Our San Diego wedding location!

[peonygirl]

It''s been a crazy week of wedding planning, but Ian and I have finally decided where we''re getting
married! The ceremony and reception will take place in the Casa del Rey Moro Garden and Grand
Ballroom of the Prado at Balboa Park. We''re going to have Ian''s childhood rabbi officiate which
should be great because she''s known him and his family since he was born. Balboa Park is basically
San Diego''s cultural center where most of the museums, public gardens and the zoo are located, so
we really thought it would give people a taste of the city.
Here''s some of the history of the building, taken from a website about Balboa Park:
"The building was orginally built by the City of San Diego to be a centerpiece of the 1915-1916
Panama-California Exposition which was a two-year festival was held in Balboa Park to promote San
Diego and to celebrate the 1914 opening of the Panama Canal. The House of Hospitality (now known
as the Prado) truly became "San Diego''s living room" during the 1930s when the First Lady Eleanor
Roosevelt and other visiting dignitaries were routinely entertained there by city officials, rather
than at City Hall. During both world wars, the Navy occupied the House of Hospitality and many
other park buildings as temporary additions to Balboa Naval Hospital. The House served as a nurses''
dormitory During World War II."

The whole building was completely renovated in 1995, and it''s gorgeous. You can see pictures of the ceremony and reception sites here: http://www.balboaparkweddings.com. Thanks for reading!

 

[FireGoddess]

Wow - the ceremony site looks so serene with the pool there...and the initial shot of the building - gorgeous!!

 

[dani13]

Congratulations on deciding on a venue- this place looks GREAT!!

Let the planning begin!!!!

 

[leeenie]

Cool! I''m thinking of having our ceremony somewhere in Balboa Park too, and the dinner in a smaller room at the Prado. Did you get a permit already for the Park ceremony?

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Balboa Park is gorgeous! Congrats on finding & deciding on the venue.

 

[nicolejrx]

The Prado is beautiful! The grand ballroom is gorgeous and their packages seem to include lots of good stuff!
Nicole

 

[peonygirl]

SanDiegoLady, the wedding will be on June 10th 2007 (Sunday afternoon). I''m so excited! Do you happen to have particular recommendations for the food? The dishes they serve at the restaurant are a little bit different than at weddings, but I know it''s the same chef.

Teagreen, we actually don''t need a permit because the garden is owned by the Prado. I think there are other gardens in the park that are gorgeous to use for a reception, but they''d be too small for our group.

 

[flopkins]

looks gorgeous!! I used to love hanging out at Balboa park... way back when! so beautiful there!

 

[monarch64]

I''m glad to hear you chose a Sunday afternoon, Peonygirl!

You will love it, and so will your guests! The location looks stunning, and I''m sure you will be the most beautiful bride ever to grace their steps! I''m so happy you found a venue...I''ve been following your posts, lol! Take care!

 

[leeenie]

Date: 3/25/2006 12:53:32 AM
Author: peonygirl
SanDiegoLady, the wedding will be on June 10th 2007 (Sunday afternoon). I''m so excited! Do you happen to have particular recommendations for the food? The dishes they serve at the restaurant are a little bit different than at weddings, but I know it''s the same chef.

Teagreen, we actually don''t need a permit because the garden is owned by the Prado. I think there are other gardens in the park that are gorgeous to use for a reception, but they''d be too small for our group.

Cool! They have a whole wedding package right? Do you mind sharing the cost to have the ceremony there? If not it''s ok - too bad no more PMs. I heard from a San Diego board that if you just have a dinner there w/o the champagne toast etc. it''s very very reasonable - but you don''t get the "wedding extras."

They don''t let you do tastings right? That''s too bad.

 

[peonygirl]

Teagreen, the cost is $850 for a ceremony plus 20% gratuity and 7.75% tax. It includes all of the chairs, officiant sound system, rehersal time, gift and guestbook table, etc. You might want to ask if you can have a ceremony plus a meal at their restaurant since I know that you can't generally have your ceremony there without also having the reception. Besides the grand ballroom, there are several other smaller rooms for receptions in case you want more privacy and dancing.

 

[chickflick]

The siite is soooo beautiful, and it sounds like a very good price for such a gorgeous setting!!

I live in Texas now but I was born in San Diego (Balboa Naval Hospital). As much as I love Houston, I''ve always wished we still lived in San Diego. If I did, I''d want to get married there, too!!

 

[leeenie]

Thanks for the info peonygirl. I will be getting married about 1 month later than you possibly at Balboa Park but almost for sure in San Diego - much nicer whether in July than where I''m from!

good luck with the rest of your planning.

 

[zhuzhu]

Thanks Peonygirl for sharing! We will be getting married in San Diego 3 months after your wedding, and are also looking at differnet locations. I currently live in Pittsburgh so it is so helpful to hear feedback from locals of San Diego!

 

[peonygirl]

zhuzhu, let me know if you need any advice about specific locations or vendors! What types of venues are you looking at?

 

[leeenie]

peonygirl, did you look into azul, temecula creek inn, or rancho bernardo inn at all?

