Wedding Venue... military venue?

As a former military member, I'd recommend against this. The crap your guests would have to go through to get through the security gates is a pain in the ass! You would also have an obligation to invite the vast majority of his current unit- which is a door you don't want to open!

I'd recommend having it off post somewhere else.

I'm not sure what area you are from but i know in pittsburgh theres the soldiers and sailors hall which is beautiful

There's a great little "mansion" in the SeaBee base in Oxnard, just a little North of L.A. Beautiful location. Art-Deco building with very nice gardens.

Good luck!

If he's at Pendleton, then you have a lot of choices for areas to look for venues. You're halfway between San Diego proper and Los Angeles proper, with Temecula (SoCal's wine country) just over the mountains east of Pendleton. We're doing ours in Fallbrook, CA where there are some beautiful churches of almost every designation along Stage Coach Lane... and a reception venue closer to HWY 15.

It really depends on your budget... What would you like to spend on Ceremony & Reception costs, remember... always estimate with a lower budget than you think you can afford because everything adds up incredibly quickly. We started out thinking we could afford a 10k wedding and are nervous to see it climbing to 13k so far just due to all the little details and things we hadn't planned on...

Just to give you some ideas:

Fun Venue: Knott's Berry Farm (also where my grandparents were married)

http://www.knotts.com/public/admission/groups/weddings/kbf.cfm

Vintage Venue: The Queen Mary (the ship is docked in Long Beach, CA)

http://www.queenmary.com/weddings.aspx

Tropical: Bamboo grows everywhere and there is a water lily covered pond

http://www.paradisegardens.com/

Romantic: Venue looks like a castle, depending on budget you can go with three different packages. (If we had known about this place before we signed with our venue, I'm positive we would have picked it instead of Pala Mesa Golf Resort)

http://www.enchantedforestweddings.com/enchantedforestweddings.com/Welcome.html

Hey there! Three popular base wedding places are The Admiral Kidd Club which over looks the bay and skyline and has an outdoor ceremony and an indoor reception, http://www.sdbg.com/admiralkidd.php, Admiral Baker, which overlooks the golf course and has various options, http://www.sdbg.com/admiralbaker.php and the Oceanview room...outdoor ceremony and indoor reception. http://www.sdbg.com/oceanview.php. These links will take you to a website that is for Military brides and shows the other base locations for weddings as well.

I've been to several military weddings, and while there are certainly military friends there, it never seemed the whole unit was there. And getting through the gates wasn't a huge deal...the person at the gate had a list of guests, checked your ID and you were in....Sometimes the guests will be given a "pass" from the bride that they can show, other times it wasn't required. Base weddings are very affordable...just book soon as they book up far in advance!

Dear Sheryl s., as a former retired Naval Officer, I would go for it. Your fiancé and you have to do some homework. First, have your fiancé contact his Commanding Officer (CO) and have him speak with him about his plans on getting marriage.

Second, have him tell his CO that he wants to have a Military Wedding at the local church or chapel.

Third, make a list of all your guests and submitted to his CO for approval. Then with his CO’s endorsement take it to the base security officer for their approval so that on your wedding date you’re your entire guest will have a special pass to assist to your wedding at the base.

I do know that there are some protocols that your fiancé and you have to follow. In addition, I am certain that your wedding will be a memorable one.

In addition, around San Diego area are several places where your photographer can get beautiful photographs.

We got married on base last summer, and the only hassle for the guests was that there was a miscommunication about how soon the guest list had to be turned in to the front gate. Getting on base was no big deal for the guests, who needed only a driver's license (or if the driver had a military ID, they didn't even look at anyone else).

Base chapels are often gorgeous and free, and they will allow you to use any registered officiant you like. O Clubs and Enlisted lounges are also free or very inexpensive, although they often require you to use their caterers.

At the Marine Base are tons of outstanding places.

Thanks everyone!

Does anyone have any comments between admiral baker or admiral Kidd in San Diego?

Also, anyone familiar with Los willows in fallbrook, ca?

Thanks!

Admiral Baker is a golf course....Admiral Kidd overlooks the Bay and the San Diego Skyline....I personally would prefer the Kidd.....only because of getting married on the water and the view from the reception room.

We got married at Admiral Kidd last November and it was so worth it. The venue it's self is gorgeous. We exchanged vows outside with the San Diego bay and skyline in the background. The only thing about the place is that there is up to a 2 year waiting list. (we booked about 1 1/2 year before). And the above room for the reception is very pretty but you don't have access to the bottom while, the bottom (where we had ours) is laid out a little weird with the dancefloor at the corner but we had the patio so it was okay.

My best friend had her reception at Admiral Baker. yes it sits on a golf course but the venue is more updated, similar to the layout of the above room at Admiral Kidd.

There are other nice venues that are by the beach and bay.

The only thing about military venues is that they are very strict on guest lists (must be submitted about 1 week before with EXACT names) and vendor info. And you have to send out an ugly orange parking permit with your invitations

And as far as the costs go, you can easily spend less than 6K for a party of 130