Author: Sandra K. Barnidge

Sandra is a freelance writer based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Learn more at sandrabarnidge.com.

Why the Children’s Museum?

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LoveBirdExhibitImage_760_445_s_c1_center_center_0_0_1
Nothing says romance like a giant metal bat house.

Over the past couple of months, it’s been interesting to see how other people react when we tell them we’re getting married at a kiddie ranch. The overwhelming majority of exchanges go something like this:

“So, where are you guys getting married? Here in town?”
“Yes, actually, we’re doing it at the Children’s Museum on the Square.”
(Face brightens.) “That’s really neat!”
“We think so too. Thanks!”

No one has been outright negative, though Sandy has had a couple of “huh” and “I wouldn’t have pegged that” responses. Mostly, folks are just curious about how we came to the decision we did. So, here are the reasons, in no particular order:

1. We can have the “downtown wedding” and the “garden wedding” at the same time.

2. Our money is going to support a nonprofit that is dedicated to education and sustainability and is welcoming to the entire community. It’s all about encouraging curiosity and exploration, which makes it the kind of place that represents our values much the same way a church does for other couples.

3. Every time we visit, the museum just makes us feel happy. These days, we spend so much of our time being serious, thanks to school and work. The museum forces us to let our guard down for a bit. To enjoy the setting, you really do have to relax, go with the flow and just embrace it.

It’s strange to look at Pinterest boards and bridal magazines at this point in the planning process, when so many of our major elements have been decided. It’s pretty safe to say there aren’t a whole lot of other weddings that have looked the way ours will. (We do have some models, though!) That’s great for our hipster cred, but it’s also a little scary, since there’s already so much pressure on the whole occasion. At the museum, there are several things we can’t have that seem like pretty standard wedding details, like glass, candles and, um, ceremony chairs (sorry).

But the closer we get to the big day (122 days!), the more we realize there truly is no “script” for this. There’s no right or wrong way, just our way.

And that’s a beautifully whimsical thing.

Tastefully Texas

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One of the earliest ideas we had for our wedding was to incorporate Sandy’s Wisconsin roots into the drink offerings (think Old Fashioneds and craft beers) and Matt’s Texas ties into the food. And we’re well on our way to doing just that!

Tex Tubb’s Taco Palace is a quirky Madison chain that offers what Matt thinks are the best Austin-style tacos in town. The museum’s preferred vendor list isn’t exactly extensive, but when we saw TTTP was on it, it was a natural pick. Yesterday we had our tasting. The first question the catering manager asked was if we wanted complimentary margaritas, and we have the (proud?) distinction of being the first couple to take her up on the offer. (To be fair, TTTP doesn’t do a lot of wedding tastings. Apparently many couples who use them just skip an afternoon of free food, which totally baffles me.)

We had the whole back room to ourselves, and folks just kept bringing us plates. We now have a fridge full of salsas, queso dip, chips and tamales; we won’t have to grocery shop again until the wedding!

 

Sweet day of planning

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We’ve been in hibernation mode for a bit here, as Wisconsin is experiencing an especially brutal cold snap. But today we bundled up and headed out to make some wedding progress.

After quite a bit of discussion and deliberation, we’ve decided to do a mini “stay-moon” right after the wedding. We’ll spend the weekend at the Edgewater Hotel, a historic resort in downtown Madison that has recently reopened after a massive renovation. It’s located right on Lake Mendota, with some of the nicest waterfront views in town. With a spa and a steakhouse, it’ll fit both of our interests quite well!

We opted for a “premium lakefront” room, which will look like this in the fall:

Photo: Edgewater Hotel

*
After our Edgewater tour, we headed to the far west side of Madison for a cupcake tasting at Cupcakes-A-Go-Go. It’s one of the best cupcakeries in Madison (yes, this tiny city is home to several). A friend of ours had these instead of a traditional cake at his wedding, and everyone absolutely loved them. Couple that with a recent endorsement by one of Sandy’s colleagues, and we were feeling pretty optimistic.

matt cakesThe tasting didn’t disappoint.
(Have you EVER seen Matt look this gleeful??)

A-Go-Go specializes in wacky flavors, like Chocolate Whisky Bacon, White Russian, Bourbon Pecan Pie and more. (Seeing a theme yet?) We haven’t come to a decision yet about which flavors we’ll choose, but odds are definitely looking good for Irish Trifecta and Red Velvet. Sandy hasn’t given up hope entirely for getting some bacon in there, but marriage is all about compromise, right?

