What do you think of when you think "California?"
Well, if you're from California it is probably "North" or "South." If you are not from California it is probably "crazy," "Brad Pitt," or "beaches and palm trees."
Let us stick with that last option...
I want to get married on the beach since I grew up on the central coast of California. We have wineries, mountains, world class hotels, and beaches. For clarification, I don't surf, rarely swim, and definitely do not tan but I love the beach! The smell of the ocean, the majesty of it's creation, the incredible offerings of the life within it... Yes, I want to get married on sandy beaches next to the miraculous ocean.
This presents a few problems because I do not believe in spending your life savings on a wedding. If you do, this is not the blog for you. So, thank you for caring but go ahead and close this page, you're probably wasting your time and it won't hurt my feelings since I won't know.
There are several unreasonable options for venues and there are a few great, affordable options. If you are planning a wedding on the central coast of Cali here are a few of the more affordable:
*The Jack House
*Margo Dodd park (sooo beautiful... small venue, breathtaking views!)
*Dinosaur Caves park (right next to Margo Dodd)
*Tiber Canyon (it's an Olive Ranch, not sure exact prices)
*Avila Lighthouse Suites
*Shore Cliff Lodge (it is in Pismo Beach but it's a Best Western)
*The Monday Club
Anyway, if you're looking to get married on a reasonable budget that list should be helpful but call fast because they are booking fast! The venue Chris and I chose for the sacred act of forever uniting our lives...
The AVILA LIGHTHOUSE SUITES!! Not sure why it is as reasonably priced as it is but it makes me happy! Just so you know, the pictures on their website don't do this venue justice.
On a different note, if you are more traditional and want to wed inside a church the First Presbyterian Church of SLO has a beautiful sanctuary available which was built in the 1800's from rocks quarried nearby. The mission is also beautiful and both of these are in the heart of downtown San Luis Obispo.
One benefit of getting married outside - no decorator does as magnificent a job as nature. Further, I feel God as much or more outside while in the beauty of his creation than I do inside a building built by man to worship him. Ironic? Potentially.
On a note:
We started thinking we would get married at Margo Dodd park which is by far the most reasonably priced but too small and on a bluff over the water so it is not very kid friendly and bathrooms are probably 150 feet away. Next, we chose and placed a hold on The Jack House which was great and convenient. It was at a bridal expo we decided to attend at the last minute that we discovered The Avila Lighthouse Suites. They were willing to fight for our dollar and it offered the venue I wanted most, a venue Chris loved. This being said, their prices make them affordable compared to many of their counterparts but they are still not as affordable as many of the other locations. If you want to spend $1,000 or less look into city parks such as Margo Dodd, The Jack House, The Monday Club, etc or look into the Shore Cliff in Pismo. We never toured Shore Cliff but their posted prices start below $700 so it could be worth looking into. Also, we chose a venue which allowed us to bring our own caterer for food and alcohol -- huge cost savings and food quality booster!
Now onto photographers, music, dress(es), flowers, events, and caterers...
Monday, February 8, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Wedding Planning Part 1
The basic reason for this blog is to start documenting the journey towards a wedding. The journey towards marriage is in a much better place and is more sacred in my eyes, thus something I do not feel the need to parade publicly. Chris, my wonderful fiance proposed on October 11, 2009 and only a few weeks ago did we finally secure a date: August 28, 2010. The countdown begins.
Resources:
Friends
Friends Weddings
Cyber Stalking (only ideas, dresses, etc. not people)
Real Simple Weddings
Bridal Magazines - pick several
Bridal Expo's
Erica Garcia
Needless to say there are a variety of other resources used in this process such as books on wedding planning, pastors, premarital counselors, mentor couples, and your fiance but I feel the ones above are the primary sources.
Step one : Size
Decide vaguely on the size. For example, I would not mind having a small wedding of 50 people or so but when Chris and I wrote down the names of our family and friends who were unquestionably invited 50 wasn't feasible. We decided our wedding would probably have 120 - 150 and could easily reach 200 if we weren't discerning.
Step two : Wedding Party
Mom, Dad, Aunt Pam... Everyone knows that part but what about your bridesmaids. This was the most exciting part. Immediately I wanted to call about twelve friends and ask them to be my bridesmaids. Unfortunately, my goal is to have a beautiful wedding at a reasonable price so twelve attendants could break the bank with gifts alone! During one of my readings I found a rule of thumb that said you want one bridesmaid per thirty-five to fifty guests. Not knowing the official size of my wedding I decided on five bridesmaids. Mostly because I could not imagine walking down the isle without these women next to me. My maid of honor was easy - my little sister. *Smile!* She is my partner in crime, my longest friend, and, at times, my dearest enemy. If you have siblings you know what I mean. Second was also a given, my best friend from second grade on: Jenniffer. This was something that had been dictated since we were young and spoken of occasionally. My question was, "Can I have two maids of honor?" and "Is it worth it?" I decided one was enough and Jen could be my first bridesmaid.
Next, came friends. Two of these are sisters I have known since I was at least six years old, potentially earlier. Either way, these two are the extended family I didn't have nearby growing up. They have been involved with boyfriends, other friends, frat parties, bars, non-frat parties, politics, religion... and most importantly have laid in bed with me eating popcorn while watching The Food Network and discussing the a fore mentioned items late into a Friday night. My other bridesmaid is a dear friend with whom I have become extremely close after meeting through a job a few years ago.
Resources:
Friends
Friends Weddings
Cyber Stalking (only ideas, dresses, etc. not people)
Real Simple Weddings
Bridal Magazines - pick several
Bridal Expo's
Erica Garcia
Needless to say there are a variety of other resources used in this process such as books on wedding planning, pastors, premarital counselors, mentor couples, and your fiance but I feel the ones above are the primary sources.
Step one : Size
Decide vaguely on the size. For example, I would not mind having a small wedding of 50 people or so but when Chris and I wrote down the names of our family and friends who were unquestionably invited 50 wasn't feasible. We decided our wedding would probably have 120 - 150 and could easily reach 200 if we weren't discerning.
Step two : Wedding Party
Mom, Dad, Aunt Pam... Everyone knows that part but what about your bridesmaids. This was the most exciting part. Immediately I wanted to call about twelve friends and ask them to be my bridesmaids. Unfortunately, my goal is to have a beautiful wedding at a reasonable price so twelve attendants could break the bank with gifts alone! During one of my readings I found a rule of thumb that said you want one bridesmaid per thirty-five to fifty guests. Not knowing the official size of my wedding I decided on five bridesmaids. Mostly because I could not imagine walking down the isle without these women next to me. My maid of honor was easy - my little sister. *Smile!* She is my partner in crime, my longest friend, and, at times, my dearest enemy. If you have siblings you know what I mean. Second was also a given, my best friend from second grade on: Jenniffer. This was something that had been dictated since we were young and spoken of occasionally. My question was, "Can I have two maids of honor?" and "Is it worth it?" I decided one was enough and Jen could be my first bridesmaid.
Next, came friends. Two of these are sisters I have known since I was at least six years old, potentially earlier. Either way, these two are the extended family I didn't have nearby growing up. They have been involved with boyfriends, other friends, frat parties, bars, non-frat parties, politics, religion... and most importantly have laid in bed with me eating popcorn while watching The Food Network and discussing the a fore mentioned items late into a Friday night. My other bridesmaid is a dear friend with whom I have become extremely close after meeting through a job a few years ago.
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