This title might be a little misleading. You’ll see why.

We (me, my fiance, and my parents) took a look at all the options for wedding venues and decided on the first one to tour- Historic Venue 1902 in Sanford. I was a little hesitant, just worrying that it might end up being too expensive, but it did seem perfect. It wasn’t too far away, it had great parking and getting ready suites, and the most important thing to me- it had just the right vibes. Originally the venue had been a school built in 1902, and had been restored as an events venue. Not only did it have a sweet, whimsical, historical vibe, but it also had a lovely private garden out back for ceremonies. So needless to say, I was starting to get my hopes up.

The next tick in the “pros” column was that the coordinator immediately made me feel at ease. I’m a super anxious person, and she was so kind and personable right off the bat. She also immediately understood what I meant when I said I was going for a cottagecore/Anne of Green Gables aesthetic- huge for me!

The first room we toured was actually a restored classroom that looked the way the school would have in 1902- complete with chalkboards, old fashioned desks, and a teacher’s desk at the front. Shane turned to me, unprompted, and said “if you wanted to we could recreate the slate scene from Anne of Green Gables in here.”

Well, needless to say, I was immediately sold.

It only got better from there. The backyard garden was beautiful and private- and most importantly, there was a rain plan included in the package price, which is extremely necessary in rainy Florida but most venues make that an extra charge. The reception venue was the old school auditorium with a stage, and the principal’s office was now the perfect place for a desserts display. The bridal suite and the groom suite were incredible, the brick courtyard was gorgeous, and there was even a room we could rent for the rehearsal. All in all, it was perfect.

We sat down with the coordinator to go over the details after the tour, and she asked us what date we were looking at. Luckily, we didn’t have anything concrete in mind, and we were hoping for a non-weekend date, so we asked for any Thursday between October and February. (The coordinator was thrilled- most Saturdays were already booked up, and so many couples come in with a specific date only to get disappointed.) We tentatively picked a date, and said we would be in touch with our decision after we thought it over.

After the tour we went to a local restaurant (Hollenbach’s, a great German restaurant that incidentally would provide a morning-of breakfast for the bridal party) and talked it over. Everyone was on the same page- the venue was perfect, the package had everything we were looking for, and the cost for a Thursday wedding was surprisingly affordable. There was no point in even looking at other venues- we booked them that day for a wedding on December 1st!

It’s funny- the venue search was what I dreaded the most, and it turned out to be the easiest decision after all. How did you feel about picking your venue, and what was your deciding factor?