July 12, 2005
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We’ve been searching up and down the
(1) The Ritz-Carlton (Laguna Niguel)
PLUS
MINUS
* Breathtaking views of the ocean
* Nice bridal suite
* Nice neighborhood
* The Pacific Promenade ballroom is
completely private and separate building
* Has the right atmosphere I’m looking for
* Location is far (70 miles from
* No good churches nearby
* Not familiar w/ OC vendors
Here is the view from and walkway to the Pacific Promenade.
(2) Trump National Golf Club (Palos Verdes)
PLUS
MINUS
* Breathtaking views of the ocean
* Close to where I grew up
* Nice neighborhood
* 2 great options for churches nearby
* No high-end hotels nearby
* Random golfers might be around for the late
afternoon portion
(3) Walt Disney Concert Hall (Downtown LA)
PLUS
MINUS
* Landmark
* Would be memorable for guests
* Designed by Frank Gehry and catered by
The Patina Group
* No high-end hotels nearby
* Event coordinator is very unresponsive
* No good churches nearby
* No ocean views
* Risky b/c the “out of the box”-ness could
backfire
(4) La Venta Inn (Palos Verdes)
PLUS
MINUS
* Breathtaking views of the ocean & city (the
best of all the places we’ve seen)
* Close to where I grew up
* Nice neighborhood
* 2 great options for churches nearby
* Completely private – only 1 reception/day
* Cute cottages for bride & groom to get
ready
* No high-end hotels nearby (this place isn’t
really an inn)
* The layout is odd – there are 4 separate
areas connected by wide entrances (3
dining and 1 dance floor)
* Atmosphere is “cute,” “quaint,” “charming” –
I’m looking for “upscale,” “formal,” “classy.”
These are some of the places we also considered:
- Hotel Bel Air
- St. Regis (
- Ritz-Carlton (Marina Del Rey)
- Ritz-Carlton (
- Verandas (
- The Beverly Hills Hotel
-
- Four Seasons (
- Four Seasons (
- Luxe Hotel (Bel Air)
- Luxe Hotel (
I’d also appreciate any other suggestions you might have…we want to have an indoor formal evening reception with gorgeous views (ocean, city or mountains)…seems like it would be easy enough to find, right? Nope…we are having so much trouble finding the perfect place.
If you’re interested in any of the places I mentioned then I can send you my pics and any other info you need!
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!!
Comments (64)
Wow! I’m impressed with your organization and I love the boxes with bullet points on them!
Here’s my 2 cents:
1) GORGEOUS but the distance is too far. It’s easier if the church and reception hall is a bit closer unless you forego the church ceremony and have it there! It all depends on how important having a church ceremony is to you and the family.
2) NICE! If your priority is the church, this would be it. The guests can stay at the best hotel nearby. Does it have to be the best?
3) I LOVE the concert hall! We took a peak there once and the interiors are amazing! But I’m not sure if it is the best place for a wedding. I considered museums too but they can be a bit snobby and not service oriented. Definite minus. You want to like your catering manager or whoever is coordinating the event.
4) Having it at an Inn like that was my ideal…I love quaint and charming but it’s not what you are looking for so I would cross it out. Plus, it’s nice to have the guests in one big open space. Makes it more festive. It depends on how many guests you are planning to have also. Smaller parties will be perfect for this place but if you are thinking 100 and up, I would go with a big ballroom.
I’d vote for #2 since it has many of the components you are looking for but do check to see if there will be golfers nearby that day. (I’m worried about this as well since my photographer said golf balls will be flying around but so far every time I visited during different times of the day, it wasn’t so bad.)
It’s funny because this brings back so many memories…there’s the beach wedding, country club, high end hotels, banquet halls, museums, parks and private inns. I went with the country club because it was low maintainence, great views, and good service…although we have no idea how good the food will be. Having it at a banquet hall or a restaurant is your best bet for quality of food.
Best of luck to you! I’m so excited to see you start your wedding planning! Let me know what I can do to help you research…after the wedding!
i didn’t know that i wasn’t subbed to you! alas…. first of all congrats!!!!! ok here are my thoughts… originally i was going to get married in socal, and my ideal location was the ritz laguna. however, it is far and that is a major drawback. i also didn’t love la venta inn because i wanted something more… elegant. at the golf course – you will see golfers walking by. ritz carlton marina del rey is not nearly as nice as laguna. but those are my preferences of course. if you want ocean views, there are tons of gorgeous places in malibu. do a search on herecomestheguide… they also list private residences. good luck!!!!!
