ISO wedding location with a coast view

[maxzook]

A friend of a friend of mine is getting married. She's from Florida and seems to know little about SoCal, but she's looking for a place where she can get married with an ocean view.

Her budget is $8,000 for fifty people ($160 pp), which sounds generous to me (but what do I know, I've never been married). I assume that's all-inclusive.

She's worried about her out-of-town guests having to drive too far, but I'm going to tell her that's part of the L.A. experience i.e. it probably can't be avoided unless she gets married at Dockweiler with the planes flying over ;)

Does anyone have any suggestions? Also, is Catalina a possibility?

[yinyangdi]

I'm recive emails from Gerri Gilliand, the owner of Finn McCool's Irish Pub and Lula Cocina, about special events at her restaurants and cooking classes at her estate, Rancho Chiquita, in Malibu. Rancho Chiquita can also be booked for weddings: "Weddings at Rancho Chiquita are quite impressive. This 40-acre Spanish style estate in Malibu is a breathtaking wedding site from the grand entrance to the sweeping views. You can seat 250 people in each of the areas they have for an outdoor wedding – the gazebo, the plaza or on the lawn. This private mansion is an amazing wedding ceremony site."
http://www.ranchochiquita.com/
(310) 456- 7429

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Finn McCools
2702 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405

[Joani Macaroni]

Very do-able (not including photographer) at The Chart House in Dana Point and there may be a closer location you could try. My daughter was married there with about 100 guests, on the lawn overlooking the harbor. Not a million dollar view - try a billion! Absolutely gorgeous, and on that very hot September day, was much cooler than most places. The reception was inside the restaurant. No extra charge for parking and no charge for cake cutting. No lost transportation time from the ceremony to the reception. They have a list of vendors and the guitar player they recommended was perfect for the very relaxed but "elegant in its simplicity" wedding my daughter wanted. They provided a trellis for the ceremony. Only drawback is no dressing room for the wedding party. Thankfully we had a very small group that had to change there (in the rest room), otherwise, get a hotel in the area and do the prep there.
There are several locations from if the Dana Point one is too far.

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Chart House
34442 Green Lantern St, Dana Point, CA 92629

[maxzook]

I never got around to posting that the couple ended up picking the Maxwell House in Pasadena.

I've never been there, but I'm thinking there's no ocean view. ;)

[Servorg]

Hell, if it's a summer wedding there may not even be a mountain view... ;-D>

[maxzook]

They honeymooned on Maui to make up for it.

[WSB]

Los Verdes Golf Course in Palos Verdes

http://www.americangolf.com/CA/rancho...

[The Chowhound Team]

Folks, just a friendly reminder, Chowhound is about food and drink, so please, focus on the catering rather than non-food aspects of venues.

Thanks.

[westsidegal]

if your friend can see her way to accepting a view of the marina, instead of a view of the ocean, then she should consider CAFE DEL REY in marina del rey.

i love this restaurant.
they have a private room (but i'm not positive if it will accommodate 50 people).

pretty restaurant
near LAX
valet parking with attended parking lot.
solid food
terrific service
better than solid wine list

http://cafedelreymarina.com/

[maudies5]

Bel Air Bay Club has a spectacular view of the ocean. They will rent the club to non-members.
We attending a beautiful wedding there. Have no idea of the price. But I loved when they released white doves and they flew out to sea.

[Phurstluv]

I've been to functions there in the past as well, and I HIGHLY doubt it will come in at the OP's budget.

[lizwedcharm]

I'm coordinating a wedding at Adamson House this weekend, and it's $6500 to rent, so out of her price range. The other thing she's going to have to worry about, with hotels, is that most of them have a minimum that you have to meet on the weekends, regardless of how many people you have, and those can range from 20k - 40k.
BEST BET - have her go to www.herecomestheguide.com, they have a great search engine where you can put in the city, select the view you want, and they'll give you a listing of what's available, including price range. Have her check out restaurants, too.

[luckattack]

Your link is broken, can you fix it? I too am helping my sister look for a place but in the OC area. Montage and Ritz is way out there even for my sister's bigger budget. Orange Hills was pretty nice for smaller weddings. Glass windows all around. Pacific Hills was another cheaper venue.
Anyone else has suggestions for the OC on venues as we are still looking.

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Orange Hill Restaurant
6410 E Chapman Ave, Orange, CA 92869

[Servorg]

http://www.herecomestheguide.com/

[maxzook]

Thanks, everyone. I've passed this post on to the bride who is in town. I'll let you know what she ends up with.

[mc michael]

Interesting places I've been to weddings: Adamson House (food was catered by Lare's); Wayfarers Chapel (food right there--probably pricey); Old North Church, Forest Lawn (no coast view, but a New England-y feel). As an alternative to Wayfarers, maybe some sort of do it yourself thing at Abalone Cove.

