Okay, so Acid Lamp and I have around two years or so before we’re going to get married, but I wanted to do a little research so our planning won’t be so crazy. I’m from South Florida, where everything seems to be outrageously priced,** regardless of quality. He’s from the Orlando area, and things seem to be a little cheaper in some aspects. We haven’t picked a date yet, but that’ll probably come up within the next six months or so. I’m thinking I want some sort of outdoor ceremony with lots of natural beauty,* and there’s a lot of gardens and little outdoor venues in the area. Two caught my eye today.
Leu Gardens: It’s in Orlando (somewhere) and has a lot of pretty photos. The prices don’t seem all that bad, and I saw a really pretty wedding done there on one of those wedding shows (I think). Orlando’s got tons of hotels, and I’m sure there are some nicer ones nearby.
Bok Sanctuary: Gorgeous, and around an hour away from where we’ll be living in a week. Has a lot of ceremony options, but doesn’t seem to do much in the way of on-site reception stuff. I googled hotels in Lake Wales, and it seemed like a lot of motels came up. Anyone familiar with hotels in the area and whether it’d be feasible to do a reception at a hotel nearby? I don’t wanna get our guests all liquored up and then have to find transportation to their lodgings more complex than the hotel elevator.
Has anyone been to either of these locations? What did you think? Do you know of accommodations nearby that’d work with them? Any suggestions for other neat places to get married that aren’t super expensive just to rent out? I’m gathering ideas so I can sort through them and narrow down the list of ideas to two or three before I subject Acid Lamp and family members to my foolishness. 
[sub]*Okay, so I’m cheap and realize that if I get someplace that’s naturally pretty like a garden or a scenic beach, I’ll have to do less decorating of the place. I’m also kinda earthy and like the idea of getting married with nature as our surroundings. Plus, I think Spanish Moss hanging from big old trees to be an excellent backdrop.
**One example: the museum I used to volunteer at (The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens) is gorgeous, but it costs darn near $3500 just to rent the venue with nothing added in besides the pretty views, a room to get dressed in, and a lot of rules. Want to rent the big tent? Add $7000 to the cost of rental, and then think about how much extra you’ll pay for catering, tables, chairs, flowers, etc. and you may get a headache…[/sub]
Have you considered St. Augustine? There are some beautiful places/beaches there.
Pick up a wedding book from around there, you might be surprised at the venues available.
If you haven’t been to Bok Gardens, there are some amazing settings there. I can think of 3 spots off hand that would lend itself to a wedding. A friend of mine got married there, although we didn’t attend the wedding.
Not sure if this is much help, but I got married in the Tampa Theater. http://tour.tbo.com/tour/stops/tampatheatre.htm
We didn’t have much time (two hours, tops) we had to have the reception elsewhere, blah blah blah, it was GREAT!
You may want to check the local garden clubs.
Although St. Augustine is gorgeous, I’m not sure I want to subject a good portion of our guests to more than a 3 hour drive to see me get hitched. That and I’d like to be able to be within an hour and a half drive of the venue, etc. for ease of not spending too much money on gas to check it out.
While the Tampa Theater is pretty cool, I think it’d be too big and grandiose for the smaller number of guests we were thinking of. We were thinking of something around 50 to 75 guests at the most; I don’t know if we could fill up the theater enough to do that.
Once I get myself moved up there, I’ll more than likely pick up a local wedding guide of some sort to get an idea of what’s there. Thanks for the tip!
We had about a hundred people. That was the only thing we were firm on. Having lived in Florida most of my life, I’m always surprised at how far away from water Orlando is.
I guess my biggest point, is pick a place that you like, that you can afford. It was worth it for us to have a great location. (Oh, and leave married 
)
An old bandmate of mine got married at the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville (1 1/2 to 2 hours north of Orlando). It was absolutely beautiful, and I know they weren’t loaded so I’m sure they got a decent rate:
I’ve heard nothing but the nicest things about Leu Gardens, but after 2 1/2 years in town, I still haven’t been there.
If you get a chance, drive up to Leesburg and take a look at Venetian Gardens. I’ve always thought it would make a beautiful place for a wedding. I tried to find some on-line photos but wasn’t successful.
Wow, both of those places are really pretty.
After having a chat with my mom last night, I’ve discovered that she’s not only open to us having a destination wedding, she’s suggesting we look at Georgia and the Carolinas as well when picking a venue. I’m completely open to any and all suggestions so I can start doing some research on the places.
Bok is beautiful, but there truly are no good venues for a reception nearby that I’m aware of. My friends who married there had their reception at a friend’s home. The only exception might be Chalet Suzanne, but that would be mega expensive, I’m thinking.