We set a date and picked our spot!

[Mandzanita]

I thought I knew what to expect when it came to the wedding planning....I sooo didn't know. It's HARD and OVERWHELMING and FRUSTRATING but it really is alot of fun too! You ever want to test a relationship, go ahead and start planning a wedding for 250 people, lol.

So once we got our budget figured out (my mom is an absolute saint with her generosity) we started searching around for venues. We quickly realized that as soon as the word WEDDING was said, Cha-Ching! Everywhere was sooo expensive, mainly because most required you to use their catering at $50-$80 a head and just times that by 250 and it's enough to make you run and hide in the woods. While hiding in the woods we found our spot :)

It's called Roaring Camp and it's perfect! It met all of our requirements and will be a perfect place for our country themed wedding. It's a very historic spot in the Santa Cruz Mountains where they built our area's first railroad back in the 1800's during the Gold Rush. Basically it's like you step into a mini western town surrounded by redwoods. There are a bunch of restored older buildings, large expanse of lawn, a covered bridge and a big pond. The railroad runs right behind it, it actually still runs and brings tourists to and from the beach. The best part is the huge barn/hall that we will be having our reception in. It's so fun!! All the outer walls are sliding doors that you can open up and it's completely wood with these cool circular chandaleirs that hang down. We will have our ceremony on the lawn under some big oak trees. I will be comming out of this old restored school house and on down the aisle :)

We are planning to hire a BBQ joint to come do the catering. Chicken and ribs....yum! It's amazing how much cheaper BBQ food is then all the fancy shamncy stuff, yet it's so much better! Who doesn't love BBQ?

The date is set for August 29th, 2009.

Here are some pics...

The Bret Harte Hall (Our reception spot)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/39/92967636_917c0409e8.jpg?v=0

This is the inside of it...love those lights and it has a full on stage! (although they are standing on it to take the picture)
http://rossandkel.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/rl_blog_16.jpg

The covered Bridge

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d118/mandi_c/coveredb.jpg

The little school house with the lawn area to the right...I don't know who's kids those are :)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/23/31372031_6c6c1a226a.jpg?v=0



So what do you guys think??
http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gifhttp://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gif

[starkitten]

Sounds like a great place :) I'm with ya on the bit more laid back setting

[Vibe]

I think it is lovely! Congrats.

[FatSpottedAppy]

It looks very nice! Congrats!

[Equine_Woman]

It looks Perfect!!!!!!!! Great location!!! I see in my eye a billion great spots for photo ops! Beautiful!

[Mandzanita]

Thanks everyone!

EW...I'm right there with you! It's like a photographers dream! I wish you could come be my photographer :(

[jeezitsjacki]

that looks like a great area, good job picking!

[Remali]

That place is perfect, look at that covered bridge, the entire place is beautiful. I think you made a great choice, and I agree....BBQ is fabulous!

[PoniesRock101]

wow!quite the pretty place! i bet it'll be a beautiful day too!

my cousins was at starved rock (in IL) and it was sooooo pretty!

[carla]

Oh my gosh, that's a dream spot! When Diane sees this, she'll be wanting to plan your wedding! :D Great job, Mandz.

[Mandzanita]

Yay! I'm glad you all like it! My fiance, being the surfer that he is, wanted us to have an ocean view for the ceremony but after he took a look at the price tags on beachfront venues it didn't take long for him to love it too :) I took my mom, two cousins and my aunt to see it and they all said they just felt super comfortable the minute they stepped onto the grounds.

Thier wedding coordinator is really awesome and helpful. She gave me the best favor idea! Instead of renting drink cups I'm going to buy a whole bunch of mason jars, tie little pieces of twine around the lip with a tag saying our names and our wedding date, put them on each table as drink cups that people can take home after. I love drinking out of mason jars!

I'm so excited to start the next steps in planning...I will need everyone's help!

Carla...Is Diane a wedding planner??


I took my mom, two cousins and my aunt to see it and they all said they just felt super comfortable the minute they stepped onto the grounds.

[quicktodance21]

it looks good :] congratss!

[vicklynn]

Looks very cool! I like!

