Weddingbee Blog

Most couples these days actually see their venue prior to the wedding. But Mr. Parasol and I are not like most couples. Nope. We decided to wait until about a month before our wedding, after the contract had already been signed and the deposit already paid, before we went to see our venue.

It’s not that we didn’t want to see our venue or that we were lazy. You see, way back in late March/early April when we decided to get married this fall and needed to book a venue, Mr. Parasol and I were still living in New York. And because we were both working and going to graduate school, we couldn’t make a trip to California to scope out potential venues. So the task fell to my parents.

The whole choosing-a-venue-without-actually-seeing-it thing was pretty complicated, but I’ll skip all the boring details. Suffice it to say that Mr. Parasol finally found a place, Mama Parasol checked it out, and thankfully, it met with everyone’s expectations.

Early in our engagement, I had this vision of marrying Mr. Parasol at a California winery. As I soon discovered, though, many wineries charge an obscene amount of money for weddings, and so I decided to let this dream go. Then Mr. Parasol stumbled upon Bent Creek Winery, a beautiful venue tucked in the backhills of Livermore wine country. It sounded quaint and simple, beautiful and rustic, and best of all, affordable. Mama Parasol quickly headed out to a wine tasting and came back with a stellar report: she loved the venue and thought it was exactly what we were looking for.

And so, with Mama Parasol’s approval, Mr. Parasol and I signed our contract and mailed in our deposit. The most we’d seen of our venue were a few pictures that Mama Parasol took.

Fast forward four months, and Mr. Parasol and I finally made it out to Bent Creek. We were both a little nervous; what if it wasn’t what we imagined? It was certainly too late to back out now, so we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.

Hive, Bent Creek did not disappoint. It was better than either of us had imagined, and the second we saw it, we knew it was the perfect place for us to get married. Mama Parasol did good.

There are rows and rows of beautiful vines and trees, and everything is so vibrant and colorful.

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

Mr. Parasol

We love the beautiful backdrop of California hills. It is simply breathtaking.

Personal Photo

And there is the most stunning view from the tops of the hills.

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

Finally, we checked out the large tree under which Mr. Parasol and I will be joined as husband and wife. We stared at our tree for quite some time, trying to figure out where exactly we wanted to get married under it. We tried to think like a photographer, and we wanted to choose the spot that would provide the best photographic shots. I think we finally found it.

Personal Photo

Mr. Parasol, in position and ready to go! / Personal Photo

It was such a relief to finally see our venue in person, and we are thrilled that it is so amazingly beautiful! This is the perfect venue for Mr. Parasol and me, and we cannot wait to return on our wedding day. And I can only image all the breathtaking pictures we’re going to get from our amazing photographers. Now that’s something to look forward to!

Did any of you have to resort to unconventional methods to find your venue?