I found your site through stressedoutbride. I’m also a bride to be. God engaged in March and our wedding will be next year sometime. All the places look beatiful. Best of luck on choosing.
Your puppy is so adorable. I’m glad she’s okay.
i am not familiar with the places but I LOVE your choice #1
I’m getting married in La Venta, because it’s really close to my parents house and we’re having a very small and private wedding + reception with only close friends and family members. Hotel was a bit of an issue, but we figured it shoudln’t be too bad with a good map. We’re actually thinking of renting a shuttle or a limo to transport guests. The problem is we have a lot of guests flying in from all over the place (my friends and co-workers from NYC and Japan), so they’re not familiar with the area. That said, it was important for us to have the wedding and reception at the same place where parking is not an issue. And I was recommanded by many that NY Food does a great job with food, which is very important. My mom is also friends with one of the flower venders that is on the referral list on La Venta, so we were able to get 20% discount.
Distance should be a factor, you’ll have to get make-up and hair done before the wedding, so I didn’t want a place that’s too far from my home. I’m still deciding which hair and make-up place(or artist) to go with, but I’m leaning towards non-Koreatown vendor, if not my friend who’s coming from Japan. (she’s a hair-stylist and used to do my hair when she was living in NYC)
Good luck!
i love the ritz carlton. the views are amazing
and it’d definitely be a memorable event… downside, as you pointed out, it’s kind of far… but i think it’s by far the best choice…
but if i had to pick a second, i’d pick the trump national
they’re all nice!! personally i like the PV ones… i would say go with the trump one. good luck with all your wedding plans!!!
all of them are really nice! I also had the hardest time deciding on a location- we must’ve visited like 10 different places and didn’t even see anything we liked. It was sooo frustrating! I decided on a place in Pasadena called Villa Del Sol d’Oro… it had the italian villa/private estate feeling I wanted and I like how not a lot of people know about it. http://www.insideweddings.net/ceremony_reception/villasol.html
I also LOVED Trump National, but it was a lil too pricey for me. I think they film there frequently on The OC if you ever watch that show.
I kinda liked Thomas’ idea of having it at the Chinese restaurant.
Don’t worry about distance, Jen… we’ll make the drive for you.
Either choice #1 or #2. they seems the best choices but then again I’m not from Cali therefore unfamiliar with locations….
oh i’m sorry, wish i could help! i don’t know much about the areas. will ask hubby.
i’m sorry, my link was wrong… here is the correct one. http://www.insideweddings.com/ceremony_reception/villasol.html
i went to a wedding at the ritz in laguna niguel a year ago and it was so so so so beautiful! the view is stunning! and the food they served there was really good too. i was going around stealing my friends’ creme brulees, lol.
mmm i would definitely go with a place where they are more responsive to you, which would rule out the disney hall. it comes in really handy when you need to go over details and there’s nothing more frustrating than someone who won’t call you back. also, you’re the bride – everyone should be making you feel special!! i also think ritz makes you use a coordinator from their approved list – just FYI. i definitely like ritz LN better than marina del rey… the ritz pasadena’s japanese garden is BEAUTIFUL – i love it but it looks like you’re going for the ocean thing.. i wanted a garden wedding so our choices were all inland
good luck – cant’ wait to hear more!
Wow. So many choices. Sounds like #2 fits most closely with what you’re looking for.
WOW! all of them are great choices! … I wish there were places like these in NJ. *sigh*
Not a fan of the Disney Concert Hall (probably bad associations with working in Downtown all those years). I do love La Venta (for a small wedding), but I agree, it doesn’t have what you’re going for. Ritz in Laguna Niguel is nice, but it’s not the easiest to get to. Ritz in Pasadena is a bit dated and Marina is not as nice. I really like St. Regis Monarch Beach though. We stayed at the Four Seasons in Newport Beach, the food is great, but it’s not exactly next to the ocean. Casa Del Mar is nice too, but parking can be a pain. How about the Montage? Sounds like you’re leaning towards your original choice of Trump National! This is so exciting!
wow, so organized.
i vote for ritz carlton in laguna niguel. one of my co-workers got married there and her pictures were gorgeous.
location is a big factor for me in deciding a venue also. but my friends are trying to talk me into broadening my horizons and consider l.a., o.c., or palm springs. i’m still not sure.
good luck finding a venue.
