Rob and Kiesha Get Married

So we nailed down the location fairly quickly in this process.

We did some research using the Internets, but in the end, we didn’t even bother to go look at any other locations.

Tha Contenduhs:

White Star Farms

We liked this one because of a couple of things. It’s a very unique space…okay, it’s a barn. But the barniness appealed to me, being a country girl and all. I liked the idea of it being almost outdoors, very rustic, very homey. You can even rent a chuck wagon from this joint!

The other good thing was that you could bring your own caterer and alcohol, which is a HUGE money saver.

The downside? Well, it was raaather pricey. It was going to be about $1,500 to rent it for a Saturday. And all you got for that price was two barns and an outdoor area. No tables, no chairs, no linens, nothing. That would have cost extra.

Sorry, White Star Farms.

Tall Timbers

We liked Tall Timbers because it was cozy (re: small), and we could get married outside on a gazebo and then just walk into the building for the reception. The rental fee was great, something like $900 for the gazebo and the reception room, and look at that fireplace! It looked very pretty.

The downside for this one was that you had to use their in-house caterer, which was going to run around $3,000 (!!!) for our head count. YIKES.

Sorry, Tall Timbers.

We kicked around a couple of other places in our heads. COSI, The Columbus Athenauem, Franklin Park Conservatory. Then we realized we aren’t millionaires, and we looked into the YWCA.

We DJ-ed a wedding at the YWCA a while back and it was a really nice affair. You get a ballroom, a cocktail hour room and a balcony overlooking the city. I really liked the get-married-then-eat-in-the-same-room aspect of the place.

The price was right. We’re getting the whole shebang for $1,000 for five hours on a Saturday night. We do have to use one of their approved caterers, but we’re looking at Weiland’s Gourmet Market who will do it for a whole lot less than most of the places we checked out. And it’s good stuff, too. I’m looking at you, Chicky Parm.

The other great thing about the YWCA is that they’ll let us bring our own alcohol AND a Jeni’s Ice Cream cart. Now we just have to confirm that we can get those things.

Congratulations, YWCA! You win!