Reception Site Visit: Omni San Diego

Oh HELLO!! Ok, if you know me well...then you'll know that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Omni San Diego. Ever since it opened in the Spring of 2004 (in conjunction with Petco Park, the home of our SD Padres), I've always admired this hotel. The Omni has a very contemporary design that is so fitting in the heart of Downtown San Diego. I've had the honor of staying here and the hotel rooms are gorgeous! Well, the minute Jon and I got engaged, you KNOW I looked forward to giving them a call to schedule a visit. I really didn't bother to look through the wedding packages, but it is quite a stretch on the budget. Yowza. You definitely get what you pay for, though. We met with Julie and she was the best! I guess she could tell by the look on my face that I was really excited about this place. (I know, I need to work on the facial expressions...tone it down a bit, haha!) But she definitely did not discriminate against a bride on a budget...she put together a custom package that got me doing the happy dance!! If Jon and I were to choose a place that reflects our personality and style, it would be the Omni. It sounds like I already made my decision, huh?? Oh it's not that easy. If I won the lottery, we'd have it there. If I could work 3 jobs, we could have it there. If we really limit the guest list, we could make it work...I guess. Oh decisions, decisions. But in the meantime, enjoy the pictures we took that day:

Below: The Palm Terrace (the location we want for the Cocktail Hour)

Below: One half of the ballroom (10,000 square feet!!)

Below: Other half of the ballroom (we love this space!)

Below: the floor-to-ceiling windows in the Foyer

Below: the escalators leading down to the ballroom

Below: sectional couches in the cocktail area? NICE!

DiJon loves the Omni!

I could write all day about the Omni! Ugh. But I must not get emotionally attached! I brought my Mom and Dad here on the day of my birthday and they were impressed...they loved it too! (who wouldn't?) However, we have a few people we need to gather feedback from before making a final decision (*ahem*future-in-laws*) Jon and I want both families involved with the planning process... they won't control our decisions, but we want everyone to be considered.

{ Thank you, Julie Larsen | Senior Catering Sales Manager | Omni San Diego }

P.S. I finally figured out how to remove the date/time stamp on the digital pictures. (it was so annoying!)

Reception Site Visit: DoubleTree Mission Valley

Jon and I are a fan of the Hilton Family of hotels, so we decided to visit the DoubleTree in Mission Valley (Hazard Center). This was our second reception site visit, and although we were happy with what the Hilton Mission Bay had to offer, we are definitely still 'shopping around.' We both want to see what else is out there and compare. The DoubleTree is in a very central location and I've heard a lot of good things about the food (and that is a HUGE factor for us, for everyone else too...right?). We love how it was really easy to "find" (considering those out of town guests), and that there is a parking structure right next to the hotel (complimentary parking on the night of your event!). Check out the pictures from our visit...

Below: view from the main lobby, heading toward the ballrooms.

Below: the Grand Ballroom

Below: West Foyer (Cocktail Hour Space)

Below: Foyer Entrance (from main lobby)

Below: South Foyer (Cocktail Hour Space)

Below: Outside Patio (Cocktail Hour Space)

Below: Grand Ballroom

Below: The Entrance to the DoubleTree

Below: It may be a hotel, but they have THE BEST Chocolate Chip cookies!!!

Tina, Catering Manager at the DoubleTree, was such a pleasure to meet! (She gave us the cookies!) We had a specific menu and package in mind, and she was very willing to customize it for us and request specific pricing from the Head Chef. For that, we are thankful!

{ Thank you, Tina Goff | Catering Manager | San Diego Mission Valley DoubleTree }

Reception Site Visit: Hilton San Diego Resort (Mission Bay)

This past Saturday, Jon and I had our first Wedding Site visit. We checked out the Hilton San Diego Resort and Spa (Mission Bay). The reason why this place was on the top of my list was because this was where Jon proposed!! That is why I absolutely love this place! The thing is: once you fall in love with a place, it's kinda hard to look anywhere else. But I have to compare it with other venues, so we have a few more places to visit.

The Hilton Mission Bay just completed an $8 million make-over back in May 2008, so this place looks brand new! It's a landmark hotel you can easily see as you drive up and down the I-5 freeway. Since Jon and I were born and raised in San Diego, we definitely wanted a venue that had views of the bay/Pacific Ocean. A large number of our family is from out of town, so want to capture the beauty of San Diego in our reception site.

Jon and I were able to take a look at the International Ballroom and the adjacent Foyer where Cocktail Hour would take place. Can you believe we could easily fill up the entire 9,600 square feet of space the Hilton has to offer?? Yes. Just in case you didn't know, we are expecting about 350 guests. Trust me, there is no way around it...unless we have a destination wedding, but I'll talk more about that later. We read through the menu and had some numbers put together. It was just mind-boggling. My stomach starts to hurt just a little when I think about food and beverage minimums, service charges and adding tax!! But in San Diego, you get what you pay for. Simple as that. I am so impressed with this place. It will always have a special place in our hearts... so that's why I would love to have our wedding reception here. We do have about 2-3 more places to check out. I feel like I'm cheating but it's definitely necessary just to have peace of mind that we are getting the best deal.

I forgot to bring my camera during this visit, so the only pictures I have are from Jon's phone.

Below: Main entrance to the foyer.

Below: We LOVE the space for the cocktail area! Lots of elbow room!

We had a lot of fun visiting the Hilton. It was very informative and now we have a good idea on what to expect when it comes to the reception (especially for 350 people).

A lot of LOVE goes out to Ellen at the Hilton. She is just awesome!! I haven't met any other Catering Directors/Managers (from the Bride-to-be planning perspective) but I sure hope the rest of them are like HER!

{ Thank you, Ellen Saepoff | Director of Catering | Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa }

A Sweet Reno Surprise

As some of you may know, Jon and I just came back from Reno, NV. We visited my Mom's 4 sisters and their families. It was a very special weekend too: my Auntie got married! It's always a wonderful time when I'm with my cousins. We had a get-together on our last night in Reno and they surprised Jon with a cake:

OK, they spelled his name wrong. But it's the thought that counts, right? My Uncle Joe gave a little speech about our family and my cousin Angela had a speech for Jon, welcoming him as she presented him with the cake.

This was the BEST Tiramisu cake I ever had in my life. And every time I look at this picture, I think about how lucky I am to marry Jon. And how very thankful I am to have such a great, supportive and welcoming family. They absolutely love him and he loves them too! For this reason, I know the planning process will be a great one. For sure, we'll stress out over a few things... but the idea of having the family all together again is something to look forward to.