Decisions, Decisions... Otherwise Known As "The Stress Related To Finding A Venue"

My FH and I went back and forth about possible venues. We knew we wanted it to have a Seattle "feel", since most of our guests would be coming from out of town (OOT). We wanted it to be either outdoors, or have a fabulous view of the outdoors. And we didn't want to pay thousands of dollars for it.

We scoured venues with fabulous views, we looked at places with more rustic feels (barns in beautiful settings), and while we found some amazing locations, there was always something that wouldn't work (too expensive, too far to travel, unavailable on our date, etc.). And then we went to the Woodland Park Zoo and saw the rose garden.

As soon as we walked through the gates to the garden and saw the gazebo at one end surrounded by row upon row of blooming roses and sculpted foliage, we looked at each other and said "WOW". We knew. This was the place.

We also decided to have our reception at the Lake Union Cafe, a really cool 1920's art deco space that got great reviews from brides on The Knot. It has really pretty chandeliers, is big enough for the number of guests we're having, will let us bring in our own alcohol (a HUGE cost savings), and even overlooks the water. Perfect.