Day #485 $$OUCH!$$

This morning was the Ladies Bible Study, which was lovely, as usual, and when Mama and I went home I STILL had a paycheck I hadn't deposited for 2 weeks or more, which was intentional, as I didn't want to spend it. So, Jeremy and I went for a walk to the bank, where I cashed it, and put the $ in an envelope, intending to just run home and hide it or something. But then it randomly popped into my head to run to the Fulton Bank, which is a common bank around here, which I have been meaning to open an account with, and which, coincidentally, Jeremy's great grandfather founded/was president of. So we meandered along over there and opened a savings account. As it turns out I didn't have my ID, so Jeremy ended up opening it in his name. As we were sitting there waiting for the clerk to have time for us I noticed a magazine on the coffee table that said "Lancaster" across the top, and had a picture of a bride on the front.
Convenient, no?
I picked it up.
I opened it. :)
Instantly absorbed by the picture on the first page, which was of this really pretty resort that went up recently, very close to where I used to live, a few miles south of town, I started jotting things down, and by the time the clerk was free I had gotten all of...2 pages into it! :)
The bank account successfully opened, we left. We happened, however, to be right across the street from the Marriott, the nicest hotel in the city, which went up about 3 years ago. So we stopped in and started asking questions about what it would take to hold a wedding reception there. The wedding organizer lady, Grace being her name, was sweet and accommodating and pretty much bent over backwards till we felt sure that we would be making a GREAT choice if we held the reception there.
Our adventures weren't over, because on our way home Jeremy, my wonderful beloved, suggested we grab Mama and go looking at other reception venues. I whole-heartedly agreed.
Our first destination was the Eden Resort, which was where Jeremy went to his high school prom. I walked in and instantly fell in love with the place. It was SO beautiful! It looked like it was MADE for my wedding. There was this huge glorious courtyard that looked like a chunk of the jungle. It had a fountain that kind of looked like a waterfall over a rocky cliff, and jungle shrubs and a wide rock floor. I thought it might be interesting to dance on...you know how anything but a forgiving wood floor just makes things difficult to dance on, (unless it's hard packed dirt).
So the Wedding Sales Manager (what a title eh?) talked to us and made everything sound so great, until we asked how much it would cost to rent this or that ballroom, or the courtyard. When $12,000 was the price for the courtyard, and the others were no less than $4,000 JUST for the use of the room, not including the price of everything we'd have to bring in...we all kind of nearly fell over in a heap.
Needless to say...it's GREAT for proms when the SCHOOL is paying for it, but when it's a wedding the budget is a bit more limited!
So we staggered out of there, and went to this beautiful, big, white church I've always loved and have attended concerts and big events at, and which I've kind of had my hopes set on...sort of. I mean, it's BIG. It's WHITE. It has an organ, a grand piano, a balcony, TONS of seating, a very wide center isle. It's like it was MADE for my wedding. It has a large foyer, an ENORMOUS parking lot so no worries there...and just...loads of promise and awesomeness! Upon entering the office and running into a man who looked vaguely familiar (I think he's one of the deacons or something...) we asked about the possibilities for a wedding there. His apologetic answer was they don't do weddings unless the couple are members of the church. Which we are not. :( :( :( :(
Ah! There goes that!
Next!
The next place we visited was this unique hotel in town called the Lancaster Arts Hotel...which, they informed us, had one room that could hold up to 40 people. Ha!
Well! That was quite the adventure!
We puttered along home in our little white car and sighed, and now I must find other beauteous church in which to say my vows.
Jeremy is ever sweet and helpful, and it was so very wonderful to take this time to do this very important thing together. We were both incredibly blessed by it, and I cannot wait until the next time.
:)
Oh I love my baby!