When the Venue Finds You (Part II)

If you're just finding my little corner of the interweb now, I'll catch you up on Part I of my venue search (or lack thereof)... M and I decided on my church as the venue for our wedding. I was asked to photograph a wedding at a nearby wedding venue. I fell in love with said venue. I was sad when their gorgeous barn was already booked for our wedding date. I was happy when they told me there was another reception site (the Firehouse) still available.

Once I got pricing and details on the Firehouse via the onsite wedding coordinator, I began to realize just how reasonable their rates were and how possible this wedding dream was. Sure, we would have to make sacrifices in other areas (and pick up more hours at our jobs, etc.) but knowing that our wedding would be taking place at one of the coolest venues in town...that in itself was worth it.

I visited the venue again with Poppa J (my dad) and Nanny C, who both gave a big thumbs-up on the Firehouse  and ceremony location. M had yet to see the venue in person, but he trusted me in making this decision and told me to go ahead and book it. The contract was signed, deposit paid...and the venue was ours! Driving home after booking the venue I suddenly realized just how REAL this wedding was, and the sheer joy of it all made me start crying. In the car. Middle of the dang day. Probably while listening to Justin Bieber or Nicki Minaj on the radio. Story of my life.

So without further ado... our wedding venue! The Firehouse at Landis Valley Museum...

Photo by With Love and Embers

It's classy, a little bit quirky, and perfect for the Clownfishes' wedding reception!

Note: Hanging chandeliers and foliage do not come standard. Photo by With Love and Embers

The ceremony will be taking place directly outside of the Firehouse, on the lawn to the right. Although you can't see it in the first picture, there is a big, beautiful tree a little farther out from the building. M and I are getting married underneath the tree, and our guests will have a beautiful view of the property during our ceremony...

Meeting Mr. C underneath this tree and getting hitched! Personal Photo

The reception is happening inside the Firehouse, as pictured above. We love that the Firehouse is essentially a blank slate...with the wooden floors and brick walls, we were free to decorate however we wanted. We are using the stringed lights that come with the venue and are also probably going to add some of our own touches, like paper lanterns and maybe more lights to create a gorgeous, romantic glow. There is also TONS of natural light in the venue, which is something that I love and appreciate about the building...

The Firehouse is also used a ceremony space during the winter. Photo by Brooke Courtney Photography

Another thing M and I love about the Firehouse are the big doors that actually swing open! We plan on keeping the doors shut during the ceremony and dinner, and then opening them during the dancing + drinks portion of the night (weather permitting, of course). They're such a unique, fun touch!

The Firehouse was the perfect venue for our smaller, cozier wedding and I am beyond grateful that I have a wedding venue to call my own. Although we are hitting our the building's max capacity at 100 people, we are going to try our hardest to come up with an arrangement for all the guest + food tables.