Our Pseudo-Destination Wedding
Hello Nearlyweds! I am Miss Glen Allen, the newest addition to your favorite blogging team. FI and I are getting married on Good Friday, April 10, 2009 in Glen Allen, VA, just north of Richmond. Our wedding will be held at Virginia Crossings Resort, a tiny, tucked away golf resort that we just love. Everyone always asks us why we're getting married in Central Virginia when FI is from NY. I am from NJ, and we live in Howard County, MD. So, here's the reason. A couple of years ago, I moved to the Richmond area to take a new job. Not long afterwards, we got engaged and the search began for the perfect location. Naturally, our families wanted us to get married closer their homes in NY or NJ. However, we have a fairly modest budget for our wedding. We are hosting the wedding ourselves, and we have no desire to pay the $200 per person that is so common at venues up north. We expanded our search to PA, where my brother lives; Maryland, where we both went to college (Morgan State - Go Bears!) and where FI still lived; and finally VA, my home at the time. We found that the farther away the venues were from major metropolitan areas, the better the pricing got, without compromising quality. I remember the when I discovered the perfect place. I was "working" one day, really looking at Virginia wedding venues online, when I stumbled upon Virginia Crossings Resort listed on a common wedding site. I visited the resort's website, and loved what I saw. I thought the round courtyard was just so cute and unique. They are also the featured venue for the NBC12 Dream Wedding. I looked at their address and thought, 'Wait! I live off of that street.' When I mapped it, I found that it was actually a mile away from my home. I went to VCR that same day, drove through the gates, and I was blown away. It has that WOW! factor that every bride can appreciate. You would never guess that this little piece of heaven is tucked right there. 20 acres of immaculately maintained golfers' and romantics' paradise, nestled in amongst new home communities and quaint villas, but still convenient to major highways, railways, and the airport. Their standard wedding package offers all the features that other places consider extra. Our wedding is costing less than $100 per person, and we are getting a great value. I never wanted to get married at some huge place where six weddings are going on at once. VCR is small enough that I will be the only bride on our day, which is great because I don't want to see anyone else in a white dress on my wedding day. Even our flower girl will be wearing yellow.
This is Virginia Crossings Resort. The building on the left holds the ballroom, meeting rooms, and restaurant. The building on the right holds the guest rooms. I will be walking down the long aisle from the center, mansion-style building.
We decided to have an outdoor ceremony in the round courtyard, and in the center building on the second floor, just above the columns is a beautiful little dressing room for the bride and her attendants. I'll be able to look out the window of that room and see everything and everyone in the courtyard.
Our reception will be in their Henrico Ballroom.
This is Virginia Crossings Resort. The building on the left holds the ballroom, meeting rooms, and restaurant. The building on the right holds the guest rooms. I will be walking down the long aisle from the center, mansion-style building.
We decided to have an outdoor ceremony in the round courtyard, and in the center building on the second floor, just above the columns is a beautiful little dressing room for the bride and her attendants. I'll be able to look out the window of that room and see everything and everyone in the courtyard.
Our reception will be in their Henrico Ballroom.
So after researching venues in 5 states, and DC, VA worked out best for us. Our wedding will end up being a pseudo-destination wedding. We live 2 1/2 hours away from the venue, and I love it! It's close enough to home and to our family that everyone can get to it with minimal travel expenses. None of our wedding guests live in Virginia, so the wedding can be a nice little weekend getaway for them. Also, since FI and I don't live close to the venue, it makes us plan our time well when we visit the Richmond area. We schedule several wedding meetings on the same Saturday, so we don't have to take time off from work. Since our vendors know that we live far away, they are more inclined to accommodate our scheduling needs. During these wedding day-trips FI and I take together, he is actively involved in every meeting, idea, and decision that day, and it works out well. We each have a great time and feel like we've accomplished alot in that day.
Labels: Ceremony, Reception sites, Receptions, venues
10 Comments:
One of my girlfriends had her wedding at the VCR!!! She used the exact locations you will be using. It was a lovely wedding! The wedding coordinators were really nice. I think you made a great choice!
What a lovely venue! I completely feel ya on the "pseudo-destination." After feeling the money pressure in northern va and dc, FI and I decided to go have the wedding near his hometown in West Virginia. I am really excited because we are having the ceremony inside the State Capitol Building then the reception across the river at the University of Charleston. Both venues are marvelous and spectacular and everything is costing half of what it would in DC MD and Northern VA!
Good luck and have a wonderful marriage!
i haven't met with the crossings but am curious, do they offer an outdoor ceremony? i've played golf there a few times and been to various business meetings there but i didn't know if it was worth looking into futher.
just curious if you know
(btw it's just gorgeous there, especially in april!)
Thanks so much! FI and I are definitely excited about it.
Just Jor, your wedding at the WV State Capital sounds amazing! Best of luck to you, too!
NotSoJenny, they do offer an outdoor ceremony in the courtyard. When you book the outdoor space, they also hold an indoor ceremony room for you, just in case of inclement weather. The indoor ceremony space is a little smaller, but just as pretty as the ballroom. It's definitely worth looking into. Kim Comstock is the contact person we've been working with, and she's great. The courtyard holds 150 people, and the fee is reasonable, when you consider that you're actually booking both the courtyard and the backup room.
it looks totally charming. Do they have Cherry Blossoms? Maybe they will be in full bloom!
I hear ya, my wedding is in NY and I am planning from Alexandria, it feels like the best of both worlds. Destination for the MD/VA/DC guests and for the hometown guests, I searched high and low for a site that hadn't been overused. I totally think I found it! Same with the rehearsal and everything!
You're having your wedding on Good Friday? I assume since you identify it as such that several people have already told you what a difficult day that could be for many of your guests. Any Christians will be marking the death of Jesus Christ and it is not exactly the cause of a celebration (that happens three days later). I certainly do not envy your conflict, but wish you the best of luck with your planning, your wedding, and your marriage.
Hi, fellow central Virginian! ;-) It seems to be the thing to do, planning a Virginia wedding from New York. But you can't argue with the prices--you save so much money by staying out of the NY or DC metropolitan areas.
Good luck with your wedding planning!
Hi! Thanks! I def love the VA pricing.
Wow - you just gave an idea for a nice getaway weekend! Thanks. Its beautiful and I'm sure it will be lovely.
Awesome venue!! Congrats on the find. I'm a MD bride, but I am looking at destination weddings as well as local.
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