Weddingbee Blog

Back in my college days (1 month ago ) I was the type of girl who always made things more difficult than they needed to be. I chose the topics with the least amount of information available, voluntarily took on the heaviest work load of the group, and always went the “perfectionist” extra mile to make sure that my project was not only different, but “me”. Although this was the more difficult route, it also usually turned out to be the most rewarding.

Jump over to our wedding planning, and I’m the exact same way. Except this time- I want it to be “us”. When Mr. Espresso and I started to plan our wedding, we decided that our top 2 goals were to 1) Make our wedding personal, and 2) Have it outdoors. Our budget of $15,000 for 170 guests was also a deciding factor. So for you So Cal Brides looking for a venue- here are some wonderful outdoor locations that we considered, and may be of some help to you.

For the Bride with a much bigger budget than mine, I recommend my first love: Rancho Las Lomas

Rancho Las Lomas is located in Silverado Canyon within the hills of Orange County. The property is gorgeous boasting Portuguese tiles, multiple Spanish style buildings, old oak trees and tigers. That’s right- I said tigers. They have these beautiful Bengal tigers, birds, reptiles, etc… that line a (caged) loop around the property- Perfect for entertaining the young anxious guest… or anybody else not used to seeing tigers at weddings!

For the Bride wanting a Vineyard Wedding: I recommend Ponte Winery

Ponte Winery is located amongst the scattered Temecula wineries. As you can see, the location is absolutely beautiful. The ceremony looks out over the sprawling vineyards and the reception is held in a (permanent) big, white tent. I loved it here. The wedding coordinators on site were incredibly helpful and professional and parking for all of your guests is free. The areas for the bride and groom (that’s right- a place for the groom too) were big, pretty, and had areas for both lounging and showering. Ponte does require that you use their catering but, for those of you looking to get married in January- March 2009, they’re offering a 10- 20% discount on menu selections.

For the Princess Bride: I recommend Kimberly Crest in Redlands.

Kimberly Crest is seriously cool. The heavy tree lined drive up to it, had me at hello. But then there’s the gardens, and the house itself with its towering beauty. What’s also great is that it’s a museum, so all of the money goes towards keeping a local and educational legacy alive. The one con is that they only allow day weddings (a deal breaker for Mr. Espresso and I).

I could post about a lot more places, but I don’t want to scare you away with my lengthy search. So if you have any questions or would like to know about more (or specific) venues in the So Cal region, let me know and I’ll do the best I can to help. Believe me- we researched TONS of venues.

Photos courtesy of Rancho Las Lomas, Ponte Winery, and celiaharp.com