How To Choose The Perfect Wedding Venue

Today, I am honored to bring you this guest post from Alex at The Berger Bungalow. Enjoy!

Hi, friends! My name is Alex Berger and I am thrilled that I am able to guest blog for Stephanie today! I run a blog called The Berger Bungalow, which typically focuses on travel and culinary articles, with some lifestyle scattered in. I also write a few articles here and there for The Knot Magazine, so I am into all things weddings! Today, I want to stick to my roots and talk about how to choose the perfect wedding venue. I have been married for three years now (it will be four in February) and I still remember the day that Ian and I found our wedding venue. It was so magical and I was so, so insanely excited. If you find the right venue, this is what you should feel, as well and I really want every single bride to feel this way, which is why I wanted to write this post! So, without further ado, let’s jump in:

How To Choose The Perfect Wedding Venue

Imagine Your Day

I know that everyone says that your wedding invitations are going to be your guests first impression of your wedding, but I do not think that is true. Instead, I think the first impression that your guests will get is your venue. When they drive up to the location and walk to the aisle, that is their first impression. So, when you are imagining your day, I want you to think about everything -

How will guests be greeted? What will the aisle look like? Where do you want flowers? What colors do you want in your wedding party? How many bridesmaids and groomsmen do you want? How many people are invited, all together? Will you have a seated dinner? What have you always imagined? What is most important to you? What could you care less about?

These are just a few of the many questions that you need to ask yourself. Once you figure out exactly what you want your day to look like, I need you to make a list. Make sure to include every single little detail that is important to you. Now, you do not need to write the exact dress style that you want because this could change after you find your venue, but if you have certain colors in mind, make sure to write that down because you do not want those colors clashing with your wedding venue.

Now that you have imagined your day and know what you want, you are armed and ready to start creating a budget and looking at venues!

Tour Venues

After you have your list and create your budget, start your venue research. Now, I know everyone’s first instinct is to look in your immediate area, but do not be afraid to search outside of your general area, or even your comfort zone. For example, Jeter Mountain Farm, which is a wedding venue located in Hendersonville, NC, says, “Our valued guests have traveled as far as California and New York. Our guests often leave with huge smiles and lasting memories, commenting it truly is an experience like no other.” Situated on 411 acres of rolling hills with jaw-dropping views of mountains, it is no wonder that guests from all over the country to tie the knot at Jeter Mountain Farm and celebrate with their friends and family. With over 35,000 square feet of barn and kitchen area, four wedding seasons under their belt, as well as many happy couples, the Hunsader family is committed to making your big day exactly how you dreamed it. After touring many venues of my own during my experience, it is rare to find venue owners that are this committed to each and every bride, and I believe this is just one of many reasons why Jeter Mountain Farm stands out and really goes above and beyond. In order to find your perfect venue, one that will be committed to providing you with the wedding day that you imagined, you have to be open to looking around you, as well as in places that you do not first think of.

Look At Reviews

Looking at reviews and testimonials from wedding venues is very important. Actually, before you book any vendor at all, you 100% need to read many reviews and testimonials on and off of their direct website. Unfortunately, I had quite a few mishaps during our planning process, as well as after our wedding, and it could have been completely avoided if I just would have spent more time reading reviews. Please do not skip this step! Even if you really like a person, vendor, or wedding venue, make sure you read reviews before signing a contract.

Get The Magical Feeling!

Last but not least, when you get the magical feeling that I first described at the top of this article, that is when you know that you’ve found the venue for you. Finding the wedding venue of your dreams is not as hard as you think as long as you follow the correct steps, stay within budget, and find vendors and a venue that really care about making the day perfect for you. When you find this, you will know!

I hope these tips on how to choose the perfect wedding venue will help any of you that are in the stages of planning your perfect day. Please let me know if you have any questions at all!

Fashion + Dating? Yes, Now It Exists!