You should consider City Club in downtown LA. It has a GORGEOUS GORGEOUS city view. It is located on the 54th floor of the Wells Fargo tower. It is a business club during the week and it throws private events. I will be having my cermony and reception there. I love that place for the following reasons.
1. The venue is pretty and the view is absolutely stunning. I didn’t want a typical wedding reception. I wanted a WOW factor. The Ritz had been done before in my family. (My cousin who got married last year did the bi-continental OMG wedding.) So gotta do something different.
2. The whole venue is pretty much yours for the day. They don’t double-book. They did tell me if a club member wanted to have a private dinner in one of their smaller dinning rooms, they will allow them. But that doesn’t happen too often.
3. Service is amazing. These are the same people who work at the club during the week. They are all very professional, courteous, and friendly.
4. The prices are very very reasonable for the food. I’m telling you I will be going all out on the food (filet mignon and lobster) and it will cost less than many venue’s cheaper packages.
5. Maria, the head of private events is very accomendating and will work with you in order to make your even the best.
Let me know if you are interested in looking into the venue. Honestly, you will love them. They are reasonable, but the service they provide is amazing. Also if you need a someone to do lights, dj, or event planning, I have someone. He is fantastic. He will work with your budget to make the event the best. He is also not afraid to throw in extra stuff if he believes it will make your wedding better at no charge, even if it is not in your budget. I used to work with him at my old company to throw company events, so I can vouch for him. I know it is in downtown, but we will be using the Ritz in Pasadena and the Standards as our hotels.
all the places are *SO* beautiful!! They’re all great choices. I sent you an email about Trump National. My friend had her reception there and it was SOOOOO nice. And the event coordinator was really helpful too.
I second the Chinese restaurant idea
j/k…but I agree with Aus…don’t worry so much about the distance thing b/c I think generally the people that are going to attend are going to attend regardless of whether it’s in OC or LA… I’m probably going to fly in from Korea so I’ll bring the wooden wedding ducks for presents, haha. :)
I think we have similar tastes in how we want our weddings…I want a very elegant beautiful hotel venue by the ocean too…#1 would be my first choice…you can just have the ceremony there too if the church ceremony is not an absolute…your close family and friends will be willing to make the drive…and if they’re not even better because that will help cut down the costs of the wedding
My second choice would be for the St. Regis or the Montage in Laguna Beach. I don’t know if I’ll be able to afford these three though so some more affordable options would be Huntington Beach Waterfront Hilton, Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach, Newport Beach Marriott, Hyatt Newport Beach, or the Laguna Cliffs Marriott.
RYC: Just tell Maria that Joanne with the April 2006 sent you. Good luck!
Opps…I meant April 2006 wedding=)
My future BIL had his engagement at the Ritz-Carlton(Laguna Niguel) & it was just beautiful!!!!!
you´re welcome!! you know what… i cried the first night i got her because i missed toby haha. i know i´m such a weakling.
the concert hall definitely has the WOW factor – too bad there are too many minuses! when is the big day???
hubby knows someone who was about to use this place…http://www.markandannewedding.com/location/
check it out. hope it helps!
i have no suggestions as i have no clue about these venues. however, i think your doggie is sooooooooo cute! this is my first time visiting your page and your last entry w/ doggie pictures caught my eyes! she/he looks so yummy, i mean CUTE. :-p
ryc: I’m thankful that I have the opportunity to take this class as well. It is pretty scary holding the brush in your hand for the first time and seeing the white canvas before you, but I’m learning so much by trial and error. The great thing is you can wipe off with a rag and paint over your mistakes and when all else fails just blend or fake it.
I hope you get the opportunity. It’s such a great stress reliever and/or escape for me.
