Getting married away
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Many couples opt for destination weddings instead of local churches or meeting halls.
Rather than getting married in a church they never attend or transforming their backyard for just one, although special, day, some couples decide to get out of the area for their wedding ceremony.
Many celebrity couples tie the knot in Italian castles or secluded beaches in the Caribbean or Hawaii, but Sacramento-area couples who don't have celebrity-size budgets can still have a destination wedding regionally, even locally.
"Sacramento has so many lovely places," says wedding planner Lora Ward, owner of A Day to Remember in downtown Sacramento.
One of Ward's favorite areas with a destination feel is the Sierra Nevada foothills - known in these parts as Gold Country - in particular Auburn, Nevada City and Grass Valley, because of the towns' ties to early state and local history.
Ward recommends Empire Mine State Historical Park in Grass Valley. Weddings can be performed after park hours Fridays through Sundays, April 15 through Oct. 15.
The park has several sites suitable for wed¬ding ceremonies, but the most popular is the lawn in front of the late 19th-century Bourn Cottage, says Susan Rice, a volunteer docent. The two-story home of mine owner William Bourn Jr. was built in the late 1890s and is distinguished by its redwood interior, leaded-glass windows and thick granite walls. Bourn's personal 13-acre garden, which was off-limits to the miners except for an annual picnic, has been restored.
Rice says the fee for a typical ceremony is $1,000. The fee covers park staff, setting up and tearing down of chairs and an arbor, and use of the park's clubhouse, where all recep¬tions are held. Caterers have access to the clubhouse kitchen.
For weddings in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta area, Ward suggests the Grand Island Mansion and Spa in Walnut Grove because it "has a feel of Old World elegance." The mansion was designed in 1917 by San Francisco architect J.W. Dolliver for Louis Meyers and his wife, Audrey, daughter of David Lubin of the Weinstock-Lubin department stores, the early versions of what later became the Weinstock's department store chain.
The four-story Italian Renaissance-style villa is 24,000 square feet and has 58 rooms. Its ballroom can hold 250 people, says Debbie Savale, the mansion's wedding coordinator. Most ceremonies are held in the gazebo in front of the mansion, near a large fountain overlooking the garden.
Savale says a typical wedding-package price is $15,000, which includes the recep¬tion fare and use of the honeymoon suite, 12 hotel rooms and the mansion's yacht, which is moored in the back along Steamboat Slough. She says bookings have been made through October 2008 but that some choice dates still are available.
Wine-loving couples looking for an alternative to the Napa-Sonoma region might want to consider the wineries of Amador and El Dorado counties in the Sierra Nevada foothills, Ward says.
"They're closer and more affordable," she says. "They have wonderful rolling hills."
In particular, Ward recommends Bella Piazza Winery and its sister winery, Villa Toscano, in the Shenandoah Valley region near Plymouth in Amador County.
"They're Napa-esque-looking," Ward says. "They can be countrified and casual." Like the Grand Island Mansion, Bella Piazza takes its design cues from classic Ital¬ian architecture. Just about every window at Bella Piazza and Villa Toscano looks onto the rolling hills of the shared 60-acre vineyard. Weddings are held at both wineries. Outdoorsy couples and anyone who enjoys a natural backdrop may want to con¬sider Yosemite National Park in the southern Sierra Nevada near Merced.
"There are an incredible variety of loca¬tions (within the park)," says Sue Paris, who co-owns YosemiteWeddings.org with her minister husband, John. "John has done very elegant weddings and weddings where couples have had snowsuits on or shorts on or Hawai¬ian attire." Yosemite locations or backdrops where weddings have been held include Yosemite Falls, with its 2,425-foot veil of water, Glacier Point, Tenaya Lake and Half Dome.
Couples seeking an indoor Yosemite wedding might choose the Victorian-era Wawona Hotel, which is adjacent to the Mari¬posa Grove of ancient giant sequoias, or the Ahwahnee Hotel on the Yosemite Valley floor. The Ahwahnee has a four-diamond rating from the American Automobile Association.
Ceremonies at the Ahwahnee, a national historic landmark, are typically held on a large lawn near the hotel, with towering trees, cliffs and waterfalls as a backdrop. The hotel's solarium can house an intimate reception din¬ner for as many as 100 people. Groups as large as 200 can be accommodated but in separate rooms within the hotel, says Kevin Anderson, who coordinates special events for both the Ahwahnee and the Wawona hotels.
The average cost for catering is approxi¬mately $150 per person, Anderson says. The hotel also charges a $350 lawn-rental fee and a setup fee of $3.50 per chair. No package prices are offered.
