Our trip to Santa Fe to search for a location for our wedding reception went very well. It was a beautiful weekend: sunny but not too hot, and we even got a spot of rain one evening. We had a wonderful time revisiting all of our favorite haunts, and we got a lot of very useful information from the places we visited.

Our visit with Deacon Joan Garcia of Holy Faith Episcopal Church went very well. Since I used to attend that church while living in Santa Fe, she graciously agreed to waive the non-member fee for the church, which means, quite happily, that Brandon and I can afford to have our ceremony there. Holy Faith is quite particular about the kind of wedding ceremony they perform, so it will be quite traditional, and straight from the Book of Common Prayer. We were told we'd be allowed to select our music so long as the organist approves, and chose readings from a selection outlined in the service. We are quite happy with the idea of being married there, as it is a very very lovely church. As one of the hotel coordinators we met with put it, "it really feels like a church."

We made it to about eight reception venues, but by far our favorite was the Inn at Sunrise Springs. Located a few miles south of the city, the Inn is really a compound of buildings built around a lovely pond surrounded by huge cottonwood trees. We were shown two spaces, both of which seem to fit our needs perfectly. The Moon House is an interestingly shaped space with flagstone floors, a fireplace, and large french doors that open out onto a wooden deck over the pond. An enormous willow tree dangles its branches lazily over tables with large white umbrellas. The view from this building is out across the water towards the gardens and guest rooms of the compound.

The other space is the Gallery in the Meditative Arts Building. The Gallery itself is a bright white room with skylights and light-colored wood floors with interesting works of art hanging on the walls and a set of glass doors which open out onto a covered patio. This patio looks out into the Meditation garden with its fountain and small koi pond, and, behind the trees, the Tea House. The supports for the roof over the patio are beautifully overgrown with trumpet vines.

With both spaces, our idea would be to set up tables both indoors and out so that the celebration could flow from one space to the other. However, both rooms are large enough should the unpredictable Santa Fe weather drive us indoors.

Sunrise Springs also boasts the only five star restaurant in Santa Fe at this time, and it is this restaurant, the Blue Heron, which would be handling the catering (excepting the cake). And of course, the Inn wouldn't be called an Inn if it didn't offer guest rooms; the Garden rooms are very well appointed guest rooms with either a king or two double beds, two sinks in the bathroom, and lovely views of the grounds. The Casitas are like small apartments with kitchenettes, private patios, lots of storage, sitting areas, fireplaces, and an extra room for anything, including a rollaway bed.

We just found that these spaces suited our liking so much more than the dark impersonal ballrooms we were seeing at the other hotels. A few of the hotels, like the Raddison and the Inn at the Loretto, had ballrooms with skylights, views, or that opened onto the gardens, but it is very hard to match the abundant New Mexico beauty of Sunrise Springs with a mere skylight.

We're trying to keep an open mind and not fall too much in love with Sunrise Springs, but it is most definitely our first choice.

Other than that, we had a great time in Santa Fe. We had green enchiladas at La Choza, blue corn pancakes at the Tesuque Village Market, and red curry at the Banana Cafe (because no trip to Santa Fe would be complete without a well rounded selection of restaurants!).

No cake tastings or meetings with florists yet. All will come in due time. For now, we are contenting ourselves with trying to find a reception venue that won't break the bank. Once that is chosen, hopefully some of the other choices will simply fall into place.

Stay tuned for more updates... Pictures of Sunrise Springs to follow...