Venues

Hi Everyone!

As you can imagine after shooting all kinds of weddings and seeing hundreds of blogs I already had an idea as to what type of venue I wanted. Okay you caught me... I had an idea of what type of wedding I wanted before I even thought about getting into photography, but c'mon... I'm not the only one whose dreamt of their perfect wedding. Lucky Mr.R never found me too strange since his idea of a perfect wedding is so similar to mine.

About two years ago, out of curiosity and eagerness that he'd eventually pop the question, I researched places that would fit the style we had in mind. That's when I found it. The perfect spot...


Cross Creek Ranch: Dover, Fl

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So we thought for sure when we got ready to get hitched we'd put a deposit down for this venue. But there were pro's and cons, because like everything in life, nothing is ever as perfect as it seems.


Pro's:

• The Price is all inclusive: From everything to lights, votives, centerpieces, silk flowers, and props around the area, as well as tables & chairs. Lots of other extras too!
• They have an on-site B&B which is adorable and great for the night before/prep for the wedding day
• Hilton nearby for out of town guests
• Day of Coordinator, Bartender, Caterer,  DJs, Cake,  and people to help attend to you and your needs
• They have a special for off season which includes about $400 off their packages.
• Busch Gardens is a hop skip away! Which means if we wanted to, we could spend Sunday with which ever friends and family wanted to come out with us before we headed off to the honeymoon.

Con's

• From what I understood you had to use their vendors. For someone who wants everything done for them this is great because everything is onsite. But for me I had contacts down here which I wanted to use. I couldn't bring sweets (cookies, cupcakes, macaroons) from our favorite bakery, nor could we use our own DJ or band. This bothered us.

• The price...yes I know, I listed it as a pro too. It comes out to about $10,000, $11,000 with the extras. For something all inclusive it's actually fantastic. It's a gorgeous place but doesn't have a lot of wiggle room. If I found vendors that supplied me with a better offer I wouldn't be able to use them.  I'm also sure if I wanted anything upgraded there would have been some extra charges. If I'm not mistaken this doesn't include food. I may be wrong and have read their pdf incorrectly

• For us the trip to dover is about 4hrs long. Now, even though I'm sure I could get there in less time, a lot of our older guests would not. This means they would probably have to rent a room. With gas prices expensive and our older guests less likely to drive up and down the same day, we figured the expense might deter them from coming. 

Estancia Culinaria: Homestead, Fl

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This venue was closer to home. Its only been open for a short period of time so we figured there was a slight chance that the pricing would still be affordable. The terrible part about looking for rustic is that in other places in the south such as Georgia, Virginia, and so many other places, your own backyard is a gorgeous place to have a wedding. A mountain backdrop or your neighbors barn, I mean I see them everywhere now a days. Problem is because this is the new trend (and let me say I've wanted a rustic wedding for a couple years now) all these new places opening are trying to sell it for what it is, a rarity here in Miami, The rustic "experience". Please note we would like you to also owe us your first born child after all is said and done.


Pro's:

• Closer to the area we and where the majority of our guest live
• Great Selection of food (if you use their catering)
• Different areas to have the ceremony and reception 
• Beautiful Place and gives of the rustic vibe we wanted.
• Great Photo ops (which is important to us)

Con's:

• Price: For a 4hour wedding "All inclusive" Food at $127 pp for 100ppl (includes, servers,kitchen ppl, bartenders, rental equipment, clean up, valet, portable restrooms, Tents, drapes, dance floor, Ice, Beverages, Bar, Bar Set up, Toast, Handling and transportation fee ETC comes out to about $20,000! Sounds like a lot but also sounds like a lot of fluff. A few extras are available but for additional costs as well. This seems to me like the type of place so beautiful and amazing on the outside you don't realize how much your spending. 
• The price for the venue is about $6,000 if you dont want to use their catering, and about $3,000 if you do. 

With that being said I wish I did have the money to splurge on the venue. It is quite nice. But to me not worth it for 4 hours. After all that doesn't include all the other things that are important to me such as a Photographer! (I'll get more into detail about that another day)



Cauley Square: Homestead, Fl

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As you can tell Homestead has the most rustic like venues. The next one isn't quite what we had in mind but can still give off the look we want. I couldn't find any overall pictures of the venue in the day light. This was the best I was going to get. I've been there a couple times. I've shot in nearby places, been to the Tea Room next door (which is a possible location for my bridal shower) and don't mind it.

Pro's:

• Closer to the area we and where the majority of our guest live
• Different areas to have the ceremony and reception: Fountain Garden $2000 - max 150ppl, The Courtyard Wedding Place $3550 w/ tables - max 250ppl, The Bridge $1700 - max 100pp
• Prices as you can see are not too shabby
• Their onsite catering is great for the price too!

Con's:

• You can only use their Catering. Which for our theme we were hoping for some southern cookin.
• It is prohibited to nail, tie, hang, tape, glue, or adjust any type of object to the cottage, trees, plants, or any structure within the property of Cauley Square™.  Only paper lanterns allowed to be hung from the trees. 
• No signs are allowed to be posted in the property, unless submitted in writing for approval.  
• It is prohibited the use of fireworks or sparklers. :(
• Does not allow the use of paint, spray paint, confetti, birdseeds, or rice within the property.  Petals will be allowed ONLY if removed after the ceremony is over.  Otherwise, a penalty fee of $100.00 will apply. 
• If anything is left behind you can be charged for clean up. 

Cauley Square does provide all their information on their website which is great including all their rules and regulations. Most of the cons are part of their rules. Heehee.

Even though a lot of the cons do bother me and Mr.R a lot... I do have to say that given our limited choices Cauley square will probably be in the top two/three.


To end this post the honorable mentions that I really had no interest in but can have a rustic feel.

The list includes:

• Thalatta Estates: Palmetto Bay
• Bird Song: Titusville, Fl
• Deering Estates: Miami, Fl
• Cooper Estate: Homestead, Fl

That's all folks! It's very late here, almost 3am! I'm truly pooped. I hope this has helped. Its really quite nice to put everything in writing. It also serves its purpose as a way to organize my thoughts and ideas with out being mundane about it and making a list. Yes I know I pretty much did that but hopefully this list will be seen by someone else who needs it instead of written on a sheet of paper likely to be lost or chewed on by one of our dogs.