The Wawona, built in 1879, boasts classic Victorian architecture. It has a wraparound veranda and, as at the Ahwahnee, outdoor receptions are popular on the lawn. Indoor receptions are held in the sunroom, featuring three walls of French doors that frame the views of the meadows and the golf course.
Prices for weddings at the Wawona are typically 40 percent to 50 percent less than those at the Ahwaneee, Anderson says. The veranda can seat 100 guests, and parties of 200 can be accommodated on the lawn.
May and October are the busiest months at Yosemite National Park, Anderson says, and wedding-ceremony reservations are booked far in advance. Some Saturdays, however, are still available in May and June, he says.
Park services officials put a 200-person limit on wedding ceremonies at Yosemite, and a $150 park-service permit fee applies.
Couples fantasizing about a fairytale wed¬ding can have one at Disneyland in Anaheim or at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
"(Disneyland) can be a getaway where you don't have to travel too far," says Korri McFann, manager of marketing for Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons. "You have to consider travel so everyone can attend."
Disney hosts an average of 2,000 weddings per year between the two resorts, McFann says. "Couples aren't choosing for Disney," she says. "They choose for our events, services, location and entertainment."
The base price for a wedding ceremony and reception at Disneyland is $8,000, McFann says. Weddings are held year-round, seven days a week.
More than five locations within Disney¬land are offered, although the staff also can create a customized area for a wedding in the park. Couples can make their fantasy complete with unique Disney touches, such as a ride in Cinderella's glass coach, an appearance by Disney characters at the reception or a rose-petal exit.
"The most popular (wedding location) is at the Disneyland Hotel in the rose garden," McFann says. "There is an amazing amount of roses, and a Cinderella coach can pull up."
Another popular location, she says, is Disney's California Adventure, which opened in 2001 adjacent to the main park and which hosts ceremonies after park hours. Receptions can be held in either the Disney Animation attraction or the Golden Vine Winery.
Couples who want to take their Disney-style wedding on the water can do so with the company's Disney Cruise Line Weddings at Sea.
"It gives guests an amazing time," McFann says. "It gives them activities to do while cel¬ebrating for multiple days."
Guests leave from Cape Canaveral, Fla., for a three-, four- or seven-day cruise to destinations such as Key West, the Bahamas, Mexico and St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands aboard one of two ships, the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder. Ceremonies are per¬formed on the ship or on land during a stop at Disney's private island, Castaway Cay in the Bahamas.
Three-day cruises, which include the ceremony on Castaway Cay, cost $4,300 per couple, and seven-day cruise packages are $5,200 per couple.
The base wedding package at Disney World costs $4,000, says Disney wedding mar¬keting manager John Rogers. Called the Escape Collection, the package includes the ceremony, the reception and lodging for as many as 20 guests, including the bride and groom.
The park's Wishes Collection package incorporates just about anything the bride and groom can think of for their magical day. It's priced from $10,000, depending on the time of year, Rogers says. The Couture Collection, he says, is a partnership with celebrity party plan¬ner David Tutera, and package prices begin at $70,000.
Here are a few other location options for a local or regional wedding:
Avio Vineyards in Sutter Creek -
The 1,400-acre Amador County winery is accepting bookings for custom ceremonies in 2008. Parties as large as 200 people can be accommodated, with ceremonies held at the vineyard estate, in the gardens, the winery, the barrel room or the tasting room, says owner Stefano Watson. The base price to rent the facility, which includes overnight use of the honeymoon bungalow suite, is $3,200. The price does not include catering or entertainment.
Jackson Rancheria -
in Jackson and Feather Falls Casino in Oroville - Sacramento-area couples who want the amenities of a hotel-casino wedding without making their guests travel to Las Vegas or Reno can look closer to home. Jackson Rancheria features a wedding concierge and can accommodate a simple yet intimate gathering outdoors overlooking the Shenandoah Valley or as many as 500 people in its Grand Oak Ballroom. Feather Falls Casino has a choice of two rooms - the Silver Moccasin Ballroom, which can hold as many as 175 people, and the Cascade Showroom, which can host 175 to 400 people. Banquet coordinator Kathy Mendivil says the casino does not offer packages, so there is no starting price, but the casino can accommodate every budget.
Lake Tahoe -
There's a reason why Lake Tahoe is one of the most photographed areas in the world: Nature's beauty is always on display. Possible backdrops for a wedding ceremony include the cobalt water of the lake, the casinos of the South Shore, just inside Nevada, and the soaring peaks of the Sierra Nevada. Squaw Valley at Incline Village on the northwest side of the lake features its High Camp ceremonies that overlook Lake Tahoe from high atop a ski run. And just about every casino in Stateline, Nev., has wedding packages for all comers - from the budget-conscious to the high-rolling.