Getting Married at Bayonet Farm: October 1, 2011!

Hi there, readers! I hope you're enjoying the sunny day in Holmdel that I'm experiencing in Philadelphia. Since I have recently been introduced to the Holmdel area (I'm getting married there, as you can tell from the above title), I thought I'd better introduce you to the basics of myself and my fiance and how we came to choose our wedding location.

My name is Robin Klinger. I'm 36 and getting married. I'm glad I waited so long. It was truly worth it. Kevin is almost 32. He's from the Branchburg, NJ area, and his immediate family still lives within an hour or so of there.

After almost two years of dating, and one year of co-habitating, he popped the question on March 6. We waited about a day to decide that we wanted to get married this year. The reason we came to that conclusion was that 1. nobody's getting any younger, 2. we were excited!, and 3. we want an outdoor wedding with nice weather and couldn't imagine waiting until next April or May. Some may say we've made it difficult on ourselves with such a short time, but I think the quick planning is working out great! We are spending lots of time together, making decisions and learning even more about each other. Bonding time, you know?!

Since my family has all spread out across the country, and we live in Philadelphia, it made sense to me to find a place at least close to one of our families. Kevin was surprised when I mentioned the Jersey shore, actually. It made sense to me: I wanted something fairly casual, non-traditional, and close to family. His parents summer in Seaside Heights, so we stayed a night at their place and looked at Island Beach State Park. It was beautiful, however, there were restrictions on alcohol, it was very windy, and we couldn't imagine everyone traipsing through the sand. Kevin gets a lot of credit for researching online for both ceremony and reception locations. He's responsible for finding both! The next morning, we headed to Allaire State Park. I had no idea what to expect, but it was so adorable! We're having the ceremony at the chapel in the historic village. We recently visited again and explored the rest of the historic village on a beautiful spring day. I can't even imagine how much more scenic it will be once the leaves are changing. I love old things and old buildings, and I think our photos will turn out fantastically!

As you can imagine, alcohol is prohibited at Allaire, so this left us in need of a reception location. I admit, I was sceptical about seeing Bayonet Farm at first, because we had seen some other examples of barns in our search, and they left a little to be desired. I think Bayonet might have been one of the last locations left on our list, and we were getting discouraged. We went out after a half day of work one afternoon, though, and as soon as the barn doors were opened, I knew this was the place. I had been waiting for that feeling, and as we looked and walked through the barn and around the property of the farmhouse, I couldn't stop nudging Kevin and squeezing his arm. This was it! The barns seem in perfect condition, and we had our choice of them. One big bonus: the township, who handles rental of the property, currently books only one event per weekend. I was so pleased. I wanted something private and out of the range of passers-by, and this beautiful red barn was far-removed from the road, and we could decorate the day before, and clean up decorations the day after. (I believe this might be what we are doing.)

So, we booked it. I'm so eager to tell you more. We've sent out electronic save-the-dates to save time, have booked our photographer, begun registering (quite a big job!), and are expecting to choose a caterer in the next couple of weeks. I've also gotten my dress! I'm really eager to start thinking about decorations and favors and such, but these are the details that will make my summer interesting. My May/June job?: Find a florist. Suggestions welcome!