My Happy Place

Is there any place more magical than the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa? No. There is not. We picked this spot for a variety of reasons...and in the end, it made for the most amazing weekend of our lives!

Here were our reasons:

1. We wanted a place that felt as if we were secluded from the hustle and bustle of "city life". We understood that many of our friends and family would not be able to do a destination type wedding and we wanted to respect that. Ojai for us was far enough away from home that it didn't feel like our backyard but close enough to visit for anniversaries (hint hint TD)

2. It had natural beauty. Both growing up in one of the most beautiful places in the world (Malibu), we are spoiled with natural beauty. We wanted a place that was so simplistic and natural that we needed to do little to it to make it special. Ojai was the exact right spot for that.

3. We fell in love with the coordinator right away! Tiffany Emch is probably one of the most amazing people I have ever met. Of all the sites and people I saw and spoke with, Tiffany truly captured the excitement I had been looking for. As we worked together, we became friends. We are still waiting to do our sushi dinner and wine night with her!

4. The place has been a spot that both of our families have spent memorable times at. TD's Grandfather celebrated his 80th birthday there, my family spent Xmas eve there after my parents got divorced, my girls and I have had spa days that will go down in history in their amazing spa, TD and our dads have golfed there multiple times. We wanted a site that we connected with, that meant something to us.

5. The spot where we got married  had a private courtyard and was surrounded by rooms that had to be rented out in order to get married there. We thought this was amazing! This way we could get married in a private area and the rooms surrounding the site would be filled with our favorite people. It was truly the best of both worlds.

Honestly this list could go on and on but the once we committed to Ojai, that was the moment I felt like our wedding was truly on its way.

Outside of the Ojai Spa.

The Courtyard set up for our ceremony

Looking into the Casa Blanca Courtyard where we were married.

View from the course

Another picture of our site set up

The Resort as seen from the course

The first question asked is...

Besides the big question of "Will you marry me?", the next one you will get will be...
"When's the big day?" Yes, it is inevitable that this will be the next question in a long list of questions (such as "Where are you getting married? Can I bring a guest? When do you plan on having kids?) but I digress.When TD proposed to me, he swept me off my feet and took me to the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa where he planned a very romantic weekend (with the help of my friends Quinn and Kristy). Needless to say, we knew that this was where we wanted to get married! But like a good bride, one needs to check out many options before making a final decision. So here is a list of some venues we looked at (and attended):

1. The St. Regis Monarch Beach- This beautiful hotel is located down in Orange County and has sweeping view of the ocean. The girls and I toured the hotel premises and we were definitely impressed. The problem was the wedding coordinator left much to be desired! One thing I know now is that a good coordinator makes or breaks the experience. We felt rushed and pushed through the process. PLUS, the space was very expensive for the amount of people we wanted to have attend (close to 200).

2.The Montage Laguna Beach- Wow. We walked through the doors to this breathtaking spot and outstretched in front of us was a view of the sparkling Pacific Ocean through the full room windows. We had mimosas and tapas while waiting for the coordinator to meet us. She was there within moments and the second we met her, we all fell in love. You could tell she LOVED her job and was so happy to share all the amazing moments with her brides and grooms. The only hitch was this...for a Friday night, the site fee was...wait for it...60,000 dollars. AND NEXT!

3.Saddlerock Ranch Winery- My best friend got married at this location so just like with guy code, it was not a site in the running. BUT...it is such a beautiful spot that I felt it should be shared. I am not sure what the prices run now but I do know that all your vendors need to be brought in (which for some can truly be more of a headache than anything). If you are a very organized bride and you are interested in doing all of the dirty details (or have a wonderful wedding planner to do it for you), then you must go see this site.

4. Calamigos Ranch- Many people I know have gotten married here at Calamigos. I have seen this venue (and their variety of spots) a few times through out the years with friends, family, and then again when I was searching for a venue. It is definitely a wedding machine! There might be a few weddings going on at a time on your big day but the wedding reps reassure you, you will not know! I personally was not into this spot because they would not allow you to taste test the menu prior to the event but I believe that might have changed. It is definitely a spot worth looking at if you want variety and good packages.


Now...I will post later with an entire blog on Ojai and how much it meant to us to get married there. Stay tuned:)