Preliminary thoughts on venues

I love the beautiful simplicity of an outdoor reception. (An outdoor ceremony would also be lovely, but, being a good Catholic girl--at least some of the time--a Church ceremony is in order.) I love the idea of picnic receptions. Cute, pretty, fun, intimate, and simple. I love this idea! Unfortunately, I don't know how to make it work for us. What about the weather? And about half our guest list (if not more) will be coming from out-of-town. Thus, it feels like we need something more than a picnic.

We did find a beautiful space that we both love, but it is definitely very outside of our budget. I have been thinking about doing a dessert reception with light hor d'oeuvres, but it seems ridiculous (and not very mindful) to pay so much for a space and then not take advantage of it. I don't even know why I am still thinking about this space. I just need to let it go. But, I keep picturing it. Every time I try to get creative and think about how to have a special day to celebrate our love with our loved ones, it is in that space.

But I need to move on. I am hopeful that sharing this thought will help me move on to a more mindful venue idea.