It was another madcap wedding weekend, in which Ed and I raced from venue to venue trying to find the perfect wedding site.

We started at an inn in York, Maine. But although prices for meals started at $35 a head, we had to guarantee a $57 per head meal for them to reserve the inn for us. To top it off, there was a facility fee, no discounts on rooms at the inn for wedding guests and they would only hold the wedding after Columbus Day. While the inn was beautiful, we were leery about the number of restrictions they wanted to put on it, so we decided the inn was a no-go.

Next was a cruise line out of Portland, Maine. Portland is a really neat city with a lot going on, so I had visions of a great wedding weekend, packed with bar-hopping, spas and fine dining. The boat itself was a tad rundown, but we had high hopes, since the boat cruises to an island for a clambake. How fun and New England is that.

Well, the distance from the pier to the reception site was about five miles, uphill both ways. Not really, but for my family – we’re a stout people, not given much to exercise and completely given over to food – it would certainly seem like hiking Kilimanjaro. Too bad. It looked like a lot of fun.

But on the way back to the pier, we passed a neat little inn on the island. We just popped in and lo and behold, they were setting up for an event. We got to see the tent, complete with lights and tables and chairs, ready to go. Even better, the inn uses a booking agency which offers an all-inclusive deal. That’s the DJ, wedding cake, venue, food, tables, chairs, linens, waitstaff, etc. for one price. I don’t know what that price is yet, I’m waiting to hear back, so I’ll let you know in my next post if the all-inclusive offers a good deal.

Ed and I then grabbed some dinner in Portland in a neat Irish pub. I loved it so much, I asked if they did functions – and they did! For up to 200 on a Saturday night. Even better, they have live music beginning at 9:30 p.m. So I can have a mid-afternoon wedding, feed everyone, do some dancing and then those who wish to keep the party going can join the rest of the pub for the night.

Never underestimate the power of asking. The places Ed and I had booked to see ended up not working out, but places we saw in our travels are strong possibilities. Usually if you stop in and ask, people are friendly and willing to take a minute to give you the information. If they’re not, then you don’t want to hold your wedding there.