Southern California Wedding Sites?

[reena]

hi all,

i am just beginning the process of searching for a place to hold our wedding reception. we''re thinking we would like to have it in southern california--preferrably in the orange county or san diego area. does anyone have any suggestions for good reception sites that can accommodate approximately 125 people? we would prefer a location overlooking the water, if possible . . .

i''d appreciate any tips that you guys may have!

 

[Alice in DiamondLand]

A friend of mine got married at the Bahia in Mission Beach which was a nice location - this was a few years back though and i am not sure on the capacity. The Hotel Del Coronado would be rad.

 

[ivanadiamond]

my favorite spots in LA are :

La Venta, Palos Verdes
Catalina Room, Palos Verdes
Bel Air Bay Club, Pacific Palisades (our reception site!)

In OC:

(Ceremony Site: CDM Congregational Church)
The Clubhouse at The Four Seasons, Pelican Hill
St. Regis Monarch Beach
Ritz- Carlton Laguna Niguel

The website www.insideweddings.com is all southern california weddings, it has helped me a lot because it lists venues, vendors and shows pictures of real weddings there. another great website is www.herecomestheguide.com. shows tons of places all over Southern California

good luck~

 

[reena]

THANK YOU GUYS so much!!! i am going to check out all of those.

ivana, the ritz at laguna nigel is supposed to be amazing . . . we might go check it out. did you visit in person?

 

[reena]

okay, WOW. that inside weddings site is amazing. i could spend 12 hours straight just sitting and reading about all of those people''s weddings!

 

[hoorray]

Do you know where you are going to have the ceremony yet? I got married at the La Venta Inn in Palos Verdes, which is beautiful. (Palos Verdes has several spectacular sites.) We had both the ceremony and reception there, which was what I wanted. It''s an hour + from Orange County, so not a good place it the ceremony is in OC. The Ritz in LB is beautiful. Also check our Laguna Beach -- there are some good places there, but I''d have to dig to remember them. I''ll see what I can dig up -- the choices have to be great...

 

[ivanadiamond]

reena,

I have been to the Ritz in Laguna and it is spectacular. Our friends are also getting married there this summer and it has been a very easy experience for them (not a cheap one though ... I am constantly checking out that website too- I love it~

There are a lot of great places in OC, in my opinion way more than in LA, especially if you want a beachy wedding. I am sure you will find your dream place in no time.


happy holidays~

 

[flopkins]

one of my personal favs (that hasn''t been listed already!!) is wayfarers chapel, also in palos verdes (so not in sd or oc area) website is: http://www.wayfarerschapel.org/index.html
it''s a really beautiful glass chapel right near a lookout point. gorgeous pix outside. my cousin got married there - very intimate.

 

[flopkins]

one of my personal favs (that hasn''t been listed already!!) is wayfarers chapel, also in palos verdes (so not in sd or oc area) website is: http://www.wayfarerschapel.org/index.html
it''s a really beautiful glass chapel right near a lookout point. gorgeous pix outside. my cousin got married there - very intimate.


hm... on reading your post over i guess you''re looking for reception sites... i think this is only a ceremony site.

 

[flopkins]

oops sorry for the double posting, couldn''t figure out how to modify my previous msg.

two more:


the nixon library is in OC: http://www.nixonfoundation.org/PlanYourEvent/Weddings.shtml#TopOfPage

and i''ve never been here, i found it thru one of those wedding sites or something, but the pix look absolutely gorgeous!!!!!! pala mesa resort - they do all inclusive stuff too. i think it''s in the mountains near san diego.
http://palamesa.com/weddings/default.asp

 

[hoorray]

Wayfarer''s Chapel is absolutely beautiful. It books up way ahead because it is really a special place. The two limitations there are size (100 people max from what I remember), and no organ. Since it is all glass, they use a piano instead.

 

[reena]

thanks for all the great advice, guys. we''re looking to have the ceremony and the reception in the same place, so we can really do it just about anywhere. i can''t wait to get out there and start looking at places!

 

[TravelingGal]

I have been to the Ritz Laguna on a few occasions. It is a nice hotel, but I have heard it called "Wedding Central"...they can have several weddings a day, and many going on at the same time. They are also recently in the middle of a renovation, but I am not sure when it will be done. I was most recently there in October and half the hotel was shut down . The rooms are old and dated. The new ones are supposed to be great though, with many modern amenities. If you are planning on having guests there, you can check out reviews of the hotel at www.tripadvisor.com.

