Miss Espresso, Corona/Big Bear
Age and Occupation: 23, Recent Grad & Professional Interviewee
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance Technician
Engagement Date: December 21, 2007
Wedding Date: October, 2008
Blogging Since: June 25, 2008
Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear Lake
About Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
Venue Shopping Part II
June 27th, 2008 @ 12:28 pm by Miss Espresso
Ding Ding! Round 2! I enjoyed reading all of your comments from yesterday’s post and couldn’t wait to get started on today’s. So let’s keep the love flowing! Today I’m going to focus on more AFFORDABLE venues in the So Cal region. Also, I’ve realized with many of these affordable venues, rentals are not included- so always make sure and ask. Now- let’s get to it!
Our first stop on the Espresso Bus: Cafe Mozart
Located in San Juan Capistrano, Cafe Mozart is just blocks from the old mission. The Spanish style architecture and fountain are beautiful, and the place really glows at night. The ceremony can either take place in front of the fountain or up in the old bell tower (pictured), with the guests all seated below. The old town surrounding provides a perfect setting for amazing pictures too. Saturday rental fees start around $3,000, but Friday and Sunday weddings are $1500. Use of their catering is required and last time I checked, ran between $28- $46 per person. Their Sunday brunch option is more expensive at $40pp but comes with free flowing champagne.
Although this is a cafe- tables, linens, chairs, and heaters are not provided… which came as somewhat of a shock to me since it was a cafe. So make sure you ask any questions that you have, even if they seem dumb. Believe me - I felt a little silly, sitting at a restaurant and asking if what I was sitting on and at were included. 
They also require that you use their rental company. However, if you are having a smaller wedding, which can fit inside the restaurant, the rentals are included.
Next stop: California Citrus State Historic Park
The California Citrus State Historic Park is located in Riverside- my old stomping grounds. Growing up here, I fell in love with the smell of orange blossoms. Every spring, the scent dominated the cool night air, and now, I can’t get enough of it. The park here is simple, beautifully landscaped, and, if you marry here in spring, will carry the scent of orange blossoms. yay! I don’t recommend marrying here in the summer months because it can get pretty hot!!
Next stop: San Moritz Lodge
San Moritz is located in Crestline on your way to Lake Arrowhead. It’s a community building for the surrounding local residents. The price is great. The parking is ample, and I’m pretty sure tables and chairs are included (although I may be wrong). My MOH and I went here in heavy snow to check it out. There were huge, death icicles hanging from the roof- which meant standing underneath to peek inside was a little unnerving. But from what we could see it seemed really low key, simple, and nice. The building capacity is 250 and you’re allowed to bring your own catering.
Next… Ole Hanson Beach Club
Ole Hanson Beach Club is located in good ol’ San Clemente. The rates are charged hourly and the ocean view is oh so nice! What’s great about this place is that you can have the ceremony here, on the lawn in front, or down on the beach (requires city permits and rentals).
Final Stop: The Mitten Building
Although I made the trek to Redlands, I never actually made it inside the Mitten Building. I remember when I was searching for venues, I had loved the ceremony picture from here (pictured above) and couldn’t wait to see it. But I made my appointment too late and by the time I got there- they couldn’t see me for another 2 hours. Impatient Miss Espresso decided to go get some coffee (go figure) and check out other sites instead. I highly recommend checking it out though, and if any of you have been to a wedding here, let us know what you thought. You can find more photos on their Flickr page.
Ok so my typing fingers are a little worn out… and I’m now kind of distracted by So You Think You Can Dance. But I hope this helped out some of you. For those of you still on the search, also check out The Ebell Club, Strawberry Farms in Irvine, University of Redlands, The Coffee Depot, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Rancho Capistrano, and the Mission Inn.
Image Credit: Cafe Mozart & San Moritz from HereComestheGuide; Citrus Park, Ol Hanson, & the Mitten Building from their websites linked above.
11 Responses to “Venue Shopping Part II”
WOOOHOO for the Espresso BUS!
Dude, you are one crazy researching Bee! Many, many lucky Bride-to-Be readers are going to LOVE this shiz! Good work venue sleuth!
Thanks again for more idea
My good friend had her reception @ Cafe Mozart 2 yrs ago and it was probably the best outside reception I have ever been too!
Cafe Mozart is a great and tasty place and she’s told me her experience with them was seamless.
That’s going to be hard to decide with so many great choices!! I can’t wait to hear about all of them. They all look fab!!
I did an (what I thought was) exhaustive search but never looked at any of these– thanks for the tour!
OK…so, I should be commenting on the locations, right? They’re gorgeous, but I’ll admit what caught my eye was you saying So You Think You Can Dance distracted you. I love that show! I can totally understand not being able to concentrate while that’s on
My friend got married at San Moritz lodge. . it is cute but very very very rustic! I think that if you did hold a wedding or reception there the money you would save on the venue would probably haveto be put towards livening the place up a bit as it is not really “wedding ready”. But that is just my opinion, take it or leave it
Just curious if you have considered the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa?
@Ada: I barely watch tv and I love that show too! The Bleeding Love Hip Hop danch ah!
@jd: Good to know- maybe the snow surrounding in the winter helps make it look more cozy- We didn’t check out Lake Arrowhead Resort b/c my cousin got married there, so I wanted a different place to call me own Thanks for the recommendation though!
I’ll be posting soon on the location we chose- which we absolutely love!!!
Bleeding Love & Air choreographed by Napolean & Tabitha numbers this season have been my favorite dances so far!
I love the mention of these venues- a lot of them are not the ones you always see mentioned in southern california. I wish I could see the Mitten Building as well - but alas, not living in Redlands anymore, there’s no reason to drive down the hill for it. *lol* I’ve been married for 7 years but I like to be an unofficial source of wedding info for friends who are in the planning stages. I think the Ebell Club is awesome- did you look at the menu prices? Are they serious? $40pp on the buffet menus for all that you’re getting? Seems like a great deal! Not sure if I misread it or what!?
Wow, these sites are amazing… I researched many places before getting married and I had never heard about the ones you’ve chosen. All are just beautiful…
You sound so happily engaged, I can tell that you’re going to make a wonderful wife!
Can’t wait to hear more about your wedding adventure…
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