When Calla Lily Lovebug and I first got engaged we were on vacation. It was lovely and amazing and everything you want for an engagement, right? The only problem (and I so use the word problem lightly here) was that it was all such a fairy tale. We’re at the beach, just got engaged, no obligations, no work to go to, no school to worry about, essentially: HEAVEN!

Lovebug proposed on a Wednesday and we went back to reality on Monday. It was a lovely fairy tale. Here, let me show you:

Ahhh, memories I’ve always told myself that I would never be a bridezilla. And it seemed that this would be perfect. He proposed two years in advance of when we had discussed getting married so we had all the time in the world to plan! Right?

Well it seems that as soon as the fairy tale was over I went into some kind of hysteria about finding the perfect location for our wedding. One might think that I would be more calm and cool given the time frame. One would also be wrong. I have no idea why I got so crazed about this, but I did.  After one measly week of looking at venues I was so worried about where we were going to get married. Looking back, it’s pretty frickin’ ridiculous.

Here’s a sampling of the hysteria I went through and the places that I looked at.  Lovebug and I wanted to get married outside. Since we’re both from the same area, we wanted to get married in the D.C. area, preferably not too far from Southern Maryland.  I looked into a couple vineyards in the area, most notably Ingleside Vineyards in Virginia and Running Hare in Maryland. Both of these options are completely gorgeous and if you’re looking in the D.C. area, I would highly recommend. They didn’t seem right for us as a couple, however, because Lovebug doesn’t drink. It would have been a selfish choice on my part.

In my craziness, Lovebug found a helpful website that included lists of great places to check out in the area that seemed to fit our style.  Finally, a friend of mine who is organizationally talented sat down with me and made up a spreadsheet with all the venues I had in mind. I would seriously recommend this to any and everyone. The spreadsheet included things like the venue name, price, capacity, time allotted, distance, things included with the venue (like linens, tables, catering, etc.), whether or not a tent was included, and what the plan B was if it rained. It was an amazing lifesaver.

The places we ended up seriously considering were Mount Vernon, Sotterly Plantation, Woodlawn Plantation, Old South Country Club, and Mount Airy Mansion. I set up times to tour the places, starting with Mount Vernon.  We loved Mount Vernon but had a few problems with it.  First, the ceremony site, while beautiful could only hold 120 guests, a bit too tight for our 180 guest list. Also, the plan B for rain was in the auditorium, not exactly picturesque. Let me say though, that the food was amazingly yummy. The restaurant does a great job.

Next I had set up to see Woodlawn Plantation and Mount Airy.  When I called to set up a time to see Mount Airy, the woman there, Mary, said that she had to have me come before I went to see Woodlawn because she just knew that I would be “wowed.”  So my mother and I popped in over there just to quickly look before heading to Woodlawn.

Wow. I knew immediately that this is what I wanted for our wedding.  No other venue could have been more perfect. The plan B for rain was absolutely breathtaking and the mansion itself is just wonderful. When my mother and I left there, we both said there was no point in going anywhere else.  We did honor our appointment with Woodlawn, although all I did was think about Mount Airy the whole time.

Lesson learned: stop freaking out about something that will work itself out in the end.  Hopefully, I take this wisdom with me throughout the rest of planning.