Many rooms at The River Terrace Inn have a lovely view of the picturesque Napa River and nature preserve.

The River Terrace Inn offers wedding packages with several spaces that would work well for a wedding. They offer full planning services to help you have a stress free wedding.

Their Fireplace Room with beautiful French doors and an elegant patio are both great spaces for an event or wedding. They also have The Terrace, an outdoor venue with a romantic fire pit is the ideal spot for a for cocktail parties and dinners.
You can find out more about this charming wedding or honeymoon location at the River Terrace Inn website.

Images River Terrace Inn

Post from: Our One Heart

The 182 room resort boasts of 10 acres of lush landscaping and a beautiful pool and deck with full service. Rooms feature fireplaces, deep soaking tubs and specially crafted spa amenities. Sounds good to me!

The Lodge at Sonoma has over 22,000 square feet of space available for functions, it is the ideal venue for weddings or any special occasion. Here is an images of their Sonoma Ballroom decked out and looking fabulous for an event.
They have wedding and reception packages available, and of course accommodations for the honeymoon.

The Lodge also has a lovely outdoor space and the Stone Building (2,304 square feet), which is a large unique building with elegant lighting and atmosphere suited to a wine country wedding.

It sounds like a beautiful wedding location!
Images courtesy of The Lodge at Sonoma

Post from: Our One Heart

But if the place offers the very thing you’re looking for, save that it may have come to be too commercialized and overrated, wouldn’t you still put it at the top of your list?

The Balmoral Rotunda, which is located on the Balmoral Beach in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, is a prime example.

Image: Flickr - sacharules

On any given weekend, the Balmoral Rotunda quite often is the centrepiece of a wedding ceremony or a popular photography spot for brides. A mainstay of Balmoral Beach since 1930.

It has historical value. It does possess a certain rustic quality that adds on to its charm. Romance abounds with just a mere thought of holding the wedding ceremony there. It doesn’t hurt that it makes a darn pretty picture, too.

I wonder how many weddings it has witnessed through the years it has been around. It’s a great wedding location idea that you soon-to-be-married Aussie couples should consider.

Post from: Our One Heart

Image: Flickr - Anne Ruthmann

Elegant layered fondant cake interspersed with lavander hydrangeas. Very understated. Very elegant.

Image: Flickr - She Takes The Cake

Love the hand painting of the flowers on this gorgeous fondant cake.

Image: Flickr - Anne Ruthmann

For lighting effects, you can choose to use paper lanterns and of course, still in the violet palette — purple. Great to diffuse it with the neutral shade of cream. If you are having a garden wedding, these lanterns are great to be strewn around the trees. Very romantic!

Image: Flickr - Cafe Mama

Don’t think much of the choice on the color of the chairs. They could’ve covered it up with white or cream sheet and tied with a violet or lavander tulle. I love what this couple did with the aisle though!

Post from: Our One Heart

Image: Flickr - rchappo2002

There are a lot of creative ways you can make an impact in the kind of wedding centerpiece you choose:

1. To keep guests interested and created a creative atmosphere – Use wedding centerpieces that have variations in height, color, and materials
2. You can have 2 to 3 designs that you can scatter around the room. One table may have a single flower arrangement while the other table may have a topiary and the third may have candle centerpieces.
3. If you intend to use floral centerpieces, make sure you select blooms that are in season so you don’t have to pay extra for sourcing out-of-season flowers. To keep floral centerpieces interesting, you can select various blooms that are in season but in a single color.
4. Adding fruits in your floral centerpieces can add depth and texture. For our wedding, we had oranges with our floral centerpieces (our motif was orange). The guests loved it!
5. Votive candles always add to the romantic mood of any wedding celebration so don’t skimp on these. You won’t regret it.

Post from: Our One Heart

Image: sxc.hu

Unfortunately for me, the wedding month we chose (July) was the rainiest month in the tropical country of the Philippines. My Mom was able to persuade me hold the weddings indoors.

No regrets though. The week leading up to our wedding saw the heaviest downpour that we saw in Manila so I was thanking my lucky stars that we chose to hold the wedding indoors. At the wedding day itself? The sun came out and we had the most brilliant day but given that we were in a tropical country, if we had the wedding reception outdoors, all of us (including our guests) would have roasted from the heat! LOL

However, if you are getting married in a more temparate climate and want a wedding outdoors, there are 4 ways for you to do this:

1. Summer wedding – to increase your chances of a sunny day at your wedding then plan your wedding in the summer season. June would be the best month for it.

2. Beach wedding – if you have the budget, why not have a destination wedding somewhere like Fiji, Rarotonga or Cook Islands? If budget is tight, you can also get married at your local beach. If you’re not allowed to get married at the beach then hold the wedding reception there instead.

3. Garden wedding – have you or your parents got a big enough backyard? Why not get married at home? If we had a big enough place, I would’ve wanted to get married at home too.

4. Rent-a-Tent – having a tent or a marquee is always a good idea for an outdoor wedding. It’s a good Plan B in case of rain.

Post from: Our One Heart

Image - Flickr

Before we explore these places though, did you know that there are various online sites and forums that South Australian-based brides can go to for tips and ideas from. Here’s the list that I found in no particular order

Wedding SA – This site has been recognized by Hit Wise Australia as one of the top ten websites in the Wedding industry in Australia for several consecutive quarters in 2008.

Adelaide Wedding Directory The most comprehensive listing of Wedding service providers in Adelaide with 600 businesses listed.

