I have completed the most difficult and daunting task on my wedding planning list, thus far. We have officially locked down our venue! HOORAY! Vinnie and I will be getting hitched on November 4, 2012 at the Hotel Maya in Long Beach, California. Originally, we wanted our date to be October 20th, which is a Saturday, however, that changed when we saw the premium places charged for a Saturday evening wedding. (FYI, for those of you brides out there scouting out venues, you can save close to $10,000 just by switching your celebration to a Friday or Sunday.) We opted for a Sunday and pushed back our date to the first weekend in November, which gave us an additional 15% off… Score!
Now that we have our venue, I’ve realized that my color scheme may have to be tweaked a little bit. What I know for sure is that I LOVE succulent plants, so my palette should complement that cool sage green. I also want to have some bright colors to add to our killer outdoor ambiance at the Maya. The decor and vibe there is ” Mayan Mystique meets Urban Chic…. alluring fusion of Latin American and Southern Californian style.”
You might be reading this thinking, ‘wait a minute, didn’t Taya say her dream wedding would be in Palm Springs?’ Yes, you’re right. In my last post I wrote about how I fell in love with the Colony Palms Hotel in the desert. Well, when I got back to Los Angeles I decided to reach out to a friend of mine, Laura, who also happens to be a wedding planner. She and I met for a glass of wine and french fries (that’s how I roll) to brainstorm other locations that had a vibe I wanted, and were more affordable and easier for people to travel to. I told her how I loved the old Spanish charm of the Colony Palms, along with its cool mid-century chic vibe, and that I envisioned getting married somewhere unique… somewhere with palm trees that felt like an escape. She recommended the Hotel Maya.
Hotel Maya Color Inspiration
Long story short: I went on my own to tour the grounds. Later that week Vinnie, his parents, my MOH and I enjoyed Sunday brunch there, and that pretty much sealed the deal. (PS, the food is AMAZING!) The hotel is owned by Hilton and they recently had a $10mil renovation. The secret is slowly getting out on what a fabulous location it is for an event. In 2009 they had about 45 weddings, last year almost 100, and in 2012 even more!
Hotel Maya Color Inspiration
Side note: When Vinnie’s parents got married in San Pedro 30+ years ago, his mom wanted to spend their wedding night at this hotel!! Even though they ended up staying somewhere else, she always remembered how special the location was. It was cool to hear them reminisce about it ;-)
Now that we have our venue it’s time to send out save the dates, design invites, etc.
So, what’s my new challenge? Setting the tone and vibe of our wedding through COLORS. It’s likely that our save the dates will be similar in design to our invitations. I’ve let my creative juices start flowing over the holiday weekend and this is what I’ve been inspired by so far. I want something modern with a hint of Spanish/Latin American influence.
As previously mentioned, I LOVE succulents! They will definitely be in my floral arrangements and table centerpieces. I’m also really digging the grey and yellow. What do you think?
Hotel Maya Color Inspiration
I feel like picking your colors is the last big step in getting the ball rolling. Am I right? I’d love to hear how this part of the planning is going for you! Do your save the dates look like your invites? Once you picked your paper goods, did you feel pigeonholed into a certain color scheme? Have any advice or words of wisdom for me?
December 27th, 2011 by
Taya
December 27, 2011 at 6:09 am, KateOHara said:
Congrats on locking down your venue! I LOVE succulents too! We stuck more with a ‘theme’ than a specific color scheme, I think that helps not feel so stuck on two specific colors. We went with gray, yellow, pale pink, sage green, and ivory…soft romantic colors. Our ‘main’ colors are gray & yellow though, and we used them for our invites. Hope that helps! :)
December 27, 2011 at 7:11 am, Christina said:
Congratulations! Your venue looks fabulous and super unique!
I would not stress too much about the save-the-dates matching the invitations…Ours didnt have any of the colors we are used for the actual invites or plan to use anywhere in the wedding. We had to get ours together quickly (we sent them about a month after getting engaged) because about 70% of guests are flying in from out of state and abroad so we didn’t have too much time to think about a theme. In the end, the playful vibe of our save the dates still matches our overall “theme” :) Since you have more time than I did, I say take a little time to explore your options and gather more inspiration but in the end, go with your gut and try not to stress!
December 27, 2011 at 7:51 am, Taya said:
@Kate- girl, we have great taste ;-) I absolutely love those soft romantic colors. Thanks for the advice!
@ Christina- thanks for the words of wisdom. It’s so hard to not get caught up in what everyone else has done for invites, save the dates, etc. But, you’re right- no stress! It’s about enjoying the journey. I’m grateful that I have so much time to prep. We’ll see what happens with my theme/color palette. I’ll def keep you ladies posted.
Thanks for reading and commenting! I truly appreciate your feedback!
Here’s to a happy and healthy new year! :)
December 27, 2011 at 12:45 pm, Ashley Bostrom said:
Yay!!! I’m so happy you locked down your venue. Now everything else, color and themes and personal touches will just fall into place. I don’t feel save the dates have to match your invitations. Mike and I are sending out ours via email in Jan. for our big day Aug. 12, 2012 which helps save a little extra $$ for personal touches elsewhere. :) We also booked our date on a Sunday which makes a big difference in our pockets since we are doing everything on our own. I love reading your blogs, keep up the good work!! ;)
December 27, 2011 at 1:47 pm, Jess Haro said:
I love the middle color scheme, really sticking with the grey and yellow but throwing in your suculants! So proud of all the deals you’re locking in and can’t wait to celebrate your big day. Love you both!