[ImaBronsonBear]

Very, very nice! Looks like the perfect spot.:)

[Gypsy Rose]

What a great place for the ceremony!

[alittleoffkey]

Wow, that place looks amazing! Diane is a wedding planner, she sent me some links to affordable honeymoon places when Will and I were actively planning our wedding. She's a wealth of knowledge! :cowboy: I can't wait to see the wedding pics; they're going to be beautiful there!!

[missdixie]

That is beautiful and it sounds like your wedding will be a blast! Congratulations! I love country themed weddings :)

[RipSpark]

Congrats!! I love it!!! What a perfect place, glad you found it :) Yes, I want pictures when the time comes! :)

[AUEquine]

I thought I knew what to expect when it came to the wedding planning....I sooo didn't know. It's HARD and OVERWHELMING and FRUSTRATING but it really is alot of fun too! You ever want to test a relationship, go ahead and start planning a wedding for 250 people, lol.
AMEN SISTER!!! We need a wedding planning support group!

We're also having a 250-300 person wedding, and my reception is at a big red barn that looks alot like that place on the inside. I'll have to go find pics and post them!
So what all have you gotten done? What do you have left?
I've got my church, my reception, my caterer, my tents/rentals, hotels, photographer, and my band...
Left to do Gown, bridesmaids dresses, tuxes, cake, flowers, decorations, transportation for horses, train the horses to handle a gown, rehersal dinner, and plenty more I'm sure I'm forgetting..

Crap I just stressed myself out... that's alot left to do in only 6 months! Well I hope your fiancee is being more help than mine, Tim's plan is to just show up when told!

[gaited07]

LOVE IT!! Good choice.

[JackieB]

Looks like an awesome place! Congratulations.

[cyb]

I absolutly love your choice! Maybe I'll crash your wedding..just kidding ! Congrats!

[Mandzanita]

I get more excited by the minute :) I really want to make it one of those weddings where you leave saying "That was a really fun wedding!" without spending a dang fortune. I'm finding some really creative ways to cut costs. The music will be awesome, the food yummy and the booze plentiful :)

AUE...I love that your right there with me!!! Show pics of your place!! I just love barns and I'm so glad I was able to get a place that had something that resembles one.

Wow you have alot done! I know it feels like there is so much more to do. I feel like I have alot done but I don't, lol. I have a pretty clear vision of what I want for everything but am still in the realm of calculating options to get the best prices on things. So far we have for sure: Booked a ceremony/reception site, booked a GREAT DJ (it was our wedding splurge because we know how important the music it), the venue is doing all my rentals for me as well as set-up and break-down, and we have picked our wedding party.

I will most likely be wearing my cousins two wedding dresses (one for the ceremony and the other for dancing because one is too big to dance in)...so that cuts the cost of the dresses. I can't wait to show you guys pictures. One is a princessy dress and the other is a sleak mermaid one. I love them both and would just need to pay for some alterations.

I'm doing my own flowers and am thinking Gerbera Daisies, Calla Lillies and Roses. Most likely in fall colors with some added pink and green :) I will be ordering them wholesale and then putting them together with a few friends. I took a florestry class in high school so hopefully I still remember how to do it.

My aunt is a professional baker/pastry chef and she's making my cake and desserts for free!

That leaves a ton left to do. This comming month my goals are to finalize and finish our list with all names and addresses, take engagement photos, order Save-the-Dates and send them out, nail down our caterer, and get bridesmaid dresses ordered.

Just typing that out started making me stress again too! lol

AMEN SISTER!!! We need a wedding planning support group!

We're also having a 250-300 person wedding, and my reception is at a big red barn that looks alot like that place on the inside. I'll have to go find pics and post them!
So what all have you gotten done? What do you have left?
I've got my church, my reception, my caterer, my tents/rentals, hotels, photographer, and my band...
Left to do Gown, bridesmaids dresses, tuxes, cake, flowers, decorations, transportation for horses, train the horses to handle a gown, rehersal dinner, and plenty more I'm sure I'm forgetting..

Crap I just stressed myself out... that's alot left to do in only 6 months! Well I hope your fiancee is being more help than mine, Tim's plan is to just show up when told!

