Golden Horseshoe Inn is a historic Virginia wedding venue in the Blue Ridge Mountains that specializes in boutique size weddings for up to 50 guests and elegant elopements for two.

The inn’s all inclusive elements mean that your officiant, chairs, tables, linens, wedding cake and bridal flowers will be taken care of  – all created and designed to your specifications.

One of the big advantages and sanity savers of a wedding at Golden Horseshoe Inn is having your own personal wedding planner. She will be with you every step of the way, helping you work thru each decision and detail. Your wedding planner will also be there directing the events on your wedding day –setting up decorations, receiving deliveries, welcoming guests, making sure everything falls into place. Having your own wedding planner to rely on, lets you experience your wedding, rather than overseeing it.

Golden Horseshoe Inn can help you design the special touches that make the day uniquely yours, without having to spend a fortune.

Photos Three, Four and Five: Kibler Photography

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Or you can feast your farm-lovin’ eyes on the ever expanding list of Ontario barn wedding venues on the Intimate Weddings barn venue finder. Here are just a few of the barn venues listed:

Belcroft Estates, Bradford, Ontario

Gambrel Barn, Milton, Ontario

Fields on West Lake, Bloomfield, Ontario

Herb Garden, Ottawa, Ontario

Weddings in a Barn – Cambridge, Ontario

Hernder Estate Wines, St. Catharines, Ontario

Find more Ontario barn wedding venues on the IW venue finder.

Photo One Montage and Photo Two: Renaissance Studios: Photo Three:Uschi and Kay; Photo Four: Herb Garden: Photo Five: Weddings in a Barn: Photo Six: Dustin Hall Photography

For a lodge wedding venue you have several options on where to have your ceremony. Inside the lodge is the most obvious option. With surroundings like a towering stone fireplace, or high wood beam ceilings, lodges have stunning interiors and the fireplaces are cozy and add to the intimate feel of a lodge wedding.

The outside of a lodge is just as serene. Having a gorgeous snow capped mountain backdrop is jaw dropping and your guests can watch the ceremony (hopefully not a very lengthy one!) wrapped in coats, or blankets you provide, then huddle around the hot fire with hot cocoa and sweets for the cocktail hour before the rest of the celebration.

These reindeer blankets would be amazing for an outdoor snowy fete!

Lodge decor already adds so much to the look of a wedding that adding your own touches is simple and takes a lot of pressure off of the design that you will add.

Snowshoes, skis and sleds are all great props to add to your look of the lodge inspired wedding, and you can use them inside or out!

How amazing are these little skis for bouquet detailing??

Centerpieces and other decor items can take cues from the interior decorating and architecture of the lodge itself and pull together the overall look of your wedding. One of my favorite looks is centerpieces that incorporate antlers! Pine cones can also add to the rustic charm.

Wintry weddings are just plain dreamy. The white snow gives the proceedings an ethereal glow and a fresh feeling of new beginnings, perfect for a wedding day! Rustic warm tones of the wood, cozy clothes, and fresh powder all make for the perfect lodge look.

Image One and Two: 6:8 Photography; Image Two: amountainbride.blogspot.com; Image Three: snippetandink.com; Image Four: alwaysandriweddingdesign.blogspot.com; Image Five: benjhaisch.com; Image Six: scout.typepad.com; Image Seven: photosbyaw.com; Image Eight: stylemepretty.com; Image Nine: lancashire.gov.uk; Image Ten: stylemepretty.com; Image Eleven: stylemepretty.com; Image Twelve: stylemepretty.com; Image Thirteen: greenweddingshoes.com; Image Fourteen: rocknrollbride.com; Image Fifteen: thesweetestoccasion.com; Image Sixteen: rusticweddingchic.com

Rebekah is a stylist and wedding and event designer. She owns the company A & B Creative, read her blog.

Looking for Colorado wedding venues that are perfect for smaller guests lists?

Villa Parker in Parker, Colorado provides a stunning setting for both indoor and outdoor weddings.  Imagine more then ten thousand square feet of Mediterranean styled architecture, a terracotta-tiled roof, chocolate colored accents, gracious archways all tucked into an acre of lush gardens and walking paths with striking views of the Rocky Mountains.  Beckoning from within its grand wall the villa promises a setting that is truly elegant and extraordinary.

