Adam and I got engaged about a week and a half ago on July 6th. (woohoo!) Because we have a very limited time frame of when we can do the wedding (Early July to Mid August...pretty much any year that we do it) because of our jobs and busy seasons, it's already crunch time if we want to get hitched next year!
Here's the kicker: we're having between 250-300 people most likely because I have a large family...after you add in your friends and whatnot, you can't cut back a whole lot. We've toured a place in Kenosha already and have another venue in Muskego and Lannon to check out this week and next.
Here's what I've discovered in the very short time I've been doing this planning thing: there are barely any venues that allow you to bring in your own caterer. With the size of our crew, this makes it even more difficult! I've always dreamed of having pizza, and let's face it: not many restaurants and venues want to serve that as the main course because it's a cheap meal. BUT - to my point, it's very easy and almost everyone I know loves pizza! Not to mention, you have vegetarian options, gluten-free options and plenty of meat-lovers options.
What's on our list for a solid wedding? Great beer, outdoor space and an outside caterer.
I'm writing this blog to ask for help because I've already gotten such a headache researching (I know, I'm dramatic, and it's all just begun). Here's what my "list" of things that would make our wedding AWESOME.
- Option to have craft beer (it's not completely necessary, but it'd be nice!)
- Bring our own caterer...preferably BBQ or Pizza
- Outdoor space for ceremony and ideally the reception (bonus points if it's by a lake)
- Enough outdoor space to set up lawn games for cocktail hour (such as kanjam, beersbee, bags, chip-oh and more!)
- Enough space to have a band if we can afford it
Will all of this happen? Probably not. Are my standards too high? Most likely. The most important thing that we're looking for right now is a venue that allows us to bring in our own caterer.
Theoretically speaking, what I want is relatively cheap...I mean, PIZZA?! But, because of extra fees or trendy venues that we would have to go with, it's actually turning out to be quite pricey to find a venue that would accommodate.
Long-story short and the question I'm trying to ask is: Do you have any wedding venue recommendations for someone looking to bring their own caterer that can hold about 270 people?!
Also - In case I haven't just completely discredited myself, I actually have a wedding-planning podcast that I started before getting engaged. If you're a bride-to-be, bridesmaid or even go to a lot of weddings, you might want to check it out!