The Grand Reveal - Our Wedding Venue!

If you've made it this far, by now you've seen a snapshot of the types of venues we considered for our wedding next June. (Squee, next June! I'll never tire of saying that.)

Click here for Part I.

Click here for Part II.

Click here for Part III.

Looking back, I think it was a good mix. There were some classic venues, some modern venues and a few disappointments - but thanks to some good company along the way, we had fun with it. At the same time, having the whole process over and done with was a big relief, let me tell you. Literally as soon as I had been given the a-okay from Jase to go ahead and book, I was on the phone to my two winners to arrange appointments to put down the deposits and secure the date.

I've been so excited to share these with you... so here they are!

This is our church.

The one stipulation Jase had with our wedding is that it is a traditional Catholic ceremony. We are both baptised Catholics, only I am not practicing anymore - but I do like the meaning behind the vows, and I had no problem with this... as long as the church was pretty. And I found one.

It is big enough to fit our 100 guests in comfortably, but not too small that they'll be squished together. The grounds are nice and there is a little sandstone cemetery around the back that gives it a bit more character. And most importantly... it's going to look great in photographs!

If you get your angles right, you can get the whole church in one shot. When I walked in the first time, I could totally picture the wedding taking place there. I guess that's a good sign. The church is also beautiful and simple on the inside - it has gorgeous open arches throughout, the timber is light and airy and it has lovely arrangements already organised. Honestly, you could leave it exactly as is and I would be happy being married there - though I think I'm going to consider just a few simple sashes on some of the pews to give it a tiny bit more colour. We'll see!

This gorgeous picture is taken by the lovely Miss K. Love the light!

I'm not sure yet if we'll go anywhere in between for photographs, because it'll be a winter wedding and we may be hard-pressed for time. But regardless, our wedding reception venue is only a fifteen minute drive away!

Let me preface these next images by reminding you that I am not a girly girl. I don't want a pink wedding with poofy dresses and fancy flowers. But I did want a reception venue that was unique and just a little bit different.

Yes, folks. It's a castle.

Well, it isn't really a castle persay, but it IS an awesome building. It was once a private residence turned Catholic seminary and is now a function centre. It's massive and has lots of different rooms, but we will be occupying the first floor of the castle - with its private entertaining lounge, main dining room & all of the surrounding balconies, including the amazing one at the very front of the building. (Ah, the pictures... I can't wait!)

The room is NOT huge. It's cozy and comfortable and will be a very relaxed feel - so no giant central dance floor or big open spaces. The bridal table is in the middle of the room but not a big feature, so nothing too scary for Jase since he's terrified of being the centre of attention.

The dance floor is off to the side, so people don't have to feel a) intimidated by getting up and dancing or b) end up shouting over music if they choose to stay at the tables or mingle at the bar. And most importantly, our guests will have access to the balconies for fresh air all night long - so it's something a little bit different.
And did I mention it's IN A CASTLE?

Our room was setup in two different ways on our two different visits - once with chair covers & sashes and once leaving them plain. I've basically made my mind up that I want them left without, as I think it opens the space up and looks less traditional, but the option is there to choose between them at a later date. But honestly? Just like the church, I am already happy with the room, even prior to decorations being added. It has gentle roof draping and chandeliers already arranged, big classic framed mirrors on either side of the room opening up the space, and lots of natural light streaming in from all sides - it's so me. I love it. And luckily Jase had already seen this venue online before I had left; so he was happy with it as well.

As a bonus, the venue is located on gorgeous manicured grounds - there are quite a few old oak trees, gazebos and of course the sandstone structure itself to take photos alongside. Kirby took some artsy pictures while we visited; don't you think they're lovely? I can't wait to see what magic our photographer can capture on the day.

So there you have it!

We have a date. We have a church. We have a venue. We have a photographer.

And with that, we're on track for a real, actual wedding. Woo!

Now that I've got those things out the way, I'm feeling much more relaxed. Being that we're still over a year out, there isn't a lot more planning I can do yet - but I will be doing everything I can to keep busy and organised and have my homework done ready for when we move home and get this ball rolling.

We're getting married - squee!!!