Choosing a venue, heart vs. head

jennyb07

Hi beautiful ladies!

I haven't been posting too much but definitely been seeing all the wonderful ideas you have. My FI and I got engaged on New Years Eve and have been planning since. We have seen a few venues all over So. California expect for San Diego. We found this beautiful place out in Riverside but the venue alone is half the budget we absolute love this place and have still looked elsewhere but keep thinking about the venue in Riverside. There are a few things we aren't too happy about for example we need to rent tables and chairs (extra charge) but I know that at the same time it's good so we can find vendors with good deals. For example I found caterers that charge $22 to $24 per person for buffet. The other thing is if I have a makeup artist/hair dresser on site that's an extra $250 and we obviously need to get insurance. I know that if I do most of the things myself it may help us stay within the budget but I'm just too worried that we have our hearts set on this place and we will go over.I’m flexible and willing to keep things simple, but my head will stop me and I’ll think is it crazy to pay so much for a venue? So my heart and head are battling it out.Sorry it’s a bit long but appreciate any help or feedback. J

NicciSal91

if you belong to a church maybe you can rent tables and chairs from them. im sure it would be alot cheaper. i know Our Lady of the Assumption church in san bernardino rent out their tables. i hope that helps. im looking for venues in the same area as you and i know its pricey. good luck

jennyb07

That's a great idea NicciSal91 I'll definately look into that. I even asked my work since they have tons of tables and chairs because they have lots of events but even that is expensive

You are right it's so pricy and not too many places. The Mission Inn is beautiful and out of our budget and Etiwanda Gardens hasn't responded to my emails and I was told by a co-worker that it's for sale because her church was trying to purchase it. Good luck as well hope we can get our venues

desi2002

I agree, that is an amazing idea!

miss.jawright

I chose my ideal venue because it means a lot to me. I figure I can make cuts else where. But it was a pretty hard decision.

Kasi80

When I was planning my wedding I wanted a beautiful venue...pretty much what we dream of but I knew that that would seriously hurt the budget so I opted for a much less expensive venue and decided to decorate it enough to make it what I wanted.  I did most things myslef so it was very cost efficient.  Stressful to a point but fun and cheap.

breleficent

We chose our heart when it came to our venue. I figured that in order to get the venue we wanted we could save in other places. I think it really is a personal decision. Some might not care to skip on decor to get their dream venue while others would skip on their dream venue to get their dream decor.

jennyb07

Totally makes sense Kasi though we want an outdoor wedding which we don't want to decorate too much just use the trees and nature as decoration. I found another location in a magazine out in Menifee so I'll wait to see what their prices are and if not I may end up going with my heart. It makes it difficult because FI loves this place too.

Thanks ladies you're all awesome!

Kasi80

ooh, I was talking about the reception part. 

I had my wedding at a golf course and we did very minimal decorating for the ceremony.  Just being outdoors was pretty. 

What about Kimberly Crest?

breleficent

What is the name of your dream venue? Maybe we can help you find something similar. Also, what is your guest list count?

mrs.payne2010

i totally agree with outdoors needing less decorating. we are having ceremony and reception outdoors and after going to meet the florist i realized that all we really needed was some centerpices and thats pretty much it.
is it the crestmor manor?? if so there are places in redlands like it.

as far as saving in other places its totally doable...have you used the budget calculator on this? it helped me alot.

when

mrs.payne2010

(sorry the stupid thing cut me off)

anyways when we chose our venue it was out of our budget but we set up a savings account and planned ahead of time to see how long we would need to save what we needed too. not sure if you have a date set yet but if not thats another way to be able to afford it, just stretch the date out.

jennyb07

the venue we love is called Vivian Gardens http://viviangardens.org/ I've emailed Etiwanda Gardens and haven't heard a reply but a co-worker did get a response and they are reasonable, I did look into Kimberly Crest and it's a bit out of our range. Our budget for 100 guest is $10k I actually have that amount in my savings and with 11 months to go can save a bit more but would rather have any extra for just in case or the honeymoon.

I did see this other gorgeous place called Enchanged Forest Wedding though it's more in San Diego and prices seem a lot. Just in case anyone else is interested in that venue (it's stunning) I found a lot of other venues on weddingconnection.com I had already looked at many other wedding sites and google searches so it was nice to see different venues.

breleficent

Very pretty venue. It is very Tuscany-ish.
 I don't know if any of these will meet your needs but its worth a shot.

Crestmore Manor
Muckenthaler Mansion
Lake Oak Meadows
Menifee Lake Country Club
Monteleone Meadows
Hearts Home Farm
The Orchard
Thatcher Manor
Lindley Scott House

cjwest22

I am actually getting married at Etiwanda Gardens, so if you have any questions abou the venue or anything else feel free to PM me! <33 Best of luck!

jennyb07

Hi breleficent I will definately look into  Monteleone Meadows and Thatcher Manor
the other venues I have looked at and some would have us go over our budget but they are beautiful the Hearts Home Farm has a good price and we have that on our list to visit, one of our co-worker's sister just got married there last month. I also came accross Imagine That! in Upland and will take a look at that venue as well, I can't believe their prices. Thanks sweetie!

TMac1122

Wow I had never seen that Vivian Gardens and it's really pretty I dont think you would need much on the table at all.

MarcellaMunoz

Well first of all congrats on getting a hold of Vivian Gardens. That is where I wanted to get married initially but could not get a hold of them for the life of me. It is so beautiful!!!! I love it. I wanted an outdoor ceremony and reception but we settled on an outdoor ceremony and inside reception at Eagle Glen in Corona.

I say go with both. If you are on  abudget yo may have to meet in the middle. That's what we did.

Good luck

adriennevazquez

Have you looked into Canyon Crest Country Club?  Idk what you're looking for but its in Riverside and its affordible and pretty.

I may be a bit more practical but then again I am the buyers remorce type.  I went with my heart and I dont know if I should have.  Our venue was right at the edge of our budget and now I wish we wouldve found something a bit cheaper.  You think you have your budget figured out and then theres a ton of stuff you forget about.  Keep that in mind.  It adds up.  The venues not gonna mean so much to you if its the source of financial stress later on.

jennyb07

Thanks Marcella I had the same problem and it turns out they are having issues with their site and receiving emails. My FI called them and was able to speak with Paula, the owner, and she is so sweet.

Very true adriennevazquez that's why I'm back and forth about it because there ar the little things that add up. The good thing is we got an awesome deal on catering under $20 per person (a friend is using them for their wedding). Our photographer is about $1500 for two photographers literally all day with all the photos on dvd (unlimited). My FI is a photographer too so we can do the photoshop, black and white, etc and we have friends that have bakeries and flower shops so we have good deals there as well but I'm always thinking about the budget so it's constant back and forth you know. I'll look into Canyon Crest Country Club though

glitterbugktkat03

Lake oak meadows and montelone meadows are bothe VERY pretty. another one in the same area is called ABBOTT MANOR. The owner's name iss Albert, and its VERY reasonable for price and he can work a great package deal. He quoted a nearly all-inclusive for about 75 for under $8000. We decided to go with another venue because of arrangement issues with our ceremony site, but its a great outdoor setting  with enough coverage and privace that you don't feel exposed.

Jennifer3434

I am new to the Knot!! Where is Vivian Gardens? I am looking for a venue that will allow outside catering. I need help I had my heart set on Crestmore but I guess they are all booked up for the rest of the year