Venues for Weddings in Massachusetts: The Search Continues (My First Wedding Planning Disappointment)

I had my first wedding planning disappointment today.  I’m sure it won’t be my last.  Still pretty crummy though.

I knew it was a bad idea to have my heart set this one place the perfect wedding reception spot so far in advance.  I’m hoping to be married in a year and a half, after all.  We can’t set a date yet so I can’t book anything.  But there’s a fine line between waiting for the right time and wasting valuable preparation time.  So I wanted to see what was out there in terms of small venues for weddings in Massachusetts.  And I happened upon the most beautiful little vacation home that I knew would be the perfect wedding reception location for us.

Yeah, we want to have our wedding at a private residence.  I mean, it would be the perfect wedding reception venue for my small guest list.  We're only having about 25 people so most venues for weddings in Massachusetts are function halls that are way too large.  We don’t want dancing after, so I’d like other things for us to do after we eat.  I’ve been looking at outdoor venues for weddings in Massachusetts so it doesn’t need a big room, just a nice yard.  Adam’s family will need accommodations of course.  So why not let them make a week of it at a nice home?  And for that matter, I could use that week to show them around the state so they can see where Adam will be living.  Adam agreed a vacation home is a perfect wedding reception venue because it was geared exactly to our particular needs.

So out of all the homes I looked at that had the potential to be venues for weddings in Massachusetts I found a place that has it ALL.  A beautiful garden with flowers all around the retaining walls would be the perfect wedding reception spot, with a few circular tables dotted around.  It looked just like the gardens in England for Adam: so pretty that I wouldn’t have to buy much in the way of flower centerpieces.  There was a lake in the back for me, so I envisioned amazing outdoor wedding photos.  There was a gazebo, balconies galore, a nice neutral décor inside, a baby grand piano.  A billion different spots for beautiful outdoor wedding pictures.  The price for a one week rental rivaled the cost of most traditional venues for weddings in Massachusetts for a single day.  And it was only about an hour away from me.

I was obsessed with this house for about a week.  I knew it was too good to be true.  Last night I emailed Adam to say, “This is bad.  I really have my heart set on this place, and I know it’s too soon to commit to a wedding reception venue.”  We’re just not ready to set a date until we start the visa application process.

I made plans to go see it with mom (on the advice of a friend who feels that internet photos lie) since I’m on vacation this week.  I emailed for permission to walk around the grounds to get a better sense of the place.

I got an Email back with permission, but was told that the house was up for sale.  After September of this year there would be no more reservations taken.  No way can we move up our date to this summer; there’s just no guarantees when Adam would get a visa.

Gutted.

I’d had a hard enough time the past week, being unable to spend Valentine’s Day with Adam (planning a trip to England is hardly worth it when I only have a week off).  And now I lose my perfect wedding reception spot.  Readers, I really hope your soul mate isn’t living in a different country from you, because although you have the benefit of a partner with a sexy foreign accent, the long distance thing can REALLY mess with your plans.

If you're curious about seeing more images, the house is here and since the direct link no longer works, you need to scroll down to the listing that says, "Elegant Pondside Victorian."  It sure is.  *tear*
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Photo from:
Google maps

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