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Ceremony & Reception Sites
A listing of the finest Wedding Ceremony & Reception Sites
available in San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara Counties
is presented in the table below. To learn more about each company,
click on the Company Name to see their Ad, click on their Web Site
hyperlink to access their web site, or contact them through the
Email hyperlink in the table below.
To learn more about selecting your Wedding Ceremony & Reception
site, please read the article presented following the table.
All phone numbers are in the 805 area code unless
otherwise noted.
Ceremony &
Reception
…Selecting Your Ceremony and Reception Sites
The main items to consider in selecting your ceremony and reception
site(s) are any date restrictions, your wedding style and size,
site availability, site attributes, and cost.
Date Restrictions. There are
some special people without whom your wedding could simply not take
place. Contact them early, tell them your preferred dates and identify
dates that work. Now you have a handful of potential dates. You
likely have a single preferred date in mind, but try to stay flexible
since your dream setting may be booked that day!
Wedding Style and Size. Your
wedding style will help in narrowing the list of potential sites.
Some sites have solely indoor or outdoor facilities, may be formal
or casual, at the beach or on a ranch. Place the sites that best
match your wedding style onto your finalists list. The smaller your
number of guests, the more options you will have. Sites that cannot
handle your party size may be taken off of your finalist list.
Availability, Attributes,Cost.
Armed with your finalist list, conduct some focused research. Call
your finalists. Do they have your preferred date available? If so,
does the site have all of the attributes you want? See our Reception
Site worksheet on our website for a list of potential questions
to ask. Make copies of this worksheet and record the answers so
that you can evaluate your data later.
What is the cost for your size of reception? Because each site
has different attributes and different pricing structures, it can
seem difficult to compare apples to apples. Some sites include tables
and chairs while you would have to rent them at other sites. Some
sites include food, plates, and flatware while you would have to
hire a caterer at other sites. Some sites are naturally gorgeous
so your decoration cost (and labor) will be minimal. Clean up cost
is also a consideration.
So the best way to evaluate price is to add up all of the costs
associated with having your ceremony or reception at a given site
and then divide the total cost by the total number of guests. This
will give you the overall cost per person. Although cost is a consideration,
your final selection will be based on many factors - including your
gut feeling, which should never be discounted!
Elements of Your Ceremony
There is a fairly standard sequence of events at most wedding ceremonies.
Pre-Ceremony Events. Guest
are seated to background music; parents are seated to special music
with the Bride's mother being seated last; the Groom enters along
with the officiant and groomsmen; the bridesmaids, flower girl and
ring bearer enter to special music; and the Bride enters on her
father's arm to special music as all guests stand.
Ceremony Events. The Officiant
speaks some opening words. Vows are exchanged between the Bride
and Groom, the rings are exchanged, and then the Bride and Groom
kiss. Additional elements may be added to the ceremony. Many couples
choose to light a unity candle or to honor their mothers with presentation
of roses. You may have special readings during the ceremony or a
full religious service. You may have special songs played or sung
at certain parts of the ceremony. You may want certain cultural
or religious elements shared at your ceremony. Hawaiians may exchange
leis, Catholics may have communion, etc. Its your ceremony so feel
free to personalize it as you choose.
Post-Ceremony Events. The Officiant
may introduce you to your guests as the new Mr. and Mrs. Doe. Then
the wedding party exits led by the Bride and Groom.
Elements of Your Reception
Ah yes, the wedding reception. That is the time and place to shake
off that last bit of nervousness after the ceremony and simply enjoy
your celebration as it unfolds. With all of your good planning behind
you, this is indeed the fun part! As with the ceremony, there is
a fairly standard sequence of events at most receptions. In personalizing
your reception, feel free to exclude any of the following reception
rituals that do not appeal to you.
As guests enter the reception area, they will sign the guest book
and deposit your wedding gift in the designated area. The guests
then mingle over appetizers and drinks as the soft music of your
DJ or musicians plays in the background. During appetizers, your
photographer may take formal photographs of the wedding party and
immediate family. Once photographs are completed, your family enters
the reception discretely and the master of ceremonies (MC) announces
the grand entrance of the wedding party and you take your seats.
The meal is then served by wait staff or each table in turn moves
through the buffet line. Once everyone is served, the best man presents
a toast, which may be followed by additional toasts. At the planned
time, the MC announces the cake cutting. You and your Groom complete
the ceremonial cutting of the cake and the MC will announce the
Bride and Groom's first dance. This dance may be followed by several
additional special dances and then the floor is opened for everyone
to dance. The final reception event is the bouquet toss and garter
throw.
The Map. Create a site map,
identifying where each key element of the reception should take
place. Include the receiving line, buffet tables, drink table, bar,
wedding cake, groom's cake, DJ or musicians, head table, immediate
family tables, guest tables, guest book table, and the gift table.
Discuss logistic options with your Reception Site coordinator. This
person has the experience of numerous receptions held at this very
location - experience that will be a great help to you. Generally,
you will want to locate key elements apart from each other to prevent
congestion.
Grand Entrance
Your MC will introduce each member of the wedding party as they
enter the reception and make their way to the head table. The maid
of honor and the best man are introduced just before the Bride and
Groom, who are introduced last. Be sure to have a clear path planned
between the banquet tables so that you can easily get to your table.
Later, take time to walk around the reception visiting each table
so you can be sure to greet each of your guests.
