Within a month of getting engaged, Kirk and I had a good idea of what season (spring), size (170 people), and budget we were looking at for our wedding. While this was a good place to start, I soon realized I had a lot to learn about picking a place to get married.
To begin, we decided not to have our ceremony in a religious setting. Next, with more than half of our guest list coming from out of state, we chose to have the ceremony and reception at the same location. With many guests flying, we didn’t want to stray too far from the metro (as much as I liked the idea of a rural barn, anywhere you couldn’t easily get an Uber or a Lyft was out). From there, Kirk and I started searching venues on Wedding Wire and The Knot, each starring places we liked.
Next, we made a list of questions to ask—namely, what was included with the venue rental. Some we looked at were “blank slates,” where you could control your own food/beverage, but would have to coordinate bringing in tables and chairs, linens, and silverware. Others included nearly everything—valet parking, a bridal suite, A/V equipment—but also required the use of their preferred caterers. The venues that were blank slates tended to cost much less, but we learned we’d have to factor in add-ons to compare them to the “all-inclusive” sites, which had higher price tags.
We ended up touring 10 (I know—10!) venues because I have serious FOMO. To me, the spot where Kirk and I will say “I do” was a big decision, and I didn’t want to miss out on seeing the perfect place. We visited venues ranging from an industrial warehouse to a historic mansion to a boat club. We truly were open-minded when it came to our “vision.” I knew finding our place would be one of those “when you know, you know” moments—kind of like finding the person you’re going to marry!
In the end, Kirk and I actually stumbled upon our venue. It wasn’t even on our initial list because we thought it would be out of our price range. We were touring two other venues run by the same company, D’Amico Catering, and its awesome design and culinary manager Rachel suggested we also look at Calhoun Beach Club. We found out that during peak season (which starts in May at most venues), it would be out of our budget, but in the off-season month of April, it would work.
Kirk and I walked in and were immediately wowed. The ceremony space features a grand staircase for the bridal party to descend, the ballroom has tons of light, there’s a beautiful new getting-ready suite, and (weather permitting) guests can go out on the terrace overlooking Lake Calhoun for cocktail hour. With D’Amico built-in as the caterer, we knew our menu would be in good hands, and that it would be one less decision we’d have to make when it came to dinner and dessert.
Once we knew we were looking at an April wedding, Kirk and I picked a date pretty quickly. He was sold on a Saturday wedding, and we noticed that April 13—the day we met and went on our first date—fell on a Saturday in 2019! We signed a contract, put down a deposit, and made our first big decision. Things are getting real!
Follow Jenna’s adventures in wedding planning on Instagram or Twitter @jennasbennett.
