#612: will it keep.

diy instructions at once wed.

would this baby's breath garland keep if i made it ahead of time and kept it out of water for like 12 hours?

just askin.

#533: sneak-a-peek.

our venue has a thing called 'sneak-a-peek' where we can check out the setup of a real ceremony/reception before the day of our wedding. i'll be going to one in march and i made up a list of things i must do on that day.

1) measure the doorframe/ entrance. in case.

martha stewart weddings.

2) take the big trees (there were 2 of them!) to see how they'd look, or if they'd even fit, on the mantle.

3) figure out how many chairs there are per row in the oak room so i can pre-arrange seating.

#478: i swear.

...this is the last of the banner /garland posts. maybe.


via frolic.


via black eiffel.

and a personal fave, from reader danielle who will be using these homemade goodies at her outdoor june wedding.



****************************************

thanks for your advice on the previous post.

i'll be making these beauts.

pam garrison via once wed.

brillz.

#472: back to the basics.

there's a growing trend towards simplifying our lives these days. timely reality check for all of us (aka me) who thought the world was financially inculpable, eh.

anyways, with all this talk of shedding of the excess, i'm getting more and more emails lately asking how to keep costs down here in good old expensive southern california. and i'm not surprised. because as much as i love this city, it only takes me a second to admit that LA's the ePITome of excess which means things are expensive which means it's really really difficult to stay within any type of budget for any type of anything which means i may or may not make it which means HOLD ME.

so what can i tell you to help you?

well i'm afraid i don't have any specific advice like "have your wedding (insert location here)" or "get your flowers at (insert store name here)". i mean, you know where i'm doing everything...so you can copy my entire vendor list if you'd like.

but...i know every bride's journey is different. plus, lord knows i've made numerous gaffes along the way...all of which have helped me grow and learn how to prioritize. i wouldn't want to rob you of that experience, see.

so without getting too specific, i'd like to impart a few...things. 'things' being realizations i only understood at the end of the venue search road. looking back, it's almost obvious. but that's ok. i don't mind stating the obvious.

1) be flexible. i started my search with the following reception MUST-HAVES: evening, lots and lots of alcohol, raging party, 125 people. it was a non-negotiable, staunch, written-in-stone list.

but after weeks and weeks of disappointing research, i realized...that i couldn't have it all. this forced us to prioritize. i faced some difficult questions during that time..."do i really need to stick to this budget?...would i be happier spending more money?...should i bite the bullet?" but i realized...that the budget was important to me, more so than holding tight to all of the things on my MUST-HAVE list.

to start, we took a closer look at our guest list...and eventually decided to focus our wedding around the people who mean the most to us. hello family. the guest list dropped to 100.

following that, i realized a raging evening party would only be catering to 15% of the crowd. so we changed our evening bash to a luncheon.

and i know you all know that a lunch reception is a major money saver.

so...i guess by "be flexible", i also mean...don't ever count the daytime-wedding option out. ever.

2) be strong. when i started calling venues and contemplating non-traditional options, i was insecure, afraid of and anticipating other peoples' reactions. and that insecurity was realized (times a mil) when people reacted with even the slightest amount of disapproval or dismay.

a HOUSE wedding?! a LUNCH wedding?! at a REStaurant?! WHY?! how about ABC hotel...have you considered it?!

and the best one...

"what about (enter venue name here)? it's cheap!"

yeah, well most of these "cheap" venues turned out to be 1) not really inexpensive by any means or 2) a "gas station bathroom" type of suggestion.

this. did. not. help. matters.

it was annoying...but at the end of the day, i didn't budge when the hints of pity and subtle mention of expectations were waved in front of my face. and i'm glad i never caved. i don't have to deal with any buyer's remorse type pangs of regret of having signed us up to pay more than we initially wanted to for a decent venue and great food. because we're not. and trust me when i say that this feels good. better than good.

so...feel free to go against the grain to help you meet your goals. all of us will support your decision.

i'm no longer insecure because 1) i have a fiance who's so all about this effort and 2) because of the support and advice i've received through TTO.

i'd be more than happy to do the same for you and cheer you on.

