Venue Hunting

The venue my sister was married at is literally 5 minutes down the road from my house. It’s a beautiful country club (see the picture), and it strongly resembles a castle. Although it’s a lovely venue, I thought for sure it would NOT be the place I would get married. Even though it was 11 years ago, I didn’t want to have the “same” wedding as my sister. 

We decided my parents would attend every possible venue search, to avoid having to make multiple trips unless necessary. With that decided, the first venue we looked at was a country club about 30 minutes from our house. It was a nice location and had the benefit of having a pool outside the ballroom (bonus: nice pool lighting at night). The woman we were working with was awesome and the venue had incredible, remodeled bathrooms. It was pretty promising until my mom spotted the driving range directly outside the ballroom windows. Not to mention the fear that one our rowdy guests may end up in the pool! Overall, not exactly what we would consider ideal, but not terrible. This would stay on our “maybe” list. 

Continuing our venue search, the next spot we looked at was a giant tent. This had potential, assuming the weather is right; however, there was a community pool/park right outside the tent’s location. The same company had a physical building right next to the tent, which was a slight upgrade, except for the fact that the whole place smelled like rotten eggs. Hell no. It was an ugly location all around. No to both. On to the next one. 

Next, we looked at a venue that seemed like it could be a winner. It was further from us, but closer to the majority of our guests traveling from New Jersey. Once we arrived on site, our opinions rapidly altered.  The venue was built very close to the street and had the views of a giant parking lot and a gas station- very cute. The building mostly functioned as a restaurant and as a result, it just didn’t really give the vibe we were seeking.  

At this point, I was starting to lose hope. Where the hell were we going to get married? 

On a whim, we decided to circle back to my sister’s venue. Might as well check it out, right? It was run by the same catering company that owned the tent/building combination, as well. At least we knew it would be a nicer place and we liked the event coordinator we were working with.  On appointment day, I remember admiring the drive up to the venue. I fondly remember the bus ride over 11 years ago to my sister’s wedding and how beautiful the whole place looked when we pulled up.

The minute we walked into the venue’s ballroom, I got all choked up. A million happy memories came flooding back. This was the place. I could feel it more and more as we walked through each room. After we left, it was an obvious answer. Reading Country Club for the win!