Venue #1 - hahahaha NO

This totally should've been posted last week but I forgot aka got super busy/excited about all the wedding stuff that I put my new blog to the side. Please forgive me, but here is the update on the first venue Graym and I checked out!

Last week Graym and I hopped in the car with my mumma, papa, and abuela (g-ma) and headed out to Bluemont, VA to check out a cute lil barn at Bluemont Winery. If there was anything we learned that evening, it was what not to look for in a venue.

I called the winery about four days before our appointment. When I called, I was greeted with a sweet voice and charming explanation of the site. She kindly forwarded me some information with prices, amenities, and catering options, and after clarifying that the desired September dates Graym and I were looking at were available and the cost was within budget, I schedule the 4:30pm appointment for that coming Saturday.

Needless to say, Graym and I were stoked! It was our first venue after all, and the pictures were beautiful! A ceremony on a mountain with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance, and a reception in an adorable renovated stable; what more could a girl ask for for a country themed wedding :) So, when we arrived, we had some pretty high expectations.

Well, that place sure did miss the bulls-eye.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by the woman I spoke with on the phone by "oh, you must be my 4:30 appointment". She didn't...know...my name... I swept that one off the shoulder but was then a little taken aback by the fact that a wedding was taking place. In jeans and a t-shirt, I felt quite over dressed and though she said she had mentioned it over the phone, I couldn't for the life of me recall her saying a wedding was taking place that day.

She showed us the place all set up which was nice to see, but instead of a guided tour of the facility we were pretty much left to ask questions to which we wanted answers. After a little prodding about the beautiful linens, chairs, and outdoor cocktail hour, we found out that the $30-something plate/person for food which was stated in her email, it was actually $90/person!! And that's not even including tax and gratuity. I already took the tax/gratuity increase into consideration with the $30ish, but an increase of another $60 was hard to comprehend. At that point, we were pretty much ready to go since we knew there was no way we could afford to feed everyone for well over 10k (and lets not forget the 5k in facility fees...) but, alas, there is more.

As we were just about finished, she asked what my desired date was (she forgot?). After reminding her that we were interested in the month of September, she so kindly informs me that not only is all of September booked, but most of August and all of October as well. Wow, two entire months gone in a matter of four days? I found it hard to believe and ended the night a bit more frustrated than I started.

So that was a bit of a rant. I've been holding it in! But hopefully I got across that I was a little less than pleased with our first trip, and disappointed is an understatement. Not that I was expecting our first venue to be "the one", but at least knowing my name would've been nice.

So what did I learn?
1. Always call/email before you go to make sure the place is still available. A lot can change in a week, it seems.
2. Make sure you know exactly what is and is not included in the price.
3. Take into consideration/ask about taxes/gratuity/additional rental fees.

Well, at least I can say we're looking forward to this weekend. Two venues!! And both of which we absolutely adore via pictures and contact with the event planner. And I made sure to get all the pricing and information we need beforehand (though, of course, I'm sure there will be something I missed).

I'll let you know how those go! Until then, keep smiling, keep loving, and never let your laughter fade.

Peace and blessings,
Sasha