The Venue Search, Pt. I

Yesterday we looked at two venues, and I am exhausted. Still. Partly because we foolishly went to the mall afterward, but mostly because when I meet strangers, I tend to focus too much on whether they like me. It wears me right out. So instead of being goofy and enthusiastic, I tried to seem cool and mysterious. This, I imagine, came off stranger than if I had just acted normally.

Do you find my swagger intimidating?

Anyway.

The first place we looked at was The Booking House, where we met the amiable, honorable, inimitable JP for a tour (I never found out if he has a last name or just letters). We took the scenic route there, through farmland and herds of sheep, over the railroad tracks until BAM! there it was. Right in the middle of a tiny, residential neighborhood. People gittin' murried down by the train tracks.

The Booking House is a sturdy, old building, a former cigar factory with exposed brick and dark wood. The owner bought the next-door warehouse for his contracting business, then decided to renovate the factory and use it as an event venue. We'd looked online at some other places with the same rustic-industrial thing goin' on, but none of the other ones were as chic or put-together as this. Bill especially appreciated the lack of distracting duct pipes we'd seen at another place. When we mentioned its name, JP informed us that another client went there for a tour, and a dead bat fell on her head! Which is fine for some events, but we haven't decided yet whether to release live doves or dead bats. It could go either way.

The place has three floors of pretty rooms with chandeliers and fireplaces: a mix of Cary Grant and Holly Golightly. On the third floor is a lounge called the Crow's Nest where the bride and groom can spy on their guests or relax in leather chairs and smoke cigars together. As all couples like to do. It also has an antique freight elevator for killa photo ops, as well as a large table made out of an old trap door, which I assume is for Serious Matrimonial Meetings. Or quick escapes.

We're always watching.

Pros:

• Pretty
• Table and chair rentals included in price
• No ugly pipes
• No dead bats
• Cigar Time

Cons:

• Only available Fridays or Sundays
• Secluded - no one can hear you scream

Up next: The Venue Search, Pt. II: This Time It's Personal

Image via Reel Hollywood Legends.