We have a venue!

I'm very excited to say that we have a reception venue! After a lot of consideration of options and debating between this place and that, a decision has been made. We'll be partying and celebrating our nuptials at the Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton. The sound of "country club" actually made me worry that it meant extra zeros would be attached to every price tag, but actually it's very comparable to other venues in the area. Without further ado, some photos:

The front entrance


The Lobby - so pretty!


The Terrace - great for hors d'oeuvres and hanging out


The Ballroom - lots of space!


The Bar - drinks and mingling

Reception Venue Update

I think we've (I've) decided!

Sunol Valley Golf Club was our first choice, but they are booked for both of our potential dates. Now that we have a confirmed date, that place is totally out of the running.

Wedgewood Banquets seemed like a good deal, but my inner control freak couldn't come to grips with not being able to choose my vendors. Not to sound like a bridezilla, but I want it the way I (we) want it. I don't want to be held hostage to chosen vendors. Easier, of course. My desire for control wins out. Plus they don't let you try the food. I find something just wrong with that picture.

I decided that I didn't want to have our reception at a hotel. I like the idea of the pretty landscape, especially in the summer since the sun will be setting a lot later. According to sunrisesunset.com, the sun should set around 8:30pm that day. So that ruled out the hotels. Plus, they tended to be overall more expensive, except that they give your guests a discount on lodging. Great for out of town people, no big deal for locals.

After our engagement session and the miniature golfing, I really liked the idea of having our reception at a golf club. It sets a nice scene for photos and is a lot more picturesque than the beige walls of a hotel. So it came down to two options. I felt that we should stay in the East Bay for it's relative distance from the church and the drive for all the guests. Plus, the East Bay tended to be less expensive than its Silicon Valley counterpart.

Dublin Ranch Golf Club is set in the hills of a newer housing development and very pretty. My main concern was the max capacity. I think we're looking at 150+ guests, but still under 180. They can hold 160 + dancefloor or 180 with the dancefloor outside. This could pose an issue. The wedding event manager is super nice and from the reviews I've read, very helpful.

Castlewood Country Club was probably the most picturesque location. Located in the hills of Pleasanton, right on the border of Sunol, it's up in richville. That was initially one of my concerns, that it was too fancy. But that's been dispelled after many round and cost analyses. I figured out that it wasn't that much more expensive and it would be on par with Dublin Ranch. The grounds are beautiful and so is the building. It has a nice cocktail area that leads into the ballroom.

After hemming and hawing over these two choices, we (I) decided on Castlewood. It's not finalized yet, but they do have our date open. And, in the long run, we won't owe fists full of money until next year. Time for saving some moola!

I will post pictures once I find them.

Feels like Summer...

And yet it's only April 13. It's been a fantastically warm weekend and I've been working on reclaiming my summer color. My legs are sadly pale (for me) and have serious contrast against my dark denim Bermuda shorts. I saw a picture of myself from 2003 and I was super brown. Oh the days of walking to class and getting some Vitamin D instead of being trapped in a grey cubicle. Alas, it is what it is. Maybe we can migrate lunch outside, then again, with typical Bay Area weather, it might be back to 60 degrees by tomorrow.

The reception venue hunt is on going. Funny how we're contending with a couple in Michigan for our officiant. Oh well, I'm letting it go and then going with whatever we have. All I want, at this point, is a firm date so that we can book a reception venue. How about I win the $10,000 on Radio Alice? Then I won't have to freak out about the costs. But, then again, I don't really want to throw away $10k. I'd rather put that into a house or pay off some student loans.

I'm blown away by some people's budgets. I understand that it's expensive to get married in the Bay Area. But I don't think you have to spend $35k?! on 100 people?! Am I just cheap? Sane? Smarter than the average bear? (All of the above...) I guess there are those women who want to have the "wedding of their dreams". I feel like I can't stress enough that a wedding lasts for a day (a few days at most) and it's the marriage that has to last forever (or should). And if you spend your life savings on a day, is it really worth it? Will you be able to go to bed knowing that you spent (or your parents spent) more money on a day than a car? two cars? medical schools student loans? I wouldn't.

This isn't to say that I don't want a nice wedding. I definitely do. But I'm working with a budget. I'm perplexed at how desensitized I've become over the last month at reception site minimums and pricing. I'm still appalled by some of the pricing, and then feel even more sick when I see some of these people on TheKnot who are booking those places. I know how much they are spending. Part of me thinks it's awesome; the other part of me thinks it's freakin' ridiculous. I'd like to see some statistics on how many of these couples are still together 5 years out. I hate to be so cynical, but I think I'm being real.

That being said, I think my main contenders are: Sunol Valley Golf Club, Wedgewood Banquets at Metropolitan Golf Links, Castlewood Country Club, Dublin Ranch Golf Club, Courtyard Marriott, and Newark Hilton.

I like the idea of a golf course setting. Sometimes I wish we were having an outside ceremony because it would make some things easier, like no travel time between the ceremony and reception. Oh the decisions. If only we had a date.

Dresses, Flowers, and Cake, Oh My!

So to those who read this, here are some of my likes of dresses, florals, and cakes. Plus, what better way to spend a Friday afternoon than looking at wedding stuff.

We're a step closer to finding a venue, so I'm hoping it's a thumbs up when Cent is here next weekend.

I like how the mosaic maker cut off the models heads. They detract from the dress anyway.

Dresses (from theknot.com)

I'm liking the low to the table centerpieces.

Floral Centerpieces (aboutweddings.com)

And let's face it, I love cake, like a fat kid loves cake.

Cake! (aboutweddings.com)