The Frozen Southerner

It makes me a teensy bit sad that I have yet to see the church in which we’ll say our vows. Making the decision on such an incredibly important venue from 900 miles away was not easy.

Thankfully, my amazing sister/MOH R met with the coordinator at the church and provided a thoroughly detailed account of her visit. And her partner-in-crime VT took some fantastic pictures.

Ignore the somewhat orange-y carpet!

All photos courtesy Val Tenyotkin

You may remember my previous discussion about the wedding church conundrum. It was a bit of a task trying to find a church in the Raleigh, N.C. area in which we could wed. I had attended a church in the RDU area with some regularity, but I didn’t personally know the minister and the church isn’t the most photogenic (not that that really matters). Unfortunately, most churches we looked into required membership to be married there. Part of me understands that policy, but another part of me thinks that’s a bit silly. I would think if you charge someone a bit of money to be married there, you have an opportunity to make some money and share your place of worship with someone new. I wish more churches were open to “outsiders” using their facility for marriage ceremonies.

But I digress. We did finally find a church that permits non-members to be married there, and, unlike the one or two other churches we had found, their prices were very reasonable. And after looking at a couple of pictures online, I was smitten. From our computer screens halfway across the country, we knew Unity Church of The Triangle, also known as the Long View Center, was the place for us. It’s a lovely facility, and the coordinator there has been extremely helpful and eager to work with us, despite the distance.

The church is in a fab location in downtown Raleigh, right in the middle of everything and super close to our reception venue. What’s funny is I have actually parallel parked alongside one of the more plain exterior walls of the church, and I didn’t even realize it was such a gorgeous church. The church faces in a direction I rarely traveled, and I had never been inside – so, I never previously paid attention to the beautiful front or got a chance to see its lovely interior.

My advice to those getting married somewhere far away from you live:

• Do lots of research. Don’t just stop when your Google search spits out a couple of facility options; check for photos of weddings that have taken place there (I definitely found some!) and see if anyone has written any reviews.
• If you can’t visit the venues in question, try to find someone whose opinion you trust to go in your stead. And ask them to take lots of pictures!
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions. I have bombarded our poor point of contact with dozens of e-mails and phone calls. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem she’s minded too much!
• Know exactly what your church (or other facility) provides. Is there a place for the bride and bridesmaids to get ready? What about somewhere for the guys to get ready? Are there picturesque backdrops for photos to be taken?
• And lastly, make sure you get the venue for the amount of time you want to get it for. We almost went with a venue that wanted us in and out in such a short time, it likely would’ve made our heads spin. We’re glad we kept searching and found a place whose price includes a longer time frame in which we’re allowed to occupy the space.