The Dress Hunt

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Mom!
Silk and boots.
We found the dress in Paris — the Paris dressing room, that is. See? There’s the Eiffel Tower!

My mom, Rita, and I officially began The Hunt today — and we also may have finished it!

I was pretty wary about too much salesperson intervention during my wedding dress search, and I was unsure about what it meant to set up an appointment at a bridal salon. We opted instead to take our chances and walk into Vera’s House of Bridals here in Madison — just in time for the Saturday morning rush to be in full force, with several brides accompanied by extensive entourages. It became immediately clear why one should set an appointment for this kind of thing; you can’t simply walk around and look at all of the dress options at a place like this. Vera’s inventory includes more than 500 dresses, and only a handful of them are on display in the lobby areas.

But today was our lucky day. We signed in and waited only a few minutes for an available consultant. Cassie took us upstairs to start looking through the “finale” rack options as she staked out a dressing room. On the very first rack was a very particular dress. I pointed it out, and once Cassie was able to sneak us into the “Paris” room, it was the very first dress I tried on.

The attraction was instant, but I wasn’t sure if I was really just excited about the experience of putting on a wedding dress. Three hours, more than 20 dresses, a bottle of water and a couple of visits from Vera herself later, it was clear that the first dress was the dress. As those other dresses came and went, the first dress never left the room.

Mom and I were both in love with it, but the purchase timing didn’t feel quite right. So we put the darling on hold, and I’ll see how I feel in a few days. (I already kind of miss it.)

Wedding Expo

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photo (4)Cheers to Angel — it’s her birthday! Today she and Sandy checked out the MadCity Bridal Expo at the Brink Lounge. Overall the event was pretty much a bust, since we aren’t really in need of strobe lighting or dead-sea mineral scrubs. Sandy was really looking forward to the “fashion show” part, but sadly, all of the models wore a variety of just one design. (Literally. The same dress. Multiple colors and skirt lengths, but they were all. the. same. dress.)

At least there were free magazines. And not-free mimosas.

 

The Venue: Part 5

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**
WE ARE GOING TO STAND ON THE ROCK!
It’s (almost) official: we’re holding our ceremony
and reception at the Madison Children’s Museum.
**
Rocks

What changed? On Friday, we attended an “adult swim” event at the museum. Basically, it’s a no-kid evening for adults to explore the exhibits and do goofy activities. We went to an adult swim about a couple of years ago, which was when the seed was originally planted that the museum might be a great place to throw a big party.

Seeing the museum again in an adults-only context really helped reassure us this is the right choice for us. We went back to the rooftop and walked through some ceremony scenarios, and for Sandy, it finally clicked. She and her dad can privately walk along the sunflower garden before emerging in front of the full crowd. We can put the men on the side of the waterfall with the rougher rocks, and the girls can stand more easily on the smoother steps. There’s space in front of the waterfall for a couple of rows of chairs for the guests who really need them, and we think a short ceremony should be no problem for everyone else to stand through.

We can also put a bar and appetizer station up there so people can transition seamlessly from the ceremony to a cocktail hour, unless it’s chilly, in which case we’ll all just move inside right away.

The museum has so many weird elements that actually have a lot of meaning for us and our families, such as sunflowers, metal-art sculptures and live chickens. And we really like the idea of holding our wedding in a place that is all about education and sustainability. You can take a closer look at the museum by clicking here.

Anyway — we have a venue!

The Venue: Part 4

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Today we went back to the Madison Children’s Museum for a formal tour with the rental director and had a chance to ask our biggest questions about the place.

We're a bit confused about how exactly the ceremonies work. "Do we stand on that rock?"How does the ceremony space on the rooftop garden work? We don’t actually stand on this rock, do we?

Answer: Yes, you really do stand on that rock.

Sandy isn’t sure the rooftop setting will work for a ceremony. It’s a darling space for cocktails and wandering around during the reception, but, well, she’s not feeling the rock of vows or its alternative: the giant metal chicken arch at the other end of the garden.

One of many jungle gyms for guests to walk/crawl through.

With the indoor option, we could have an aisle and an alter-ish thing situated between two faux mud huts, which Sandy kind of digs, and under a bone bridge, which Matt really doesn’t.

So, where does this leave us in terms of picking a venue that’s fun but also realistically functional for both the ceremony and reception?

Answer: We have no idea.