Ask Mecha :Help! with wedding venue Long Post is Long...
→[More:]Pie and I are working on picking our date and venue. I'll try to just present facts, as this is a somewhat emotional issue.
1. We need to have the wedding far enough out to allow my family to save up for plane tickets from Illinois.
The tentative date is May 29, 2010. This is the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. (Three day weekend in the U.S.)
This is an on-season date, and is available.
2. One of us wants the wedding outdoors, one of us wants it indoors. Neither of us will budge on this. We have compromised on
The Portland Chinese Classical Garden.
3. One of us has a more traditional view of weddings, wherein the ceremony is tantamount and should determine the venue. The other is more interested in the quality of the reception venue, as people will be invited literally from all over the world. Balancing the beauty of the ceremony and the enjoyment of the reception is REALLY important for us to feel this is OUR wedding.
4. I already have a satin wedding gown which will require protection from the elements. Also, the men will be in dress suits, and the "Best Woman" in a formal gown. We're fully agreed on the clothing.
5. The current guest list includes 65 people, some of whom will obviously decline.
6. The off and on season prices are both fairly reasonable, as both the wedding and reception will be held there. However, money is tight with an unemployed Pie and a school-bound Sakura.
7. The Garden fills up FAST, so we need to make a decision soon. We have to put down half the rental fee when we book.
Here's the problem - The garden is the perfect blend of indoor and outdoor, but it has no roof over most of the area. It has intermittent pagodas and a tea house where people can hang out under roofs.
It costs
half as much to do a wedding in the rainy off season, and the tea house is included so there is refuge from the rain. However, some less adventurous guests might shy away from enjoying the garden if it's wet.
Also, the off season limits the party to 50 people. That shouldn't be a problem unless everyone shows, but might as we continue to create the list.
So...
Do we
a. risk the rain and have an off-season wedding?
b. don't risk it. Pay the extra to ensure that people can enjoy the whole venue, wedding and reception?
c. find a different venue?
Hopefully, I've been fair to both sides.