The breathtaking courtyard is the perfect setting for ceremonies or cocktail hour, while the picturesque ballroom graciously receives your reception. Site fee includes exclusive use of the facility for twelve hours.

Located just 20 minutes south of Denver overlooking Historic Parker, Villa Parker is an ideal combination of charm and elegance.

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Photo One and Two: Elevate Photography; Photo Three and Four:Gaston Photography; Photo Five and Six: Brooke Trexler; Photo Seven: Laura Murray; Photo Eight: Elevate Photography

My wife and I got engaged here, stayed here on our honeymoon and celebrated our anniversary here. We cannot think of a more relaxing, romance inducing atmosphere. I’m counting the days to our next stay at the Brampton Inn.

This is just one of many rave reviews found on Tripadvisor for the Brampton Bed and Breakfast Inn in Chestertown, Maryland.

The Brampton Bed & Breakfast Inn sits on twenty acres of picturesque grounds, surrounded by century old trees that provide an unparalleled setting for your special day.  The award-winning Chesapeake Country Inn is a quiet oasis one mile outside of historic Chestertown.

Inside the doors of this romantic Maryland inn, you will find the grand elegance of a 19th century country estate. The Brampton’s elegant 1860 plantation house and landscaped gardens are perfectly suited for intimate weddings and elopements.  The wedding venue can host intimate weddings of up to 20 guests in the formal parlor and on the massive wrap around porch.

Check out The Brampton Bed and Breakfast Inn for more information about weddings at the inn.

Photo Three: Tripadvisor; Photo Four: Cayne Zimmerman; Photo Five: Geoffry Demeritt Photography; Photo Six: Acorn Photography

Love the idea of a wedding in the mountains of New Hampshire?

Sunset Hill House is New Hampshire’s premier resort inn, in the heart of the White Mountains.   This award winning 100+ year old inn and restaurant has over 70 spectacular acres of conservancy land and gardens.

The historic inn overlooks 6 mountain ranges and 40 named peaks, and provides the perfect setting for an incredible and memorable wedding, any time of year.

Ceremonies can take place in the perennial garden or wildflower field, or under an arbor – all with the White Mountain View as a backdrop. Another option is the venue’s golf course overlooking the Sunset and Green Mountains. The inn also offers weddings on the deck or indoors.

Photo One and Two:Hinkley Photo; Photo Three and Four: Authentic Eye Photography; Photo Five: Brooke Trexler; Photo Five: Cuppa Photography

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British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast is dear to my heart: Darin and I honeymooned in Tofino. There is something about the wildness of the place – its ancient cedars and misty shoreline that make it divinely mysterious and mythical. It’s rugged beauty enchants, inspires, humbles. What better place to declare your  life-long commitment to the man (or woman) you adore?

The Eagle’s Nest on Galiano Island in the Canadian Gulf Islands is the perfect spot for nature lovers who want an intimate wedding surrounded by the splendors of the BC wilderness.

The very private estate includes the southern tip of Galiano Island and is an enclave in a newly created Provincial Park.   Featured in “Northwest Best Places”, Eagles Nest has gained notoriety for its exceptional location and architectural excellence.

Intimate weddings of up to 50 guests are held in a beautiful wedding marquee tent overlooking the ocean. The main house can accommodate about 35 guests for a reception “buffet” style.

Eagle’s Nest offers 3 and 7 day packages but can also arrange one or two day weddings.

Enticed? Go to The Eagle’s Nest to book your wedding.

Photo One: Alana Couch Photography; Photo Two, Three, Four: Blue Olive Photography; Photo Six, Seven, Eight: Alana Couch Photography

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Situated in southwest Texas in Brenham, Murski Homestead boasts an intimate ranch setting for couples and close friends and family.

The “Just the Two of You” package starts just under $600 and includes a ceremony officiate, CD of all photographs taken by the Innkeeper, bride’s bouquet and groom’s boutonniere, petite wedding cake, romantic dinner basket for your room, overnight stay and breakfast delivered to your room as well as champagne and two toasting flutes for you to keep.

Add a few friends with the second package which includes everything the “Just the Two of You” package includes plus an additional hour for the ceremony and toast and a 15% discount for rooms of wedding guests. This package costs just under $800 for you and between two and eight additional guests.

