I just realized I've never posted anything on here about our actual ceremony & reception location: The Firewheel Golf Park Pavilion. I have more photos that still need to be downloaded from Opie's camera, but here's a photo or two from the venue's website to tide you over for now:
The view walking up to the building isn't stellar, but I think it makes what you find "inside" all that much better.
This photo doesn't even begin to do justice to the space. It's an open-air "pavilion" with about 2/3 of the very ample space covered, and then a big semi-circular patio with two huge bur oaks coming up through the patio. Weather permitting, we'll say our vows under the limbs of the two trees. If that's not possible, we'll just bring the ceremony back in under the cover but still overlook the scenic view. This overlooks a more secluded section of the golf course, with trees galore that will be wearing pretty colors at the time of our wedding. No houses, no telephone poles, no roads in sight, and very few golfers going by in the times I've been there.
The reception will be held under the covered portion, with a buffet set up in one of the long side rooms that comes with our rental. I'm so excited to have a venue I'm.. well, excited about! It's the perfect compromise between our desires for proper amenities, nature, beauty, simplicity and cost. Opie was actually best man at his best man's wedding at this same location. He just forgot about that until we visited, silly boy that he is.
-EDIT-
More photos, hooray!
Note that these were taken in the middle of the Texas "winter" so the trees are bare, whereas our wedding will be in October.
Here's the covered portion of the venue. I imagine trash cans can take a slightly less prominent role in our decorating.
Here are the super fancy chairs and tables we'll be using. Chiavari or whatever the heck those chairs are called would be nice, but I'm perfectly fine with our white plastic lawn chairs.
One of the two big trees shooting out of the patio. If we can figure out how, I'd love to put christmas lights or lanterns and/or ribbons or something in these trees. Nothing too fancy, but just something to make the trees still be part of the decor after dark. Also, the railing around the trees isn't super attractive, so we may want to put something in front of them. My mom's thinking big ferns, but I'm not sure about that.
The other tree.
This gives you an idea of how big the patio is. It's a pretty big venue really. It supposedly seats something like 500 - far more than we're hosting, but at least we'll have plenty of room to move about and dance and such.
Here's my Dad dancing or showing the scale of the building or something. Hey there Dad!
I should've gotten a better shot of both the trees together, but this gives you an idea of where the 2 possible ceremony spots are - between those two trees at the edge of the patio, or brought inside, probably between the two center-most columns (I believe that's right behind where my dad's standing), facing outward. If we are able to (ideally!) do the ceremony between the trees, we'll set up the chairs for the guests out on the patio, and then move them in to the tables under cover after the ceremony. If we have it under cover, we may just have our guests sit at the tables and arrange some sort of aisle.
In each of those doorways lies entrances to a side-room we'll be using for the buffet. It's a very long and narrow room that I think will be perfect for this purpose.
It's very much a blank slate to decorate, with a lot of natural beauty going on. I love it.
Dad poses some more. I spot my shadow, silhouetted by the light coming in through a big opening in the wall behind me.
See the hole? If we end up having a DJ (I hope!), (s)he'll probably be set up on that stage under the opening. The stage is where the site coordinator suggested we have our poor-weather ceremony, but I much prefer to look out toward the view of the golf course.
This pond is right below the patio. I imagine we'll take some of our group shots and such down on the golf course.
Again, the photos don't truly do justice our venue, but hopefully it'll come out better in photos on the day of.
3 comments:
I'm so glad its coming together. If you want, I can give you the contact information of my Dj, Steve Pierce, He's done all of my parties and my plus other's weddings. And he has a lot of different music depending on taste. He's always been quite reasonable in price with me....So that's an option. And I have white lanterns left over we could use for the trees....if you wanted to do something of the sort. And if you remember those little hook thingys I used to hold the lanterns...we could make some of those or use my etc.... <3
What a great venue! It's going to be gorgeous once everything is in bloom!! I actually don't think the railing around the trees looks bad at all (based on the photos) but maybe you could cover them with fabric somehow? It might dress them up a bit and I can't imagine it would be all that expensive.
@Allisonian - I would love to have the contact info for your DJ. I always thought he did a pretty darn good job at your parties. If you don't mind my asking, do you recall what he charged for the wedding? As for the paper lanterns, I very well might take you up on that, although I'm currently thinking something more along the lines of the lanterns & luminaries I put in this inspiration board: http://api.ning.com/files/bU2trzWwzUPP9ZggCmJ0xoO9IIwklCFvZLzclfKIJWq5rztvL*f1Jkpk-K2**fuPlPS9yJbWLJSUd5msTTyXYPnhwXWD-fQZ/MyWeddingInspirationcopy.jpg
I don't specifically recall the hooks for the lanterns. I thought they were hanging from the ceiling?
@Jess - Thanks! I'm quite fond of the place. :] The railings aren't a terrible eyesore, but they're not great either. I think it would drive my mom at least a little bit nutty to have them take relative center-stage around our ceremony. The fabric's a really good idea. I've never been terribly fond of the big fern-y arrangements used in churches and such during weddings. I don't think I want them for mine, even if something needs to be covered.
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