As a creative introvert, I can understand the struggle people go through to find their perfect person. When inspiration hits, your attention is focused on your work and dating or relationships can take a hit. Not to mention, it is incredibly difficult to find someone who understands what it's like or is in a similar field.

It can be especially lonely.

Malaka Pickens has found a solution.

Style-Mate.com is a brand new fashion entrepreneurship and dating platform. The website offers a place where you can set up your own shops, cross promote with your fellow designers, customers, and social media followers all while providing fresh content. Your customer base can register and interact with you directly. In the process, you can meet and find your perfect partner.

I, personally, think it's brilliant.

While I am not in the market for a partner (I'm married to the most patient man in the universe), I did spend some time perusing the new and creative fashion on the site. The prices are absolutely competitive and the designs are fresh, new, and exciting! I love that I was able to find one of a kind fashion designs to try and fall in love with! 

The site is still building so luckily you can get in on the ground floor! Some of the two hardest things as a creative person, in my opinion, are being able to get your creative enterprise out to the public and find that perfect person, just for you. Style-Mate is a fun and original concept that has you covered! It's free to set up a shop and there are no commission or fees off your sales. Style-Mate is for designers by designers!

After you sign up, I'd love to hear about your experience. I'm always rooting for people finding love in this crazy world and, of course, awesome and interesting new fashion designs! 

The Wifey Box: A Special Subscription Box

My husband and I have been together a long time. 

Over twenty years. 

We were very young when we began our life together and started our family right away.

What can I say? The man is hot.

As you can imagine, I am constantly looking for ways to keep our marriage fun. I found the neatest new subscription box and I had to tell all of you other wifeys about it!

The Wifey Box comes in two sizes, Petite and Grand. I subscribed to the Petite because I'm cheap (lol) but I'm thinking I might switch over to the Grand. I am so in love with everything in this box!

First, I received the Freematic Eyeshadow Quad (Doucce) in Sweet Dreams, which is like a $35 eye shadow palette! I don't think I have ever spent that much money on all of my makeup combined, much less just eye shadow! I wore it out with the hubs the other night and I felt so elegant. It was a little thing, but it made me feel like one million and thirty five dollars. 

Thoughtfulls are adorable little pop open cards. Each one has an inspirational message of love to remind you of its power or to give as gifts to your loved ones. I put them under my husband's pillow when he's had a bad day because I'm a nerd.

The Iris Beilin Mis Amores Beauty clutch was a surprise! It's a pretty pink leather bag that is bigger than normal beauty bags. I have way too many brushes, so it's perfect to keep those in! Of course, it's great for travel as well.

Last but not least, is my absolute FAVORITE thing that came in my box! A mini Pineapple Mint Whipped Soap Sugar Scrub by Naiad Soap Arts. I.LOVE.THIS.STUFF. It's different from other sugar scrubs I have tried before. It starts out grainy, obviously, but it immediately gets SO SOFT. I could hear my skin singing with joy. It's a cleanser and moisturizer in one and I am going to buy out their entire inventory, I swear! I never would have known about it either if it wasn't for my wifey box!

You get a few more items with the Grand subscription, but the petite size works out great for my needs. It's just a monthly little gift for myself and my husband because if I'm happy, he's definitely happy. I can't wait to see what comes next month!

Hurricanes And Calm Seas

My husband and I have been married for twenty years. It will be twenty one years this year and together for twenty three.

Over the years, many people have asked me how we have stayed together so long. To which, I always answer:

"I have no idea."

It's the honest answer, because I truly don't.


When I met my husband, I had no intentions whatsoever of getting married, or having kids, or living any type of domesticated stay at home mommy life.

Nope, nope, nope. Not for me. I am modern. I am sophisticated. I am completely and totally FINE. 

I was wrong.

He got me.

                                               photo via

It wasn't right away. I held out like a good girl, naturally. We met when we were 15 and were friends up until we were 19. I mean, we're still friends, obviously but we didn't date or start dating for four years. I truly believe that is what built a strong foundation for us in the beginning.