An all-inclusive package, “Share the Joy” includes rental of the entire Murski Homestead for between two and 20 guests, two night stay, breakfast both mornings and everything included in the packages listed above for just under $2,000.

Murski Homestead is a beautiful ranch setting for your hassle-free intimate Texas wedding. Innkeeper Pamela Murski looks forward to working with each couple to make their special day as memorable as it should be.

For more information, contact Pamela Murski at the Murski Homestead.

All photos courtesy of Murski Homestead.

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By Darin (The Huzz)

Are you looking for a cheap wedding venue?  The unfortunate part about typing ‘cheap wedding venues’ into a search engine is that oftentimes the results you get are truly cheap websites, chock full of spammy, useless links.  Keep in mind that ‘cheap’ and ‘wedding’ is not usually something the wedding industry wants uttered in the same sentence, so it’s not likely they’re gunning for you when you include cheap in your search. But we here at IW know that what you really mean is “reasonably priced.” Here’s hoping that the following list will help you on your way to keeping the wedding costs reasonable when it comes to choosing a wedding venue.

Tip #1 – Stay Home

Consider having an at-home wedding. Christina and I had our reception at our home. We gambled on a perfect day for an outdoor tent reception and won big with sunshine and 72 degrees of low humidity bliss.

We enlisted the help of Christina’s brother and sister-in-law to decorate the tent and set up for us.  We put in the blood-sweat-and-tears of prepping the yard starting in the spring and toiling throughout the summer for our Sept 1 date and plunked down the money for a tent, table and chairs.  The tent came from one company and the table and chairs were separate as we found some nice white wooden chairs that didn’t need the expensive fru-fru covers on them.

Tip #2 – Don’t Lie About Why You Want to Rent the Cheap Venue

One of the real wedding couples featured here ended up almost losing their venue because they left out the fact that the small get-together was a wedding. People who rent out their stately homes for events, weddings included, want to know what kind of event they are being asked to host because that can have a bearing on the decision to rent you the space.  We’ve talked to many a venue owner and they’re few and far between who don’t have a “story to tell” about the wedding that changed their minds.   A grand old century home overlooking the bay of spectacular sunsets may be happy to host the 24 seniors looking for a weekend of rock-em sock-em bridge or euchre, but may not be facilitated for you to show up and inform them at the last minute that “oh-by-the-way that lovely manicured lawn over there will accommodate my tent just perfectly! Did we forget to tell you we’re getting married?”

Tip #3 – Stay in One Location

Stay at one location for your ceremony and your reception. Often smaller venue spaces like bed and breakfasts, lofts, or museums, to name a few have the ambiance and charm for both the nuptials and the intimate gathering afterward.

Tip #4 – Go A La Carte.

Go a la carte. Do you really need a wedding package with all the fixin’s?  Some of the smaller venues that will host weddings may not even offer the “full meal deal” wedding packages anyway, and you have full control over the cost of the catering, alcohol, etc.  For our at-home wedding, we hired a caterer who handled the main dinner and also provided a bartender for the evening who served wine and a couple different kinds of craft beers we selected and purchased ourselves beforehand.  We didn’t go hog-wild with multiple bottles of alcohol and infinite variety, saving us a good chunk of change. No complaints from any of the guests either.

Tip #5 – Off-Season

Choose an off season or non-traditional day to get married. If the guest list is small and you don’t have to accommodate 100 or 300 guests on a more traditional Saturday-in-summer wedding,  you can get away with a nice small gathering on an Sunday or Friday evening, and the venue may offer a break since you’re not competing for the premium time slot.

Tip #6 – Restaurant Reception

Have a restaurant reception. Swanky restaurants off the beaten path or in the heart of the city may not be able to accommodate 300 of your closest friends, but may be able to handle 25 or 40 guests without a problem as long as they have lots of notice. If you like the restaurant’s menu and its atmosphere, you’re done. No linens, tableware, chair covers etc. to rent.  No caterer to hire. Maybe a few fresh flower bouquets or other DIY table accents and blamo, instant cozy wedding reception venue.  You’ll want to make sure the restaurant is well established and has done weddings before. References are always a good idea. You don’t want to find out a month in advance that your venue has shut down because the restaurant went under.

