The Venue, Part 3…The Strongest Contender?

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Option 4 – Sandpearl Resort

 

So, one day, Justin and I decided to take a trip to Clearwater Beach to enjoy the sun, sand, and to hunt for some shells. Typically, we have avoided Clearwater since it tends to be overrun with tourists. Thankfully, being a native to the area, you know where the free parking spots are hidden, and which parts of the beach are quieter. So, we headed to the north end of the beach for the afternoon.

I am not one of those people that can lay out on a towel and bake in the sun for hours. I honestly cannot fathom how people can do this, but props to you if you have the ability! I quickly get uncomfortable, I hate to sweat, and most importantly, I get bored. So, my favorite thing to do at the beach is to walk. And I mean walk…a LOT. Once my legs get tired of walking, it is time to leave the beach. I’m a brat, I know. So, when Justin and I arrived, we immediately began to walk south towards the pier/touristy area. I love to people-watch, its fascinating!

When we hit the end of the beach, the two of us turned around and began our trek back to our towels. As we passed the various hotels and beachfront restaurants again, I began to look more critically at one in particular; The Sandpearl. It is a newly renovated hotel, and it is beyond gorgeous. I stopped in my tracks as we walked by, and asked Justin what he thought about a wedding at this particular location. We both thought that it had potential…and decided that I would have to get some more information. It is by far the most beautiful hotel on the beach!

Our view of the Sandpearl from our walk on the beach

Fast forward to about 2 weeks later. I was in contact with the catering manager at the Sandpearl, and my mom and I were headed over to take a tour. I tell you, this place is quite the experience! When guests arrive to check in, you are served champagne…and you don’t just stand at a check in desk at the lobby, you are escorted to a side room where you are able to sit down and sip your bubbly. Crazy! Although mom and I weren’t checking in, we did have to wait a few minutes for the manager to come down to meet us, so they gave us some champagne while we waited! Score!

How beautiful is this lobby?

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A bedroom...how fabulous is this?

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Once the manager met up with us, it was off to the tour! She explained to us how the wedding process typically is set up. Basically, depending on your guest size and budget, you select one of the banquet rooms (there is a HUGE grand ballroom, as well as some smaller ones, and even more intimate rooms if you have a very small guest list). Each room has a different minimum on food/beverage purchase. Go figure! You have the option of having your ceremony outside on the beach, out on their lawn by the pool, or off to the side a bit on another small lawn. Ok…plenty of choices there. But, in the back of my mind a little warning siren was going off…did I want to get married ON the beach? Did I want to get married OUTSIDE???? My first response is no, I don’t! I’m a prissy girl, and the heat in Florida at the end of May? Pretty steamy. The thought of my makeup melting off my face and my hair falling is just a bit too much for my liking. So, we wondered, are there options inside?

One of the lawns you can hold your ceremony on... source

The manager explained that we could essentially convert the ballroom that we would use for the reception into a ceremony location as well, and the staff would flip the room while our guests enjoyed a cocktail hour out in the hallway. Ok…interesting. It could work…

The smaller ballroom... source

The foyer/hallway for cocktail hour... source

The banquet rooms themselves? The one that we could potentially afford was nice, I suppose! The ceilings weren’t that high because it is on the second floor…but the building is new and so the rooms are decorated very nicely…nothing too gaudy/fancy/over the top. Just elegant. It had potential. Although, there were no windows in the room, which I must admit kind of threw me for a loop.

Then of course, after seeing the smaller ballroom, mom and I were escorted to the grand ballroom. Wow. It was enormous…but so much prettier and filled with light than the other room! There were actually windows in this one! Imagine that! But the price? Ohhhh dear. Yes, extremely out of budget. Not good! My heart hurt just a bit. The manager was nice enough to mention that if I were to book the smaller ballroom at first, and when my wedding date rolls around, if the grand ballroom wasn’t booked, I could automatically be moved into it at no charge. Well, that is nice…but could leave us with some logistical nightmares (how we decorate a small vs. a large room could be vastly different).

Dang...this ballroom is fabulous! Source

***Sigh*** Had we hit yet another road block? My heart wasn’t singing out that this was the place. Mom and I decided that we’d contemplate it as we walked back to the valet to pick up our car…and then…my phone rang.

The venue...part 1...How do I ever narrow it down?

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Ok, before I start ranting about how fabulous my venue is...I wanted to recap the process of how we decided upon it.

Choosing the perfect venue is a HUGE undertaking, clearly!  Oh boy, did I ever stress about it (in my head at least).  There are a ton of things to consider, and it can all start adding up (figuratively, and financially too, haha!).  And here is where I began...with answering some important questions to narrow my search!

Problem #1: Do we want the ceremony and the reception at the same venue, or separate?

So, do you want to get married in a church?

On the beach?

In your parent's backyard?

Personally, I wasn't dead set on one or the other, so yeah...that question helped me very little at first!  But, then I began thinking of details:

Separate venues = guests must travel between the two...

Can you find 2 that are close in proximity?

Will you have to provide a transportation service?

Will guests easily be able to navigate between the venues?

Ah, now this helped me!  The majority of my family and friends are from out of state, and part of his are too.  Gosh, would it be just that much more difficult to give people 2 sets of directions???  When in doubt, K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid).  So, I decided that it might be easiest to double dip...do the ceremony and the reception at the same locale.  Problem #1 - solved!

Problem #2 - In an ideal world, where do you WANT the wedding to take place?

I think it is perfectly realistic to have a "dream" location...area...etc.  Why the heck not?  And hey, if it all works out perfectly, then perhaps it can be a dream that comes true!

Hm.  I wouldn't say I had ever thought up a "dream" location.  Great.  So, Justin and I got to talking about what would be important to us, and we mutually came up with the idea that we wanted our nuptials to take place somewhere on/around the beach, since that is where we met...and with many out of town guests, we thought that they would want to have the opportunity to enjoy some sun and fun while they are in town!  Done and done!  Problem #2 - solved (well, narrowed down at least...)!

Problem #3 - What venues fit my style?  And...my budget?

I found this to be EXTREMELY important.  Oh, the complexities of decor, lighting, room setup, etc etc etc...AHHH!

Does the wedding have a "theme?"

What is my personal style?

How will I incorporate my style into venue selection?

Are you interested in being "modern," "rustic," "romantic," etc.?

What time of day/night do you want the celebration to take place?

***Gulp*** What can we afford?

Although I wouldn't say that we have a "theme" for our wedding, I determined from the start that I did not want anything overly dramatic.  My personal style...I think...is sophisticated yet fun, not too stuffy, and maybe a touch of quirky.  I don't like gaudy...I don't like over-the-top.  I wanted a comfortable setting that feels intimate/comfortable, yet can still accommodate my guest list.  Because we wanted a location close to the beach, we desired an evening ceremony so that we can all catch a beautiful sunset, weather permitting.  Oh, and yes...the dreaded budget question.  Yep, that would narrow it down...

So...after all of that, I began to compose a list of potential venues.  The plethora of wedding magazines I accumulated pointed out a large number of locations with potential, but thankfully I was able to rule many out from the start! Whew!

Coming up next...I ponder the possibilities!