That's not to say that we haven't had our blow outs or don't fight at all. Just ask my children, we've had some roof rattlers. However, we've always managed to work things out through honest communication. 

When I say honest communication, I mean, we don't hold back.
At all.

There's been plenty of times that I absolutely was worried for our relationship. There has never been any infidelity or domestic violence (and in those cases, my advice would be to GET OUT, RUN, DON'T LOOK BACK), he is a good man so I have been lucky there. There were times, though, that I thought the hurricanes were going to take us and blow us away.

We have fought about parenting. We have fought about money. We have fought about friends. We have fought about family.

We have fought about where to put the television in the living room.

You know, the normal things every couple argues about.

Eventually, we always returned to calm seas.

                                                photo via                             


That's not to say that love isn't a part of our relationship. I have known this man for more than half of my life now. His life is my life. His people are my people and vice versa.

The roots are deep. I don't have words for the respect I have for him as a person. He gave me the life I never thought I wanted, but ended up being perfect for me.

So, when people ask me how to maintain a long term relationship, I have no idea. 

I really don't.

I just know that I can brave any hurricane marriage throws at me, for just one day of its calm sea. 

The Day The Sun Came Out

Originally published on The Legendary (downdirtyword.com)

The Day The Sun Came Out (April 11, 2012. Issue 36. The Late Issue)

My mother has been in a committed relationship since I was 17 years old. While people staying together that long is an anomaly within itself these days, my mother is still with the woman she fell in love with when I was only 12 years old.

My life as it is today hasn't always been this way. I grew up in a traditional home, my father worked as a journalist and editor for the local paper and my mother worked various jobs as we moved around.

From an early age, however, I knew there was something different about my family.

My parents seemed like they weren't very happy most of my life. My father manifested this by becoming a working alcoholic at a young age and my mother, well my mother cried a lot. Things were pretty bleak but it was my family and all I knew so I assumed this was how all families were. Things went on like this up until I was about 12.

My mother was involved in community theater my entire life. Everywhere we went, she found the local theater and immediately got herself and my brother and I involved in it.

We were all in plays together and had a lot of fun.

My father wasn't interested in the least. He didn't come to our performances and was pretty annoyed when we sat around practicing lines or rehearsing.

We moved away from my hometown for awhile when I was 11 and when I was almost 12, my mother met Mary for the first time. We all met Mary. She worked the light board for most of the plays in the theater and was just generally talented in all things set design.

Mary and my mother soon became best friends. We often did things with her family and things slowly began to change. We went camping more, we went on little trips. My mom smiled more. Mary had a daughter around my age and a son around my brother's age and I thought her husband was hilarious. Mostly, I was just glad my mom had finally found a friend.

As I grew older, Mary and my mother grew closer and closer as my mother and father drifted apart. By the time I was 15, my father was drinking every day, especially so on the weekends, and just didn't really have anything to do with any of us. We continued to all hang out together as a family and sometimes my father joined us but most of the time he didn't.

When I was 16 almost 17, my mother told me that she had decided that she was going to divorce my father. We were going to move again and that's when I found out the secret that all of us KNEW but couldn't confirm.

My mother and Mary were in love.

To me as a 17 year old girl, this news was confusing, frightening, and exciting all at the same time. I knew my mother was happy with Mary but I didn't quite understand same-sex relationships yet. After two nasty divorces, my mother and Mary were free to be together and I was unsure what the future would hold.

I would come to learn over these many years, however, that love is love and my mother deserved to be in a committed loving relationship no matter who it is with. When people ask me today what it was like when my mother came out, I tell them it was like the day the sun came out. Suddenly, everything was clear and bright and I understood things in a way I don't think many other people do at that age.

I have my two moms to thank for teaching me about real love and the sacrifices people make for it. The sun has never stopped shining for me, since. It may not be what most people believe but I know it is real and true and no one will ever be able to take that away from them.