Venue visit

Today I did my first bride-related thing (other than being proposed to, and planning the entire wedding before the proposal, of course).

I went and looked at a venue. More importantly, I went and looked at the venue.

The James Monroe Museum is a quaint little museum located in downtown Fredericksburg.  It's full of Monroe-related history, and has an adorable walled in garden.  I found it by doing a general google maps search of the city of Fredericksburg (I literally moved the map around reading all the places of business looking for venues). I was surprised to see that it was owned by the University of Mary Washington (where I work).

Based off the pictures and the price alone, I was sold.  This is the place I based my Intimate Ceremony/Reception around, which is the option Mike and I eventually chose.

So I set up an appointment with the Event Coordinator there, Adele. The fact that her name was Adele was an excellent sign, as I LOVE Adele the musician.  My mom, my best friend Cara, and I got there a little early for the appointment, so we wandered around the museum while we waited. I played with some old school dolls in the 'kid center'.

Adele was super nice! She has a quirky cool flare about her, and seemed really excited about us wanting a wedding there (it's only been open for weddings since this summer).

All three of us were absolutely smitten by the entire place by the time we left. I think we may have planned the rest of the wedding while standing outside after the meeting. (You know, everything besides what I already have planned)

Here is the space:

The ceremony will be in the grassy area, and the dinner/reception will be under the tent on the brick patio.  It's perfect for the intimate setting we want.  The only downside is that the beautiful crape myrtle won't be in bloom at the time we want the wedding. But, as the flowers are apparently bright fuschia, they would clash with my colors anyway.

Bonus: the museum will be open to guests during the event!

Double Bonus: one of the walls is shared by an old Fredericksburg cemetery! Some may not think this is a bonus, but this is old town Fredericksburg after all. Plus, I was originally planning on having our ceremony at my mom's place of work, which used to be a funeral home. It's decked out with body vaults, a coffin sized elevator, and some rooms even have tiled walls (for the blood splatter, of course). So I really like this aspect.

Next post: no idea! Maybe about our photographer.