3) save time by doing your venue research online. heavily. research blogs, the knot, project wedding, here comes the guide, zagat, yelp, citysearch, martha stewart weddings. i sure did. even before i was engaged, natch. and 99% of the time, i had already looked into the places people ended up recommending to me.

that's about it.

oh, and a few last itty bitty things to note:

don't visit the venue if you KNOW it's going to be out of reach. i knew better but i did it anyways at least once or twice and for some straaaange reason, i always felt rather dejected afterwards.

on the flip side, if you think you could afford a specific venue, take the time to check it out before you start ANY type of negotiating. pictures can be deceiving. just saying.

and LAST OF ALLLLL, if you're JUST starting out and you're planning a wedding in LA with a budget similar to mine, take a look at the venues i considered and some of the outlandishy methods i used to find them. who knows. it may inspire your inner sleuth.

happy hunting.

#416: the venue.

lawry's is a tried and true restaurant establishment in beverly hills (and elsewhere around the country). and yes, i think they're the same company as the seasoning.

it's been a while since i've had their prime rib...but i used to go often and know that the food and service is an unbeatable value. in fact, i'm a vip member.

say what, you say?

go ahead and laugh. i'm laughing my way all the way to lawry's with a stash of $25 gift certs to consume buckets of their creamed corn and mashed potatoes with gravy (or i will be once i get points on my vip card for the money i spend on my wedding there!).

i think the ceremony room is a bit sherlock-holmesy...but i'm looking forward to changing it around with some hocus pocus. hopefully, the magic turns out to be the good kind.

also, let me tell you a little something about this place.

• free parking for guests
• no cake cutting fee
• no per person alcohol minimum
• $20 kids meal

i know.




*random images courtesy google*

we've set the date for a saturday in may 2009.

party people.

#403: a picnic wedding.

sorry to mislead you.

i'm not really featuring a picnic wedding. though i will say that i've seen a good number of them (most of them budget-friendly, all of them fab) around the blog world lately. too bad i didn't see one in the past 5 minutes, otherwise i would have linked to it. to show you. how awesome they can be.

***

if i were going to have a picnic wedding...like in a park, i think i'd want to serve jazzed up boxed lunches with finger-friendly foods as opposed to setting up a fancy buffet or hiring sit-down service. there's something about a park that screams 'cool casual'.

but...'boxed lunch' reminds me of 'brown bag'. which in turn reminds me of those ham and cheese sandwiches my mom would so lovingly make and pack along with some ritz crackers and a capri-sun for my elementary school field trips. as a kid, i wasn't too picky about food. but i do remember that the sandwiches were always totally soggy by lunchtime.

i don't remember anyone mentioning exactly what was served to the guests at these picnic or park weddings, in those boxes or prettied up brown bags. and i just really want to know. i'm a self-proclaimed MAYJAH foodie and all of our guests put good food rather high on their 'list of happy things'. and good food doesn't always mean expensive (hello, in-n-out = good sh*t!). but good food needs to be...good. aka not a soggy sandwich.

so, in your capacity as a picnic or park wedding guest, or bride, or caterer...or a reader who just wants to share a few palatable ideas, please shed some light on my curiosity.



via city of fullerton. (for fees, click here.)

other lovely city spots:
cerritos

santa monica

la mountains

#400: the little mermaid.

so my identity is kind of anonymous. i mean, i've been bloggerating for 1.5 years and i've only told two people about it --- my sister and the fiance. if my friends know about TTO at all, it's because they stalk weddingbee and style-me-pretty religiously. and if they've somehow clicked onto this site and read about the proposal and all the other little tidbits that are my life, i'm sure they've pieced it together by now (hi friends!).

in the opening scene of 'the little mermaid', triton's daughters are performing a little doo-ditty to introduce their sister ariel. and they go through all of their own names to get to hers. and one of those names happens to be mine. (hint # gajillion)

though i'm not a mermaid in real life, i do love the water. and the sun. so it only makes sense for me to be drawn to venues as close to the pacific as possible. and this especially makes sense now that i'm fully on board the 'daytime wedding' train (or is it...wagon...?).

of course, i'm not the only one who loves the water. we all know that a wedding with any type of ocean view is a popular choice amongst brides, and is especially so in so-cal. which means it is, for the most part, also pry-say.

but i happened to stumble across a couple of venues that juuuust might work. that is, unless they nickel and dime me from the initial pricing lists that were posted on their sites. you know and i know all too well about all that 'if it's too good to be true...' business. well, so maybe it is. but i emailed them anyways. juuuust in case it really is good and really is true.

site #1:


site #2:


keeping the hope alive, friends. we'll see.

