Weddingbee Blog

For this story, Goldilocks was going through the woods, and these woods spanned New York City all the way over to the San Francisco Bay Area* (it was a big forest, like Fangorn in Middle Earth). She wandered for a long time, looking for the perfect place (called a “wedding venue” in old folklore) at which she could drop thousands of dollars. But not too many thousands of dollars.

And she wanted to find a place that could stuff her guests silly with good food, treat them very nicely, and allow her faithful companions (i.e. pugs) to accompany her. She found lofts, restaurants, hotels and inns during her travels. However, most were too big or too small, and she had to look at many places in order to find the one that was just right.

First up, in the “too big” category…

Daniel. Ah, my holy grail–amazing food, lovely decor, professional service… I actually thought that Mr. Pug might propose to me at this restaurant the one time we’ve been there. With food, drinks, tax and tip, about $250-300 per person. The words I let out after figuring out that amount were not so holy. If you are getting married here, I hate you. Do you hear me?

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(note that this is the main dining room and not the private Bellecour room, but I couldn’t find a photo of the Bellecour room)

Auberge du Soleil. Location for Mrs. Tomato and Mrs. Pinot Noir. Gorgeous, luxurious, and the reputation for the food is amazing. No dogs. OUT (sound of heart being ripped out of chest).

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Next, the Campbell Apartment. Oooh. Perfect size, rich comfy decor and surroundings, convenient location (Grand Central Station), and an $8000 site fee.

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The woman who talked to me on the phone honestly seemed very confused at my call, making me feel like I didn’t even *sound* like someone who could possibly have $8000. She was nice, though, just too intuitive.

The next step in Goldilocks’ adventures: Too Small

*Goldilocks lives in NYC but has family and friends out in the Bay Area, plus she used to live out there. Goldilocks will do anything for a comfy bed and bowl of porridge that are just right.

Anyway, the “too small” candidates—the ones that were just a wee bit small.

Mr. Pug is the type of guy who wants New York City Hall, which I admit seems pretty romantic. It was also just dun up real purdy, although even the old one had its own bureaucratic rundown charm.

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After I dissuaded him from a city hall-only idea with threats that my immediate family “would kill us”, we started looking to have a wedding celebration elsewhere.

In San Francisco, one of our options was Boulevard (I weep when thinking about losing out on the food there but it was too cramped). This restaurant is a San Francisco institution, with Nancy Oakes at the helm. The food is delicious, and the restaurant has a gorgeous Belle Epoque style.

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Boulevard has a private room downstairs. While the room *could* fit our group (60 people), it was going to be a really tight fit with very little space for cocktail mingling. One phrase that I do not want people to use to describe my wedding is “lots of unintentional sexual harassment.” Goldilocks does not want to go to jail.

In the end, Goldilocks was faced with two final options, both that were just about right.

Hotel Healdsburg. Promising. Doable price, restaurant with great reputation, fun area for people to explore and do wine tasting, and pet friendly! (pic from Hotel Healdsburg website)

Ritz Carlton, Half Moon Bay. There’s no suspense we ended up choosing this one. They have a wonderful reputation for service, a restaurant with a great reputation (Navio), and they’re pet friendly!

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It was a torturous decision between Hotel Healdsburg and the Ritz Carlton. I spent many a dinner ruining Mr. Pug’s appetite with pros and cons about each venue, and even sent my sister, brother-in-law and my mom to each venue to scope them out. Wine country was so appealing, but so was the Ritz! In the end we selected the Ritz because we felt like we would get excellent service there and our guests would feel like it was a real treat. And check out the room where we will be having our dinner reception!

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Goldilocks found her venue! How did we get here from an NYC City Hall wedding? Who cares. I am incredibly thankful that we can have a wedding at this venue. It’s gorgeous and I’m excited. I can’t wait to boss around their “Ladies and Gentlemen”* like my serfs on the day of.

*The Ritz’s motto is that they are Ladies & Gentlemen serving Ladies & Gentlemen.

Did your venue search span cross-country? Why did your ultimate choice of venue/city win out?