Venue picked - Melissa and Griffin

This last weekend was a very busy one for Melissa. She not only spent Saturday trying on wedding dresses, and getting bridal burt out, but she and Griffin made a decision on the venue for the wedding and set the date.

The contenders:

Abernethy Center | Abernethy Website
Normally I would not suggest this place to a couple who have a really tight budget, but they have a deal when you book your wedding later in the season the charge half the price. This, coupled with the fact that their catering minimum is also cut in half, made it worth a look. The grounds are beautiful, two well manicured gardens, both with covered reception areas in case of rain and it is just a few miles from the airport for out of town guests. In the end the gratuity put the venue just over what we were hoping to stay within, so we moved on.

Deepwood Estate | Deepwood Website
Another beautiful option for a garden wedding. The rental fee for the entire grounds is reasonable for Salem, there is an additional fee for the covered tent area and with Oregon, I believe, you should always keep your guests "covered" just in case. This is a beautiful location which I believe is great for a lot of people. In the end, the groom was not really set on how close it was to Mission street, so we moved on.

Pringle Hall | Pringle Website
Another great budget place that not too many people know about is the Pringle Hall at Pringle park. This location is nice because it has a full kitchen inside the hall. They include tables and chairs for the inside of the hall and have a nice patio outside for additional seating. There is a beautiful bridge over the creek that lead guest from the parking lot to the hall and there are many places with natural backgrounds that make for beautiful pictures. The decision was made not to have the wedding here because they felt is was a little to close to the Salem Hospital.

AND The Winner Is????
Beckenridge Vineyard | Beckenridge Website
After viewing this, and several other locations, the couple decided that Beckenridge was the perfect location for their wedding. It is set out in the hills of Dallas, quiet and with beautiful views of the west Salem valley and several things available that put this venue right in there budget.

I am certain they would have had a nice wedding at any of the locations we considered, but I have to say I am so happy with their selection. I have done several weddings at Beckenridge and I really enjoy working with their team. September 4th, 2011 here we come!!!