final destination.
After weeks of looking for a place to hold the wedding ceremony (initially wanted to just look for a quiet spot in a park somewhere) and a place to hold a small wedding reception or dinner, I finally chanced upon the perfect venue where I can do both.
I’ve searched high and low for nice, cheap wedding venue options, and I found quite a lot that I liked, but not quite the one that told me, that’s it. I changed my search strategy and focused on wedding photographers.
ADVICE: CHECK OUT WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER LOCATIONS
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS? Yes! I looked at the portfolios of wedding photographers near me by checking their website. Not to hire them. I didn’t have an official wedding photographer, we’ll get to that later.
On the website they have the category for Prenuptial Photos. I looked at the places where they did their pre nuptial photo shoots. If you ever wonder why you pay such a high price for prenuptial photos? It is because these photographers are like magicians. They give you an address to go to, and when you get there, you’ll be surprised because you are standing in such a beautiful , unknown place. Some places, you just see passing by, but you didn’t even know you can go into. THEY KNOW where the good places are.
We found this location in my area, it’s an old mansion called Rutherford House.
From their website:
“This post-Edwardian 1911 brick mansion and its beautiful surrounding gardens have been restored to their former glory for visitors to enjoy.”
When I saw the pictures, I immediately contacted them to request information about booking for a private rental.
After looking at the whole place, our plans quickly changed. Remember our original plan was to just have an officiant and get unionized in a park and then have a fun dinner party after? Well, we realize that this venue, this old house, is perfect for an intimate wedding. We both said I guess we’ll have our Christian wedding after all.
Here’s the important stuff that I asked first:
How many are allowed for seated dinner? I need to know this first so I can make a list of guests coming.
Can we bring in a caterer in or do they have an in house caterer? This was an important question because in house caterers can be quite expensive, and if they are allowing outside caterers, then I have the option of finding a really good but inexpensive catered.
What type of decorations are allowed? Can I use candles (candles weren’t allowed because of the old wood surrounding the whole place. I used battery operated lighting)
What type of music is allowed?
It all worked out in the end. I had a total of 30 guests, including the pastor and violinist. I’ve had so many compliments from people who saw the pictures. They said it was such a beautiful, intimate wedding, which is rare for Filipinos. Filipino weddings are always packed with people. To be honest if I had the budget, I would’ve had a hundred guests. But my budget worked out in my favor because I got the married in that gorgeous historical place. A lot of my guests were surprised that that place allow for small receptions.
So do your research, follow the photographers!
