As a mother who has been through this, my suggestion is to pick the venue first. This is when I ask "Do you like the idea of barn theme venue, waterfront venue, castle venue, garden venue, winery venue and the list goes on and on......" Once I was able to get that list narrowed down to what my daughter and future son-in-law were leaning toward, I focused on setting up 3 different venue visits around when they would both be in town. Anymore than that is too much and any less is not enough. Their chosen place ended up being The Charlevoix Yacht Club.
First, they chose this because the sweet covered patio outside had a fantastic view of Lake Charlevoix and the boujee marina. They wanted that backdrop for their ceremony on the porch.
Second, they chose this because it had a contemporary flare with many windows for an open feel to walk outside and inside any number of times you want for the reception.
My reasons for loving this venue are getting to decorate the day before the wedding, taking things down the day after the wedding so we could just enjoy the evening from start to finish, enjoy having our make-up and hair done without stress of decorating before the ceremony, plenty of parking and handicap accessible, not worry about weather since porch has a large overhang, etc...
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