Venue Hunting

While some might claim otherwise, I have never wanted a big wedding; they seem overwhelming, overly stressful and a tremendous amount of work.  And unlike previous assumptions made by ex-boyfriends, a celebration of love in my eyes does not require an over-the-top affair including exotic dancers and pink elephants (which I suppose is one of the many reasons why they are exes).  So, old opinions aside, when Martin and I started planning our San Francisco wedding I knew I wanted a simple and intimate affair of friends and family. 

Similar to our house hunting days, we thought our list of must-haves was pretty straightforward – a single location for both the ceremony and reception, ideally with unique architecture, an outdoor element and an in-house caterer.   We thought a good restaurant would be the easiest option (both from a planning perspective and also for our out of town guests).  And so began the search.

The very first option I found in the very first wedding magazine and on the very first bridal website I looked at was Foreign Cinema…and I was immediately in love.   It was perfect!  It had an outdoor space for the ceremony, indoor options for dancing and bad weather, it had excellent food and I knew Martin would appreciate the architecture and space.  And so with the vision already developing in my mind, we went there for dinner in late September to check out the space in person (and of course, have a nice dinner to celebrate the engagement).   Dinner was perfect and the space was even better than imagined…  We were sold… Although not quite yet; it is never that easy. 

Unwilling to potentially miss out on another great option (at a cheaper price), we spent the next 6 weeks exploring websites (both bridal and non), getting recommendations from friends and trekking through the city.  We saw and/or researched almost every spot available in San Francisco, but unfortunately all spaces we saw were either: too small, too large, too commercial, too boring, too cool, too expensive or too much work.  It was like Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  All was not lost though; just like Goldi, we did have a few enjoyable meals at several great restaurants throughout the process. 

In the end, we simultaneously admitted defeat and victory and booked Foreign Cinema!  With the contract signed and deposit paid, I couldn’t be more excited!