Weddingbee

As you can tell from the title of this post, I thought I should share with all of you our venue, as well as the journey finding it…

When Mr. Peppermint and I got engaged, one of the first decisions we made was to have the wedding in Palm Springs. Not only is that where Mr. Peppermint proposed, but it’s been a favorite weekend getaway for the last three years. We wanted everyone to see that it wasn’t just a land for retired golfers and spa enthusiasts. We’ve had so many great trips out there and wanted to share that with our family and friends. However, when I first started the planning process, I quickly got overwhelmed (a common reaction, I gather). And having the wedding 90 miles away (and with LA traffic!) has created some challenges–especially because I couldn’t just drop by to view a venue. Instead, we had to have a game plan.

So, the first weekend of December (strategically we picked this time to get a sense of the weather around the same time of year that our wedding will be), my parents, sister, Mr. Peppermint and I drove out for a busy weekend. We stayed at Casa Cody (our favorite bed & breakfast), and had an itinerary of three possible venues. I found them by searching through many websites and anything I could get my hands on. (For a good starting off point for Palm Springs Brides try the Greater Palm Springs Wedding Association Site, for Southern California Brides there’s Wedding Compass, and the “Here Comes The Guide” books (geared to Northern or Southern CA brides).  I had everyone look at a list of twenty plus venues and then we narrowed it down to three: a hotel, a restaurant and an estate.

We started out with the historical estate, The O’Donnell House (once on the website you click on the link for the O’Donnell House or Weddings). Perched on the base of the San Jacinto Mountains, it arguably holds the best view of the Valley. In order to get up to the house, we boarded a golf cart that took us up the mountain and in the driveway. Harmony, who coordinates the weddings and hosted our tour, was extremely knowledgeable and made us feel as though we were in good hands. She toured us as if we were guests to the wedding (where we would enter at each step).

The top floor of the house is devoted to the bridal party – getting dressed, primping, hair/make-up, tears, the works! The bridesmaids and brides will make their way down the outdoor staircase to the grass where the ceremony takes place. The reception is set up on the large patio/driveway with a dynamite view of the city of Palm Springs. In case you can’t tell, after the full tour, we were all smitten. The one point for debate centered around the vendors–unlike many other wedding venues, we would have to select outside caterers, florists, valet, etc. – the only thing the O’Donnell provides is the site.

Here are some pictures from the O’Donnell House website:

Here are some of the pictures taken of the O’Donnell House while we were there:

to be continued…

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