On this Spot...

Alright, so we've done it.

We've picked the venue (cue horns and fanfare).

Let's backtrack.

So, we talked about Venuequest recently, and all the hassle of sifting through dozens of venue options, the dismay at realizing many didn't fit the budget, and the great help of super friends.

You may also remember my discussion about a venue Mama D. and I visited together back in June that was great, minus the hall. This venue was further bumped from the list due to the 11pm quiet time that they would enforce if we chose to set up a tent, instead of being in the hall.

Sometimes, things just need to work themselves out.

For me, I needed the time to dig around other venue options and to see that the other options, outside of the budget or not, did not really meet all of our hopes for the venue. Jeff and I, as well as others, talked over the other venue options and found that, even though many were beautiful, either their accommodations were too limiting for our guests, or bonfires wouldn't be allowed, or there were too many strict limitations on food and beverage.

To my surprise, after Andrea's help, and a few options sent over that fit my budget, I realized a truth.

Someone had recently said to me "When you can't decide between two options, flip a coin. It will reveal the truth." How precise this is - if the coin flips heads, you will know by your reaction if you actually wanted tails. And if it bothers you that much that it landed on heads, then there is no question as to your true choice.

No matter how I looked at the other venues, even if the accommodations fit, and the bonfires were a go, and we could do whatever we chose for food and beverage, my mind always compared it to Venue A, and returned there.

Maybe it's because it was the only venue I had visited firsthand, I don't know. Whatever the reason, I kept telling myself it couldn't be the one, because I didn't like the hall.

So, at the end of August, I sucked it up and asked Jeff to come tour the venue with me, since he hadn't been able to join when Mama D. and I went. I told him to be honest when he saw the hall. I knew that if anyone was going to honestly tell me I was crazy, it would be him.

Surprise - he called me crazy.

Double surprise - I called me crazy too.

The hall is actually quite nice when you really look at it, especially for the price. Perhaps I was just caught up in my expectations of an outdoor reception when this started, and so hadn't taken the time to look at the hall.

Everything else has always been just what I was looking for, and every time I flipped the coin and landed on tails, I found myself wishing it was on heads instead.

Jeff and I went home after that visit to think on it and discuss on our own time and it was pretty clear to us that this was the place. We booked one last appointment over the Thanksgiving weekend to meet the event planner and discuss a creative idea I had for the ceremony spot (a first time ever suggestion for the venue that might actually work!).

Before my family gathered around the table for our big turkey feast, Jeff and I happily made our first deposit on this journey and booked Golden Beach Resort on Rice Lake for September 6th, 2014.

Just in time to share with the family so they could mark their calendars!

Boy oh boy....this just got real. :)