A Rustically Elegant Wedding: The Green Mountain

For some brides, finding a venue is among one of the most difficult tasks. Luckily for me, it was easy and joyful. ONE WEEK after we were engaged (which happened to be new years eve,) both of us along with our parents had two appointments to go look at venues. The previous week I had scoured every Northern California wedding venue that existed. We knew we wanted an outside venue, but we did not rule anything out. Therefore I had looked online at an array of venues: ballrooms, ranches, vineyards, hotels. Some were just too pricey...and some trucked in port-a-potties for bathrooms, not my thang. Well actually when discovering some outrageous venue prices, I started to consider the port-a-potty option. That is until my mom brought me back down to reality. As usual. After much research and reviewing many wedding packages, I had narrowed it down to two potential venues.

Our first stop of the day was at a winery near Coloma, CA in the Gold Country. First off, our GPS did not even know how to get there, and we had no cell phone service. That is a bad sign in and of itself. When we finally figured out how to get there, they were already marked off the list because we did not want our guests and vendors getting lost on the way to our wedding. Makes sense, right? However, the views were incredible. So much so that it almost made the remote location worth it. The main issue I had though was that the reception would need to be inside. There was only enough space outside for the ceremony. I felt pretty bummed out because this was not a good start! We thanked them for their time, and then quickly scuttled out of there.

Our next stop was the Monte Verde Inn located in the foothills near Auburn, CA. This was a semi-all inclusive venue. I could not stop talking about how "incredible" this place was...and I had not even seen it in person yet! Everyone clearly knew how I felt about it before we even got there. I started making silly and persuasive comments such as "Monte Verde is spanish for Green Mountain, and my wedding color is green. It is meant to be!" Or "The wedding coordinator and I have the same name, can you believe it? It is definitely meant to be." The excitement in my voice did not go unnoticed.

I was giddy with excitement as we pulled up to Monte Verde. The property was beyond what I could have expected and flat out gorgeous. It was official, I loved it even more. After the tour she sat us down and we got to view a short video, look over photo albums, pricing options, and she answered all of our many questions.

Picture the scene from Bride Wars where Liv and Emma meet with Marion St.Claire to book "The Plaza." Monte Verde Inn was my "The Plaza" and oh I wanted it so badly. That look that Anne Hathaway has on her face, that was me in a nutshell. Soaking in every word they had to say with a giant smile on my face.

{ Image via Monsters and Critics }

This place was it. From the lavish ballroom with the incredible chandelier, the beautiful bedrooms, the old Georgian Style house, the old red barn, the vineyards, the towering trees, the flowers, the fountain, the outdoor ceremony area... it had me at hello.

It was time to go, but I didn't want to leave. I was in Venue Heaven. I still had a few reservations though that this may not happen, was it within the budget? Am I crazy to book only the second venue that I saw?

When we got home we looked over the pricing and what it all included. Besides the fact that Monte Verde gets an A+ for beauty, what they include in their cost is outstanding. For a per person price they include: the site, linens, equipment, staff, catering, floral centerpiece arrangements, cake and wedding coordination. I started pricing other venues that I *liked* along with catering, set up and clean up, china, beverages, cake, etc. and we were rolling in the same pricing ballpark as Monte Verde.

What did we do one week later? My mom, sister and I drove our happy little tooshies back to Monte Verde to sign the contract and pay the deposit. It was official, we have booked my dream venue. I got "The Plaza!" Ahem, Monte Verde.

For those of you are following and just realized that I booked the second venue that I saw, seventeen months before our wedding, re-read the excitement in my writing. It is true. Sure, I could have toured dozens of venues in person, but honestly I researched everything online. I knew location, pricing, and what they offered. If they were not in the budget, I ruled them out. If I got a bad vibe, I ruled them out. If they took too long to email me back, I ruled them out. Get my drift? I did not go into this blind. Sure, I only saw two venues. But the love I had for Monte Verde was huge. I have had zero regret about this, and I am just as happy about my decision today as I was the day we booked it.

Let's look at a few photos, shall we? Get ready to swoon along with me, it's hard not to. This place has it goin' on.