The Deer Are Eating My Flowers

I thought we had finally figured out a way to keep the deer out of our Wedding Venue. Deer love roses, geraniums, iris, sweet peas, snow peas, and peonies. Our pond area where we will be holding the wedding ceremonies is full of all these flowers; at least for now. A couple nights ago the deer returned so we made lots of noise, rang the wedding bell that we ring after every wedding, and finally they took off. We only lost a couple of roses and I’m sure we have enough flowers left to make for gorgeous ceremonies at Victorian Hill Gardens.

July 4th

Standing outside by our pond, checking out the views of Old Town Auburn, made me realize what an incredible venue this would be for a family or corporation for a fantastic 4^th of July B-B-Que. We have ring side seats for the fireworks. Actually, the big deck off the family room was built expressly for that reason. A July 4^th party is definitely going to be in the planning stages for Victorian Hill Gardens. I can’t let that slip buy without taking advantage of our flower gardens, ponds, decks, views, lighting and million dollar views of the fireworks. Any takers?

Save money on rehearsal dinners

Rehearsal Dinners don’t have to be formal and it’s often more fun to have a big B-B-Que with the ever popular baked beans and coleslaw and fruit or salad. Here in Old Town Auburn a B-B-Que fits nicely into the old west and gold mining theme of our town. Actually, B-B-Ques are a big hit for birthday parties, family reunions, anniversaries, 4^th of July celebrations and the annual office family party.

Flowers, flowers, flowers…..

Wow, walking around the gardens here I see more flowers than I knew existed. I am trying to learn the names of them all, but in my advanced age of 56, I can’t even remember my social security number. Weddings this time of year would be fantastic. The roses are fantastic; in red, orange, pink, white and very unusual lavender that I saw and now can’t find.  The wisteria and grapes are growing up our pine tree by the pond and it is a stunning site. Future bride’s who come out to see our venue are absolutely amazed by the variety and volume of our flower gardens. I love it. The aroma of the flowers is intoxicating.

The Patio is finished!

Finally, the patio where we will be hosting the wedding receptions, is finished. Now we have enough room to put up to 12 tables. This will allow us to seat 80 to 96 people. We are so excited because it is right by the deck where the weddings will be held. The deck overlooks the Capitol Building and a lot of Old Town Auburn. It is beautiful. We have a magnolia tree next to the patio that will be blooming in a few weeks. Roses, blackberries, honeysuckle and jasmine surround the area where the pond is, creating a romantic wedding site. What a great place for pictures for any occasion.

Fairytale lighting….

We are planning the lighting that will be added to the lights we already have on the Victorian Mansion and the railing around the deck. We want the lighting by the deck and trees to have a romantic effect and with candles added to it, we will have the romantic ambience we are looking for.

Save wedding dollars by comparison shopping

Get quotes when shopping around for wedding flowers and other wedding related services. Let the vendors know you are shopping around and comparing prices. Vendors want your business and they are open to negotiation. More importantly, don’t mention the ‘W’ word. As soon as you say wedding, the price doubles. Shop around at several different places and look for specials. Right now vendors are going to be giving away free invitations with tuxedo rentals and other come-ons to get your business. Take advantage of the deals to make your wedding dollar go farther.

Business Events

Today we had a contractor out to discuss turning our outside patio into a semi-covered eating and event area.  We will be installing canvas awnings that come out from the roof line of our Victorian house than drop down 9 feet to the railing surrounding the patio. The side walls will be mostly see-thru vinyl,  so even in extremely cold or hot weather, guests will have a nice view of the gardens, pond, grounds and Old Town Auburn.

We calculated we can fit 55 people seated in this one area at round tables with a few small square ones for the alcove. This will allow us to finally be more than just an “outside” garden event venue.

Our New Property

Geez, when I walk around this place I can’t believe how huge it is. We were living in a trailer slightly larger than our new guest bathroom. The trailer could fit 2 ½ people comfortably and since we are a family of 3, half of one of us was always uncomfortable. But, here we are on six romantic acres, with fairytale gardens and I am loving it! We have lots of wildlife…squirrels, mountain lions, deer, birds and ticks. My dog, Maggie, got a tick on her snout the other day. Mike and I were arguing about who would hold her and who would remove the tick. I wanted nothing to do with the tick, so I won out and just held on to Maggie. All the old wives tales about lighting a match and holding it to the bum of the tick so it will let go and back out, don’t work. This tick was buried to its knees and it took almost an hour to finally pull it out and no…we didn’t get the entire tick. It wouldn’t let go!  I’m uneasy about that. I keep expecting to see a swollen tick head walking across the kitchen floor. Oh, the joys of wilderness living.

Mike’s First Snow

I don’t believe it. This morning I woke up to several inches of snow on the ground. It is so cool. All the trees and bushes are laced with snow and it looks like a fairytale. Mike was really excited because he hasn’t lived where it snows. Maggie refuses to walk in the snow to go to the bathroom…she is so stubborn. The rose gardens didn’t get hurt at all by the snow and the gazebo looked so cool covered with ice. I should get the candles ready in case we lose power because of this storm.