Since Mac was deployed while I planned back here, we decided to make our major decisions the two weeks he had for leave. This time frame waffled and changed, but he finally came home at the end of July. Yes, he left the first week of December and came back the last week of July.
We scheduled a meeting with the Cape Fear Botanical Garden for Mac’s second week of leave and met with Sharon, the events coordinator. She took us on a tour of the grounds, pointed out the various options for the ceremony and reception, and told us what the Botanical Garden could provide. The venue rental was a bit more than we anticipated: $3000 max for a reception space and $400 for a ceremony space. The reception fee includes tables and banquet chairs (those damn Chiavari chairs are $8 a pop). We would have to rent additional chairs for the ceremony. But the Botanical Garden is stunning. It sits on a bluff overlooking the Cape Fear river and features native Carolina flora and fauna.
 |
| Top left: Gazebo Bottom left: Cape Fear River Right: Pond and flowers |
Since we were the first couple to look at our date, we had our pick of the whole gardens. For the ceremony, we could do inside or outside. The main lawn and gazebo or the lily garden or the fountain and pond. For the reception, we could have the Orangery, the Great Hall, or the Atrium. So many choices. We weren’t entirely sure how many folks we would invite or how many would attend.
The Cape Fear Botanical Garden has exclusive contracts with two caterers. Aberdeen Catering out of South Carolina and The Invisible Chef here in Fayetteville. The Event Office had both catering menus on file, so we thumbed through them. We liked food options on both, but the Invisible Chef was significantly less expensive.
Picking our venue and caterer were two quick, painless decisions. After our meeting at the Botanical Garden, I suggested to Mac that we go to the Fort Bragg Club. He decided that we didn’t need to; we were going to book the Botanical Garden. While it wasn’t as inclusive as the Fort Bragg Club, it had a wonderful atmosphere. Mac also liked that it wasn’t on post. We decided on the main lawn and gazebo for the ceremony and the Orangery for the reception.
Any other brides have such an easy time making major wedding decisions?
