The Journey to the Venue

First, please let me apologize for how long it has taken me to get another post up. These last few months have been full of crazy. Since I last posted Zack has left his job and got a new one and I turned 22 and went dress shopping for the first time! But that's a story for another post, in this post I want to tell you about our search for the perfect venue.

Before Zack and I got engaged we wanted to get a feel for what the prices of all wedding related items so that we could set a realistic budget. We decided to start with a venue. We wanted somewhere that was all inclusive. I did not want to be the bride running around super stressed out making sure everything got set up correctly or cleaning up after the reception in her wedding dress. We wanted a place that would work well for a ceremony and a reception. And we wanted somewhere that felt warm and inviting.

The first place that we went was a restaurant called The Greystone Wine Cellar. I hated it so much that we didn't bother to take pictures. I'm sure that it is nice for some people but for me it just looked like someone's damp, 80's inspired basement and it reeked of fish. The man who gave us the tour was also very disengaged, he didn't care at all if we booked them or not.

The next place that we went was The Kelton House.

The front of the Kelton House. Image via website.

The back of The Kelton House. Image via website.

We actually really liked this place. It was part of the Underground Railroad and is run as a museum during the week. When they do weddings, they will dress in period costumes and give your guests tours of the museum during cocktail hour. Plus, the pictures are stunning, they were featured in The Knot magazine and they also allow you to bring your own catering. There were only a few downsides. First, when we went and toured the facility it was the middle of fall and walking around in the garden I got eaten alive by bugs. I didn't really want to be an itchy bride. Also, to have an outdoor reception you have to rent a tent custom fit to their side patio and it was really expensive, but the indoor space just wasn't adequate. This venue was beautiful, but not for us. Back to the drawing board.

The next venue we visited was called The Columbus Athenaeum. It was a Knot pick and nice, but it had a very "hotel wedding" feel to it, which is something we really didn't like. After that we visited The Columbus Athletic Club. I absolutely loved the venue. Really, really loved it. I'll show you some pictures of why:

The ballroom was absolutely gorgeous! The ceilings, the chandeliers, the hardwood floors and amazing windows. I loved it. I was so incredibly in loved, but it was pricey. Very, very pricey. So we decided to go with another venue we had seen. What is that you ask? Find out next time!

(All photos personal unless otherwise noted.)