This is memphisblue's Blue Wedding!

One of my housemates is also getting married, and she suggested that we go looking for dresses this weekend. I am really excited. Right now, I am sure I want something simple - definitely no frills or big skirts. I would love for the dress to be empire waist with simple designs or maybe thin lace all over.

We will see!

Before I left Memphis, I went to visit one last wedding venue. I was exhausted and a bit discouraged, but I drove up to this last one. I got out of my car, stared up at the gorgeous Victorian house, and I just knew. This was it. It felt natural to me.

I met the program coordinator, Susan, who might be the sweetest woman I've ever met. She walked me through the whole ceremony and reception: where I would get ready, walk, and stand during the ceremony. She knows exactly what to do, AND she is a part of the fee. For a small fee, she is your coordinator the entire day of the wedding. I wouldn't have to make a friend or family member be there all day to meet the caterer or other vendors. SO nice!

Everything seemed to fall into place. We have been avoiding venues with catering and alcohol restrictions since we know a lot of people in the industry. Not only do they not have restrictions, our preferred caterer (and friend) is Susan's favorite caterer. That means the WF house already has the caterer's paperwork AND that the caterer already knows how things work there. SO GREAT. They are already friends.

It would allow me to have an outdoor ceremony, with a back up plan of having it under a tent in the gardens area. There are two carriage house rooms right behind that, so the guest could flow between the carriage house and the tent in the garden. LOVE IT!

It's a bit unfortunate that we have to wait a while to book the venue, but she seemed to have a lot of open dates in the time frame we were looking at. YAY!

I need to think of a place to have my wedding ceremony if I want to have the reception at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens. What are the types of venues that have outdoor spaces? I have considered:

-Gardens
-City Parks
-Golf Courses and Clubs
-Local Universities with pretty campuses

What other types of places are there?

After much research and thinking (and spreadsheets), we have decided our top four.

1) Dixon Gallery & Gardens (reception space only)
2) Mud Island Harbor Landing
-outdoor ceremony by the Mississippi River
-indoor and outdoor space overlooking the lights of the city and the
bridge over the river
3) Hillwood at Davie's Plantation
- main concern: Oregon family members will make fun of my
"plantation" wedding
4) Lichterman Nature Center

Today, my mother and I looked all day at different venues. We ended up seeing 4.5 of them. I say 0.5 because it was unplanned and we didn't have a guide helping us. If you are having a Memphis wedding, maybe you will be interested in all these details. For the others, sorry about this! Here is the review:


1. Memphis Botanical Gardens - First stop! It has a nice visitor's center and two spaces for the event. One, Hardin Hall, is lovely and grand. However, it has a price tag to match - $2,400. There are some restrictions though and hidden fees. $400 for a garden ceremony, $100 for a dance floor, $100 for a tram rental to get guests out to the ceremony and back, and you have to use their alcohol due to some random state law. My family knows everyone in the alcohol business here, so it is very hard to justify renting any place that makes us use their expensive alcohol.

Their second space, the Goldsmith Room, is only $500. It is older, not very nice, but it does have a side courtyard. However, almost all the dates for next summer are taken. Sad day.

If you want to have a garden ceremony there without the reception, the latest you can have the ceremony is 3-4 PM. They reserve the later times for people who are actually having a reception there. Ugh.


2. River Terrace on Mud Island - Once we made our way downtown, my mother and I found our way to the River Terrace. It also has two locations. The first, the Yacht Club itself, is $1,500 to rent, and has a food minimum of $4,500 for our guest size. That is a lot of money. They do have a great rooftop location for a ceremony. In addition, you can have your ceremony anywhere in the mud island river park (courtyard, grassy areas with the memphis bridge in the background, etc...).

The second space is called Harbor Landing. It has a main two-level room as well as a bar two-level room. They have huge windows facing the lights of downtown Memphis. It also has a courtyard where you can see the Memphis Bridge. It is only $1000, and it does not have the same food and beverage minimums. I thought it was a definite potential option.

3. The Inn at Hunt Phelan - I'm going to keep this short because we are definitely not picking this location. Very pretty, lots of southern charm, but SO expensive with a million hidden fees. I can't image this fitting in anyone's budget who is under $20,000.

3.5 We were really early for the Brooks, so we walked into the Memphis Zoo which is next door. We just walked around since we know everything so well. I plan on calling them later for pricing information. We'll see...

4. Brooks Museum of Art, Exhausted and sweaty (remember it's August in Memphis, TN), my mom and I arrive at this fancy, pristine art museum. It is very pretty, and all the spots for the ceremony and reception are gorgeous, but it may be too expensive for us. It costs $2,600 for the ceremony and reception. You also have to use their food and alcohol. We aren't eliminating it, but I highly doubt we will pick it.

Feedback? Thanks!

So, I am unsure why the invitation image changed the colors, but you get the idea. I love this invitation - simple, elegant, and blue (well, the actual one). I found my favorite ideas on a website called weddingpaperdivas.com. They have an online tool that allows you to edit the fonts, wording, and layout. It is so helpful to be able to see your mock-up without going through all hassle at a store.

Since I am not getting married until next summer, one would think I would have plenty of time to plan. Unfortunately, I am rarely in Memphis, where the location of the wedding is. My mother and I will be visiting a lot of potential locations for the next week while I am in the city.

It is incredibly difficult to find a location that is affordable, pretty, and does not have restrictions on catering or alcohol usage. I will continue to blog about my search for a venue. I think we are visiting no less than 8 venues this weekend.