Our Wedding Venue: Casino San Clemente

Casino San Clemente | The ELL Blog

Casino San Clemente | The ELL Blog

Casino San Clemente | The ELL Blog

Casino San Clemente | The ELL Blog

Casino San Clemente | The ELL Blog

Oh my goodness, you guys. We have officially booked a wedding venue! After being engaged 8 months and looking at countless places (and I seriously mean that), we have found The Casino San Clemente. This is pretty exciting news over here, since at one point it seemed like we would NEVER find one that we all liked.

The Casino San Clemente is officially ours for May 27, 2016. It makes me smile just saying that sentence. We have a real date, a real time, and a REAL place. We knew the place was pretty much perfect when we saw the restaurant sign on the adjoining cafe.. It’s called Ellie’s Table, and that’s about as close to both our names as you can get.

This historic property was built in the 1930s and was used by the Hollywood greats as a dance hall and party place (So no, it is not an actual casino. Think more along the lines of the Casino in Catalina). The venue is perfect for us, since it has two beautiful outdoor patios as well as a gorgeous ballroom with vaulted ceilings. Indoor/outdoor space was definitely on the list of must-haves. I’m in love with the overall white mission/adobe-feel of the place, which will be the perfect backdrop for any decor. The succulents planted around the property are pretty ideal, too.

Now that the place has been picked, it’s time to bring out the wedding binder and start planning this thing. I’m so excited for the next year ahead!

xx

 

The Lofty Wedding Collection

The Lofty Wedding Collection | ELL.

The Lofty Wedding Collection | ELL.

The Lofty Wedding Collection | ELL.

The Lofty Wedding Collection | ELL.

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The Lofty Wedding Collection | ELL.

The Lofty Wedding Collection | ELL.

The Lofty Wedding Collection | ELL.

The Lofty Wedding Collection | ELL.

The Lofty Wedding Collection | ELL.

The Lofty Wedding Collection | ELL.

The Lofty Wedding Collection | ELL.

The Lofty Wedding Collection | ELL.

The Lofty Wedding Collection | ELL.

This wedding event was so darling I could barely capture all of it’s loveliness! Located in downtown San Diego, The Lofty Wedding Collection is home to several wonderful wedding vendors, which are all anchored by the Elle Bridal Boutique (how could I not love a shop named that?!).

The boutique was launched by the lovely Krystel Tien, who is also the brains and beauty behind Couture Events, one of my favorite event planning companies in SD. Her feminine touch and eye for detail can be seen throughout Elle. I wanted to take everything she had in the shop home with me! I am a huge sucker for all things Rifle Paper Co and Sugar Paper, and of course she had all of their perfect bridal items. Upstairs from the little boutique is a loft space home to additional wedding vendors (Posh Paperie, Garret Richardson Photography, & Anthology Films), making it the ultimate one-stop shop. San Diego was definitely in need of this kind of wedding shop!

Thursday’s event was held as a sort of “second grand opening” with the addition of some new vendors to the loft. It was such a fun soiree, made complete with peach champagne, Parisian treats, and handmade flower crowns by the amazing Wallflower InspirationTwinkle and Toast even made the adorable “You are loved, darling” sign as a raffle giveaway (which I didn’t win, but am still obsessed with).

You could say that this event definitely put me in the wedding planning spirit!

xx

The Engagement

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 These pictures still bring the biggest smile to my face six months later [I still can’t believe it’s already been six months!]. This day was four years in the making, starting all the way back to move in day at Cal Poly SLO. After randomly meeting on the steps of our  dorm that evening and staying up late into the night talking, we were practically inseparable. I can still remember the moment meeting him and finding out his name was Elliot, and I thought to myself… well, there’s no way this one will work out since we share 80% of the same first name. Little did I know that four years later, he would be on one knee in the middle of a beautiful park, asking me to spend the rest of our lives together.

The entire engagement was perfect. He contacted our photographer friend, who convinced me that we were going to be models for her couple’s photoshoot portfolio. He had a picnic and champagne waiting lakeside (having Veuve at our engagement had been an inside joke for a long time, and he made it happen).

After taking several photos, he led me over to the blanket, during which time I basically went into complete shock. Luckily he remembered everything he said afterwards, because I was in such disbelief that everything went blank for a few moments. After saying yes, we took some more pictures and gloated through the rest of the night.

Now its wedding planning season, and we are deep into trying to find the best venue! Stay tuned for the next planning steps!