Picking the Venue

Shane and I eloped on December 28, 2012, but we still wanted to have a wedding ceremony that all of our family and friends could attend. Our original plan was to have a fall wedding with a pumpkin theme but there were too many complications with a date and venue for that idea. We recently decided that having our wedding ceremony on our anniversary would be perfect for us. There'll be no issues with the date in the middle of busy times or anything like that. Plus, now everyone only has to remember one date!

This evening I went over to my parent's to discuss the venue for our wedding, along with picking up some kitchen supplies that my grandmother sent up with my parents. Here's what we figured out...

We have two different venues that we're looking at:

One: A small church in my hometown in Iowa (three and a half hours south of where we currently live in Minnesota.

Two: A lovely Inn that's only five miles away, with a beautiful view.

Both options are in our price range and have their own benefits:

Iowa church: I have a special connection because that's where my parents had their wedding, and it's also where I was baptized as a baby. I have a rather large family that all live in Iowa, so having a wedding in Iowa would be more convenient for them.

Riverwood Inn: It's close to home and to where all of Shane's family and our friends live, plus it has reduced prices for wedding guest rooms and they take care of the decorating, food/ serving, and the clean up. On top of that it's a beautiful place.

Now it comes down to deciding which place is best for us. We want just a small, intimate wedding. Hopefully we'll be able to make a decision soon and start the rest of the planning!

On a side note... I've decided to wear my mother's wedding gown! It needs to be altered quite a bit (she was pregnant at the time with me!) but it looks lovely and it's one less thing to buy (:

Here's a picture of what it looks like before any of the alterations 

(and washed, she just pulled it out of the closet (:   )

What do you think about my venue options? What would you choose? And what do you think about wearing my mother's wedding gown? Good idea, or not so good? Leave your comments below! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

New direction for the blog

I've decided to move my blog into a different direction, a better one I hope! This blog is now not only going to be about me and Shane's life, but about how you can live a natural, organic, and GMO-free lifestyle, in an affordable way. Here's my new schedule that's I'm thinking...

Monday: Meal Plan Monday

I'm going to post a recipe or two that I plan on making that week that is completely organic, GMO free and affordable.

Tuesday: Who We Trust Tuesday

The posts on Tuesday are going to be about different brands that we trust at our house, the things we like and don't like about them, and some of their prices. 

Wednesday: Wedding Planning Wednesday

Shane and I are having a wedding! I'll be posting about weekly happenings with the wedding planning and DIY ideas that we'll be using at our ceremony.

Thursday: Thrifted Fun Thursday

I do a lot of thrift shopping these days. Each Thursday I'll post about something that I've bought thrifted that works just as well as buying full price (another awesome way to save money).

Friday: Feelin' Good Friday

Shane is quite the health guru and is very knowledgeable about health and supplements. Each Friday I'll be posting about a supplement that Shane and I take each day and explain the health benefits it has. 

Saturday/ Sunday: Life Happens

If I happen to have something else interesting to talk about, I'll post it on either Saturday or Sunday.

So this is what I'm thinking for the my blog. Any thoughts or opinions? Leave them in the comments, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Have a great week!