#392: the dog did not eat my homework.

here's the round up of research conducted this week by yours truly in part thanks to you and your brilliance.

cliff's edge - left vm
ortolan - min buyout $15000
luna park - min buyout $10000
tangier - MEETING WITH THEM TODAY!
royal t - left vm
cafe metropol - waiting for pictures from the owner

additionally, i've contacted:
yamashiro - $12000 for 125 (food & alcohol)
savannah at the beach - $15000 for 125 (all inclusive)
bld - waiting for the events person to call me back
tesoro trattoria - left vm
bungalow club - emailing with owner (thanks sarah and dana!)
ca del sol - approx. $15000
the sunset restaurant - what was i thinking
westlake village inn - again, what was i thinking
greenside cafe - emailing with the coordinator

#389: method (wo)man.

i am not an event planner.

so instead of reinventing the wheel and limiting myself to my own research, i've reached out to several industry experts to help me.

first, there was this. their response was quick and sweet but alas, no matches with their affiliated partners and my paltry budget.

and then there was this. did i ask for help? i surely did. did they have any suggestions for me? not yet. but i just sent a follow up email. so we'll see.

and finally, you'll find my most recent call for help below...in the form of a mass email to a bunch of caterers.

Hello Caterers: I found your information courtesy Brides Magazine, Southern California and was hoping you could help me.

I'm trying to
1) find a location
2) stick with a budget of $8,000 for 100-125 people for *fabulous* food and alcohol
3) throw an awesome wedding party

I'm based in Los Angeles but I'm open to suggestions for the SFV, OC, anywhere within 40 minutes drive of LA.

If you have ANY ideas, as far fetched as they may be, for venues or catering or ANYthing that would help me stay within my budget, please get back to me and I would be entirely grateful.

**********************************************************

i know. it makes me come off a bit desperate, eh. but really. i kind of am.

so far, i've received a couple of automated responses (next!)...but one catering company in particular has been remarkably helpful and attentive. and she's suggested several venues i've never even heard of (score!).

i'm sure it's not a 'new' idea to ask event specialists and caterers to share their expertise when you're looking for a venue...but i don't think it's an entirely common practice either. i'd say most people just research the nets on their own or ask friends for advice.

which makes me wonder: what method did you use to find your venue?

please. share.

#383: going for dim.

i was really bummed when father's office said 'no'. it literally would have been perfect. PERFECT. amazing food, fun atmosphere, upscale casual, budget friendly-er than your next door 4-course sit down restaurant (or so i would imagine since we never even got the chance to talk numbers...).

and...unconventional.

remind you of anyone?

but at this point, i need to get over it because it's just not going to happen. we have 6 nieces and nephews attending who are all under the age of 8 and a few cousins who are in their first years of college.

and, perhaps most importantly, my brother, who is THE golden apple of mine eyeseth, at age 12. {long story short, he was an 'accident' for my parents who'd been married for close to 20 years and had already raised 2 teen-aged daughters by then. it's kind of really awesome and ever so slightly gross at the same time.}

and our motto is: family first.

so now i'm going down the path of researching restaurants. nothing too pricey of course...but a place that could possibly offer a similar vibe. you know, fun and dimly-lit...but at the same time ok with the under aged.

with my trusty zagat in hand, i contacted the following places. i'll let you know what they tell me.

p.s. i'm hoping they don't tell me the minimum for a saturday buyout is $20,000 to 30,000 as did cafe del rey. lord.

p.p.s. all you LA'ers, of course your suggestions are welcome.


luna park.


fraiche.


rush street.

#365: when fellow bloggers do the research...

...the wedding planning world is a better place.

a list from the relentless bride via blogger brides.

one more to come...after i get permission...

edit: got permission. here's the spreadsheet of all spreadsheets courtesy of budget wedding in la.

#364: a new lead.

remember this?

well, there have been a few developments since then.

1) in the past month, two close girlfriends have gotten engaged. one of them lives in boston (wedding to be in buffalo NY) and the other lives in...dublin. as in...dublin, ireland. and they're both planning to have 2009 weddings (september and august, respectively). *side note: i'm also the MOH for one of my closest friends...who's planning to get married this december. in oman. o-what, you say? oman, i said.* and the most recent news...fresh from last week...the fiance's best friend is THISCLOSE to getting engaged. and he's planning to have a march or april 2009 wedding. in korea.

um. so while you soak that in, let me give you the 2nd piece of news.

