Big News! A date and place!

We are excited to be updating the wedding blog with some very exciting news!

We have decided on a reception location and date!!!!!

Matthew R. Manz and Rachel M. Smedy will be married on June 30, 2012 and the wedding reception will take place at the Old Lantern in Charlotte, Vermont!

Now the back story:

Last week, April 9th, we went to look at a possible wedding reception site in Charlotte. I had seen pictures of the venue in a number of Vermont-based wedding magazines as well as the Vermont Bride Resource Guide. Knowing how busy weekends can be for the Manz family, I called Dan to see if the date would work. He told me that he basically had an hour free between getting the boat out of winter storage and running rescue. I emailed with one of the wedding coordinators, Julie, and amazingly she could show us around exactly at the time Dan had specified. Even better news was that they would be having their first wedding of the year that day so we would be able to see the venue all set up. 

We showed up at the Old Lantern at 10:30 on Saturday morning with Matt, Liz, Dayle and me (Dan would be joining us in a little bit). Matt and I were a little nervous since this was the first venue we had gone to see. As we nervously walked toward the door Julie came out to meet us. We were welcomed inside the large 1800's barn. She showed us around pointing out the raised stage for a band or DJ, the soundboard on the ceiling, where additional lighting can be set up, how plated and buffet dinners work, and countless other details. Despite our insecurities, Julie made us feel very comfortable- at the same time explaining how weddings at the Old Lantern work and asking us how we would prefer things be set up and arranged.

The more Matt and I looked around the space the more we fell in love with it. By the end of the tour we were both picturing our families and friends celebrating with us in the space. 

We left the venue right around lunchtime and headed to Olive Garden for some debriefing and lunch. Throughout lunch and into the evening Matt and I talked about all of the things we loved about the Old Lantern: the true Vermont feel, the pool table, their willingness to work with our ideas, the existing ambiance, and our host Julie.

We emailed Julie for a formal estimate that night and reworked it over the following week so that it included everything we felt strongly about but was within our budget and then we made our final decision! (And we are really excited about it-- if you can't tell!!!!)

So now our wedding planning can move from the big picture into the smaller, more fun, details.

Let the planning continue!!!