Venue: CHECK!

FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY! The venue has been found and booked! Yep, there is officially a backdrop to this wedding.

I have definitely seen this place before, but the price tag always scared me away. ( But I can’t tell you how much I appreciate them putting their prices on their website). Finally I decided to call and what do you know, they had options, they had solutions, and they were going to try to make it work. After talking to the Hunter, the events girl, and calling a few caterers, it was clear that this could actually work.  What do you know, with the low-ish budget that I have, I actually did! You know what the real kicker about this whole thing is, it is actually only a few hundred dollars more than Radonich Ranch would have been! Can you believe it?? I got something one million times better, for just about the same price and no headaches. Totally worth it! So now I can thank Marky Carr for being so ridiculous because I held out and got something so much better for the same price. You all were right, it all happens for a reason!

So, here is a look at the venue:

The Entrance: The fire pits and bocce ball field are to the left for guests to entertain themselves prior to the ceremony starting.

The ceremony spot: At first I was totally turned off by this spot from pictures I have seen, but in person, it is incredible. The view beyond the alter is vineyards and the Carmel Valley. It is actually incredible. Oh and those are the wood chairs that come with the venue. They are nice, right? Definitely better than what they could look like!

The cocktail patio: The thing about this place is that every part of the wedding takes place in a different area which is incredible. The cocktail patio opens to a sitting room (pictured below) for guests. It is a little unlike my taste, but Ian really likes it, so we’ll see what I end up doing with that place.

Courtyard Patio: This is the coolest little patio ever! Definitely a photo spot, but I may also put the cake or place cards and present table here. Not totally sure on the layout, but I will most definitely be using this area for something!

Reception: This is the dinner spot! So excited for all this place has to offer! I think I am going to do long tables like this. I am definitely going to look into renting picnic tables, because I was totally obsessed with that idea, but that all depends on price. I love the look of the long tables, but it is definitely not as good for conversation.

The Carriage House: After dinner people end up at the Carriage House (MY FAVORITE PART!) for the dancing portion of the event. This is where the s’more and cigar bar come out, fire pits get lit, music starts up, and bocce ball can be played if people want. I can’t wait to do something incredible with this space. See those fire pits?? This place really was meant for me! They supply fire pits and the bocce ball court. Incredible.

So this is the venue! Great neutral colors, great photo spots, overall gorgeous space. A bride rented those lounge tables and chairs. Oh and the guests all arrive by golf carts and the cars are parked about a mile away. So those won’t be obstructing any kind of view.

I don’t have any pictures of the area where the bridal party gets ready, but that I am excited for. The girls have a huge room with couches and everything. I want a lot of space for getting ready photos because I love those! This place has A LOT of space!

The boys room is pretty characteristic, and Ian is pretty excited. Pool table, Poker Table, Darts and a full bar area complete with bar stools. Needless to say, they are going to have a lot of fun in there!

Overall, this place is perfect. And on top of that, I love the wedding coordinator! She isn’t jaded by the wedding industry and all it’s glory. It isn’t a matter of “we were seen in the Knot therefore we can charge more and you are lucky to have a wedding here.” Nope. Her family owns the place so its not about getting the paycheck whether you have the wedding or not, its more about the well-being of the family as a whole. This is actually an amazing quality because despite that this place is incredible and has been featured in tons of magazines and blogs,  she still has a modest outlook on the place, and thanks us for even coming to see it. Needless to say, I am incredibly excited to work with someone that really gets it, and acts like we are her only clients even though in reality they are booked solid all year long!

So, we sent in the check and it is official! This place is ours! Now I get to do all the fun stuff, I can’t wait to see it all come together. Oh and our wedding date? April 8, 2011.

PS: Have you entered our giveaway yet?? One vendor and one bride will win this prize! So hurry and enter!