As soon as we got engaged, our planning began. I'm not talking a week later or even a few days, after the happy tears dried, I was off to the races. We started with thinking of where we wanted the wedding to take place. We both knew immediately that we wouldn't hold it in our hometown of San Jose or our current city of San Francisco. I'm not really sure why this was the case since both cities have beautiful wedding venues; we just knew we wanted to get away.

It was quickly narrowed down to three locations in California - Lake Tahoe, the San Luis Obispo area, or Sonoma which all have very special meanings to us.

The San Luis Obispo area quickly became the front runner. We went to college there, it holds special memories for us and a lot of our friends, and it's a beautiful area on the Central Coast that is sometimes overlooked. Once we nailed down the location, the venue was next. The area is known for some amazing ranches, wineries, and beach venues which gave us a lot to work with.

Holland Ranch

Source: Bailey Entertainment

Santa Margarita Ranch

Source: Rustic Bride

Hammersky Vineyards

Source: Touring and Tasting

Stillwaters Vineyards

Source: I do Venues

Spanish Oaks Ranch

Source: Logan Cole Photography

We ended up choosing the very first venue we looked at (the one directly above this post). The outdoor space is beautiful, the entrance to the ranch is grand, had plenty of space our headcount, and the venue is 100% DIY (one of my favorite parts although is makes for much more time and work). I look forward to embracing the natural beauty while including our perfect wedding details too.