groom, check! date, check! venue...

not yet!  Although I am 98% sure where the Man and I plan to wed.... we can't confirm anything until October 2012.

Yup, I've found our dream venue.. about 2 weeks after the Man popped the question.. but I can't book it until one year in advance.  This is driving me nuts!  I try not to stress about it, since I doubt there will be many people flocking to reserve "our pick" on a Friday evening in 2013... but I am a planner.  And I have to wait.  And I know a year in advance is PLENTY of time.. but I want to lock it in now!

[that exclamation point makes that sentence seem a bit bratty, but it's meant to imply impatience.. not bridezilla-ness]

Instead of fretting over the 2% uncertainty that I have over our dream location, I think I'll share a sneak peak into it instead.

Our dream venue --  Kiesel Park in Auburn

Pavillion at Kiesel Park - from 100layercake

The Nunn-Winston House at Kiesel Park  from 100layercake

Although we plan to have the ceremony outside in the pavilion, one of the big selling points for us about Kiesel was the fact there were two buildings available to rent along with the pavilion.  Currently, I'm planning on the Nunn-Winston being our landing zone for the day.  It's broken into different rooms all with a wonderful antique and classic look which will be perfect for getting ready pictures, and hopefully a little escape for the Man and me following the ceremony.

One of the rooms of the Nunn-Winston
(from our tour late one day, pardon the poor picture quality)

The reception area is a pretty simple hall, but it has these grand shutters and plenty of windows that look over the park.  All areas of the park are easily accessible and I hope that will be a plus for all of our guests.  

An outside view of the hall, next to the Nunn-Winston House
stairs and a ramp lead to the double doors which open into the hall
(again, pardon the poor picture quality)

Another thing we loved about the park were all the different areas surrounding the pavilion and houses that will be perfect for people to get away from the hustle and bustle if they want. (The Man's dad is notorious for wandering off, and I know he'll love having room to meander away.)

One of the gardens at the park -  has a few arbors and a newly built gazebo

Many people have warned about planning an outside wedding during *any* season here in the south, but at least with Kiesel we have options in case of bad weather.  Thankfully the pavilion has ceiling fans to help air circulate and is much sturdier than a tent so we should be covered in case of mild weather.  If not, we'll relocate the ceremony into the Nunn-Winston and keep the reception in the hall as planned.

Now to figure out how to decorate this blank slate and make it a bit more nerd-tastic.

One wall of the hall... just needs a little love

making the cut..

When the Man and I first started talking about wedding plans, the guest list was a big concern.  We want to keep things small, but still be able to invite our close friends and family.  Since we are paying for everything ourselves (at least, that's how we're planning) we knew we couldn't afford to invite everyone we wanted... and certainly couldn't afford to invite everyone our parents wanted to either.

I emailed our folks right off the bat, back in November, asking who their "must haves" would be.  After some discussion-- we agreed on a very tenative list... and already we're topping 80 people!

I expect our list will change a bit over the next few months (oh who am I kidding, we still have about a year and a half before the big day!) but it's nice to have a general idea of our "count."  I started compiling addresses at Christmas when we sent out Christmas cards, and that prompted the creation of my master spreadsheet (more on that later).

I'm sure it will get more difficult keeping the guest list small... especially considering most people aren't even thinking about our wedding since it's so far out..but as we get closer to time and everything becomes more "real" we may have to practice the spiel I told Dear Mother to keep in  mind when people ask if they're invited:

"I'm so glad you want to celebrate with us!  Since we're having to keep the wedding small to fit our budget, maybe we can get together for dinner to celebrate when things calm down a bit?"

For other brides-to-be out there, how did you keep your guest list in check?  How did you choose who "made the cut"?