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Congrats!
I recommend you get some suggestions from your venue on preferred vendors, including a Wedding Planner. I had a destination wedding and my planner was a huge chunck of my budget, but SO worth it! She helped to streamline everything and keep it in order with my vision perfectly executed. Also, she had such great relationships that she was able to secure discounts on additional vendors to it worked out well with my budget.
Biggest help and really decreases the stress, throughout the entire planning process and day of.
Best of luck!
Do your parents live in Half Moon Bay? If so, could they do some of the vendor interviews with you via Skype or even speakerphone? Aimee's ideas are also very good. A good wedding planner will have lots of contacts that may be helpful to you and they can do a lot of the legwork. Does your family have any recommendations about vendors? Could they ask some friends who were married in the area for their recommendations?
I planned mine from Boulder CO to San Francisco CA without a planner for 350 people. It was a pain in the ass. Seriously. I would say start with your "big" stuff-- venue (check!), ceremony location (or it's the same place), florist, photographer, and DJ/musician. I'm sure your venue can help you find reputable vendors. Then you'll need to deal with the smaller stuff like make up/hair/etc. I know you're a hands on person, so if you don't hire a planner, you may find that you're going to have let certain things go. Maybe you're not going to have as many DIY/small projects because you physically can't get them there/store them until you're day. Maybe you're going to spend more money because everything will have to be purchased from a vendor. But if you're family is near-enough by, maybe they can help you out with finding vases or charger plates or whatever. The internet is your friend; just keep emailing and calling until you're comfortable. Every time you go to CA, make sure you touch base with your vendors in person/on the phone. Get a miles reward card/membership with whichever airline you fly the most. And breathe. You get to marry your best friend regardless of what the flowers look like. Focus on your marriage above your wedding and you'll be fine. :)
Hi! First: Congrats to you!
I'm in a similar boat - we're in DC, trying to decide between my hometown in Ohio or his in MN. Ohio is at least close enough to drive for weekend trips, but I haven't lived there in more than ten years. People will have to travel regardless, and DC is more expensive so it's out.
How did you guys decide to travel back to Cali? I'm a bit overswhelmed with everything and this seems to be the first thing to figure out (after figuring out he's perfect for me of course).
Wow ladies (and/or guys), thanks for all the input!! I will take everything in consideration..and me being a control freak..I know I will have to let some things go =( We went out to Cali this summer to check out some "affordable" places and came up with the Half Moon Bay because we wanted it near the ocean/beach. We haven't been able to go back since with our lack of funds. We REALLY wanted to go out there this time of year since the wedding will be in Nov. and it would give us an idea of how the weather would be. Unfortunately, that doesn't look like it may be happening! I'm not even sure if I'll be able to go out there before the wedding! I have a list of vendors that the venue has given me, which will be alot of help--we just wanted to "shop around" to get some deals..but since we don't live there that's kinda hard. I don't really want to "take what you can get" but I may have no other choice. Ahh..my MOH lives in Cali..and she asked if I needed anything to let her know..but at the same time i don't want to be a burden on anyone..lol At this point, I'm not even sure we can afford a planner since we are paying for everything ourselves! My parents live here in GA as well...and there is a language barrier..so they wouldn't be much help anyways.
Being on a budget sucks! I wish we didn't have to worry so much about money! Making it more affordable for everyone else, makes it more expensive for us.
@Pokey..hehe
Well the only people that live in GA is my parents and us..his family is in PA and MN..and all of mine are in CA...so logically I'd pick CA. Haha We originally wanted it in Hawaii..and I wanted it at the new disney resort...but just looking at the hotel rates..which was about $600 a night..reality hit me, and I realized I was wrongly mistaken..LOL
I feel your pain! It's so much to take on. Your MOH asked what you needed, you feel it's too much. Can you talk to her about all your concerns? She may be swamped, or she may have some time to do the errand running for you. Be up front that you don't want to 'abuse' her or take too much of her time. If you are open and honest with her and yourself maybe you can come up with something that will work.
Also, check out the prices of a planner and what's included. Friend at work used one for her wedding in Puerto Rico and priced out things seperately based on quotes. The Planner costs were a wash, if not a bit cheaper.
Good luck!
I'm in your same boat- I'm in Australia trying to plan my wedding for Santa Cruz, CA (about a half an hour from HMB). We did end up hiring a wedding planner since it was just too hired to try and find all the different vendors on our own and she's been good, but it's expensive and she knows our budget but then sends me a link to a hair/makeup person who wants $200 for both the trial and the day of makeup-not sure how she thought this person would be in our budget??
Let me know if you need any help. As I get more vendor info, I'm happy to pass it on. We are doing a bbq style dinner from a place in Santa Cruz called Michael's on Main and they are going to be doing all the grilling and stuff on site. The Buttery in Santa Cruz is supposed to have really tastey cakes, too. We'll be doing a tasting there when I go for a visit in January.
@OzToCaBride: Oh my goodness..you just made a good point of tasting cakes..crap. I don't think I'll be out there before my wedding, and we haven't tried cakes yet! LUckily for us, the venue is doing the catering, and we've already had a tasting for that. How much is your budget if you don't mind me asking..and how much was your planner?
Maybe the hair/makeup person is her friend? LOL
Are you looking for a day of planner? Look up Jessica or Ciera from 'Dreams on a Dime'. They have amazing reviews on yelp and are really affordable. Day of is $1,000, I think. They also do partial planning, where they help you look up a variety of vendors and then you pick your favorite. They're based out of SF, but HMB should still be in there area.
@Peony007: are planners included in your budget...or are they separate from the budget? Why does everything have to cost moneyyyyy! haha
Half Moon Bay is awesome! The Mezzaluna is a great restaurant for rehearsal dinner. I dunno if they are still open tho! Is an official wedding planner in your budget? Put it all on them!! LOL
Look into Half Moon Bay Bakery for your cake. There are some hair/makeup vendors in HMB that are good, but I usually suggest looking at some from the San Francisco area as well, as it isn’t that far away and many of them will travel to HMB. Same thing with a DJ. There are lots of delicious restaurants in HMB for a rehearsal dinner, so you can’t really go wrong with whatever you pick. Tons of amazing photographers in the Bay Area as well, so expand your search beyond HMB for some vendors if necessary for your taste and budget. Good luck!
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Hello fellow wedding bees! I need help! We are planning our wedding ceremony next year 11.24.12 in Half Moon Bay, CA. The problem is I iive in Georgia. All my family live out in Cali so I figured it would be easier on them, and not to mention the scenery is a bit better in my eyes! I haven't done anything yet! We just booked our venue (over the phone), so I guess that's a start. Any suggestions would be grateful! Has anyone out there planned a wedding on their own from across the States? I'm really hands on and particular, so I'm hoping this process won't be too stressful!
Angie