Receiving Line. If you plan
to have a receiving line, place it at a location where guests enter
the room. The gift table should be located before the receiving
line so that guests are able to set down their gift prior to greeting
the family. The guest book table may be located either before or
after the receiving line. The receiving line is formal and time
consuming and has therefore lost some popularity in recent years;
however, it is a good way to ensure that you greet each of your
guests.
Head Table. With the exception
of the children, all members of your wedding party will sit at the
head table. Most head tables consist of long rectangular tables
where the wedding party sits facing all of the guest tables. The
Bride sits to the Groom's right followed by the best man. The maid
of honor sits to the Groom's left and the remaining attendants alternate
male/female seating. An alternative to this large head table is
the Sweetheart Table, which is a small round table for only the
Bride and Groom. This table allows the Bride and Groom a bit of
privacy and makes it easier for guests to walk up and visit the
couple without the barrier of the large table. It also allows wedding
party members to join their spouses who may otherwise be at a table
alone with a group of strangers.
The Wedding Rehearsal
The objective of the rehearsal is to get familiar with the overall
ceremony procedures, have each individual learn any special roles
assigned to them, and to identify and work out any kinks in the
ceremony plan. Without a proper rehearsal, your ceremony could unfold
without a hitch, but the odds are extremely low. As with a theatrical
production, practice is the key to a seamless performance.
The Players. Who should be
at the rehearsal? At a minimum, everyone in the wedding party, the
Officiant, and the parents. If you plan special readings or songs
during the ceremony, then these folks should be present. Having
your photographer at the rehearsal will likely yield better photos
during your ceremony. Your professional or amateur coordinator should
be present, directing the rehearsal. As we discussed earlier, if
you do not hire a professional coordinator, be sure to have one
very good (and organized) friend in charge directing your wedding
day. You will likely have many people helping decorate etc, but
you will need one person who holds the answers and directs the others.
The Plan. Prior to the rehearsal,
it is a very good idea to create a simple written sequence for the
ceremony. Include approximate start and end times for each major
element of the ceremony. And definitely include all music choices
in writing so everyone can remember their cue. If the songs are
unfamiliar, it would be a good idea to bring a boom box with CDs
of the songs. We have seen many ceremonies get out of sync based
on song confusion. Make copies of this written plan for everyone
and distribute it at the rehearsal. Give additional copies to your
coordinator to bring for distribution and use on the actual wedding
day.
The Positions. Begin your rehearsal
at the altar with you and the Groom in the center and your Officiant
behind you. How will you stand? Facing the Groom or back to the
audience? We prefer Bride and Groom facing each other holding hands,
which produces better photos and allows the audience to better hear
your voices. But the choice is yours. Your attendants are lined
up behind you (facing you) and the same goes for the groomsmen.
Bridesmaids are holding bouquets, but what are the groomsmen doing
with their hands? We prefer hands together behind their backs. The
choice is yours, just be sure that they all hold themselves in a
similar manner. Do you plan to use a wireless microphone? If so,
identify who will bring it and have it at the rehearsal if possible.
Where will the flower girl and ring bearer stand? Be sure to have
their parents seated close to the front on the aisle for any needed
rescue.
The Ceremony. Once your coordinator
is satisfied with the positions, let the Officiant lead everyone
through the ceremony. If you are lighting a unity candle, practice
walking to it with your Groom. Do you have a match? Where is your
train for the walk there and back? To which side should the Officiant
move to avoid stepping on your train? Can your maid of honor straighten
your train when you are back in place while holding both your and
her bouquets in one hand? If you are having guests present readings,
practice that. How will they approach the altar and where will they
stand? If you are having any special songs played or sung during
the ceremony, play them at their proper place in the ceremony. Where
will the singer stand? Once you are at the end of the ceremony,
then what? Will your Officiant introduce you to the audience or
will you simply exit? How will you be introduced? Will there be
a dove or butterfly release? If so, when and where? Will the Officiant
give the guests guidance in what to do next? For example, adjourn
to the reception area for refreshments while photographs are taken
or meet at the off-site reception location? In the rehearsal, many
details will come up that you simply cannot anticipate!
The Recessional. The Bride
and Groom generally lead the wedding party out of the ceremony area.
Although on one occasion we have seen the flower girl lead the exit,
tossing flowers as she went! If directed to do so by your photographer,
pause at the appropriate spots for a quick photo. Decide with your
coordinator how far down the aisle each couple walks before the
next couple leaves the altar (you don't want to all bunch up together).
A well spaced exit can be breathtaking! After the wedding party
exits, then the family rows exit followed by a general exit. Now
what? Be sure the wedding party knows what they are expected to
do next. Generally they will gather with you and your family for
a photo session. Afterwards, they will be introduced with you in
the grand entrance (or in a receiving line), take their seats at
the head table, and remain there through the meal portion of the
reception.
The Processional. Now practice
the entrance, or processional. Play the appropriate music while
seating the parents. Once the Bride's mother is seated, the Officiant,
Groom, best man, and groomsmen enter and take their places at the
altar. The wedding party then enters to the appropriate music in
the reverse order that they exited. Decide on the appropriate bridesmaids
spacing and practice their entry with the appropriate music. Is
the song too short? Too long? Were the flower girl and ring bearer
able to make it all the way up the aisle? If they won't do it at
the rehearsal then they won't do it at the actual ceremony. Once
all are in place at the altar, your music begins and you make your
entrance. Once at the altar, practice the hand-off from father to
Groom. Generally, your father kisses your cheek, shakes your Groom's
hand, places your hand into the Groom's, then takes his seat.
Repeat this sequence until you feel comfortable.
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