One Saturday morning, which turned into afternoo, n and somehow, the next time I looked up it was 6 p.m., marked the true beginning of Roger's and my wedding planning. We were equipped with multiple wedding magazines, the internet, notepads, pens, and the phone. Roger had brewed a fresh pot of coffee and I had diced fresh fruit.r
We were ready to create our ultimate venue list. We were not going to discriminate based on cost, only by capacity and geographic location. We had already done our rough draft guest lists. Surprisingly that was easy to do. I'm sure when it comes time to nix 30-50 individuals, it won't be so easy anymore. Damn all those lax teams we both played on -- so many teammates.
r
So we began with perusing the trusty weddings.whatsupmag.com. As we scrolled through venues we focused on Eastern Shore locales and guest capacities of 150+. Our final list consisted of 15 places. I preceded to GoogleMap all the venues to see what made the most sense. One weekend trip would take us to Stevensville and Chestertown. Another weekend would be spent visiting Easton and St. Michaels. But first, we had to make our appointments. Roger agreed to call contacts in Stevensville and I would phone venues in St. Michaels.
r
Not ever having been engaged before, Roger and I were unaware of what to expect when it came to costs. The movie "Wedding Crasher"s had done a fabulous job of skewing our perception of weddings. We were completely convinced that we had to have the same nautical, upscale, Nantucket-style reception. No exceptions. Unfortunately, neither one of us have a bigwig politician in our families or own 75 foot schooners. So there we were, calling venues hoping to achieve that "Wedding Crasher"-esque feel without the big price tag. Whoopsy! After reaching an answering machine at one in, and speaking with hotel management and not the events staff at another, I was beginning to feel a tad discouraged. Roger and I had spent nearly 6 hours researching places and we really wanted to get on with our Saturday. But I was insistent on booking at least one appointment before we called it a day.
r
I called my third selection, another gorgeous inn in St. Michaels. A British lady answered the phone and immediately, I knew this was the place. She conveyed charm and elegance and was willing to helpevery step of the way. When I explained that I live and work more than an hour away so the soonest I could visit the inn was 6 p.m., she said she would gladly meet me after hours to give me a private tour. Besides, sunset was the perfect time to experience the grounds. After the events coordinator had completely swept me off my feet with promises of an all-inclusive weekend, guest lodging, mimosa eakfasts, crystal chandeliers, and music with no quiet hours, I remembered to ask about fees. Just to reserve the location, it was 12,000 dollars. 12 GRAND! And that's when I politely thanked the woman for her time, hung up the phone, and shrieked at Roger.
r
Luckily, my lovely fiancé just told me that we would find the perfect place, in due time... in due time, my dear.
