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Affordable Beach Weddings in Northern California

i_b_winkn_at_ui_b_winkn_at_u
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in California-Bay Area
Does anyone have some good suggestions? Some sites to look at? We are looking at locations around Monterey. Should I hire someone to do the planning? I feel so overwhelmed. Although we did just get engaged....maybe I'm still freaking out.
~*~11.11.11, i'm marrying my best friend~*~
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Re: Affordable Beach Weddings in Northern California

  • mrs rivamrs riva member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    First, congrats! Take a deep breath and relax. Now's the time to really enjoy being engaged. Enjoy time with your FI and the attention from friends and family. :)

    As for hiring someone to do the planning, it's really up to you. Do you enjoy planning events like bday parties, family events, etc? I planned my wedding on my own because I'm a planner at heart. It really depends on your personality.

    For the beach locations, there aren't too many in the area. I looked at the Oceano Hotel and Spa in Half Moon Bay. There's also the Seascape Resort in Santa Cruz, but I don't know if they do actual beach weddings.
    One tip that I learned: beach weddings usually only work for small ceremonies. No one past the 3rd row will be able to hear anything (unless you can get an amp out on the sand).

    Don't stress it! Once you and your FI pick a date, I encourage you to find your club (month) board. They'll be able to give you the best advice on when to book/purchase things and keep you on track.
    GL! :)
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  • i_b_winkn_at_ui_b_winkn_at_u
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thank you for your response and the tip.
    ~*~11.11.11, i'm marrying my best friend~*~
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  • GJones27GJones27 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I posted this on the other beach post, but check out the Spinnaker maybe?
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  • bluefrogluvbluefrogluv member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Or Lake Tahoe has beach areas that are gorgeous!
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  • MichelleLHennessyMichelleLHennessy
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    If you are having a small wedding try Gatherings in Pacific Grove.  It is a victorian house where they do a "roaming reception" with all hand passed food.  The ceremony site is super close and is called "Lover's Point".  It is a nice little park that has an ocean view, but it isnt on the sand which is super nice.  I am working on becoming a wedding planner and I am planning my friends wedding here.  It is beautiful and VERY reasonable, but will only accomodate about 80 people.  There is also Half Moon Bay Golf Links which is a bit more expensive but will hold more people and has a beautiful ocean view.  Check it out!!

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  • Gloria AtherstoneGloria Atherstone member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I you are looking for a Venue in the Monterey Carmel area there are several- check out www.idoveneus.com for suggestions- Professional advice and help is always a good thing-

    If you are looking for a Wedding Venue in the Bay Area, need to hire a "Day of Coordinator"  or need general inspiration- check out our daily blog- and services  http://www.idovenues.com/
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  • MissCal11MissCal11
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I think there are def a lot of options in the Monterey area.  We are planning our wedding there from where we live, in DC, so we were nervous about picking a place!  We spent a lot of time looking online at the venue directories of Project Wedding and Wedding Wire.  We narrowed it down to a few that were in our budget, and planned our visit to CA to see them in person.  We checked out Monterey Plaza Hotel, Monterey Museum of Art La Mirada, and Gatherings.  Further north, we looked at Cetrella and their gorgeous private mansion on a bluff over the Pacific (the latter was more for fun, as at $5K just for the venue it was way beyond our budget!), and also at Hastings House.

    They were all beautiful in different ways and the people we met with were all very friendly and helpful.  It was a tough choice but we picked Gatherings because it is not as "a la carte" as some places.  Their package includes ceremony, and not just at Lovers Point, you can pick any beach on the peninsula.  We picked Berwick Park.

    If you want beach closer to SF, Hastings House is really an amazing choice as well.  It is a beautiful private garden (with a private cottage to get ready in) that is literally across the street from the ocean.  It was a beautiful and peaceful environment.  Our only issue with it was that there is not a reception area we liked that is as close as we wanted.

    Have you picked your location yet?
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  • Grace0622Grace0622 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Did you find a beach for your wedding yet?  I am getting married at Bird Rock Beach in
    Pebble Beach.  My fiance and I searched all the beaches in the Monterey-Carmel-Pacific Grove-Pebble Beach area and there are LOTS and LOTS of great places on
    the beach to get married.  A beautiful place that overlooks the ocean is the Highlands
    Inn in Carmel.  It was a little out of our price range, but if $$ is no matter, I'd check it
    out!  Good luck!

    Terri
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  • mandapanda0713mandapanda0713
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    hi!! i hope you don't mind me asking, but who did you contact for your wedding at bird rock beach? We're getting married in the same general area and we're having a difficult time finding a location. We want a low key affordable wedding on the beach. Any tips would help. :) Thanks!!

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