Things I Should Know (TISK): Finding a Venue is the Hardest Part

I’m eight months into wedding planning and it still amazes me how many things keep coming up that I had no idea about … and so, a regular column is born: TISK, a.k.a. “things I should know (considering the fact that I was a weddings editor for eight years!).”

The first one is that finding a venue is truly the hardest part of planning your wedding. Why doesn’t anyone tell you this in the beginning? I was so excited to start scouting venues, but before that happened, there were some very tough conversations that need to be had, such as: Who’s invited? What’s our budget? Are our parents contributing and if so, how much? Needless to say, there were many disagreements, frustrating conversations, and even tears (though, thankfully, I haven’t cried – sad tears -- since we picked our venue). 

We wanted a small(er) wedding – no more than 125 people (and yes, I consider that small). The truth is, many venues have a 150 person minimum (even on a Friday night). Even if I invited everyone we knew, we still would not have a 150 guests at our wedding, So our options were limited.

After Cape May, we considered Philadelphia, my hometown, but there is a state liquor tax on all receptions that was unjustifiable to me, in addition to all the other taxes. (As a catering sales manager in NYC, I can tell you first-hand that the whole tax situation on events is a little insane). And New York and the surrounding area was always out of the question because of our budget.

So we set our sites on Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Forty-five minutes north of Philly and 1 1/2 hours south of NY. Far enough away to still be considered a "destination" for half of our guests, yet close to home. The great thing about Bucks County is that it is peppered with adorable B&B's that cater to small(er) weddings. That's where we found our special place, HollyHedge Estate in New Hope.