reception site: chosen

i have seriously searched high & low for unique, fun reception sites. my friends kyle & meg got married in a barn last october and their wedding was amazing. wanting something similar, i have considered fire halls, gymnasiums, old-folks-home-bingo-halls, heated tents, etc. etc. etc.

and finally i've had to admit that finding a unique venue in november that doesn't require the use of a specific caterer and is still available 5 months out is incredibly frustrating. so we went to check out a local VFW [which apparently stands for "veterans of foreign wars"- thanks, studly FH!] and decided it will be fine.

neither my FH or i are incredibly thrilled about the idea, but it's a perfect location [2 minutes from the ceremony!], big enough to fit all our fam/friends, has a dance floor, will let us bring food from Qdoba, and is a reasonable price. plus it's available on our date.

so now i'm brainstorming how to get rid of the slightly musty/smoky smell and how to make it look semi fun/funky without spending hours decorating it myself before the ceremony...

[i'm thinking vintage-patterned dishes (hopefully to be borrowed from kyle & meg), nice linens and cute centerpieces will help the decor immensely. and once people & food are in the room the smell shouldn't linger too badly]