Tip #7  – Go Off the Beaten Path

Have a venue in mind that doesn’t advertise wedding rentals?  Don’t be afraid to ask! When your guest list is small, many more options are available to you. Bed and breakfasts, small country inns, quaint downtown bistros, the list is endless. Often with a small guest list events are a bit more low-key (not always though!) and the owners of unique venues are willing to accommodate weddings.

Photo One and Two: Hannah and Mathew’s backyard wedding; Photo Three: Diane and Doug’s Dazzling Restaurant Wedding; Photo Four: Glass Studio Real Wedding

Looking for unique wedding venues? There’s something eerily awesome about getting married in a museum. Perhaps it’s because museums are all about suspended memories, restoring history and presentation. Why wouldn’t a wedding fit in a setting like that?

Gallery and museum weddings can provide anything from a blank slate complete with hardwood floors and exposed beams to a quirky and unique setting composed of anything from brick to surgical instruments and statues.

Here are a few of my favorite museum wedding venues for weddings in the United States:

Edgar Allan Poe Museum

Ceremonies at the Edgar Allan Poe Museum take place in the Enchanted Garden, modeled after a poem of Poe’s, “To One in Paradise.” Rental fees at the Poe Museum, as with most galleries and museums, includes only the space, but holds up to 125 guests. Quaint and charming on the outside and holding pieces of Poe’s life on the inside, such as his chair, works and other mementos, the Edgar Allan Poe Museum is perfect for a Richmond, Virginia intimate wedding.

Mill City Museum

Built into the ruins of what was once the world’s largest flour mill, Mill City Museum is located on the historic Mississippi Riverfront. Here, visitors of all ages learn about the intertwined histories of the flour industry, the river, and the city of Minneapolis. What an incredible setting for a wedding!

Portland Art Museum Sculpture Garden

Nestled between two architectural treasures in the heart of the Museum campus,  Evan H. Roberts Memorial Sculpture Mall is home to grand sculptures by renowned international and local artists. With nearly 12,000 square feet of event space, the Evan H. Roberts Sculpture Mall can easily accommodate both a ceremony and reception.

Homewood Museum

Architecture (Palladian and Federal), silver, Baltimore furniture, American history. Homewood Museum in Baltimore, MD offers visitors the chance to explore diverse interests in tremendous depth and provides an intimate look at life in early-19th-century Baltimore.

Dallas Museum of Art

The Dallas Museum of Art has a wide variety of spaces available for your wedding including the modern and industrial outdoor garden and blank-slate contemporary interior. Special events of all kinds are held at the DMA and weddings are executed with perfection thanks to their extensive experience handling events.

International Museum of Surgical Science

For a more offbeat and unique approach, there are wonderfully interesting niche museums across America. The International Museum of Surgical Science (IMSS) is such a location. Interesting checkered floors and architectural curiosities are only a backdrop to the historical surgical instruments that fill the exhibitions. The IMSS hosts up to 100 for seated wedding receptions and provides a distinctive location near the heart of Chicago, Illinois.

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is everything you can picture it would be. Industrial, concrete and contemporary decor and architecture provide the perfect setting for your intimate wedding in Fort Worth, Texas. The Cafe Modern provides exquisite cuisine to complete a modern wedding near the heart of historical Fort Worth.

Phoenix Art Museum

The Phoenix Art Museum matches the hardwood floor and minimally white gallery setting with the concrete and contemporary design for receptions. From intimate wedding sized galleries to a state-of-the-art 300-seat theater, you’re sure to find a perfect location for your Arizona wedding in the museum’s 203,000 square feet.

Photo One: Via Novel Destinations Photo Two: Jennifer Colina Photography Photos Three and Four: DavidJackson.com; Photo Five: Evrimgallery.com; Photo Six and Seven: Jackson Photography: Photo Eight: Courtesy of the Dallas Museum of Art: Photo Nine: Asylum Eclectica Photo Ten: Planet Ware Photo Eleven: Chris Moseley Photography Photo Twelve: Jenny Martell Photography Photos Thirteen and Fourteen: Courtesy of the Phoenix Art Museum

Lizzie Smithson is a recent public relations graduate and wedding/design blogger at Love Your Way planning a $10,000 (or under) wedding with her graphic-designer fiancé, Isaiah.