I still can’t get over how adorable bella is!
ryc: real estate
RE law? that does sound really interesting! i was considering it before but then realized i’m not cut out for all the reading and legal jargon… i think all those hours watching law and order intimidated me when they can quote cases just off the top of their head.
what does your fiancee do now? he should get into development if he has a chance, especially if you guys are in west LA, downtown is booming right now!!
hi! thanks for the comments. I LOVE the way you organised your venue search. Hope you dont mind that I’ll be borrowing your research. I’m not from Southern California so I cant give you advice on which venues are good like the locals could. Re your question, my fiance is from LA but I’m from Aust. Good luck on your venue search!
hiya! we’re getting married aug. 2006 and already booked the venue (at a winery), photographer, band and wedding planner! we originally wanted to get married in sept. but all the dates were taken!
as far as moving to SD – we keeping going back and forth on that idea…hehe.
oh how fun~!!! your 1st choice, ritz-carlton laguna niguel – my friends got engaged there. such a beautiful hotel and location. although it might be a bit of a drive, i think that’s my favorite. plus, it might be refreshing for your guests to leave LA for a change.
If you want indoor formal, yes, rule out La Venta and Verandas. If you want a resort/hotel style, I hear good things about Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel and St. Regis. Someone else also mentioned, did you check out the Montage? Also, if you skip the ocean view and would consider a restaurant setting, Cicada and Cafe Pinot in downtown LA are pretty nice and have good food. Let us know what you pick!
ryc: yes, jenny! erika goes to ucLAW. do you know her?! she’s one of my bestest buddies
thanks, we seem to have the similar tastes in types venues. I’m also after something that looks simple but classy, preferable with ocean views too. If you dont mind me asking, what kind of budget have you set for your wedding? I’ve been struggling with this one. Some planners that I spoke to suggested $40,000. but then some of the MIL’s friends suggested $20,000-$30,000. I definitely dont want to spend any more then I have to.
Seeing that it was my idea, I’m going to have to third the vote for the Chinese Restaurant. Sadly, the majority of weddings I’ve been to when I was younger were in churches with the reception in the church gymnasium. One was in a KTown hotel an engagement party was in fact, in a Chinese Restaurant banquet room. Okay okay, I admit it, I’m ghetto.
Have fun planning Skip, I’m sure in the midst of stressing about this, you’re having somewhat of a good time. I’ll drive anywhere for you, even though you won’t let me MC the event…
know it sounds cheesy but i thought the walt disney venue looked so amazing!
ry r u ok??!?! cant believe u got into a fender bender!!! did u have t o get a police report, or were things settled?? i hope everything was settled! how do u like ur lahes? AVOID WATER for like 2 days, use a towel to wipe ur face when ur washing,so u dot get ur whole face wet and dont get ur lashes wet when ur in the shower!
you got the lash thing done at marquis? no way! the extension or the implants? tell me, tell me, tell me… how was it?
jenny! i found you! omg you didnt tell me you’re got engaged? you just said it was going to happen!!! yay! i’m so happy for you!!! whens the wedding??? and how big is that ring??? haha
omg 41 ruffs!! holy cow!!
awe thanks for the comment on the dress (keke). i think i chose a good dress for pictures… it really stands out in the crowd. yes we are having a blast and we´re already planning our next trip here. but hopefully next time toby can come with us… we miss our baby.
wow, it must be great living in california b/c you seem to have sooo many Great options! Down here in Louisiana, there is NOTHING. No good scenery or any WOW places. I guess once it is my time, I really have to dig and search hard to find out a perfect place. How come I can’t find the subscribe button on your site? I’m trying to subscribe to your xanga, but can’t seem to find the button to do so..=)
nvm about the subscribing button. I found it. I must have been blind to have missed it..lol..=)
Thanks for your comment on the budget topic. Is it really that expensive that to have it at a place like Laguna?! I’m quite speechless. I may have to rethink the whole ocean view thing. If you find that your wedding budget is getting blown out of proportion, a wedding planner may definitely help you with that. When are yout getting married by the way?
hi Jenny,
sorry i missed your call, i was at a wedding that night. and my sunday was busy too. i’ll call you tonight~
i don’t know of any specific korean coordinators ( i looked when i was planning!) but you can check out the company i work for (http://www.inspiredday.com) randi (the lead coordinator) is fantastic and i’m an assistant (i’m korean) or you can check out the coordinator i used – http://www.stephanielairson.com she’s wonderful!!! you can email me or leave me a comment if you have any questions! i suggest having at least a day of coordinator because i really was able to enjoy my day and have all questions geared towards my coordinator.. also, none of my guests had to act as a coordinator – my friends were able to sit back and enjoy as well..
