Allison's Thinking Cap

Not a Curse After All

(This is a long one… so brace yourself).

Planning this wedding has really gotten to me. It’s so stressful when you’re on a budget and the wedding is out of town (to save money). We haven’t been able to find a venue for the reception in Camden that is large enough to hold everyone. It has been so frustrating because everything I’ve tried has fallen through. Every glimmer of hope I had just dead-ended. I’ve spent so much time crying and stressing and asking God why He can’t let SOMETHING go right for us with this wedding.

One of my dad’s close friends in Camden has been looking around for venues for me. He called Monday evening and said we could come look at a hunting lodge… it was one of the last places large enough. Not attractive, but large enough. So I was afraid of having a repeat of my last unsuccessful trip to Camden, but at the last minute, my dad and I decided to go.
We get to Camden yesterday around 5pm and we show up to the hunting lodge to take a look inside and the man with the key doesn’t show. We can’t get in touch with him at all. So my dad’s friend keeps trying to get in touch with the guy while we go take a look at a few other last resorts. Everything is way overpriced for the quality of the facilities. We also talked to a person my dad knew that does interior decorating… just to have extra helping hands for that day. She’s really classy, but much older and pretty old-fashioned. Everything I told her I wanted, she shot down. When we left her I was ready to throw in the towel. I was sick to my stomach and fighting back tears. I even told my dad that I was beginning to think it was a mistake to have the wedding there since nothing was working.

Even recently, talking to a friend about my wedding plans, he notices how I keep saying things like “its not what I wanted, but it’ll have to do because our time and money are very limited”. He asks me “Are you getting anything you want in this wedding?” It really made me stop and think. No I wasn’t getting anything I wanted. I don’t have to have my dream wedding to be happy, but not one aspect of it was anything I had ever wanted. I was having to compromise and settle… beggars can’t be choosers. Well then I thought, why am I spending all this time, energy, and money on something I don’t even want?? What a waste. I should just elope.

So my dad and I had to stop by my planner’s store to drop something off for someone. We weren’t going to stay long because they were super busy with prom stuff. It’s just her (Vickie) and her daughter (Erica). This is their busiest time of year and it’s the most profitable time for her, even though she’d rather just focus on weddings. I felt so sorry for them and I hated even having to stop their work for even a few minutes. My dad told her how badly things were going for me, and when we were about to leave, she remembered something.
A few days ago a woman had stopped by to leave some business cards for her to show to brides. This lady had recently bought a huge historic home (The O’Donnell House) and completely renovated it. She’s super classy and a perfectionist… she’s only used the very best to furnish it. The grounds are dreamy with large shady oaks and beautiful gardens. Vickie saw the website and told the lady she had a bride that it would be perfect for.
She knew right away it was exactly what I was looking for. She knew I’d love it, but she didn’t know if I could afford it. She showed me the website and immediately, I was hooked. It was everything I’ve ever dreamed of for my wedding day. I just wanted to cry. I didn’t want to look at another venue. It is over my budget, but it was the only thing that has made me feel at peace about this whole wedding. Aside from the money issue, it wasn’t just a glimmer of hope… it was more like a beam.
Vickie asked me if I wanted to give it a try even though its over my budget. My dad and I considered it and we figured we’d end up spending that much to dress up a cheap, rinky-dink venue, so we decided to give it a try. The first thing was to make sure the house wasn’t already booked for July 17th. Vickie couldn’t get in touch with her while we were there. Vickie said we’d pray about it and if it was God’s will, the house would be available and He’d provide the money. She knew how disappointed I’ve been through this whole process and she was trying everything she could to help me.
My dad and I left her store and went to see his late brother’s new headstone on his grave that had just been installed the day before. We were talking about it on the way and my dad said he really felt like our trip had been ordered by the Lord. He knew there was a reason we had to stop by Vickie’s store, and he felt like this was God giving me the desires of my heart. We decided to pray right then going down the road that God would work it out if it was His will. I know that sounds silly to ask God’s will about a wedding… its really just a glorified party, but we did.
After dinner, we left Camden and headed home. About halfway home, Vickie calls and says she finally talked to the owner and the house is available!! I was so happy I could’ve jumped up and down. She told me I had to pay half of the price as a deposit to secure my spot. Thank God one of Caleb’s family members sent me a check this week to help pay for some of the wedding expenses. The check doesn’t cover the whole deposit, but it covers 75% of it. And I just happen to have enough to pay for the rest of the deposit in my checking account.

I talked with the owner today. I am going down this Saturday morning to meet with the owner to see the house and the grounds, and to put down my deposit. There’s a reception there that afternoon, so I’ll be able to get a good idea of how things will be for our wedding. But praise Jesus… we have a venue!!
The O’Donnell House is everything I’ve ever dreamed of for my wedding. It’s beyond perfect! I’m going to have the wedding of my dreams! Just thinking about it makes me feel so fortunate and blessed! I’m so thankful to God for answering prayer and guiding our steps yesterday. If we hadn’t gone, we probably wouldn’t have found out about this place in time to book it. Thank you Jesus for answering prayer and giving me the desires of my heart!

By the way… here’s The O’Donnell House website… check it out!
www.theodonnellhouse.com

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