Joe and I were searching any and all potential "unique" wedding venues. Below is a list of venues that we visited in the order that they were viewed.
#1: Castle Green-Pasadena, CA
That's a photo of the venue in 1967. It's absolutely beautiful inside and it had a kind of glamour that you don't see anymore. I took a ton of photos of this venue, but unfortunately I lost my camera before I could upload of those photos.
Pros: Beautiful area for reception indoors; garden ceremony; BYOB
Cons: Parking issues; tenants in the units above would be walking in and out of the reception area; rental fee was 1/3 of our total budget which wouldn't leave us with a workable catering budget
#2: Queen Mary-Long Beach, CA
The Queen Mary had a wonderful wedding coordinator, who told me that if I had any questions about weddings in general, even if I didn't choose their venue, she would be more than happy to give me some ideas. The interior is beautiful and there is so much history in all of those banquet rooms!
Pros: Easy for guests to find; opportunity to play "I'm On A Boat" as a wedding march; no seasick pirates here since the boat is premanently docked; potential for the ghosts of the ship to harass our wedding guests
Cons: Because of the beautiful decor of the banquet rooms there wouldn't be much chance to personalize the rooms to reflect our personalities; up to 6 weddings can take place at the Queen Mary in one day (not too much privacy there)
#3: Los Angeles Zoo-Griffith Park CA
The L.A. Zoo. ANIMALS! I LOVES THEM!
Pros: ANIMALS! Again, easy for guests to find; chance for a Castle Crashers theme (did someone say Animal Orbs?); reasonably priced catering
Cons: Despite the reasonably priced catering there were a TON of hidden fees: silverware rental, dishware rental, lighting fees, linen rental, chair rental, tram fees; the location that would seat our guests comfortably was at the front of the zoo nowhere near the animals, thereby killing the entire reason we wanted to get married at the zoo; the Wedding Coordinator was very nice but quite flaky. Proof of that came from the fact that she had forgotten our viewing appointment entirely and we had to wait about 20 mins for them to page her and track her down
#4: California Yacht Club-Marina del Rey
I love Marina del Rey, it's the one place where both Joe and I feel at home. The yacht club was very pretty, and the wedding coordinator was great. Their menu is amazing but the cost of having our wedding there was a bit on the steep side. The location where we would have the wedding ceremony was overlooking the area where the yachts are parked. The reception would be held in a tent by the pool.
Pros: Marina del Rey is beautiful all the time; proximity to Brennan's would allow for a great afterparty; the use of "I'm On A Boat" while being on dry land
Cons: Pricey; not too unique; parking fees were high
#5: Aquarium of the Pacific-Long Beach CA
ANIMALS UNDER WATER! We visited this location knowing that it was pretty much impossible to have our wedding here since the base cost of the rental is already twice the budget that we had set but we were so excited about the free entrance to the aquarium and we couldn't resist. Obviously the locaton is beautiful inside and out.
Pros: Cocktail hour would be held by the shark petting tanks at no additional cost because of the construction that is taking place at the usual cocktail venue; the aquarium is beautiful after dark
Cons: Cost
#6: Automobile Driving Museum-El Segundo, CA
Until the moment that we visited this venue, I had not fallen in love. Sure, I said it with every new venue that we looked at, but this venue helped all of my ideas come together. Anyone who knows me knows the love that I have for cars. Their collection even included a few cars that were a big part of Joe's childhood. The wedding coordinator that we were in touch with was amazing and after a visit to one of their recommended caterers, we were in awe of the potential menu as well.
Pros: CARS! This was the first absolutely unique venue that we saw; wonderful wedding coordinator; wonderful food; our first glimpse of a cohesive wedding theme
Cons: None at that time
#7: Santa Barbara Zoo-Santa Barbara, CA
ANIMALS! The Santa Barbara Zoo is very nice a cozy. The contact person for their catering department was very friendly and was sure to let us know that they would tailor everything to make our wedding something that really reflected us and our vision for a wedding. As opposed to the L.A. Zoo, the guests would actually be able to roam around the entire zoo and we would be able to put different stations around the entire zoo for food and drinks.
Pros: Use of entire zoo for reception; BYOB; flexible menu
Cons: Long drive for guests
#8: San Diego Wild Animal Park-San Diego, CA
MOAR ANIMALS! The location where the wedding and reception would be held is very pretty and easy to find. Having the wedding at the Park would actually include an entire day's admission for the guests.
Pros: Entire day's admission for guests; a "destination" wedding would mean a nice getaway for all of those who attend
Cons: Longer drive for guests; we would need to cut our guest list in half in order to be able to use the location that I would like
Up until 2 weeks ago, Joe and I thought that we would be placing a deposit on the Auto Museum as well as making the catering deposit as soon as we returned from San Diego. We had everything planned out and ready to go and our theme was all set. Until Michelle from the catering company informed us that the wedding coordinator was no longer with the museum. It threw all of our plans up in the air. There was a lot of missed communication and uncertainty which is definitely not ideal when it comes to planning for your wedding. There is a lot of doubt that enters your mind when the beginning stages of your wedding planning suddenly become nightmarish. After a few emails back and forth it seems as though our original plans may still be possible, but confidence is low because of the whole experience with the upheaval.
So, this week we have a meeting with another auto museum in Anaheim. They've been so great about keeping us updated and working around our schedules and I'm hopeful that this venue actually works out. I have to admit that I was pretty upset when the museum in El Segundo threw all those obstacles our way, but in order to save my sanity I've decided that everything will all work out in the end. *fingers crossed*
-ri