I’m aiming for a June 2006 wedding but we havent set an exact date yet. As for indoors vs outdoors, I’m leaning towards indoors. I’m thinking that it may be torture for the guests to sit in the sun through the ceremony. I’m going to wait to see what the wedding planner suggests though. I’ll be starting my venue visiting in a week and a half !
the movie Bridemaids was soooo good.. have to watch it.. hehe hopefully, they’ll replay it
hey soon to be sister in law~!!!!!!!!!! wow those places all look rellli grand! i dont relli kno much about weddings or anything so i cant relli help u out! definitely go with someone that is responsive… and if ur having an outdoor wedding the church doesnt need to be near the place right?? i cant wait to see bella!! hopefully sometime in december?!? hehehe *mwa* miss u!!!!!!
have u decided which venue babe? i went to a weddig at La Venta inn..the view was great! from a guest’s perspective, i loved the view…it was a nice, close, intimate wedding…but if ur going for black tie like me, u maybe should consider the ritz..i am not familiar with CA locations, but im sure u will find a great venue! good luck!
btw, how are the lashes?
RYC: No problem! I’m glad you had the opportunity to see the place. The view is amazing and Maria makes it even better. Is Santa Barbara too far for you? If not you should check out Bacarra Resort. It is GORGEOUS!!! I’m almost tempted to switch our venue…this place is breath-taking. But I think the cost is going to be much more than our current selection, but my FI said he won’t mind the extra expense. He really likes that place too..too many choices!
RYC: That is why I love Maria!! I am a litttle hesistant to change because I’m not sure that we will get the personal attention Maria is giving us. Let me know if you do go for City Club. I will sponsor you, so you can get the member’s price which will say you a bunch of money on your wedding!
hello, you haven’t posted in a while!!! ryc i have a pedometer so i always know how much i walk! hee hee
love pedometers. you never know…you may be walking that much but you don’t know it! get a pedometer!
Dude, you have 66 eProps!? That’s disgusting!
thanks for visiting my site and good luck looking for a location
omg you haven’t updated this whole time?!! holy cow!! haha… yes, spain was sooo much fun and i can’t wait to go back!!! i love the food, the culture, and everyone there us soo friendly!!!!!
thanks! she’s sooo big now…i took my cousin’s year old maltese to the vet and she weighed 4.5 lbs…Lola is not even 3 months yet and she weighs almost 3 lbs! Wheres new pics of Bella?
btw..i think the trump one looks niiiice.
Skippeeeeeeee!!
OMG all those places look SO nice. I guess I’m a little late getting to this post. If it were me choosing, I’d go for the Ritz Carlton. SO beautiful. Ahh.
RYC:
*sigh* Yeah I feel really bad for Stef too. She was crying this morning. It kills me that people she considered to be good friends are giving her the shaft like this. I was going to be confrontational about it, but then I decided that I’ll just uninvite them and cut them out of our lives. People say it’s unfortunate and harsh, what I do (I’ve done this before); but what I say is that it’s only worth having worthwhile people in your life. Everybody else is just dead weight and headache.
I’m sure our other friends will pull through. The ironic thing about this all is that while all the girlfriends (except her best friend, from an unrelated group) have given her the shaft, none of the guy friends are. And among the guy friends is her longtime ex, who has become my good friend.
Ah well, we can’t let this ruin our trip. I think we’ll have a good time
Jenny… Can you email me at daun_chung@hotmail.com (i don’t have your email on me, thought i did) sorry!!!
We’ll get the familia together.. Austin promised me kclubbing….
Jenny… Can you email me at daun_chung@hotmail.com (i don’t have your email on me, thought i did) sorry!!!
We’ll get the familia together.. Austin promised me kclubbing….
did you choose a venue yet? the walt disney concert hall is funky–never seen a building like it! but it seems to have a lot of minuses against it… i’d go with either option 1 or 2… or dig a bit more until you find the perfect spot. good luck
i’m so sorry to hear about the secretary’s husband. it must be devastating. there’s been so many deaths lately and people getting ill, it makes me think all the more about life and how short it is. I hope you will get some relief from work soon. It sounds really demanding. will be thinking of you…
i notice that bella’s tear stains got better..what do you use? i got eye envy but it doesn’t seem to help too much..every time i get her groomed it looks better but in a few days they come back..