Can't wait to walk up these steps!

First, can I just say… HAPPY CANADA DAY! I stumbled across a great little article this morning that made me smile, so I’m passing it along: 100 Reasons to Love Canada. (I’m surprised they could narrow it down to 100! Ha!)

Big news on this Wedding Wednesday update. The planning is chugging along, and I’m happy to report that the two biggest things on our “To Do” list have been checked off. Yes, the date is set and the venue is booked! B-rad and I will be tying the knot/taking the vows/getting hitched/entering into a lifetime commitment of awesomeness in October 2010. (Yes, I’m doing a little dance right now. I’m kinda psyched.) And the venue? Perfection. It was love at first sight.

But it was not the first venue that we checked out. Oh no. We’ve been a busy pair, scoping out venues across the GTA and trying to find the perfect one to fit our style and our budget. And we’ve learned one very important thing: Weddings are freaking expensive, friends. Holy geez. Let’s check the highlight reel…

The first venue that we toured was amazing, and we thought we’d struck gold our first time out. What a lucky break! It was unique, completely fit our personalities, and it was all kinds of awesome. Unfortunately, all that awesomeness was going to cost us about 200% of our total budget, and it didn’t even include the ceremony! Don’t get me wrong, we’re all about the party… But we’d kinda like to say “I Do” before the epic celebration begins. And not in the living room, in front of our cats and neighbour-turned-internet-minister, either. Clearly, finding our dream venue was going to be a bit trickier than we’d thought. Moving along…

Venue #2 was stunning AND budget-friendly, but unfortunately it was also located in a pretty remote spot. And we were worried that the room the coordinator suggested might be a little too small for our party once we factored in a dance floor and all our guests. Yes, our guests like to get their groove on, and we aren’t about to squash their enthusiasm, particularly on the day of our wedding. I mean, really… Who doesn’t want to celebrate the union of two nerdy people with a little two step or electric slide? (But no chicken dance, please.) Plus, an 8-hour open bar is nice and all, but when the closest hotel is half an hour away, it’s not really worth it…

The third time proved NOT to be the charm when I toured a venue in Whitby with my mum on a rainy Sunday afternoon. The coordinator booked our appointment at the same time as a wedding, so one of the ballrooms wasn’t available for viewing, and the one that WAS available was still a total mess from the night before (wine-soaked linens, tables all over the place, a ladder in the middle of the room). I was also completely mortified when I walked in the front door of the banquet hall and right into someone’s receiving line. Disaster. I was unimpressed, to say the least.

So, we took a break from looking for a while… and then our Best Man (who is also a wedding photographer) mentioned a venue that he was going to be shooting a wedding at this summer, and gave me the web address. I have to admit, I’d never heard of Hockley Valley Resort before, but I was certainly intrigued, and the photos on the site looked fantastic. B-rad and I made an appointment to check it out, and the following weekend we were on the road to Orangeville, feeling hopeful and excited.

Let me tell you, our Best Man is going to be getting a very nice thank you gift for that little gem! After touring the resort—the ballrooms, the outdoor ceremony location, the restaurant and the guest suites—we were in love. It offers everything that we wanted: a destination-type feel without the hefty price tag, a gorgeous natural backdrop, lots of privacy and plenty of convenience. We walked around for a while on our own and then asked the coordinator for a contract. We hadn’t really planned on booking the same day as the tour, but we just couldn’t imagine anywhere more perfect for the Big Day!

So, that’s it! October 2010, Hockley Valley Resort. Things are really starting to come together, which means that The Party of the Decade is one huge step closer to becoming a reality! And it just goes to show that sometimes answers show up when you least expect them. Thank goodness for that!

What about you, brides- and grooms-to-be? Any venue hunting horror stories? Has anyone out there attended a wedding at a venue that you loved/hated? I always enjoy stories about the unique places that people choose for their weddings… Share your tales in the comments!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve need to go eat some poutine, feed my polar bear and drink a beer, eh? (Happy Birthday, Canada! I’m going to eat some cake on your behalf.)