There are some key questions that you should be asking yourself that will really help you along the way. There is also the big question of how far in advance, and for how many people, and where the location should ideally be within San Diego county.



First off, we should be thankful that we live in San Diego county! This gives us so many options from downtown to east county in a winery, or north county in a Hawaiian wedding garden (Paradise Gardens) etc. You should first ask yourself the obvious question as to how many people are going to be at your wedding and then you can move on to how many people will be coming from out of town.

If you are having a wedding where a lot of the family is flying into town, you might want to consider having the wedding closer to downtown San Diego and the airport (Lindberg Field). It is often very convenient for people coming from out of town to have the wedding where there is a hotel attached because when the reception is over they head upstairs and relax the rest of the evening.

Another VERY OPTIONAL suggestion would be to have the reception on a Friday night for those out of town guests as they will have the rest of the weekend to enjoy San Diego county and relax in the vacation destination.

There are a lot of venues that have Weddings every single week and are very comfortable with the format of a wedding. These places are true professionals and will have a very competent catering staff, so you will have a great chance of the wedding being on time and running in a timely manner. There are also many places that are unique and more difficult to plan, but can be rewarding. For example: You can actually have a wedding reception right on the sand at Torrey Pines State Beach (with the proper permits and planning) where the back drop is the beautiful pacific ocean and the dance floor is in the sand.

The more unique the wedding venue, the more difficult it is going to be to plan so be sure you are up for the task. Also, keep in mind that it can be really convenient to find a venue that has a ceremony location as well as a reception location. If you are planning on having your ceremony in a church, than this shouldn't be a concern.

A lot of people seem to have a great deal of stress over how far in advance they should book. The truth is, you can book as far in advance as you would like. If you don't deal well with last minute stress and preparation than you should nearly a year in advance.

The earlier you book, the better chances you have of getting exactly what you want for your dream wedding. Many times last minute couples are forced to have their reception and ceremony on a Friday night instead of Saturday because the location they are trying to book is full. Keep in mind all of these factors when you are looking for a wedding venue and you should have no problem planning a wedding that you and your loved ones will talk about for the rest of your lives.

It is common to secure the location first, and then you move onto find your photographer and professional wedding DJ and emcee, videographer, florist etc. Good luck in planning your wedding and remember, when the big day comes, ENJOY IT!