looking at more sites

i grew up out on whidbey island, so of course as a kid i always thought i'd get married there. then i went through my "let's get married in vegas by a miniature elvis" phase, then i decided i wanted to get married on the steps of the courthouse in coupeville, and then i was going to be a spinster. it's no wonder i'm back at square one. this weekend D and i went to look at the greenbank farm.

i should have taken some photos, but this one kind of shows you the possibilities. it's got a nice big barn for either the wedding or the reception (in our case, we'd like to do both at the same site), rows of windows, a lawn area you can use, and a cute little pond outside. it's not terribly priced, the kitchen is great, and they don't charge extra for bringing in your own caterer. the only downside to it is that in october it will be pretty dry, and where there used to be fields of loganberries are now just fields of yellow grass. not exactly picture perfect, and on an island that's so impossibly green, it stands out a bit. it holds the right amout of people though, and is a good location to either dress up or go a little more unconventional.

we also went by the freeland hall, where my cousin got married. freeland has an interesting history; it was one of the first socialist communes in the pacific northwest, and was known for it's ideal of (get this!) free land. huh. the past few years it's been remodeled a bit, and the nice thing about it is it's got a huge main room, decent kitchen facilities, and a great big lawn with a view of puget sound. however, the parking is crap. it was also fairly brown out there; which is to be expected with the weather the way it is right now, but it makes me think a fall wedding there wouldn't fare much better. i want the site to be green, which i know is probably a bit crazy, but still. if we're going to have it indoor and outdoor, i want the outdoor part to be bright and pretty.

anyone have any ideas or suggestions for a wedding in the skagit, whatcom or island counties? i'm open!