Nearly Weds - Wedsite

Last week we sent out our wedding website URL to the VIP list (immediate family, wedding party, etc...) and we've received so many compliments on it. Nearlyweds.com is such a great host. They have tons of great looking templates and you can even order invitations to match. 

There is a one time fee, but it's totally worth it for no advertisements and complete control over your content.  And you get a great looking place your guests can go for way more information than you get put on an invite. For example, I added a dress advisory section because our shindig is all outdoors and I don't want my girls to have their new Jimmy Choo's sullied with soil. 

I had some tech difficulties the other day and so I shot them an email. I was quickly responded to by a very helpful tech guy and the problem was solved tout suite. Three cheers for Nearlyweds!

Marquette Pavilion - Gary, IN

{Photo Credit: Gregory H. Jenkins}

No, seriously, Gary. It's Miller Beach, Gary's hidden lake side gem. There are very fancy houses, very lovely beaches and this great piece of architecture just waiting for someone to throw a party in it. Look at that patio...can someone say cocktail hour? Also it's right on the beach, ceremony on the beach, cocktails on the patio, dinner in the pavilion...presto! 

For more information call Marquette Pavilion at 219.938.7362 Or Gary Park Department at 219.886.7113

An Explanation - Not That You Asked For One

My Grandparent's - Married in Rensselaer, IN

The last thing the blogosphere needs is another wedding blog. I realize, this. But here's the scenario: In May my boyfriend asked me to marry him.  We immediately started talking about the kind of wedding we wanted. We knew we wanted to get married near our families in Indiana. We also knew that we wanted a unique location that spoke to our personalities and not the average banquet hall (not that there's anything wrong with a banquet hall, but more about that later). 

Our first thought was to have it in Chicago, easy to fly to, entertainment for all, range of hotel prices for our guests. But after contacting a few venues we quickly learned that the places we were interested in were nearly half our budget and that was just the rental of the space, not one stick of furniture or stitch of fabric included. So reality check. Let's bring this thing back home: I'm from Northwest IN, he's from Southern IN. We love our hometowns and are proud to be from there, so let's show them off to our Los Angeles and Chicago friends (and Charlotte and Atlanta and Louisville, etc...)

Easier said than done. The web is full of advertisements for standard banquet hall and country club wedding venues. This made the boy and I very drowsy and we just couldn't stop yawning. There is a definite benefit to places that do everything for you, trust me. I'm already well aware that our venue (to be reveled at a later date) is going to take much more work than a typical banquet hall...but that's the price you pay for wanting to make your mark on one of the most important days of your life and we're ready for the challenge.

So in our deep deep digging we found some really great places and that's what I want this blog to be about. Hopefully some of you brides and grooms out there will find one or two things that might help you along the way and PLEASE clue me in on stuff I'm missing. Have a great place in Indiana or anywhere that is off the beaten path? I want to know and so does everyone else. 

Now to the good stuff...