Where and When...

Getting engaged in a foreign country is nice for many reasons. For one, it gave us time to take it all in, and figure out what we were going to say when we got hit with "the questions" at home.

I had always wanted a really long engagement. I had even wanted to take time to "just enjoy being engaged" without planning anything (ha). Ryan, apparently knowing me better than I know myself, nipped that idea in the bud.

The time frame for our wedding was settled easily- Ryan told me when we were going to get married. Not having many opinions about much ever, I figure when he does-it's important.

So June or July of 2012 it was. An engagement of about a year and a half. In another part of the country that would be plenty of time. But us Long Islanders love our big fabulous weddings, and actually when we booked our wedding, we got the last available Saturday in June!

 But I'm jumping ahead. Where to get married? I had always loved the idea of a destination wedding. But practical? Not so much.

 

It's technically an island...right? Right. Who was I kidding? I love Long Island. And one thing we quickly realized is that we love Suffolk County, and we love the south shore. That narrowed down our search pretty nicely.

Ryan and I each had one major requirement for our venue. He wanted to make sure the layout of the room was perfect, and I wanted the place to host only one wedding at a time. 

I may have perused Long Island Weddings a few times before getting engaged...And that's where I first came across our venue. I showed the venue's website to Ryan and he said "Looks good, lets write a check" jokingly, which is ironic that we chose that venue in the end. 

We spent a weekend or two touring venues that fit our requirements. Some were out right away. 

At one venue in particular that shall remain nameless (unless you ask me) I felt like we were being sold a used car. 

Literally, that could be the guy we talked to if he were dressed more nicely. I cannot stand people telling me what to do (just ask Ryan) and this venue defined the word pushy. From their "all-inclusive" wedding package that covered everything from the flowers to the photographer, to asking us what other venues had quoted us- it was not our style at all. 

There were a few other places that were nice, but we slowly but surely narrowed down our list.

We decided to go to food tastings at our top two choices and after a lot of thinking, some more talking, and one delicious food tasting- the choice was clear: 

Beautiful, tons of character, great views, right by the water, and amazing, amazing food (seriously). The people that work there pay such attention to detail that even a neurotic bride-to-be like myself can feel (almost) relaxed. The layout is perfect, and I will be the only bride in sight.