location, location, location

tyler and i agreed from the very beginning about our venue... there was no other place that we would be married other than patten chapel on the campus of the university of tennessee at chattanooga. the reasons we so desperately wanted to get married in this beautiful gothic style chapel were because:

1) we met at utc. we have so many wonderful memories on the utc campus, and it just seems so perfect to get married on the same campus where we met.

2) tyler's parents were married in this same chapel. his mother chose patten chapel, because, at the time, patten chapel had the longest center aisle in chattanooga. (yes, my MIL is fabulous, and i love how she thinks!) i'm not sure if patten chapel can still claim that it has the longest center aisle in the city, but, in my opinion, it's still the most beautiful chapel in town.

3) tyler actually proposed to me right outside the chapel in the shakespeare courtyard.

the only problem with patten chapel is that there isn't a place on campus for us to hold a reception! so, we had to do some searching to find the perfect reception location.

in searching for a reception venue, i wanted to find a place that transitioned well from patten chapel's decor. i also wanted to find a place that was affordable but beautiful.

with some help from tyler's fabulous aunt caroline, we found the perfect reception venue at the fairyland club on lookout mountain. fairyland club is truly made for a fairy tale wedding. the views, the decor, and the staff are all AMAZING! tammy is the event planner there, and she takes the stress out of planning. i completely trust the staff at fairyland club, and i know they are going to make our reception gorgeous. i'm looking forward to our food tasting! (and so is tyler!)

i think the venues we picked are absolutely perfect for the feeling and style we are going for, which i'll explain in more detail later. :) once the venues were chosen, i could actually picture walking down the aisle to my handsome groom and our first dance together as husband and wife. and i haven't stopped daydreaming about it yet! i can't wait to fill patten chapel and fairyland club with our family and friends as we become mr. and mrs.!

so, in case you were keeping track, so far we've chosen:
the man.
the date.
the venues.

we have so far to go! what a lovely journey this has been and will be...

fin.