[joe_is_hungry]

A friend had a gorgeous wedding in the Redondo Beach Historic Library: http://www.spectrumcatering.com/redondo.html

I'd second the Queen Mary as worth a call. Another friend hosted a lovely (prix fixe $39) Champagne Sunday brunch as a day-after-wedding wrap up there & they do wedding ceremonies as well: http://www.queenmary.com/index.php?page=sundaybrunch

Also second Trump in PV – friend's wedding there a few years ago was impressive and surprisingly low cost.

Haven't been to these for weddings, but I hear they're not too expensive:

Duke's Malibu is popular and affordable for weddings: http://www.dukesmalibu.com/

The Beau Rivage Malibu is another go-to: http://www.beaurivagerestaurant.com/client/beaurivage/homepage.htm

Paradise Cove Beach Cafe Malibu sounds good for kitch + a private beach (note parking can be pricy): http://www.paradisecovemalibu.com/

Good Luck!

[maudies5]

Call Bel Air Bay Club. This could really work.

[goodhealthgourmet]

some great ideas here, but just a note that i'd skip Paradise Cove. the food is unmemorable, and IMO the kitschy atmosphere isn't really what most people want for a wedding.

[aching]

I don't know what the cost is, but the Adamson House is available for weddings and is in a fabulous location right on the water. Since it's publicly-owned, I think it might be more affordable.

http://www.adamsonhouse.org/

BTW, having planned my own wedding recently, I'm sorry to say that $8,000 out the door is not generous at all. It sounds crazy, but it's not. If you're talking about just for the food, THAT would be generous...

[karen2006]

I would have to agree with aching. Rental costs alone at some places are more than $8k!

[lrhr]

Second Adamson House. We went to a wedding there a few years ago and it's lovely. Feels like a party at your super rich relative's home.

Also, though their price sheet isn't online, we got married at a different publicly owned facility (Orcutt Ranch in the valley) and the cost for the location itself was much much lower than anywhere else.

[Professor Salt]

I attended an outdoor wedding and reception on the patio at Cannon's Restaurant in Dana Point. Food was ok for a wedding feast, but not great by any means. View overlooking the harbor is pretty nice, though. I have no idea how much that wedding cost.

It's pretty far from LAX, and even from John Wayne airport, it's a solid half hour drive at least.

The ocean view is marginal, but you might also consider the Hyatt in Huntington Beach. It's on the inland side of PCH, but since the terrain there is flat, you won't have the same visual impact as the hill top location at Cannon's

[ipsedixit]

Trump National Golf Course in PV.
http://www.trumpnationallosangeles.co...

I think Catalina might be an iffy proposition. Not only would it require driving to San Pedro/Long Beach, but then another boat ride. Plus, if she wants it outside, Catalina can be oh so unaccomodating when it comes to wind and "ocean breezes" (read: gusts).

[Professor Salt]

Roger that. Seasick from the ferry ride and windblown is no way to get to a wedding.

[Nicole]

My friend got married at the Trump golf course in PV and the pictures were gorgeous.

Agree that Catalina is not a good idea. And if she doesn't want guests to have to travel far, having to drive and then get on a boat is the antithesis of this.

[goodhealthgourmet]

several resort/hotel options along the Coast Highway, but i fear they'll be out of her price range. might be worth a phone call anyway, so i'll toss them out there:
- Casa del Mar, Santa Monica
- Shutters on the Beach, Santa Monica
- Loews Santa Monica Beach
- Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Beach (one of my dearest friends got married here on a bluff overlooking the ocean - it was *spectacular*)
- Montage Resort, Laguna Beach

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Shutters on the Beach
1 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90401

[maxzook]

Yeah, I'm afraid she's talked to most of these and you're right about the prices.

[goodhealthgourmet]

bummer. i was hoping i was wrong.

[Phurstluv]

Well, it was 13 years ago, but when we got married at Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel, we paid about $125 per person. It was a lovely dinner & sunset ceremony, but I suppose prices are quite a bit higher now. Oh well.

Has she called the Queen Mary in Long Beach? I don't know their pricing but it may be worth a call.

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Queen Mary
1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, CA 90802

[buttermarblepopcorn]

The Queen Mary is kinda sad, old, and unkempt, not to mention still stuck aesthetically in the 70s.

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Queen Mary
1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, CA 90802

[Servorg]

She should check out Terranea in Palos Verdes, or if that is not doable then take a look at having the ceremony at the Wayfarers Chapel in Palos Verdes and the reception someplace more economical.

ADD: Pay no attention to the Google map that shows here as it bears no relation to where the resort actually is sited (on the grounds of the old Marineland of the Pacific).

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Terranea Resort
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

[maxzook]

Faceplanting head on table that I didn't think of the Wayfarers Chapel, I've been there and I think it would be perfect plus it would seem to be in their price range. Thanks!