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So...

A lot happened over Spring Break, and we made some solid plans.



Jon and I went to see 5 reception places: Village by the Sea, the Coastal House, Spring Hill Farm, the Red Barn, and Clay Hill Farm.

Village by the Sea looks rather quaint and pretty online, doesn't it?
Well, the website fails to tell you that if you get married in the gazebo, you are literally 20 feet from the driveway to the hotel. Oh, and if you get pictures, you can see the road that goes right through Wells, Maine. As far as by the sea goes... I was not seeing any sea.

I was really disappointed it in.

Oh, and the hallway smelled like baby diapers.

I should not be so harsh... I am sure people can have nice weddings there, but the whole place felt pretty white-trash to me. If I were 18, straight out of high school, pregnant, and hoping to marry before my boyfriend left me... Village by the Sea would be awesome.



Again... too harsh... it really was not THAT bad.


However, after leaving the place I felt incredibly depressed and that maybe we had made the wrong decision o marry in Maine.



Our second stop was the Coastal House... about a mile down the road from VbtS. It was SO much better... but it was very... ummm... puppy mill?

The lady was very nice, and they were obviously used to weddings. The facilities were nice and open. It was very clean. Yet it felt like a box. No personality. It just was not us.




Again, depressing.


We also saw Spring Hill Farm. It was very beautiful, situated on Knight's Pond. It was family owned and operated. The banquet hall was nice and it had huge decks all around. They would put out tiki torches! Yes! The room, as I said, was very pretty. We liked who we met with, but she (like the others) were very: Hi, here is the place, let me know if you have questions.

I was reminded of what Ethan used to say about his comp sci students: they do not even know what to ask, which means they REALLY have no clue what is going on.

The same was for us: how the heck am I supposed to know what to ask? I have never been married or engaged before. I have never done this! I do not know what I am looking for!


The last place we visited was the Red Barn.... GASP! GORGEOUS. Amazingly stunningly fabulously beautiful. Everything was wood, open beams, nice covered decks, two fireplaces... sigh.

Oh, and did I forget to mention about $30 bucks more per head? Yeah.


Now I admit, Maine is much much much cheaper than good ole Chester County as far as prices go. I am extremely pleased about that. But still, $30 more on about 200 people? $6000 is no small chunk of change, especially when you are fronting a good majority of your wedding price. There is no fantasy here, mommy and daddy have not given me carte blanche. Jon and I have vowed to put up $10k, they will cover the rest.

No matter what, having about 200 people is freakin EXPENSIVE.


No offense, but we hope that having it on a Sunday in Maine will lower our numbers. We figure those of you lovely folk who really want to be there will... those of you who dont, wont.




SO we did not go with the Red Barn.



We actually decided to go with Clay Hill. They have won awards for their food and service. We met twice with Rachel. The first time for about an hour and a half, the second for over 2 hours (when my mom was there, naturally). She was FANTASTIC. She explained everything that we ever wanted to know. I describe the place as kitschy and cozy. I really like it. It will be a Maine wedding, and thats what we hoped for. The price is right... the grounds (a bird sanctuary) are gorgeous. This will allow us to spend more on a TROLLEY!!!!! YAY! :) Anyway, we love it, are super excited, and we put down money!!!!




Jon and I will be married at First Parish in York, Maine on Sunday, Sept 14th, 2008 by Rev Dr Richard Knight.

The reception will follow at Clay Hill Farm in Ogunquit, Maine.

The whole shabang will be photographed by Deb Cram, who we loved and adored when we met her. She is freakin AWESOME.




So yes... big decisions made... now we just need....

flowers
dj
invitations
dresses
centerpieces
hotel rooms blocked
honeymoon plans
a realtor
a house



Not necessarily in that order. Sigh.