Happiness is looking out over fields and a pond at brilliant-colored fall foliage. Happiness squared is looking out over fields and a pond at brilliant-colored fall foliage while sitting in a cozy rocking chair enjoying a drink :)
The Buttery itself is an old farm, now converted into a restaurant:
The inside is full of rustic decor and family memorabilia (the farm and restaurant have been in the same family for generations):
It also smells like hay, which I adore!!
We're hoping for good weather so guests can enjoy the porches and scenery looking over the back of the barn:
The Buttery is full of charm and quirks. See http://www.thegoldenlamb.com/ for more artful pictures! (The ones in this post are just a few of the dozens D and I have taken on our many trips there.)
How did we end up moving our wedding from a reception hall by the water in our own backyard to a barn/restaurant in the opposite corner of the state? By accident. Or as I like to think of it, by fate or divine intervention or the like.
We found the place completely by accident. D had been looking for restaurants to try when we hike upstate and he stumbled across an old New York Times article about the Buttery. When our original venue backed out, neither of us had liked any of the other venues in our hometown area and we decided to venture further upstate. As we were planning a trip to check out venues across the state, something clicked in D's mind and he suggested we check this place out, at least as a place to eat.
And we fell. in. love. Or at least I did. I wasn't sold on it as a wedding venue - even if you know you don't want a run-of-the-mill WIC wedding, it's still hard to go so drastically in the other direction - but the smell of the barn, the beautiful views, the warm and incredibly accommodating staff, and yes, the AMAAAAZING food, all sold us quickly.
We knew we wanted to spend more time there. A lot more. We discussed it as a rehearsal dinner venue. But we realized we didn't want only a few of our friends and family - those in the wedding - to experience it. We wanted everyone to feel the specialness of the Buttery. And when it came down to it, we wanted a wedding where down the road we could tell our kids about this totally offbeat venue we found, how much fun we had there, and how it's ok to not follow the path most people expect you (and many often "strongly encourage" you) to take.
We didn't decide that day. Two more trips followed in quick succession. We scheduled the first the next weekend to see a wedding taking place there so we could get a sense of the flow. Then we took our parents up the next weekend to get them comfortable with the idea. D's parents were on board it seemed from the get-go. My mom required a bit more work. She raised some questions - legitimate logistical ones - that we are still grappling with to date. For example, the Buttery has several rooms, so how do we make all guests feel included? And the tables are all different configurations - how do we do seating?
In the end, though, our parents saw we were happy there. We had tried the "make the decision and live with it for a day" strategy advocated by my grandma and mom, and had realized no other venue felt right and the Buttery was the one we kept going back to. We felt ready. So with our parents watching, we wrote one of those wonderful wedding checks that you have to take a deep breath as you re-read and count the zeros. And just like that, we were booked!
Now, a few months later, we know we made the right decision. There is no second-guessing as there was with our original venue. And we keep getting excited about the fun and unique little touches our wedding will include. One of our favorite touches:
That's right, hayrides! With drink service! What could be better??
Writing this has gotten me all giddy and ready to swing into planning mode again - so I'll harness some of that energy and get back in touch with more vendors! In the meantime, if any readers know the area or (total wishful thinking) have had weddings in the area, PLEASE send vendor recommendations our way! It is superhard to find good people when you don't have a network!
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