2) the couple-friend booked a venue and date. it's all set for april 11th.

2.5) given the multitude of multitudes of weddings we need to attend (6 or 7), be in (1), and throw (1) in 2009...i'd rather get our wedding pushed up to the beginning so we don't have to stress about it amidst all of the other weddings in our calendar for the year. besides, we don't want to run the risk of overlapping with fiance's best friend (who's also the best man!) and the couple-friend by sticking with april. which means...we're now seriously considering a february 2009 wedding.

3) i'm going to check out my relative's house and determine once and for all whether it could accommodate the type of wedding i want to host. i've only seen his abode once, about a year ago, and remember thinking that his pad would make an amazing party venue. i had thought about it before...but never pursued this option because i didn't want to put him in a weird position. but...fear is for dummies. and people can say no if they really want to...and he's the type who would. so, though we don't know if it'll work, i'll be visiting the house tomorrow, checking out the space, the backyard, the pool house, the patio.

guess who's crossing fingers, toes, arms, legs and eyes.

so. what do you think? february 2009 semi-backyard wedding in los angeles. ridiculously cold...? or totally do-able...? give it to me on the real.

#363: a fresh batch.

you know i get all excited about finding new lists of venues.

well i found another newish list...at event solutions. no idea about their services but i like how they've organized their location lists into various categories like "lofts" and "tasting kitchens" (which, by the way, sent me on yet another search rampage. imagine a reception held in a state-of-the-art tasting kitchen. that would be so...

fresh.)

#354: e-i-e-i-oooo.

from once wed

dreamy.

question is...where can i find a barn in the middle of l.a.

#349: when you need a helping hand.

i'm researching l.a. restaurants and came across something that could possibly help me narrow down my options. so naturally, i took advantage of it.

i submitted something like...I'm looking for a restaurant to host a reception in either October 2008 or in April 2009 for approximately 120 guests. I'd prefer a Saturday evening event but am flexible if the cost differential is significant. The food and beverage minimum cannot be greater than $10,000. Thank you.

i'll let you know how (un)successful this turns out to be.

Source:
Got Group? Got Questions? Need Help?
Call us toll free at: 1-866-627-7067
Email: info@losangelesrestaurants.com

From Intimate Dinners to Large Parties:

Are you planning a special event but can't handle every detail? Let our professionals take care of it. Whether it's a small family celebration or a large corporate event, our experienced staff can help you plan the perfect, unforgettable evening at one of Los Angeles' finest restaurants. No party is too big or too small and best of all, our service is FREE. Our goal is to make your evening as special as possible.

Benefits & Services:

We will help you choose the ideal site from over 150 fine-dining establishments for your event. Whether you're looking for an intimate garden setting or a grand ballroom for your event, we can help you find the ideal spot that fits your every need. And most importantly, there are no hidden charges and no fees as we work for the restaurant on your behalf.

#344: 21 and over.

image from here

dammit, father's office! why do you have to be a "bar" and allow ONLY 21 and over in your establishment regardless of whether the entire place is rented out or not. WHY.

i love food so so much and was feeling rather uninspired wedding-wise which prompted this randomish post. it was an experiment with no planned outcome, really.

but then the comments came in. and a couple of you mentioned father's office.

father's office. the home of the world's most awesome burger, yam fries (+aioli dip), and a gajillion trillion beers. i love it, fiance loves it. our friends love it. my family would love it. the kids would love it. i love it. i've been to the montana location many times (teeny place) and had heard about the opening of their new culver city location (bigger place!). so i did some research.

the good news: they do private parties! montana holds up to 78 and the helms location holds up to 150!

the bad news: i have no idea how much it costs because i got shown the hand when i told them not all of our guests are 21+.

the neutral news: they're starting a mobile father's office (a'la the in-n-out truck...) but it hasn't been created yet.

fiance and i are a bit crushed because the thought of having a FO reception made us so warm and tingly inside. but that's ok. where there's a cloud...or when a door closes...

you know what i mean.

#342: "f" is for "foodies".

sasabune
yu n mi
mastros
lawry's
campanile
la cachette

what are some of your faves in the greater los angeles area? just brainstorming.

