This one is just riiiiight

Last we left off, Frogger and I were feeling very frustrated and disappointed that our dream venue wasn’t going to work out.

**side note – I’m being forced to watch some Ultimate Fighting match and seeing the brutal hits these men take is extremely difficult to watch. Why would anyone put themselves through that? Men come up with some really creative ways to injure one another.**

I apologize for the visual (trust me it could have been worse, I’m being kind – don’t believe me? Do a Google image search for “UFC” and see for yourself, yikes) and besides, misery loves company.

Ahem. So we decided it was best to wait until we were there on a vacation to really roll up our sleeves and hit the street to find our venue. Luckily, our vacation was just a few weeks away so we didn’t have to wait long.

Does this help to distract you from what’s above? You’re welcome.

When we arrived we were finally able to meet our wedding planner in person. I can’t tell you how nice it is to have someone there to help plan while we are 2,000 miles away. Can you say relief?

We talked about the possibility of having the wedding at Frogger’s lake house but with the way the lawn is sloped, it would have been very difficult to create an aisle, easily accessible seating area, dance floor, and the list goes on. We loved the idea but it just wasn’t the right fit for our needs. Don’t worry, we’re incorporating the house in another way (I’ll fill you in on that fun later).

Our planner then told us about some options that were off-lake. At first we were really skeptical because our whole reason for choosing this area was so our family and friends could experience the magic of the lake. We gave her a chance to tell us the options and agreed to drive around and check them out. That’s when we found it.

And the heavens opened…

Amy’s Manor, meet my stalkers friends in the blogosphere.

Blogosphere, meet our dream-come-true-venue Amy’s Manor.

The Manor (as we now like to call it – we’re very cool), was built in 1929. It was originally owned by the current owner’s grandparents so it has passed through three generations – which I just find completely charming. It went through quite a few different lives as a home, restaurant, bed & breakfast and now event space. The grounds are truly incredible and our photos really don’t do them justice but I’ll try my best to walk you through.

The Manor is located at the top of a mountain and overlooks a river (which will be in the background of our ceremony area). I’ll pretend we are at the wedding day and you’ll see how we’ll move through the property…oh yes, this is very fun (hopefully not just for me)!

Begin winding your way up the steep, hilly driveway

As you come over the top of the hill, you start to see a quaint little house and a whole lot of green!

Take a messy, blurry glance to your right and see a glimpse of the lawn where the ceremony will take place

Look further up on your right and get a better view of “The Manor” as the cool kids call it.

Park and follow your heaven-sent wedding planner into the house

Before you get inside, say hi to the resident kitties – this is Charles.

Claim one of the Victorian-style rooms and get ready to walk down the aisle

Approach the altar where there will be a beautifully decorated arch (right near that small rock wall over looking the river)

Get a little closer so you can see said river.

Post-ceremony head to the far side of the property and take fancy-pants photos in your new duds with the beautiful scenery as a backdrop

Head over to the reception area (on the other side of the drive) and pretend it looks pretty and set-up under the tent

Look off to your right and check out the dance floor – this whole area used to be the home’s tennis court and see that adorable old barn in the back? We’re totally taking pics there…it.is.awesome.

Then look to the left of the barn and see the cutting/vegetable garden that’s grown on-site and used for the yummy meal we will be eating.

Finally look off to the left of the reception tent and check out the apple orchards where we will be taking super cute pics

So there you have it kids, a full-out tour of our wedding venue and I must say, after going back through the photos, I honestly can’t WAIT until we are there in July making our trip up the hilly driveway.

How long did it take you to find your dream venue?

And the hunt begins...

We all know the story of Goldilocks…this one is too small, this one is too big, this one is too hot, this one is too cold...this one is juuuuust right. Well, so goes the venue hunt for the Frogs.

After deciding on Chelan for our location, we began discussing options for venues. The area is home to a fast-growing wine valley so my first choice (being the wino I am) was to have our wedding at a winery. Let the hunt begin!

First up…KarMa Vineyards.

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KarMa was one of the wineries that I hadn’t visited in person when we began exploring options but after reviewing their site, stalking them on flickr and searching Google images, I felt as though I had a pretty clear idea of what it looked like. The real perk was that they are the only winery in the area with a wine cave:

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Unfortunately, they were a little unresponsive during our communication process and ultimately we didn’t feel like the cost of the rental was going to be a fit for the amount of rentals and additional costs that would inevitably come up outside of our budget.

We did visit the winery with friends this past summer after ruling it out and enjoyed sitting out on the patio. For the record, the wine cave is super cool (both literally and figuratively – ha!). But that visit reinforced that we had made the right decision in not choosing this for our venue since the outside area was fairly small and it would have been a tight squeeze with the amount of guests on our list and the idea we had envisioned.

Frogger tubing on a past trip to Chelan – I realize this has nothing to do with this post, I just wanted more photos of the area because everyone likes blog posts with photos. You know it and I know it. Should I stop with the Italics?

On the upside, I will say that Frogger’s cousin is getting married there next month so we’re thrilled they found a venue that fits their needs and we’re hoping we might be able to save our pennies and share in their happy day!

So our first choice turned out to be a nice venue but not quite the right fit for us. Feeling slightly discouraged, I still wasn’t ready to give up on a winery.

I began calling and web-stalking to no end…and I was met with more and more disappointment.

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Lake Chelan Winery – my favorite winery in town and offers a super charming backyard style BBQ set-up…but absolutely no view and just not what we had pictured

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Nefarious Vineyards – great wine, great view, great family owners…unfortunately, they don’t do events :(

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Tsillan Cellars – by far the fanciest of all the winery options but the price tag goes along with it, sadly this Tuscan-inspired lovely was not within our budget

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Vin du Lac – adorable set-up but couldn’t accommodate the amount of people we were inviting

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Tunnel Hill – at the time we began looking they were not very experienced with weddings, had just had their first one and would require a large amount of rentals…it was a bummer because I loved the garden feel – it just oozes charm!

Chelan Ridge – under construction and after meeting with the owners (who I absolutely adore) we all decided it would be a stretch to plan for a wedding when they didn’t know if they would be finished in time…total bummer because it’s going to be gor.geous.

While meeting with my new favorite winery owners at Chelan Ridge, we were told to check out a winery called Benson Vineyards which was undergoing some renovations and were supposed to have an incredible view of the lake.

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I tried my best not to get my hopes up but I couldn’t help thinking this could finally be it. As we pulled up over the hill and saw the winery in front of us, we began allowing ourselves to get *a little* excited.

We met with the owner and she took us on a tour of the property. We had to use our imaginations because at the time it was still under construction but we could see the potential of the space. After seeing the interior venues, we walked out among the grounds which are perched high above the lake overlooking the vineyards. She pointed out grassy areas and seating areas, she talked about the flow of the space and the landscaping they envisioned…and then…she walked us over toward the edge and told us we were standing in the space where the altar would be. It was at that point I really let myself feel what a wedding here could be like. My eyes teared up and I just knew this was our location!

(source – where the chairs are is where the altar is…I wish you could see the lake below better, it’s an incredible view)

Just a few short weeks later, after trying to secure the location, we were met with yet another disappointment…

Being newly renovated and having never had a wedding or major event, they were not in a position to make weddings a priority. They were also not in a position to offer many amenities in the rental price and ultimately after looking at the situation, we realized it just wasn’t going to be what we had wanted and hoped for. Soooo…back to the drawing board!

Did you have trouble finding the right venue for your wedding?