Location! Location! Location!
Posted
Sunday, January 13, 2008 7:36 PM
Josh and I got engaged on November 22, 2007. I knew he wanted to have a big wedding in 2008 and I was nervous that we'd have a lot of difficulty finding a suitable location in Minneapolis. Most of my friends and family are traveling from out of state so I wanted to have the ceremony and reception in the same location. I also wanted a hotel so guests had the option of staying in one location without a lot of additional travel. I picked Minneapolis because we have light rail transportation from the airport to downtown and also to the Mall of America...one of our biggest tourist attractions. With that big long list of requirements and a target date of August 2, 2008 (a Saturday) I thought my chances of finding a location were practically zero.
Luckily, I found out about the Minneapolis Convention and Visitor's Bureau Wedding Coordinator. She was able to send out my requirements to all the vendors in my desired location and I received a lot of emails with pricing and availability. Not only did we find one suitable location, I had my choice of 3 that met all my requirements and many more options I hadn't even thought about! Plus the service was free, which fits my budget perfectly!
Josh, my sister and I went to visit our top location last Wednesday afternoon. We all agreed it is the perfect venue, and it's within our budget! I think we'll be putting a deposit down next week. The hotel even provides linens, setup and tear down, place settings, candles with mirrors for the centerpieces, pretty much my reception and ceremony is nailed down.
Now I just need to book an officiant, music, photographer, cake, and flowers...is wedding planning supposed to be this easy?