shindig.