#337: update to post #332.

i finally heard back from my contact earlier this week and as they say, all's well that ends well.

but there's also no harm in telling you what happened, right? so here it is from the beginning.

• "the venue" is a privately owned residence with an amazing backyard; the owners want to start renting it out (very slowly...) for events and parties.

• "my contact" (let's call her Ella) is a wedding planner who 1) knows the owners personally and 2) is associated with a catering company that has catered several events at the property.

Ella, with her experience of working the property and knowing the owners, responded to my questions (cost? availability? layout?) and helped arrange my initial visit to the property. she was responsive and never left me hanging. not once.

after i met the property owners, toured the grounds, and expressed my delight (i think i might have even squealed, actually), Ella said "Let's chat a bit tomorrow so I can get a better idea of your vision and how we can make your money stretch for the things most important to you."

love, right?

and we did just that. we spoke for 45 minutes after which i emailed a rather lengthy list of follow-up questions as i'd promised i would.

and that's when she disappeared.

perhaps i'm just really demanding (who me? demanding? what?). or maybe it was Ella's responsiveness up until her disappearance that forced me to try to make sense of what didn't make sense (where the eff did she go?) by writing about it.

many commenters suggested that i don't wait around for an email/call from Ella after 2 weeks of silencio and to contact 'the vendor' or 'the caterer'. unfortunately, therein was my problem...the fact that there was no vendor or caterer to contact. Ella was my contact and my contact was Ella. period. she wasn't representing the catering company; she was representing herself as a wedding planner with personal ties to the property owners. i didn't want to contact the catering company because i hadn't decided to use them and they didn't have an exclusive contract with the property owners (yet, anyways). and lastly, there was NO WAY i was going to contact the property owners directly (not at all professional, in my opinion).

so after i vented some of the frustration (see post #332), i did what i thought was right. which was to simply wait it out. truth be told, Ella was great...and i figured i owed her at least the benefit of the doubt. well...that and i'm also a huge believer of 'what's meant to be will be' (especially when it keeps me from having a major freakout, know what i mean?).

i was more than a little bummed when the weeks started adding up and Ella was nowhere to be found. luckily, and as you know, i had 'real work' to distract me. and what do you know. when i came back, i had an email from Ella describing a family emergency situation (which is now contained) and another email answering all of the questions i had posed to her a few weeks back.

so. all this means is that the venue is back on my list of possibilities. which makes me quite happy, to say the least.

and i'm stashing away any red flags i might have waved around earlier. for now.

#332: when in doubt...get out?

june 28 - saw a venue. kind of sort of fell in love with it. blabbed about the place with my entire family and fiance and got everyone excited
july 1 - had quite a long chat with the venue's coordinator and emailed a list of what we envision for the day so she could get back to me with an estimate
july 11 - sent a follow up email

TODAY - still haven't heard from her.

what do you think. i'm thinking...maybe she's no longer interested in my business (she knows i have this blog and my $$$ expectations). and that makes me saddeth.

i'm considering just crossing this place off my list and starting my search anew. that's what i'm thinking. but would that make me reckless? does it normally take a while to pull an estimate together? like over 2 weeks?

hm. if it does, then i'll re-title this post as a 'newbie mistake'.

if not...

#323: venue love.

wow. ok...so what you're saying is...you really like this venue.

so then i think you'll like what i have to share with you today:

1) the list of venues where i initially found this place (and the link to the actual venue).
2) my review of the scheduling experience and the aftermath of my in-person site visit. (i went! i saw!...)

i don't know about you guys. but i get really excited whenever i find a new list of venues. i really do. i've pored over countless lists and always think i've seen the last of 'em...but then i stumble upon another great resource and realize that i'm just being plain silly thinking i've researched everything i possibly ever could.

so to the first point, i found the gold room on the los angeles conservancy website. it has such a great list of places...well, that's just my opinion...and it's namely because after a year of researching (!!!), i managed to come across so many new names.

as to the second point, it was extremely easy to schedule an appointment. i met with the tour guide who was there on time and answered all of my questions (where are the restrooms? where can guests park? can you do rectangular tables? will there be an event in the auditorium at the same time?). as for the venue itself...it does look like the picture...but for some reason, it didn't give me the tug of the heart that i thought it would. so. i'm not totally sold.

...but i'm not knocking it off the list, either. hm.