[offgridgirl]

Very cool place and doing the flowers yourself is perfect!! Wow an aunt who does cakes??? You gotta post pictures now!!

[Mandzanita]

Very cool place and doing the flowers yourself is perfect!! Wow an aunt who does cakes??? You gotta post pictures now!!

I know I lucked out with her!! She made my mom's cake when she was married for the second time and it was beautiful and delicious. All my mom did was show her a picture out of a magazine of the kind of cake she wanted and she made it.

I sent her this picture and she said no problem

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f125/alethajo81/Pro%20pictures%20from%20Jen/AlethaVanderMaas0733.jpg

[AUEquine]

Oh my goodness... that's exactly what I want my cake to look like!!!! Except I want a green ribbon! Mind if I steal that pic to show my cake person (whenever I find one)? And my topper is going to be two horse shoes welded together (facing up to make a W, my new last name). A friend of mine made one for another wedding and it was gorgeous, he polished it up so nice!
I'm also thinking about doing gerber daisies. The center pieces at my recpetion are going to be candles with a grapevine wreath around them wit daisies stuck in the wreath.
I'll attach pics of the reception place. We're gonna move all the tables to the edges to make the dance floor, and all the food will be outside in a tent. It's gonna be tight, but at least the barn is air conditioned!

ETA: I didn't notice you're date... we're right there together. I'm getting married August 8, 2009. I picked it figureing Tim would be better able to remember that our aniversary is 8/8!!! That and it's the weekend between summer semester and fall semester so there's not much going on in town here!

[Sparrk]

WOW Mandzanita everything of yours looks awesome!

I LOVE your venue and cake!

I haven't been on for awhile because I've been going through things and such, but I have a new Boyfriend and we are planing a fall wedding!

Okay who's gonna start the Wedding Planner thread?

[Mandzanita]

AUE...Steal away! I was thinking green ribbon too! Haha, we seem to have the same taste :) I love your cake topper idea!! Now how could you make an H out of horse shoes....I love your venue, it's so rustic. I love rustic. I wish my barn was red!

I love gerbera Daisys, they are so cheerful and come in such fun colors. I'm also in love with Callas and then I gotta have some roses in there :)

Spark, thanks! Fall weddings are the best. The weather is usually nice (at least around my parts) and all the pretty nature colors are uot on display. How long have you been with this new boyfriend, has he proposed!!?? Tell! I think we should start a wedding planning thread because I know there are quite a few of us plannin.

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

OMG...That is just THE MOST WONDERFUL place EVER!!!! I really love it. You will have the best day ever!!!!!! The pictures are just going to be fantastic!!!

What an awesome place you found there. I can't wait to hear more about your plans. I love Weddings...

And yes...BBQ is soooo much better than all that fancy smancy stuff!

Stay Cool!!!



You girls really sound like you have got it together. I absolutely love Gerbera Daisys!! They are my favorites.

[AUEquine]

And yes...BBQ is soooo much better than all that fancy smancy stuff!

Great minds really do think a like! if you were closer we should so have a joint wedding! i'm doing BBQ for my rehersal dinner at an old train depot!

The reception food is all standard southern: standing rib roast, shrimp and grits, chicken fingers, mini burgers, mashed potato bare, and assorted fruits and veggies with dips.

you're lucky you can borrow dresses, all my friends are smaller than me. what are you thinking about for bridesmaids dresses? what are your colors?

[zoel_222]

Ooooh!!! Very cool! That place looks perfect. I'm so excited for pictures of the wedding :)

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

Great minds really do think a like! if you were closer we should so have a joint wedding! i'm doing BBQ for my rehersal dinner at an old train depot!

The reception food is all standard southern: standing rib roast, shrimp and grits, chicken fingers, mini burgers, mashed potato bare, and assorted fruits and veggies with dips.

you're lucky you can borrow dresses, all my friends are smaller than me. what are you thinking about for bridesmaids dresses? what are your colors?

You two need to start a new thread and give us updates on all the Wedding Plans!:)

[MyHorseBiggs]

Looks perfect!!! Congrats!! I'm sure Mr. Biggs is happy for you too!! :p

[Mandzanita]

Great minds really do think a like! if you were closer we should so have a joint wedding! i'm doing BBQ for my rehersal dinner at an old train depot!

