{Venue Love} Holman Ranch, Carmel Valley

Time to talk venues today :) I have received a lot of e-mails from readers asking about Holman Ranch, but also general questions about splurging on the venue, what style is good, etc. etc. etc. So here is my side of the story, and I would love to comment with other questions, your story on finding the perfect venue, etc. Was it easy? Did it take a long time? Let those stories lose!

The moment I stepped foot, I got excited about my wedding again. Until that point I was feeling defeated and like there was no right place to have the day. My needs were pretty simple, a vineyard, a barn, gorgeous views, and firepits.

I ended up deciding on an off season Friday. And can I just say, Friday weddings are the way to go! I have been to several now and they are always the best. First you get to take the day off work, which most people really don't mind doing. Then you dance the night away, wake up and have a whole weekend ahead of you! I had a lot of out-of-town guests and it was really nice to be able to spend all of Saturday with them without stress and worry and all that other stuff.

This venue was a bit of a splurge but I made up for it in other areas. I found a wonderful deal on a caterer, we brought in our own drinks, cut transportation and other decor choices for it. From the moment I signed the contract until the day of the wedding I never regretted the splurge. It really depends on your scene, budget, and what you are willing to sacrifice.

The ceremony spot is breathtaking. I am not a fan of grass, but it really didn't matter with such a unique space. Standing at the alter there was nothing but rolling hills and wonderful valley below. It was one of those magical moments looking at such a vast amount of space.

Something you always have to plan for is a chance of rain. I was very anti, even though I was pretty sure it was going to rain. I couldn't imagine the wedding indoors and Shannon, the planner, knew how against it I was. When I arrived on site she said it was time to make the call and it was probably going to rain. I ended up choosing the outdoor ceremony and moving the dinner to the barn. The indoor reception ended up being much more intimate and romantic than I had ever pictured. And rain it did! It poored, it hailed and it stopped at all the right moments :)

For the small amount of time that it wasn't raining, guests could hang out on the lawn which was so amazing.

There is a small downside to the venue though. It is so spacious and so vast, that it can becoe overwhelming when trying to plan. Have anyone else had trouble with picturing things in such a big space? It took a bit of getting used to, but the nice thing was that if I didn't add anything to a space, it looked great as is.

I ended up having a lot of details and things because there was so much space to fill. It was definitely over-kill! But in a good way :)

Lastly, I can't say enough good things about Hunter and the team at Holman. After what I went through finding a venue, I felt like I hit the jackpot with the most perfect service and the nicest team.

And today I was surprised with this super awesome gift from Hunter. Aww, I can't wait to break this open on a special occasion.

So let's hear some stories! Have you found the one, are you still looking? What design and decor issues have you been running into? Spill the beans

Oh, and ff you haven't seen our wedding, check out the feature here and here.

Simple Elegance at Holman Ranch

I am going back to Holman Ranch this weekend! I am really anxious to see the space again and see how all my little details and plans are going to fit in. In the mean time, I have been looking at real weddings done at Holman to get an idea of the colors, the florals, the use of space, etc. I found this one over at Style Me Pretty and fell in love. I love so many elements of this weddings but the thing I like best is that she has no "color scheme" and instead added lots of colors together to create her palette. I'm doing the same thing, and I just love it.

Do you ever look up weddings done at your venue??? Do you find that it helps with the inspiration or just narrows your mind to what has been done before?

Venue: CHECK!

FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY! The venue has been found and booked! Yep, there is officially a backdrop to this wedding.

I have seen this place many times before, but the price tag always scared me away. ( But I can't tell you how much I appreciate them putting their prices on their website). Finally I decided to call and what do you know, they had options, they had solutions, and they were going to try to make it work. After talking to the Hunter and calling a few caterers, it was clear that it could actually work with my budget.

After viewing practically every venue in the Bay Area, I can finally say picked the best venue in a few hundred mile radius. So, here is a look at the venue:

The Entrance: Gorgeous trees fill just about every inch of this place. From the moment you drive up the ambiance is set. Horseshoes and a bocce ball spot are to the left for guests to entertain themselves prior to the ceremony starting.

The ceremony spot: The photos don't do the ceremony spot any justice. In person, it is breathtaking. The view beyond the altar is vineyards and rolling mountains. It is actually incredible. Those wood chairs that come with the venue. They are nice, right? Definitely better than what they could look like.

The cocktail patio: The thing I love about this place is that each piece of the wedding takes place in a different area. The cocktail patio opens to a sitting room (pictured below) for guests.

Courtyard Patio: This is the coolest little patio I have ever seen! So many options for this little spot. Place cards will likely go here, however I haven't quite decided yet.

Reception: This is the dinner spot. So excited for all this place has to offer. I think I am going to do long tables like this. I am definitely going to look into renting picnic tables, because I was totally obsessed with that idea, but that all depends on price.

The Carriage House: After dinner people end up at the Carriage House (MY FAVORITE PART!) for the dancing portion of the event. This is where the s'more and cigar bar come out, fire pits get lit and music starts up. I can't wait to do something incredible with this space. See those fire pits?? This place really was meant for me! Incredible.

So this is the venue! Great neutral colors, great photo spots, overall gorgeous space. A bride rented those lounge tables and chairs. Oh and the guests all arrive by golf cart and cars are parked elsewhere so those won't be obstructing any kind of view.

The girls have a huge room to get ready (with LOTS of table space) and the boys have a pool table, darts, a TV and a small bar. We are going to have fun!

