Yesterday, Posido & I took a day trip to Leesburg, VA to see two wedding venues. First of all, the weather was gorgeous! I could not have asked for a better day to start this whole wedding planning journey!
Posido & I got engaged on November 23, 2008. Since then, no plans were made. No date was set. I rarely thought about my wedding dress. I didn't choose any colors. I didn't go see any venues (ok, just ONE.. It was right next to where I work, so I swung by to check it out..but it was way too pricey!) Basically, I had no idea what I wanted for my wedding. I was never one of those girls who mapped out every iota of a detail of their wedding day. I thought more about the marriage I would have with someone- living the rest of my life with them happily.
The past 5 months, since the engagement, I have taken the time to think and reflect on what is really important to Posido & I. At first, a LOT of ideas were dabbling through my mind. I wanted this, I wanted to do that. I got really stressed out for a hot second, planning out ideas that didn't fit into our budget. I took a break. I took many little breaks. I could sit in front of the computer ALL day searching for all things wedding. And all that accomplished was more stress. I took deliberate decisions to step back, so my mind wouldn't blow up. Many brides have told me that this time would stressful, but I don't want it to be. I don't think it should be. If this is the time I am supposed to be planning out the "perfect day"... then I don't want to ruin it by stressing over the perfection of THINGS. I don't want to stress over planning an event that is for everyone else to enjoy, and completely forget about the moment that it is supposed to be meant for. I want the day to be about expressing our love. I want the process leading up to it to be beautiful as well.
Now that I have given it a lot of time and thought. I know that I want an outdoor wedding. Seeing all these beautiful flowers and trees in bloom has inspired me. And spring; it represents the beginning of things. And something about the utter beauty of nature makes me feel more one with God. I envision getting married at a location that is intimate and secluded, yet open and free. So with that vision in mind, Posido & I went a little venture to check out some venues!!
Venue #1:The first venue was a privately owned manor. When we got to the venue, it was at the end of a dead end road. We stopped only to see the manor at a distance and a locked gate in front of us. Fortunately, the owner of the property happened to be driving behind us the whole time. He got out of his car and said, " Can I help you?" "This is my house." We told him that we were interested in checking out the venue for our wedding, and he was kind enough to give us a quick 20 minute tour. There were a lot of renovations being made. Andrew (the owner), showed us his whole vision of how the outcome of the renovations would look. He was a visionary. He did not leave out a detail- even showed us where every picture and mirror would hang. He gave us many options as to how/where we could have our wedding on the manor. There were so many options! It was so fun getting this tour from Andrew. This manor is his labor of love. And Posido & I wanted to be part of it. The front of the house was framed by these beautiful tall columns, which are the actual columns from FDR's inauguration. There are 40 year old heirloom daffodils hugging the side of the hill. The house is on top of a hill, in far distance from any city or passing traffic. It was such a romantic spot. It was an experience being there.
Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures. We wanted to be respectful and not take pictures of a house that is undergoing many renovations. Posido & I definitely plan on checking back on the venue though. We loved it so much... so much we almost did not go see any venues after that.
Venue #2: Rust Manor House & Nature Sanctuary
This venue was nice. It is a non-profit nature conservation, so it was surrounded by woods! The house itself was beautiful. One of the nicest historic mansions I've seen so far. High ceilings. Lots of space. Simplistic and beautiful furniture pieces. And the plus!!! The bridal room was GORGEOUS! However, everything else was a little bland. There was a lot of potential here, but it didn't give us that "feeling" we needed to definitely say "YES!"
Here are some photos:
The parlor.
The parlor (again).
The library/ grooms' room.
The foyer.
The foyer (again).
Bridal room.
Bridal Room.
Front view of mansion.
Walk way down to garden from front of mansion.
Portico.
Stairs leading down from front of mansion.
Biblical tree in garden.
So that's it for DAY ONE! We created this blog so all of you can be part of our journey "STEP BY STEP" toward our wedding day!
--Amanda
