In search of the perfect location...

The hardest thing to do for us is finding that perfect spot for the ceremony and reception. The harder of the two hands down is finding a place for the reception especially for us. It's hard because we want our food catered in since we want to do an east meets west type of theme. And we want to save BIG money by providing the alcohol. There are plenty of nice places that we would love to have our wedding reception at but they provide the catering and the alcohol. No thanks! There are some not so nice places that allow you to have your own catering and alcohol. We want to save money, but not at the expense of having our reception at some drab location. So this past week, we did find the almost "perfect spot." The Hamilton Event Center is all inclusive, except for food and alcohol. They decorate the entire place beautifully, have servers, cake servers, provide plates, glassware, free valet parking, and many more fine details. All of it for an incredible price. It is so worth it to bypass all the hassle of centerpieces and linens, or worry about the food being served or anything else. That way, we can enjoy "our big day." From the outside, it looks like a conference center but inside, it is contemporary and elegant. We love how it looks on the inside. However, the place is a bit small and so far on our list, we have over 180 people. They seat only 170 and that's a very crowded 170. Well, it is okay to assume that not everyone invited will come. So, we are still looking at the aspect of having the wedding at the Hamilton, but it's still up in the air...
Over the weekend, we visited the Charles E. Sparks Rose Garden. And it is beautiful. The trees are changing colors and the roses are aplenty. It is November now, and our wedding date is May 30. So by that time, the roses will be blooming. It is going to be beautiful. There was one problem, though. The rose garden and park for that matter is located right off of the interstate, so you get a lot of commuter noise. Nothing would destroy the moment more than the sound of a car's loud muffler right as we say our vows. But all in all, the rose garden is our number one prospect as far as the ceremony location goes.