San Diegans: Any ideas for reception restaurants???

[neatfreak]

So FI is from San Diego, and due to weather logistics (I am from Mass and our school schedules might mean January would be a good time to get married) we were thinking of maybe getting married in San Diego. We were looking for a place to have a nice private room or patio for about 30 people. Since FI hasn''t lived there for awhile and his parents have lets say "different" tastes we were hoping you PSers might have recommendations.

I realized that I HATE planning parties over the years, so we are looking for something no fuss.

The requirements in order of importance:

1. Great food! We want something nice but not too fussy if that makes sense.
2. Good decor. I don''t want to deal with decorating really so I want some place with either cool funky decorations or something classy so that it will photograph well.
3. Not too stuffy. Our families need to be able to be themselves and have fun, and some of them are less than chic, so we can''t go anywhere where suits are required, etc.

We''re thinking Old Town Mexican Cafe for rehearsal dinner, then some place a bit nicer than that for the reception.

Ideas? Suggestions?

If we do this we also need a cheap non-denominational ceremony site. FI''s dad is on the faculty at USD, so we were thinking maybe on the grounds there...

 

[surfgirl]

I live there and there is a magazine that is devoted to sites for weddings, etc. If you can get me your address I can mail you a copy if you like...unless your FILs would do that for you. As for your criteria...let me think a bit. There IS a lovely setting in La Jolla at the cove, parklike right on the cliffs over the ocean. Only thing is the general public would be milling about as well. There is also another bluff in Del Mar...Were you thinking of an outdoor setting for the ceremony? And what type of food were you thinking of for the reception and how many people you'll be having? If you can narrow it down for me a bit I can think of some ideas.

 

[neatfreak]

Thanks surfgirl! I am sure my FMIL will be able to send me one of the publications. Do you know what it''s called?

We were thinking outdoor for the ceremony, so if you can recommend places (even if they aren''t private) I will certainly go check them out next time we are there.

As for the food, we are really pretty flexible. FI is a vegetarian, so it needs to be veg. friendly. Even a great vegetarian restaurant would be fantastic. Otherwise we are looking for a not too stuffy place, preferably with nice views or big windows to let the sun in, but that isn''t a necessity. I just want a classy looking place that will be a good background for photos, does that make sense? For example, FI mentioned Old Town Mexican Cafe. While the food there would be great for our reception, it looks a bit too much like a mexican bar for the reception meal. We''ll probably do an informal rehearsal dinner there, so maybe something different for the reception would be great.

We don''t really care about the cuisine, as long as it''s good! We''re looking for a place around 30 people, price per meal isn''t a major issue since it will be so small. Basically we just want a place with a private or semi-private patio or room we can have for the evening. We don''t need dancing space or anything besides tables and food! Both of our fathers will likely not wear suits, so it can''t be a place that requires jackets or anything that fancy. We really just want to have a good time with our guests.

Thanks in advance!

 

[KimberlyH]

Neatfreak,

Check out:

http://www.thegrandecolonial.com/ in La Jolla. Absolutely stunning hotel. Nine Ten, the restaurant affiliated with the hotel, is, in my opinion, the best in San Diego. I know they offer private dining. We would have had our reception here except that something caused a confilct (dates or ceremony spot or something, I can''t remember what).

I had my ceremony and reception (for 2 at http://www.ranchobernardoinn.com/ off the 15 in Rancho Bernardo (about 25 minutes from downtown San Diego). I have a wedding thread around here somewhere, you can see pics there. We had the ceremony in front of a fireplace and the reception in a private dining room. It was perfect as our guests were able to let loose and be comfortable, which is exactly what we wanted. The chef will work with you regarding food limitations.

The Brigantine restaurants (their are several locations) http://www.brigantine.com/events.html has good food and a nice atmosphere.

www.croces.com is in the Gaslamp. Ab fab food great atmosphere. I don''t know if they do private events.


I''ve heard great things about www.jackslajolla.com but have never eaten there, and again I don''t know if they allow for private events.

I hope this helps you out a bit!

~K

P.S. Surfgirl, another San Diegan!

Just an FYI -- we''re not allowed to post email addresses on the forum. It''s nice to "meet" you.

 

[Miranda]

This place is really beautiful for a wedding. Keep in mind that you can dress up or down most any place. The catering is great and they have (had) an on site florist that is very reasonable. Rancho Santa Fe is one of my favorite locations in San Diego. http://www.theinnatrsf.com/ I''ll think about some other places, too. Have you thought of having a rehersal dinner at a coastal park? My SIL did this and it was sooooo much fun. We had a bbq wagon (for lack of a better description) caterer it. Here''s one in Del Mar http://www.delmar.ca.us/Visitors/pwrcc.htm

 

[neatfreak]

You guys are the best! Now I have some good things to look through for the next few days.

THANKS!!!

 

[neatfreak]

Thanks so much SanDiegoLady!!! I really really like the yacht idea, but since my mother gets seasick that might not be doable for us.

The parks all sound gorgeous, so I will certainly need to check those out for the ceremony.

You guys rock!

 

[surfgirl]

Okay neatfreak, here are the three mags that I got at Border's San Diego, that have San Diego-specific info in them:

1. The Knot: Southern California edition

2. San Diego BRIDE (red cover, has lots of reception site info)

3. Here Comes The Guide: Wedding Southern California

I think with those three magazines you'll get a better idea of your options. They all have tons of info for you and the SD BRIDES edition has 100's of reception site information in this issue so you should be good to go. If I were you, I'd have them send those to you, then see what peaks your fancy and then post here on which locations/restaurants seem to resonate with you and then the SD contingency can weigh in and we can tell you if we know the places you're interested in...Hope that helps!

FYI, Paradise Point is a lovely location on Mission bay and it looks like they can set up an outdoor tiki lit reception near the water...that would be casual yet lovely. Another low key casual venue could be Karl Strauss Gardens. They do weddings as well. Most of my ideas would be fancier - L'Auberge Del Mar, La Valencia Hotel, The Lodge at Torrey Pines - but I'm trying to think of places where your relatives would'nt feel the need to get too fancy and would be comfortable...BTW, you're very considerate to be trying to find a venue to suit their comfort level, I dont think I would be that kind, so kudos to you! Check out the Japanese Friendship Center/Zen Garden in Balboa Park. Looks lovely (I'm just quickly going through the SD Bride mag and seeing what jumps out that might be good for you).La Jolla COve Suites is a hotel across the street from the La Jolla Cove park area, which has lovely places for a wedding, including gazebos on the cliffs...the hotel itself can do wedding receptions on the rooftop so you get a huge view of the ocean up and down the coastline and it looks like you could make it more casual.You could do the ceremony in Balboa Park - many wonderful locations including the aforementioned Jap.Gardens - and have the reception at the Prado REstaurant as someone else suggested.