Wedding Weekend Extravaganza...

This past weekend, my mom and I headed up to SLO for a weekend full of wedding stuff. Saturday we visited a new facility/location in Nipomo called The Dana Powers House. This is actually the location that Jeff's step/half-cousin Angela will be getting married at this November. It has a barn which is decorated with all sorts of vintage mirrors and shabby chic rustic decorations. You can get a better idea of it here. It definitely has its pros and cons (more on this in a bit), and is not eliminated as a choice yet.

Saturday afternoon we met with a photographer who I have been following for about a year now (and who shot the wedding linked above), named Katie DiSimone. We ended up talking with her for about 2 hours at Starbucks (Jeff's most favorite place), looking at her albums and discussing her philosophy and what we were looking for. I'm not going to lie, I still love her, in fact maybe even more now. When I asked Jeff if he liked her, he said "sure, she was fine", which in Jeff speak is a compliment. We told her to win him over with a video game. She stands by a strict rule that she will not spend more than 1 hour between the ceremony and reception taking pictures...a rule that Jeff and I are requiring of whichever photographer we end up with. Jeff has predicted that we will end up with her, and he's probably right. We'll just have to see how she fits in the budget.

Sunday morning we headed back up to see Santa Margarita Ranch again for a self-guided tour. It was freezing in the barn! It was only 47º outside, and it was a good 10º cooler inside...something that will be much appreciated in July heat. Jeff and I both still like this place better. You can check out some pictures of it here and here. The barn has a very different feel than Dana Powers, but has so much history attached to it. There is just something about the wide open spaces that appeals to the two of us.

Sunday afternoon we all (Jeff included) went to a Bridal Fair. It was supposedly "the better one", but I was disappointed by it. 3 of 4 photographers, the DJ, and florists that I was hoping to look at again were not there. Bummer. We talked to a few caterers and learned that the menu we're planning on having is actually affordable. YES! Finally, something is actually reasonably priced! I have been so frustrated infuriated by the wedding industry and their need to overprice everything. I'm not trying to have an elaborate or extravagant wedding. I want a simple, but pretty, wedding that is an expression of our personalities and our love for each other. But the cost of everything makes me feel like I'm being over the top and extravagant. Grrr. I'm beginning to understand more and more why people elope.

So now on to the pros and cons of the 2 locations...please scroll down past this if you don't care. Don't worry, I won't be offended.

Pros of Dana Powers House:
-It's in Nipomo, meaning cooler weather in July
-The inside of the barn has a lot of charm and character
-It's cheaper than Santa Margarita Ranch, and has more bells and whistles included
-They handle all the rentals for you, meaning less things for me to do
-We can afford it on a Saturday

Cons of Dana Powers House:
-It's in Nipomo, a city that I have a general dislike for (my mom equates it with getting married in Barstow)
-The ceremony site is literally a rectangle of grass with a platform on the end, meaning more money will need to be spent to make it look pretty. And it's right next to the barn...no wide open spaces here!
-It has very strict time limits, where we can only come 2 hours before the ceremony, get exactly 30 minutes for the ceremony itself, and the party ends at 9:30...I'm all for time schedules, but not super strict ones

Pros of Santa Margarita Ranch:
-It's not in Nipomo :)
-It is full of wide open spaces
-The ceremony site is gorgeous, and there are interesting things to look at everywhere you turn (old theater marquee, old Disneyland trains, vineyard, sheep, old cars and tractors)
-We get the place the entire day, as early as 8 am, and don't have to turn off the music until 10 pm, meaning more flexibility in the day

Cons of Santa Margarita Ranch:
-It's in Santa Margarita, so it will be hotter than Nipomo in July
-It's more expensive...so expensive that Saturday is out of the question. Apparently I'm the only one having issues with a Sunday wedding, although I'm slowly starting to get over it as I'm crunching more and more numbers and seeing how much money we'll save. Oh, did I mention that they just sent me the updated price sheet and they've raised their prices for 2011...yes, even in this economy! Welcome to the wedding industry...
-There are pretty much no bells and whistles included, meaning we'll have to watch our budget closely

To sum up, we've pretty much decided that if we really want a Saturday wedding, it will be in Nipomo. But if we (I) can get over having a Sunday wedding, we'll have it at Santa Margarita Ranch. Or if we come across a large sum of money (not looking very likely)...So either July 16th or 17th, 2011 will be the big day, unless they somehow book up before we make our deposit. What are your votes/thoughts/suggestions/etc? I'm all ears...

I'm now in my 6th week of my rotation (um, where did January go?), and starting this week I'll have Wednesdays off due to budget cuts by the Regional Center (the funding source). Not too shabby!

Hope all is well. Sorry for all the wedding talk. I know some of you are very interested, and some of you could care less. I'll try to balance it out as best I can...no promises though! Here's to a happy, healthy, and (relatively) stress-free February! And 6 more weeks of winter...