So apparently, a big thing for planning a wedding is that you have to pick a place where it will be. Imagine that. However, in my extensive experience in looking for a place, wedding venues fall into one of two categories: they’re more than I can stand to pay for one reason or another, or they just kinda suck. But, apparently I am terribly picky. For example, I prefer a place that is not a community room. I prefer the wedding and reception to be at the same location, so I prefer there to be space to dance. I prefer there to be no fluorescent lights. I prefer some type of scenery, flowers, trees or bit of grass… something. Annnnnnd – and this is the kicker – I very, VERY much prefer to not pay anywhere close to the national average of $24,066 for my wedding!

Possible wedding locale? Photo credit: Sharon Loves This

Siiiiiiigh. So, having exhausted the traditional Atlanta offerings like the Botanical Garden, Aquarium, Atlanta History Center, Piedmont Park, Carter Center, Rhodes Hall, etc. etc. etc., we had to get creative. We learned very quickly that when you’re shopping for something and you use the dreaded yet apparently titillating “W” word, everything doubles or tripled in price. So I started searching for “party space”, “event space”, “unique event” etc. And I do recommend this, because we found some really neat places and met some of the nice people who own them. There was just always some reason or another that we weren’t completely on board. Surely in this fine city there must be somewhere to be wed we can afford, that fits our needs and is actually something we want to be seen in… right? Right?

Bueller? Bueller?

We hit a wall in our search. Hard. We were feeling drained, poor and pissed off about getting married at all. Well, that just shouldn’t be so. It’s something to be excited about, dagnabbit! We found our convictions. We want to get married and have a big party. We want our friends and family there. We felt that the $7 to $10 thousand we were finding for decent venues was just too much. We didn’t want something plain or rustic. We don’t want to compromise our vision of our wedding, nor our vision/stability of our financial future. We decided that there had to be a solution. And there was:

(August 2010. Photo by Mary of n00bcakes)

To have it at out house. I love our house’s style and, what with it being mine and all, I think it is just the bee’s knees for entertaining (and everything else). But I have always wanted better outdoor living space. And we need a wedding venue. So we’re building a large patio. Ourselves. By hand.

Before the destruction.

Plants evacuation and stone arrived and stacked.

The destruction!

Let me tell you, it’s a bitch! (Pardon my French.) But it is worth it. We are saving a ton doing it ourselves and consequently can afford nicer materials. Even with the nicer materials we are coming out thousands and thousands cheaper than the venues we really liked. So, we’re pretty stoked. The project has what I think of as three major phases. The first phase has three steps and the others each have two. We have put in four weekends of work and are nearing completion of the first step (the one we anticipate being the longest). We’re pretty pleased with how it is coming along.

Looks scary from the back because of the way the blocks are shaped

But the front is pretty.

SIDENOTE: Major shout-out to my best friend, Ashley, who has been at our house every single weekend, right by our sides digging ditches, shoveling gravel, and hauling 20 to 50 lbs rocks. I love you!

We’re actually the ones getting married… shhhh!