Venue: The Pagoda at Point Defiance Park

We'll be celebrating our wedding at the Pagoda in Point Defiance Park in Tacoma. ( Look at this pretty picture! ) Odds are good that it will be a nice day and the plan is to exchange vows outside, either on the lawn or at the base of a large staircase on the back side of the Pagoda (like these people did). And if it rains, we can push all the tables to one side of the Pagoda and hold the ceremony inside.

In our venue search, we considered wineries, converted barns, and other non-church locations. I thought it would be nice to get married at the Golden Gardens Bathhouse, located on the beach in Ballard, but when we went to visit, Raj was turned off by the public-ness of it (namely, the public restrooms within spitting distance of the doors leading from the bathhouse to the beach). The Pagoda is also in a public park, but the layout of the area and surrounding gardens make it a bit more private. And it's only a short trip down to Owen Beach so we can still have beach pictures.

An important factor in our venue search was being able to do the whole shebang all in one location. In the interest of keeping our carbon footprint as small as possible, I didn't want guests to drive from one place to another between the ceremony and reception. And, as this venue is in a city park, it is conveniently budget conscious, as well.