 

[researcher]

Good choice! I''ve been to two weddings there and both were beautiful

 

[peonygirl]

researcher, do you happen to remember what food was served and whether it was good? My dad and others have eaten at the Prado restaurant and have said it was wonderful, but they don''t allow tastings which is really annoying.

teagreen, are you referring to Azul La Jolla (the restaurant)? I''ve never been there, but I''ve seen pics and it''s beautiful! I''m not familiar with the other places though, sorry!

 

[peonygirl]

SanDiegoLady, Mexican would be yummy but their wedding menus are a little different than their restaurant and I think they only offer chicken, fish, filet, etc. Thanks for your kind words about the Prado, I really love the ceremony site and I''m so exicted about getting married there!

 

[peonygirl]

Yep, those are the entrees! Feel free to let me know which two options would be best for a lunch. We can''t do pork or shellfish, but it''s looking like we can do anything else since I worked stuff out with my mom. There will also be a third option, probably vegetarian lasagna.

 

[zhuzhu]

Peonygirl,

I hope to wed in a non-religious location fitting no more than 150 (small and intimate). Since I want a Saturday evening ceremony I would like the place to allow for candles throughout the ceremony room. If there is a "ourdoorsy sort of greenhouse" that will be great, but I do not know one in San Diego. I will have a large portion of guests from out of town and out of country, so if the location is a hotel itself, and has easy access to airport and a beautiful view, that will just be perfect!

Anything you have seen met all above "wish list"?

Thanks,
Z

 

[selflove]

You are going to have a gorgeous wedding! What a great site!

 

[peonygirl]

zhuzhu, the only place I can think of that meets that description wouldn''t hold 150 people. If you''re looking for a hotel with a pretty outdoor ceremony site, I''d definitely look into the Lodge at Torrey Pines and L''Auberge. Also, check out bridalinsider.com, which has a great messageboard for San Diego brides.

 

[zhuzhu]

WOw, L''Auberge is expensive! $8 per parking per guest, and $2.50 per guest for "cake cutting fee"? Is that normal ???

 

[peonygirl]

zhuzhu, all three of those places are pretty expensive. The least expensive (and probably the prettiest!) is La Valencia. Unfortunately pretty much all hotels in SD are expensive places to have weddings. Some of the less expensive places are restaurants that have special wedding facilities. I know of two in particular that are considered to be nice and not too pricey (although I''ve never visited either); both also have a view of the water, I believe. So let me know if you want any other recs!

 

[zhuzhu]

Thanks ladies, I read their web site and really think La Valencia will work. I noticed the garden ceremony has the following notice "The Garden area will be private for you during your ceremony, however, because it is of public nature of the hotel, guest activities may be occurring at the pool, on the ocean view terrace restaurant or at Scripps Park. Noise and / or music from other areas, including airplanes, helicopters, skateboards, motorcycles and buses are not uncommon. "

Has anyone had the wedding there? was the noise really noticible?

 

[San Diego Bride]

hi zhuzhu,

i''m getting married at la valencia this september. it''s a beautiful place. yes, it''s expensive. but so is everything in san diego. and at least here you get a lot for the money. the garden is beautiful and the noise isn''t bad at all. i think you just have to go with the flow. you pick a gorgeous location where you can see the water and you just ignore it if a helicopter happens to go by during your moment. the room for the reception is really pretty too. they definitely allow candles. they even provide a round glass mirror and votives for all of your tables. we asked to have 9 votives on each table and it wasn''t a problem.

good luck with your planning. i looked at a lot of locations in san diego so definitely post any questions you have. la valencia was my favorite and the thursday club was second on my list.

hope this helps!

 

[zhuzhu]

Hi San Diego Bride,

Thanks for your feedback. Actually, my fiance just came back from visiting La Valencia and he likes it a lot too. Unfortunately the in house wedding organizer was not in and he could not get info on pricing. Would you mind sharing what's the approximate cost for abut 100 people for both ceremony and reception (includng changing rooms)? Is there discount provided for off-peak season, for example if we move the wedding from Sept to October?

Thanks a lot! I will ask my fI to check out Thursday Club next weekend!

z.

 

[San Diego Bride]

hi zhuzhu,

i''m glad your fiancee liked the hotel. i don''t think there is a difference in price from september to october, but i''d definitely ask them. i do know it''s less expensive to get married on a saturday during the day vs. the evening. the ceremony site costs $800. the reception site is included if you have the ceremony there as well. food options range from ~$85-~$110 per person. food is cheaper during the day (although it''s the same food). you can choose buffet or sit down dinner and 3 or 4 course meals. it also includes a glass of champagne for each person, 3 hors d''oerves per person and valet parking for all of your guests. your hotel room for the evening is included. (and there will be champagne and chocolate covered strawberries there for you in the evening). you can use that to get ready for the ceremony or there is also a bridal room to use. the ceremony site is gorgeous so you''ll save money on flowers (it doesn''t need any extra). the reception site includes the linens and china and all that plus 12 inch round mirrors and votives for all of the tables. there is an $8000 food and beverage minimum during the day and a $14000 minimum for saturday evenings. the menu options include desserts (chocolate covered strawberries, heart-shaped cookies, truffles), but no cake. your wedding cake needs to be ordered separately. that''s all i can remember. i hope that helps.

san diego bride