Our beautiful wedding ceremony location! Once I visited I knew instantly that this is where I wanted to say “I Do”.
There were certain things that I knew I wanted in a wedding venue. First I wanted the venue as outdoors as possible. We got married in August so it’s still very warm at that time of year in California. His venue was great because the ceremony was under this beautiful floral arbor and then the cocktail hour was outdoors as well. The reception was technically indoors but we had access to the courtyard where the cocktail hour was held which was outdoors. The courtyard was just through a double set of doors so you could still see the dance floor even if you were outdoors enjoying the nice evening weather.
Wedding Venue: Chaminade Resort and Spa
Location: Santa Cruz, California
The second most important thing was obviously cost. This venue was a little more costly than my original budget BUT the wedding coordinator did everything she could to make my dream wedding happen. We had an alternative menu and I diy’d most of the decor so I was able to stay on budget. I also didn’t do any upgrades that were offered in the wedding packages mostly because I didn’t think they were necessary but to also stay on budget.
Those were really my only two top priorities. Location was important but most of our family and friends are local or within a couple hours so I knew Santa Cruz was already a good location. Santa Cruz also offers so much and since we got married on a Friday that gave our guests the opportunity to make a mini vacation out of the weekend.
The staff, resort amenities and accommodations, and our overall experience at Chaminade Resort and Spa was phenomenal. I would do this day 1000 times over if I could!