If it looks good even on a stormy day . . .

How many times have you chosen a hotel or bed and breakfast based on the photos and descriptions found online, only to arrive and be disappointed that the venue does not live up to expectations?  That’s definitely happened to us a time or two, so it’s no wonder I was skeptical when Ryan and I set out to visit Herrington on the Bay, our potential wedding venue, on a recent stormy Saturday.

In the online photos, the self-proclaimed “Eco-Lifestyle” wedding venue appeared to provide the same lush, tropical vegetation and ambiance as a tropical destination would – but Ryan and I had to see it for ourselves.

After a great and thorough consultation session with Michael, the event designer, he took us out in the rain to see the Polynesian  Bridal Lawn and the Paradise Ballroom, the spaces where our ceremony and reception would each take place.  Well, our skepticisms were quickly laid to rest when we saw the Polynesian lawn, because even in the horrible storm, it still exuded a good bit of tropical ambiance.  And that’s without the tropical spring flowers blooming!

Between our awesome consultation and the tropical perfection of the setting, Ryan and I left having pretty much decided that this was THE place.  Kind of like women tend to find THE dress.  We’d wanted to do a tropical destination wedding, but some important people were unable to travel for that – so with Herrington as our venue we’ll be able to bring the tropics to our guests!  And if it looked good even on a stormy day, that was definitely a good sign.

Here’s a peek as we saw it that rainy day.

This waterfall is where guests will make their entrance:

And the Polynesian Bridal Lawn, where we will hold the ceremony:

Just a few steps away from the ceremony lawn is the reception tent, and this grassy area between the tent and the bay will be set up for the cocktail hour, with tables and living room style lounge furniture:

The tent, aka Paradise Ballroom, is huge.  Now the combo of raspberry cotton and mint green damask stripe linens is definitely not my cup of tea, but all colors and textures aside, this space is going to look fab on our wedding day.  One small detail that really stood out to me is the inclusion of string lights and tulle draping across the ceiling of the tent.  In all the photos I’ve seen, that really makes the tent look just that much more magical.

On our wedding day (fingers crossed) the weather will be better and thus the sides of the tent will be open.

And the adjacent hotel, the Herrington Harbour Inn, is absolutely adorable. It’s hard to believe that this was a ramshackle old drive-up motel when the current owners purchased and renovated it in the 1970’s.  (Bonus points to them for not bulldozing it and starting fresh!)

Last Sunday, as Ryan flew to California for yet another business trip,  I returned to Herrington so that my parents could meet with Michael, ask their questions, and also be shown around.  They loved it just as much as we did, if not more.  Perhaps that’s because the head pastry chef popped into our meeting to deposit a tray of absolutely amazing breakfast treats as well as chocolate-dipped raspberry cheesecake lollipops. Um, file those under “awesome.” With a side of “messy, but worth it.”

All of the baked goods are made on premises from scratch each day.  As we left the office to take my parents to see the bridal lawn, the chef gave us some freshly baked french bread – and oh my gosh, it was probably the best bread I’ve ever had.

As for all the wedding details that i was worried about – the venue has been super flexible and we’ll be able to take care of a majority of my weird little preferences.  They’ve agreed to purchase and serve coffee from Cafe Amouri, and we’re going to work on a tropical wedding that is mostly local.  Also, we’ll be able to serve some non-alcoholic specialty drinks for the designated drivers which was a “must” on my list.  Finally, a “day of coordinator” will be assigned to us for our event – and as Michael put it, they’re the professional worriers who will ensure our event goes off without a hitch.

But I’ll discuss those items in more detail as the big day approaches.  For now we’re thrilled with how many of the big decisions we’ve already nailed down.  We’re definitely on track for an awesome June 2011 wedding!

Did you miss some of our earlier wedding planning posts?  You can find them all here, under The Proposed Abode.