The reception food is all standard southern: standing rib roast, shrimp and grits, chicken fingers, mini burgers, mashed potato bare, and assorted fruits and veggies with dips.

you're lucky you can borrow dresses, all my friends are smaller than me. what are you thinking about for bridesmaids dresses? what are your colors?

I really need to get on the Bridesmaids dresses...IVe heard it can take months for them to be made. What I hope I can do is just find a cute dress at a store and just have everyone buy one in their size. I want them to be able to wear it again. I'd love for it to be a shade of green (like a sage color or a pretty olive), I'd like it to be strapless and about knee length or just above. Other colors I was thinking of were a coral color, a wine color or a darker green. What are yours? It would be so cool if I could find a cute paisley print dress for them, I love paisley!

So today I booked a photographer!! He's awesome and is going half his normal rate for us since my fiance is a really good friend of his. Check him out http://www.davemedal.com. He is so talented, I'm excited :) Gonna do cake tasting with my aunt this weekend and that will be so much fun!

[AUEquine]

I had a very successful weekend. I got my dress and my bridesmaids dresses! The bridesmaids dresses are made by Bill Levkoff and it's modle 612. It's a great dress. I was going to do green dresses up until I found this one, and now I've switched to black with a green sash. My colors have always been green and black for horses, so everyone told me I should carry it over to the wedding. So I just did it backwards instead.

Here are the pics of the dresses. Only changes are that the sash on the bridesmaids dress will be green, and it's a big ribbon in the back that goes the length of the dress!

I'm pretty sure I'm safe posting the wedding dress, Tim is pretty computer illiterate!

[FoxFireEMT]

wow that is really great Mandzanita! It's really beautiful. I don't doubt it is stressful! Country theme sounds awesome along with the BBQ idea!! Sounds like your going to have my "type" of wedding!

[Mandzanita]

AUE, your wedding dress is beautiful! Do you have any pics of you in it? Once I finally decide what dress I'm going to wear I'll post pics. I'm going to try one on tonight that I saw on the runway at the bridal expo...I fell in love. It's so unique, elegant, yet totally country! I'll take pics.

As far as bridesmaids dresses go...I like the one you picked :) I think the green and black is a great idea, especially since it goes with your horse colors. I'd love to do brown and green. Like maybe a green dress with cute brown heels or vice versa.

I really liked this dress. I think it has a fun country feel :)

http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-71871450227191_2039_585700

I also kinda liked this one, it would look adorable with cowboy boots! (I was thinking I might have my bridesmaids wear them :))
http://www.davidsbridal.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplayView?storeId=10052&catalogId=10051&categoryId=-49998974&currentIdx=36&subCategory=-49998976%7c-49998975%7c-49998974&catentryId=1000420

Also really loved this one :)

http://www.davidsbridal.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplayView?storeId=10052&catalogId=10051&categoryId=-49998974&currentIdx=60&subCategory=-49998976%7c-49998975%7c-49998974&catentryId=1000227


What do you guys think?

[FoxFireEMT]

man: The dresses that the bride picked for her wedding are beautiful green called "lettuce" LOL. Trust me it's purty!

http://www.alfredangelo.com/Collections/ProductDisplay.aspx?productID=3e3375ca-95de-4013-8d60-b9289f4b6c06&categoryID=772f03c9-de43-4942-bfa0-da77e21ebd65&pg=2

This is the exact dress & exact color! (Okay it's coming up brown when you click it, look 4 the Lettuce color, very pretty.)

I like the picture of the dress you have above too! That is a pretty dress.

[lovesfortune]

i love all your ideas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! both of you guys!!!!!!!

i had gerber daisies for my wedding too, and had them on the cake... i'll have to dig through my stuff and see if i can find a picture of it to post.

i love the country theme. and the idea of cowboy boots with that yellow dress would be cute!!! or any dress you pick.

i can't wait to see more from you guys. :)

[dame_wolf]

I love the location you picked! It's gonna be a beautiful wedding and I can't wait to see the pics!