Category — the planning process

…We now return for the thrilling conclusion of “How to find a wedding venue in 7 months!”

If I were to give you all the details on every place we researched, contacted, obtained proposals from, and visited, this blog would go on forever and the only remaining readers would be zombies. So, we’ll just cut to the chase, shall we?

For a long while, I had ruled out restaurants because of our desire to marry outdoors. But desperate times called for desperate measures and we figured that we could always do an outdoor ceremony with an indoor reception if we found the right place. So, I hit up the ol’ internets with fresh eyes, and there it was… a beautiful gem had been right under my nose all along.

{Image source: The Bungalow Club}

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Inspired by this crazy couple in Paris….

{Image Source: Brides.com}

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How do you keep your flowers vintage? Keep it simple and elegant!

Take the traditional cascading silk flower bouquet….

{Image Source: Audio Oh}

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A few vintage details….

{Image Source: The Knot}

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Ah, the vintage bride. As a bride who wore her mother’s dress, I love seeing other brides do the same.

{Image Sources: Port Halcyon, Simon Says, Monroe Gallery, Birdie Breeze}

If you don’t have a family member’s dress, vintage dresses (from well known designers to JCPenney catalog) can be found on Ebay or through a Google search.

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If you’re planning a vintage wedding, Your Vintage Wedding by Nancy Eaton is definitely worth the read.  From the trends by decade to the real wedding profiles, the book has a lot of valuable information.  Most of it could be found by doing research online, but having it all in once place definitely makes it easier.  The author also includes a comprehensive list of vintage wedding resources in the back of the book.

A.

From the minute we got engaged, Hunter had fantasies of us marrying in Mexico. After all, we loves us some margaritas and mexican food! (Did someone say melty cheese? Yes, please!) And Mexico is only a 2.5 hour drive from home sweet home. I wasn’t really into the idea, but after the disappointments we had in seeking a venue in the US, our attentions turned south, and we made plans to visit Rosarito Mexico. Rosarito is just 45 minutes south of the border, and known for its nice beaches and for being where all the stars from Hollywood came to drink during prohibition. Random fact: Titanic was filmed here. They even have a museum commemorating this honor.

Jesus blesses the margarita drinkers
Author’s personal collection, 2008

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I can’t tell you how much I love flowers. Love them. My husband knows this and is constantly surprising me with them. I frequently find flowers in the seat of our car when he picks me up or in a vase on our table when I come back home. Guys, if your girl loves flowers, you should DEFINITELY do this.

Anyway, enough with the romance, as my nephew says. On to the reason for this post. While reading this book, I had the best idea for a floral favor. If you are a DIY or budget bride who loves flowers as much as I do (as in, even the THOUGHT of nixing flowers to save costs sends chills up your spine), why not set up your own flower market at your reception? Building on Karen’s idea of a flower shop, go all out and let your guests build their own take home bouquets.

{Image Source: Simple Stunning Wedding Flowers}

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I checked out a copy of this book from the library last week. Wow! If you are a bride who needs more information on anything floral, go pick up a copy of this book. It really is very informative.  Best part?  It’s a book, not a magazine.  So you get the good images without the distracting ads!   I’m going to make sure to check out the other books in the series.

Remember, go green for books: check out from your local library!  If you hate using books other (unknown) people have touched, buy from your favorite local bookstore.

A.

When thinking about where to wed, we considered that at least 1/2 our guests would be coming in from out of town. We thought it might be fun (and more affordable) to get married outside the LA area in a place fun for visitors to enjoy. Thus we turned our attention southward, to San Diego. Only a 2 hour drive from LA, we thought family and friends would be able to enjoy the zoo, legoland, beaches, and the proximity to Mexico for a long weekend. Plus it would feel vacation-y to us, being away from home for our special day.

I discovered the Bernardo Winery on Here Comes The Guide (a must-visit for all you CA brides-to-be). We heart wine and thought a vineyard wedding sounded utterly dreamy. I had visions of rustic mason jar tealights, wine barrel cocktail tables, braided wheat details and horseshoe favors. Its even nestled into a tiny, rustic walking village of artisan shops, reminiscent of a cute disney-ish wine world. Random Trivia: it almost was consumed by the wildfires of ‘07 in Rancho Bernardo.

The event space is pretty dreamy - a large, open, wood pavilion with all kinds of rustic and adorable elements such as horseshoes, old wagons, and rusty cheese graters (trust me, cuter than they sound!) One one end is a built-in bar, and the other has a large built-in buffet table. Everything is wrapped in twinkle lights. Beyond that is a little park, dappled with olive trees and capped off by a sweet pavillion for ceremonies.

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