1. Rockwood Women's Club
We started off our crazy weekend bright and early- 9:30!- at Rockwood Women's Club. For those of you who are familiar with Santa Barbara, it's in the Mission Canyon area, right down the road from Rocky Nook park and the Mission. Being the first place that we visited, I wasn't quite sure what to expect! It's a gorgeous setting in the oak trees, with classic Santa Barbara Mediterranean architecture:
One of the downsides about the site is that an outdoor reception wasn't possible. However, the indoor ballroom was actually pretty nice, and could definitely be spruced up to look gorgeous:
A concern of ours was feeling too cramped in a ballroom, but as you can see, the reception area had high ceilings and lots of light.
They were in the middle of setting up for a wedding when we got there, but unfortunately we didn't get any photos. The ceremony would take place under a gorgeous oak tree, in the gardens. Although the gardens faced the street, there were enough trees and things to make this an (almost) non-issue. We were a bit concerned about the amount and noise level of the traffic.Jacob also enjoyed that the site came with complimentary lizards, much like this one:
We liked it so much that we even put a temporary hold on a date- July 11, 2009! How exciting! This one is definitely at the top of our list, after the event coordinator promised us that traffic noise isn't a problem in the evenings. They were also extremely flexible, essentially giving us the site for the entire weekend- not just Saturday- for the same price! It had extensive parking and a great changing room for both the bride and groom. Lastly, they were flexible in how many people we could fit- up to 235! The fee also came with 2 full time staff members to help the event run smoothly, and help with setup and teardown. Love it!2. Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort
After a successful meeting at Rockwood, we picked up Jacob's mom and headed over to the Doubletree. BIG mistake. Not only did the Doubletree staff member that we were supposed to meet with never show up, but we were pretty much ignored by the events people in his office, and I did not like the vibe of the whole place. Essentially, the wedding party is on display- the wedding takes place in a rotunda that faces the beach, but also faces the entire hotel! No privacy whatsoever! Additionally, the reception would be held in a ballroom, which we did NOT like. Lastly, the staff was in the middle of setting up chairs for a ceremony- but the guests were already arriving!!! WOW!! Needless to say, we didn't take any photos, and will not be returning, despite the pleas of the senior sales manager and a phone call from the guy who we were supposed to meet with.
3. Rincon Beach Club
After the blowout at the Doubletree, Lisa, Mom, Jacob and I headed to Los Arroyos (the BEST Mexican food in SB) to have some lunch, and then went over to a stationary store to look through some books of invitations!! So fun!! I love that Jacob and I have the exact same tastes- we were picking out the same invites! We got some great ideas, and then had some gelato as a celebratory treat. I think that the temperature reached 92 on Saturday- we were melting! We then headed over to the Rincon Beach Club, which is located on Santa Claus Lane (can you imagine that on an invitation! ha!).But first, the moms wearing their MOB and MOG shirts that Jacob and I made as presents!! They got so many looks and compliments on them!! How cute!!
Rincon Beach Club is located in Sandyland, about 15 minutes south of Santa Barbara, on a busy strip of shops and along one of the most popular local beaches in SB. We liked it because you had the option of holding the ceremony on the beach (although you'd need a shuttle for older guests) and that catering was included in the overall bill. Also, the reception would be held in a cute garden that's lit by candles, twinkle lights, and paper lanterns (our style exactly!).
It's on the maybe list right now, mostly because of the parking issues, traffic and the train noise. Apparently, a freight train can go past at any time, lasting up to 20 minutes! I certainly don't want a train going by in the middle of the ceremony. It's a great space though, but we'd also feel a little cramped with 225 people. It did have an indoor area, so guests would be able to roam back and forth, but it felt a little disjointed. So, it's a maybe, although the Moms didn't like it at all...Last but not least... (for Saturday):
4. University Club
For anyone who went to San Marcos and had Mr. Burrows for AP History, do you remember him talking about Dead Rich White Men (DRWM)? Oh LORD!! This place was horrible!! It's literally a men's club with portraits of DRWM hanging from the walls... as Lisa said, you could feel the ghosts and the bad chi flowing around the place! I had NO idea, and now I wish someone would have warned me...
On top of all that, the guests would be spread out over several rooms, because it's basically an old estate that they now use for making business deals, smoking cigars, and cracking dirty jokes, instead of enjoying the wedding together in one space. The bride got one little dingy changing room, while the groom got a pool table room, complete with a full bar, 4 dead moose on the walls, and 2 pool tables. Jacob loved that, everyone else VETOED!! We pretty much ran away as fast as possible after our tour... yuck!!
Sunday:
1. Four Seasons Biltmore
We started off Sunday with our one and only site visit, because I had canceled the Stow House upon receiving some warnings. The Biltmore, owned by Ty Warner, is located across the street from Butterfly Beach, and is basically the place to stay if you're rich and from out of town. They have some gorgeous gardens though and I was eager to see what they'd have to offer.
Well, it wasn't much, because we didn't even take any pictures of the actual site- just ourselves! A party our size would require a ballroom, so no outdoor reception, and would cost upwards of $50k... out of our budget!!! WOW!! It had a similar feel to the Doubletree, where you were basically on display- everyone could see everything, even if they weren't invited. To top it off, they host up to 3 weddings a night, so they sometimes have problems with guests going to the wrong wedding--- maybe that's a hint?! We'd get absolutely no privacy or personal attention. It got vetoed immediately. The lady we met with wasn't really that nice either. BOO on the Biltmore!!
But, we did get some cute pictures while we were waiting for the valet to come pick us up (Thanks Mom!):
Exhaused from all the site visits, Jacob and Lisa headed home to enjoy the afternoon, while Mom and I went to meet Brenna at Santa Barbara Bridal!!! (No worries, no spoilers). They are having a huge sale next weekend, and were nice enough to let us come see the sale since I can't be in town next weekend. Mistake #3 for the weekend... sales people at Santa Barbara bridal are NOT nice at all. Especially when they know you're just looking and aren't going to buy anything. I got to try some things on but got absolutely no help picking out good silouettes and shapes, or designers. My consultant pretty much ignored us, and then shoved me into the dresses. NOT fun at all!! Definitely not what I expected from my first experience trying on dresses!! Needless to say, I was a little upset... but, we got some cute pictures of us looking at dresses:
When I left I was pretty upset... so we headed over to Mary Linn's Bridal (the shop that took over Rumors). I am so glad we went there!! Even though we didn't have an appointment, one of the ladies took pity on me and gave me the best experience! Usually the fittings last up to 2 hours, but they were closing in an hour, so I just tried on 3 dresses. She was so great and understanding, and helped me pick out the right dresses for me!! I found 2 dresses that are just AMAZING!! I felt so gorgeous, just like a princess- that is what searching for a wedding dress is supposed to be like! I have determined that I want something light and flowy, with an A-Line shape. I tried on a dress that had a HUGE skirt, and it wasn't for me... I bet I would have lost 10 pounds just from the workout you get from wearing a dress like that! We had a great time, and I am so glad we went there- I'll just erase the SB Bridal experience from my memory. I can't wait to go back and have the full "Mary Linn" experience- I can only imagine what it's going to be like!My mom and I are visiting 4 wineries in Santa Ynez this weekend... so more pictures soon!
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