Sooo many venues... so little time!

I have been engaged for over a week now and, aside from the scratch on my cheek and arm from the ring I still forget is there, things are starting to settle down a little. I think everyone we know has heard the news, so now I am focused on finding a wedding venue.

I was looking at venues online late last week and discovered that the Baltimore Bridal Show was on Saturday and Sunday at the convention center. How lucky I was to get engaged right at the beginning of wedding season (oh wait... every season is wedding season ... America is seriously obsessed with weddings but I'll save that for another blog). I end up going to the show on Sunday with my Aunt and my mother and the place was PACKED. For such a huge event, there were absolutely no signs directing you to it... ANYWHERE.

I don't know if you have been to the Baltimore convention center but it is a big, big place. We walk in and see several signs for Starbucks... an art show... the bathrooms... but no Bridal Show. Luckily, I saw another mother/daughter team heading up an escalator so we decided to follow them. We were in luck. The Bridal Show was in the ballroom of the convention center. I grabbed my complimentary tote bag (AND received a free one year subscription to Modern Bride!) and off we went.

OMG NEVER IN MY LIFE HAVE I BEEN CONGRATULATED SO MUCH. I didn't know how to take it. The Bridal Show was like a gypsy market of hotels and florists selling their wares. Instead of "hello" each booth operator said "who's the bride to be," I would smile, and get congratulated. After 30 minutes or so my bag became overrun by florist brochures, cake samples, and photographer price lists. I had photographers promising me a true photo journalistic portrayal 0f my wedding; men with two assistants who promised to stay hidden in the background as I went through my big day... for a mere price of $4000 (not including prints). I can't believe how expensive it is to get married!

After two hours of walking from booth to booth sampling cake and entering door prize drawings my bag was full. I now have more information than I know what to do with, but at least it's a start. My primary reason for going was to get information on reception venues. I've made appointments at several manors/hotels around the area and hopefully I'll have a place picked out (and a date!) in the next few weeks.

This is such a huge decision to make in so little time. I would love to get married outside by the water. I can't picture it any other way. I'd love to have a live band during the reception and violinists when I walk down the aisle... but these are likely all things I will have to cut out.

Does anyone have any venue suggestions? There's a cool place in Arlington called the Torpedo Factory that looks pretty cool- and a cute little manor in Baltimore called Gramercy Mansion... Celebrations By The Bay in Pasadena.. Pier 5 Hotel downtown... and hundreds upon hundreds more. I'll see as many as I can then make the big decision...after that, it's just down to the details right? Oh yeah...I guess there is still the dress... the bridal party...the invitations... the...aaahhhhhh.