This has been such an exciting year, 2011 right out of the gate was the busiest we’ve ever been here at Laura Marchbanks Photography. We were awed and honored when asked to be a part of this year’s Weddings in Woodinville showcase.

“Weddings in Woodinville is a special event designed to give couples and their families and friends a sneak preview of each fully-decorated venue to better envision their special wedding day and meet with industry professionals that can help them put it all together.” Each of the 7 venues highlight some of the best wedding professionals in the industry. We had the privilege of showcasing our work at Willows Lodge along with these fabulous professionals:

Coordination and design by Taylor’d Events by Jennifer (a miracle worker really…)

Alongside:

Alexandria Nicole Cellars
Cadeo Flower
Elements In Bloom
From The Gown Up
Good Times DJ Service
Grand Event Rentals
Hybrid Mood Productions
Jennifer Witsil Creative
Koko Fit Club
Linens by Alice
Marrylicious
Nash Fung
Salon Maison
Starry Nights
Window to the Soul Ministry

We had such a wonderful time meeting all of you gorgeous brides and grooms. Thank you for stopping by to say hello!

Here are some highlights from our beautiful spot at Willows Lodge. Thank you Willows and Jenn Wenman for being so accommodating and warm to all of us. We love you!

Well everyone, it’s been far too long since I let you in on what we’ve been up to for the wedding! Part of this is because we just really haven’t found a venue we can agree on. We have seen SO MANY venues, but nothing is really completely speaking to us as a couple. It’s important to both Billy and I that our venue represents us, and is something memorable and special! We aren’t the type to just say “that’s a venue, that will do!”. I’m pretty set on wanting a barn venue, but mostly we just want something unique and cool! What we do have is a clear design, a planner we love, a florist, a caterer, and a band. NOW if we only had somewhere to put them!

Here are some of the venues we’ve seen and our thoughts on them, keep in mind these are just OUR OPINIONS, and if you’re looking for a venue yourself, I suggest you visit them in person and form your own!

We decided to hold a date at the Blue Rooster in Oregon. The owner is really flexible and I love the rustic appeal of the venue. This feels like “THE” venue to me. But Billy isn’t completely sold. He is having difficulty understanding my “vision”. Imagination is priceless I tell you! There isn’t a commercial kitchen so I need to check with whatever caterer we choose to make sure this will work!

Here is a sneak peak at my wedding inspiration book. I’ve gotten some pretty weird looks when I pull this out for people to see. What can I say? I’m type-A, organized, and I know what I want!

Russell’s Barn: We LOVE the inside of this venue. when you first walk in it’s like looking up into the belly of a ship. It’s a great size, and would be a perfect option for a ceremony that was being held at a different location. Doing a flip here seems almost impossible with 250 guests. On another note, Russell will likely be doing our catering if we tie the knot in Seattle. His food is AMAZING, hands down one of the best in Washington.

I also visited Sodo Park in Seattle, Billy hasn’t seen it in person yet. I love this venue too. The venue is completely indoor. This would be GREAT if it rains, or if we decide we want an off season wedding. Their facility rental also includes so much! The chairs we want, tables, china, linens. It’s all in there. You can’t bring in an outside caterer, but their food is really really really good.

We attended Weddings in Woodinville this year. What an unusual and fun event! I was completely impressed and if you aren’t getting married until 2011 check it out next year! On this tour we saw, Novelty Hill + Januk, Columbia Winery, JM Cellars, DeLille, Willows Lodge, and Russells Barn again. I love the look of Novelty, but the size doesn’t fit us, they max out at 200. It’s not ideal for lots of kids and there are 40 on our guest list. Willows and JM were too small, DeLille and Columbia weren’t our style.

Some other venues we’ve checked out are Swan’s Trail Farm, Tazer Valley Farm in Stanwood, and of course our favorite, Rosario Resort on Orcas Island. Swan’s Trail is awesome! This one is a major contender, and it’s only 15 minutes from our house. Tazer Valley is another favorite, it’s grounds are impressive. The barn doesn’t seat very many people, but they provide tenting so that makes it work.

Rosario broke my heart. It’s perfect for us, but only for 140 of our guests. We’d have to get married in shifts, hahaha.  There are also a few things I wouldn’t like about having it here. The have two ceremony locations and two reception locations. For smaller groups (max 140) you can use the music room, which is so beautiful I almost collapsed when I saw it. Smaller groups also fit into the smaller dining room that is part of the mansion. There is a larger ballroom that can accommodate up to 300 people, but it isn’t built in the same fashion as the resort, so it’s a bit dissappointing. I would want get married at Rosario because of the historic aesthetic, hence the smaller dining room. We can’t imagine how we would manage to cut the guest list by 100 people. It would be impossible.

In Oregon we looked at Blue Rooster of course, Langdon Farms, The Mount Pisgah Arboretum, Heidi Tunnel Catering Co. Furrer Farms, and several wineries that simply will not do.

So here we are….. I’m thinking of buying my own wedding venue. If you know anyone who is trying to sell property with a historic barn on it. Please give them my phone number, we’ll talk.

Hopefully we’ll make our decision soon!

xoxo,

Laura

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