Category: Wedding Locations

A chicken coop and water tower used for events? As the location scout for Here Comes The Guide, I just couldn’t resist exploring this anomaly of a Wine Country reception venue/event site, situated along the Gravenstein Trail just outside Sebastopol, also known as “the Berkeley of Sonoma County.” How, I wondered, could this former working farm possibly host a wedding or corporate event?

My sister Sandra is getting married in October 2008 and Tyler, her boyfriend (he hates the word fiancé) has family in Mendocino so they travel there frequently. When they started planning their wedding there wasn’t even a question about where it would take place: The Little River Inn in Mendocino.

We’ve all been on pins and needles here at Here Comes The Guide, wondering if any of our Southern California wedding locations were affected by the fires that are still raging after over a week. I’d like to share some heartwarming news from our friend Margie Hopkins, who has both family homes and an event location in Fallbrook.

What kind of setting is fit for the rehearsal dinner of Sarah Gore, daughter of Vice President Al Gore? Truly, only a restaurant created by a princess will suffice. Crustacean Beverly Hills was the dramatic location of Sarah Gore’s 75-guest rehearsal dinner celebration…

When planning your event, don’t forget that you really can make anything happen in California. Wanna get married on set at a movie studio? Go for it!

Maxine’s creative design and fabulous group of vendors made this wedding one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen a lot of events!) One of the things that I thought was so unique was Maxine’s idea to have the ceremony “in the round” instead of the traditional setup. This meant that all of the guests had a great view, and not just of the backs of the brides and groom.

You’d think with my job, running Here Comes the Guide, that I’d be a wedding junkie. And I do love weddings, don’t get me wrong. The pomp, the emotional gravity… But, I gotta say, I am a sucker for the rehearsal dinner.

I’m always interested in how an industry pro arranges her own “I Do” bash, and recently I chatted with Il Fornaio’s former Marketing Director Tammy Bradley for the details of her elegant garden ceremony at the incomparable Kohl Mansion.