“Let’s set some time to meet and show you around…”

So the time had finally arrived. Time to put those planning shoes on, and get moving! Living in Atlanta, there is certainly no shortage of charming, elegant, exotic, theatrical, or even traditional venues. So for an over thinking and research obsessed individual like myself, the list of interesting places was enormous. After sitting with Tom, we finally narrowed down our choices to a group of about 7 venues that really stood out for one reason or another. Sentimentally driven, our first venue to consider was Park Tavern at Piedmont Park. Our first date was on “the hill”, so the thought of our ceremony at the park was exciting. Unfortunately, after an attending an event there and chatting with some knowledgeable planners, we came to the conclusion that it was not necessarily the best place for us. The hustle and bustle of a beautiful spring day in the city would prove to be a little distracting for us, and didn’t completely fit with the intimate feel we were searching for.

Piedmont Park

Next was The Fabulous Fox Theatre, as so many of our dates have revolved around the shows there.  On top of that, the Moroccan flavor of the venue is something that has always fascinated me, and I jumped at the possibility of celebrating there. Through our visit, I became enamored with the place. Unfortunately, it was the Egyptian Ballroom that I had fallen for, and our guest list would have to be somewhere between 400-800 guests to really take advantage of the size room. For a minute I considered just sending an all-encompassing invite to all of our Facebook friends combined – but Tom quickly shot down that idea. From the beginning we knew we wanted our wedding to be as intimate as possible, so although a beautiful space, a Saharan extravaganza was not in our future.

The Egyptian Ballroom

 

From there we moved on to new and very difference locations. We met with the great staff of Bold American at The Foundry at Puritan Mill. We even saw the very southern amenities that Rhodes Hall provides. With all of these places, it came down to weighing our likes vs. the apprehensions we had for each. In the end, there was no “OMG – THIS IS IT!” factor to any of the places we had seen so far.  

What we could say about all of the venues listed above, is the fact that they all were very gay friendly. From the first email, to the site visit and last communication, all of these sites treated us with the same respect as any other couple considering their business. Of course, there were some awkward moments that still make me chuckle.

At one venue for example, the coordinator was half way through a tour when she started to blush and seem to want to ask a question. We stopped and stared at her, and in a very soft and mumbled manor, she quickly asked:  “So are you the other person…groom? Sorry, I don’t know if you are friends or together.”  I of course wanted to mess with her a little and act offended, but Tom took pity and answered her question.  Poor girl almost died of embarrassment, but we knew she only asked that way because it was not her normal bridge and groom. From there it became a little joke, and the tour ended with the very sweet and considerate representative.

And so, the search continued.