Can I just vent?

Oh girl that’s just freakin crazy!!! I’m beginning to stress about our wedding in April. We’re envisioning a small, intimate wedding with maybe 80 guests. I’m beginning to worry the restrictions won’t allow us to do that! Good luck !

I'm so sorry.... Because one of daughter's best friends got married at your original venue I've always followed your posts. You've had such a positive attitude about your planned ceremony.... We're in OC, so I'm trying to rack my brain to come up with possible alternative locations for you. The potential locations I can think of:

1) the gazebo overlooking the beach in Laguna (near Las Brisas); I know there have been small weddings there. I'd guess you contact the City of Laguna Beach?

2) try the City of Mission Viejo, there are some really pretty spots along the Oso Creek trail.

3) try the City of San Clemente, there are some beautiful little mini-parks up steps from the beach boardwalk/bike trail north of the pier

4) try Heritage Hill Historical Park in Lake Forest (the buildings are closed, but I believe the park is open and it has some pretty backdrops)

5) Carbon Canyon Park in Brea -- it has some beautiful group sites

I just checked and unfortunately the CSUF Arboretum is currently closed....

At this point, I'd probably just show up in a local park.... On a Thursday, who's going to notice, and by the time they do you can be done with your ceremony! Good luck!

EDT: I just thought, try the Blue Lantern Inn in Dana Point -- I know they are open for overnight guests and I believe they have an overlook -- maybe they'll let you hold a mini-ceremony there.... Also, try the Beachcomber Inn in San Clemente -- they have a private, pretty lawn overlooking the ocean. .....

EDT again.... Also, maybe consider something in Avalon on Catalina Island. I've heard the island is open, but hurting for guests. Perhaps one of the small boutique hotels would let you do a small ceremony if you and the parents are spending a night or two.

View Quoted Comment Thank you for all of your suggestions! We’ve got an email into Daley Ranch in Escondido, but I’ll look at a few of your suggestions. We’re aiming for a morning ceremony (8 am), so we’re hoping that could help us if we need to go “guerrilla” style.

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Hey, at 8 am the tot-lot park in my MV neighborhood will be dead! lol!

That early, I'd see if you can find anything in San Clemente. Fisherman's on the pier is open for breakfast, so a little mini-brunch reception for 6-8 on the patio might be a totally guerrilla option! For something more "formal," I know South of Nick's is open for lunch starting around 11 and they take reservations. Nick's on Del Mar is probably open on the same schedule.

Also, maybe check to see if El Adobe in San Juan Capistrano is open. In "normal" times, they do weddings on their patio, so they might be willing/able to accommodate a small group, and maybe even a quick ceremony.

If you're looking in North San Diego county, there is a pretty park in Carlsbad not too far from the lagoon -- I can't remember the name, and there is a restaurant at the Oceanside Harbor that is open for lunch dining (Oceanside Broiler, maybe?).

Good luck!

Oh man, I am so sorry this is happening! Good luck, hun, I am sure the day will still be perfect.

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Also, the gardens/grounds at Casa Romantica in San Clemente are currently open. Maybe they'd let you do a small, quick ceremony. It's so beautiful and just a quick walk up the hill from the pier.

View Quoted Comment Hahaha! It honestly may end up being a ceremony in a local park if I can’t find anything. But finding a nice brunch site would be perfect! Thank you for your continuous suggestions!

View Quoted Comment Thanks, Suzie. I just have to laugh at this point.

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The motto of the 2020 bride...

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Honestly, at 8 am you could probably just walk out to the end of the San Clement pier and have a simple ceremony there, then walk back to Fisherman's and get seated for breakfast on the patio. We love SC, pretty much our favorite small beach town. Good luck!

View Quoted Comment Thank you! I’m hoping for somewhere away from the beach simply because I’m not too much of a beach fan, but I’ll definitely look into it!

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LOL! I get that! My husband is from the Midwest and decided Casa Romantica overlooking the ocean would be the coolest venue possible for daughter's wedding.... She was like, "have you seen the way my hair frizzes at the beach?!?!??? NO!"

Okay, well that eliminates 3/4 of my suggestions -- sorry! Of the options I listed, Oso Creek Trail, Heritage House, and Carbon Canyon are all more inland. And, if it's open, El Adobe restaurant isn't a beach location. Actually, there are a lot of cute, quaint spots in Old Town San Juan Capistrano on the west side of the railroad tracks along Los Rios Street. When daughter was in high school that was a popular spot for pictures before dances, etc.

EDT: The Tea House on Los Rios is open for patio dining. Traditionally, they've done small events. I attended a bridal shower there. It is very sweet and kind of rustic; definitely not a chain-type experience. They are small enough that they might be able to work with you.

Oh my, this does indeed sound frustrating

Haha you really do just have to laugh about it at some point. That's how I feel too. At the end of the day, we will know that we really wanted to marry our spouse because we went through all this to do it

View Quoted Comment Yes! We love downtown SJC! Carbon Canyon isn’t far from us, so that may work. There are some pretty locations in Santa Barbara, but I think it’s going to be a little too far of a drive.

View Quoted Comment Definitely! We’re joking that if we can survive this year, we’ll be able to survive anything together!

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We Santa Barbara. I went to school there and that's were we lived when we were first married. Everything in SB is so overpriced though.... There are some great B&Bs though -- we love The Simpson House, it's amazing, and The Cheshire Cat used to be nice. We haven't been in quite some time though. I don't know if it's open, but the Botanical Gardens could give you the rustic outdoor wedding you were looking forward to in Yosemite. If it's open, the top of tower of the SB Courthouse is a Santa Barbara elopement classic. There used to be some small inns in Santa Ynez, and so MANY wineries! We lived in Solvang for a couple years....

I don't know if the Muckenthaler Mansion would be open to a mini-ceremony on the grounds.... It's such a beautiful venue with lots of great spots for photography. (It was daughter's second choice....) The Chapel of Orange has an elopement package, I don't know if they are open, but maybe for a small early morning ceremony you'd be within whatever guidelines they currently have to abide by.

View Quoted Comment I didn’t even think of the Chapel! It’s right down the street from the school I teach at. Muckenthaler was on my original list when I was originally looking, too! I was also thinking of the Kellogg House at Cal Poly Pomona, or maybe somewhere in downtown Claremont. I think we’re going to save our photographers for when we can plan another Yosemite trip, so it’s really just for the vows.

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If they are open, the Chapel has elopement packages that can include a photographer for the hour or so. It was actually the very first venue daughter and I visited when she started looking. I think she cut it pretty quickly because it didn't really have enough "getting ready space" for their large wedding party and is far enough away from where we live in south county that we would have had to do multiple hotel rooms or an Airbnb for the wedding party to make it work. But for an elopement, the little courtyard is so pretty!