If your wedding is after the renovation is complete, I''m sure this will be a very nice choice.

 

[blueroses]

A couple in San Diego --


La Jolla:
Darlington House is gorgeous. Can accomodate that size and the ceremony too. (I''ve been in two weddings that had their receptions there.) You can''t see the ocean from the space, but you can from the front door--it is like 2 blocks up from the beach.

SD Museum of Contemporary Art

The La Valencia Hotel

The Sea Lodge or the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club (they''re both in La Jolla Shores)

Birch Aquarium (AMAZING VIEWS)


Elsewhere:

Hotel Del Coronado

Loewe'' Coronado Bay Resort

There are a few spots on Mission Bay--the Bahia, the Catamaran, Paradise Point Resort


Hope those help! PM me if you have any SD vendor questions--I grew up and have been in a lot of weddings there.

 

[Dodger Gurl]

I second the Hotel Del Coronado. The hotel itself is just gorgeous, plus the sand is so clean and free of broken shells! Love it!!!

 

[twinkletoes]

L''Auberge Resort & Spa in Del Mar is gorgeous! High end, intimate, ocean views, outdoor/indoor garden patios for cocktail hour and reception.

My friend had her reception there last month. They do ceremonies as well, but my friend wanted a church ceremony.

http://www.laubergedelmar.com

The only prob is that they didn''t give a discount for the wedding guests. I think the stay runs around $300/night. Everyone but me and my bf (who paid for us to stay there for my benefit since I was the maid of honor) opted to stay in other hotels in the area to save money.

 

[eks6426]

Pitch a tent at the glider port just south of Torrey Pines. The view is the most spectacular...gives a good look of the curved coast of LaJolla to the south and Torrey Pines to the north. Just be careful to not let any conservative relatives hike down the beach (It is a very treacherous hike and also the beach is clothing optional).

Another option if you can rent George''s at the Cove. Food is wonderful and so is the view. You would probably have to take over at least 2 of the 3 floors. The top floor is outdoors over looking the water. Other floors have huge glass windows to take in the view.

The Del Coronado would be beautiful too. Very fairy tale like.

Wish I could get married in CA, but my relatives won''t travel.

 

[Kaili]

Reena,
Although not a wedding, my sister's debutante ball was at the Ritz Calton Laguna Niguel. It is a gorgeous location for a wedding and not too far from the heart of Laguna Beach for your guests to visit if they take a few days (I believe you got engaged there, so I don't have to tell you about it). Also, there are several other hotels in the vicinity if your guests choose not to stay at the same place as the wedding. I would head travelinggal's warning and find out how many other weddings would possibly be going on at the same time and find out about the renovation. That being said, the hotel is beautiful, but the cliff view of the ocean is even better in my oppinion.

Also, It may be too far for you, but my sis recently attended a wedding/ reception in Santa Barbara at Bacara (resort/ spa/ etc). She said it was unbelievable! High end without a doubt, but an amazing wedding location. The majority of guests came from Newport and stayed the weekend and didn't feel that the travel was a problem. I guess it will depend on where the majority of your guests are based. http://www.bacararesort.com/
http://www.bacararesort.com/bacara_meeting/virtual_tour/main/bluff.html

All of the locations suggested this far sound wonderful to me! I'm sure you will find a location as stunning and special as your relationship and your ring.

 

[katrina_33]

I presume you''ve already considered and ruled out the Montage for whatever reason, since I believe that''s where you got engaged?

They do great weddings there! This is a silly suggestion since you''re already aware of the hotel, but I''m just curious about why you ruled it out for a wedding location?

I LOVE that place!

 

[PrincessBride]

Date: 12/22/2004 11:25:37 PM
Author: reena
okay, WOW. that inside weddings site is amazing. i could spend 12 hours straight just sitting and reading about all of those people''s weddings!

If you want to see some wedding footage at La Venta Inn, go to www.ontapevideo.com.

 

[Nihiladrem]

I think that the coast north of San Diego near Del Mar and Torrey Pines has some of the most beautiful locations in Southern California. IslandDreams mentioned the Glider port which has great views. The Park itself is spectaular. The Lodge at Torry Pines is another place you might consider, it is a place that i have been considering for awhile.