Finding a Venue #1 or What's a Foodie to Do?

One of the things I knew would be important to me in planning this wedding was the food. As you can tell from my previous post, I am a bit of a foodie. I have a hard time spending tons of money on a pair of shoes, but if I can find a good meal somewhere, I am all over it. Yep yep! Needless to say, I know that I wanted to find a reception venue that had great food or at least a good culinary reputation.  Unfortunately, that does not always happen in wedding planning. There are just so many things going on in the decision-making process that something's gotta fall by the wayside. I've already learned a few months into this process that you will never really figure out how you got where you did until you get there....ya know what I'm sayin'? 

Case in point...our chosen venue...I NEVER EVEN TRIED THE FOOD!!! That's right.. NEVER! I'm going on complete blind faith here, which for someone like me who wants to know everything ahead of time (yep, I'm a planner) is pure hell. 

This leads me to our top choice at the beginning of the venue shopping process: the River Cafe in Brooklyn.  In addition to having amazing food, the Terrace Room, the River Cafe's private room, has beautiful views of the Manhattan skyline.  At the beginning of planning, I really wanted a venue that would highlight the beauty of NYC. I grew up here, love with all my heart, and I find something new and beautiful about it almost everyday. I really wanted the feel of NY in all its beauty to be a part of our day. 

When you walk into the Terrace Room you see this amazing view.

(photo credit to yours truly)

Honestly, this pictures does not do it justice. Sigh...

We would have tried to have our ceremony on the deck here:

(I took this one too)

Even the inside is pretty..I mean come one..they've got a stream running through it!

(ditto)

I was in venue love, BUT this place costs mad loot, yo! I'm not even buggin' with you. Mr. CPF and I contemplated this place for awhile. We thought about cutting our guest list; buying sardines to eat for the next year; and just plain sucking it up. In the end, we couldn't justify the price. I lost my perfect foodie venue in the blink of an eye...okay fine, in the blink of a perfectly rational adult decision. Oh well! What's a girl to do. I soon realized that the C.R.E.A.M (Cash Rules Everything Around Me. You know you recognized the Wu-Tang Clan reference) factor was going to be sooo much a part of this process. 

So Mr. CPF and I kept on movin' ...stay tuned for more on the venue saga. 

Was there anything that you may have felt strongly about in your venue search or in wedding planning in general? Were you able to get it in the end? Please let me know what it feels/felt 'cause I'd sure like to know.