This place is perfect. I couldn't be more excited to see my wedding finally come together in such a beautiful space. On top of that, I love the events person, Hunter! She truly cares about each and every one of her brides and has so much pride in this place she has created. I am incredibly excited to work with someone that really gets it, and acts like we are her only clients even though in reality they are booked solid all year long!

So, we sent in the check and it is official! This place is ours! Now I get to do all the fun stuff, I can't wait to see it all come together. Oh and our wedding date? April 8, 2011.

Day Trip to Carmel

Well, our trip to Carmel was successful! I didn't get a chance to meet the caterers, but that will be for another day. I did get a chance to see Holman Ranch in person for the first time. Ian took tons of pics which I will post on Monday along with more details about the place. But, in the meantime, enjoy my iPhone shots of the ranch.Take note that NO pictures have yet to do this place justice, and these are definitely not top contenders, but check back Monday for some good shots.

Holman Ranch Wedding

As you may know, I had a little breakdown over my venue search. Well, guess what! i wrote that, and ever since then my day has continued to look up more and more! And guess what is even more exciting than that, I think I found a venue! Yep. I sat down and worked it all out. I am definitely pushing it with the budget limitations, but I am going to make it work. I am cutting from other places, and figuring out how to get discounts here and there. I am just going to do it! Luckily, I was able to find an amazingly accommodating caterer willing to work within my budget and help me achieve it all. So, long story short, I am seeing the venue at 10:00am on Saturday and meeting with the caterer at 11:00am the same day. At that point I will have a very solid idea of everything, and hopefully I will have booked a few people. I'm not going to jinx like I did with the last place though! So, to give you all a little taste of my hopefully future wedding location, here is a wedding at Holman Ranch! There are a few more I want to show you as well, but here is the first of hopefully many Holman Ranch inspirations to come! Make sure you take note of the walls, the scenery, etc. This could be the future wedding spot!

Talk about a theme done well, right?? Well that is all thanks to the amazing team the bride had to work with!

Planning & Design: Shannon Leahy Photography: Emily Merrill Venue: Holman Ranch Flowers: Erica Rose Design Catering: Paradise Catering Paper: Hello Lucky Hair & Makeup - Bloom Beauty Boutique Bridesmaid Dresses: J. Crew

So, thoughts???? LOVE it?? Also, how do you feel about Friday weddings?? It is pretty worth it for me to do a Friday, but I don't want to inconvenience tons of people. Did you think about doing a Friday wedding??

Venue Update and Some Random Inspiration

I am going to sprinkle this post with random photos that I love for those who aren't too interested in hearing my sob story. And I personally don't blame you, it's no fun. So enjoy some random loves of mine and a story about my life....well a very small part of my life. After a *tiny* breakdown yesterday, I realized I just can't take this anymore. I even atea croissant this morning to bask in my troubles, of course now I am just basking in my troubles with a croissant in my tummy, but it didn't help as much I thought it would!

Bottom line, this whole venue thing is horrible. Everything about it is just plain horrible. I didn't think my style wedding venue didn't exist anywhere! And that is what I have finally come to decide, it literally doesn't exist! Sure, there are tons of amazing and pretty venues, but they are just not what I am looking for.

{One of the favorite photo montages. SO fun. Source: 100 Layer Cake}'

The "good" news is that I totally don't feel like the only one having troubles. Reading your responses to the survey I am noticing that many are having troubles hearing back from vendors, have family issues, money issues, organization issues etc. Let's face it, planning a wedding in this day and age isn't a simple task. One top of having to take the time to call or e-mail and wait for responses from every vendor, you still have to create a vision with the endless amount of inspiration out there. Oh and there is this thing called a J-O-B that you also have to focus on. Oh and then you get the family members who want things their way, and you would just swear that you were planning their wedding! It's a balancing act for sure.

{Too many things to love about this shot! Source: Kiss the Groom}

So where do I stand? I have some AMAZING ideas for my wedding. Things that I can't even show off because I have never seen pictures of these things. Things I am dying to tell you about. But until I find this damn venue, nothing is finalized and nothing is set.

{My fave colors! Source: Wedding Chicks}

Another contender for the location is Holman Ranch which has been a major obsession of mine for SO long. This is the point where I wish I had money coming out of my ears, or that it grew on trees, or that I had three wishes or something, because the site fee is an un-gawwwdly amount! But in this world you get what you pay for, and at least I won't be treated like I was at Radonich. After talking to the girl, I found OPTIONS (something I am not used to getting) and I can definitely cut the price by a bit to make it a little easier on the clutch. Off season....possibly a Friday?? I just love that I have options! Oh and she is SO nice. I also talked to a few caterers who are SO nice! This is how you should be treated people. I'm still trying to work it all out to see where I can cut some other things, discount a few things, etc. but we will see overall what happens in the end.

{Holman Ranch}

There are two other contenders as well. One is Healdsburg County Weddings and the other is called Barbara's Barn (thanks to the recommendation of Trisha Dean. Someone who has helped me an unimaginable amount so far during this process.) I am still going to look at Taber Ranch, but firepits are a no go there.

{Barbara's Barn}

{Healdsburg CountryWeddings}

Oh, and I am taking the leap and making a trip to check out Taber Ranch! So, I'll keep you updated the moment this thing is booked and a date is picked!

Is anyone having trouble with venues or vendors?? Just not being able to find the right ones, getting calls or e-mails back, etc. etc.?? Do tell.