Wedding Central Australia, South Australia – this is just a webpage of all sites and links relevant under South Australia organized per category such as bachelorette parties, wedding venues, gowns, etc.

**STICKY: Don’t forget to join Our One Heart’s latest giveaway – $225 Clarisonic PLUS Therapy System

Image: Flickr – Barney Wrightson

Post from: Our One Heart

Image: flickr - Cayusa

Budget airline easyJet will not be able to offer couples the chance to get married in the skies after a Bedfordshire council rejected the plan.

The company applied to Luton Borough Council for pilots to be authorised to officiate wedding ceremonies. But a council spokeswoman said the law did not allow a civil partnership or marriage to take place on an aircraft.

An easyJet spokesman said: “Faceless bureaucrats in windowless offices have scuppered the dreams of many.”

easyJet’s UK communications manager Andrew McConnell added: “We are of course very disappointed by this news.” The airline said it had received a number of requests from couples hoping to marry in the air and they had hoped to appeal to people looking to get married “somewhere out of the ordinary”.

A spokeswoman for the council, which is responsible for registration in the area where easyJet’s London Luton Airport headquarters is based, said: “We would be happy to consider licensing easyJet’s ground facilities at London Luton Airport.”

Source

Post from: Our One Heart

Image: sxc.hu

The Guardian UK reveals 20 of the most romantic and affordable wedding spots that you might like to consider in planning your wedding venue:

OLD FASHIONED GLAMOUR

1. Masseria Torre Coccaro, Puglia, Italy
A week’s B&B at the Masseria Torre Maizza costs from £835pp, while the wedding package at Torre Coccaro costs £530, covering the priest, flowers, legalities and a translator.

2. Taormina, Sicily, Italy
A week at Casa Turchetti costs from £2,478 per couple, including ceremony, interpreter, documents, flights and transfers through Long Travel (01694 722193; long-travel.co.uk).

3. Lesic Palace, Korcula, Croatia
Lesic Palace costs from £2,600 per night, including accommodation for up to 26 people on a B&B basis. Book on 00 385 20 715 560; lesic-dimitri.com. Wedding packages start from £2,200, including fees and legal paperwork, through weddingsincroatia.com.

4. Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria
Three nights’ B&B at Hotel Bristol in Vienna costs from £787pp including flights through Kuoni Travel (01306 747008; kuoni.co.uk), and the ceremony at the palace costs an additional £2,658 per couple, including limo transfer from your hotel. The registrar’s fee, payable locally on arrival, is about €650.

5. Aubeterre-sur-Dronne, France
A week’s stay at the Hostellerie Perigord in Aubeterre costs from €304pp through Get Married in France (00 33 9 60 400895; getmarriedinfrance.co.uk), with weddings in the underground church costing from €850.

URBAN CHIC

6. Havana, Cuba
A week at the Saratoga, room-only, costs from £957pp including flights, through Virgin Holidays (0844 557 3860; virginholidays.co.uk). The Deluxe Wedding package costs an additional £899, including flowers, formalities, transfer to the church and a city tour.

7. New York City, US
Quickie weddings got a glamorous overhaul at the beginning of the year, when the Manhattan Marriage Bureau opened at 141 Worth Street. The 20s building has an art-deco feel, and the elegant wedding chapels feature artwork on loan from the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The wedding licence costs just $25, leaving you plenty of spare bucks for cocktails and horse-drawn carriage rides round Central Park.

8. Miami, US
The slick art-deco streets of South Beach are about as far away from a traditional English wedding as it’s possible to be and at the Hilton Bentley Miami you can marry on the sands, or in the lush gardens that surround the hotel before celebrating with cocktails on the Skyline Terrace, which has great views of the city.

A week at the Hilton Bentley costs from £1,095 per couple, while the basic wedding package costs from £1,250 for a beachfront ceremony, champagne and chocolates. Book on 00 1 305 938 4600; hilton.com. Flights from £385pp with British Airways (0844 493 0787; ba.com).

9. Sydney, Australia
One of the most beautiful cities in the world, Sydney makes a spectacular destination for a wedding, particularly against the backdrop of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. From £3,775 per couple, including five nights in an Opera House room at the Park Hyatt, fees for the minister, photos, flowers and transport between hotel and venue, through Bridge & Wickers (020 7483 6555; bridgeandwickers.co.uk), who can also book flights, from £765pp.

ESCAPIST ADVENTURES

10. Masai Mara, Kenya
A week in Kenya, combining the Mara with the exotic island of Lamu, costs from £2,429pp through Somak Holidays (020 8423 3000; somak.com). The standard wedding package costs an additional £980, including all formalities and a decorated wedding location.

11. Arizona, US
A western-style wedding may sound an unusual choice, but Arizona is the perfect location for a real away-from-it-all day. A week costs from £1,049pp through Virgin Holidays (0844 557 3860; virginholidays.co.uk), including flights and room-only accommodation at the Stratosphere. The Ranch Deluxe wedding package costs an additional £1,369, including the minister’s fees, helicopter transfers from Vegas, cake, sparkling wine, but not the marriage licence (payable locally, $55).

12. Stellenbosch, South Africa
Most people who marry in Cape Town opt for Table Mountain, but head out into the Stellenbosch – South Africa’s wine region – and you get something far more unusual. A week’s accommodation and flights costs from £2,066 per couple; book through St Andrews Travel on 01204 397367. The wedding package costs from £454, including the minister, flowers and hire of the chapel, book direct with Zorgvliet Estate (00 27 861 967485; zorgvliet.co.za).

13. Banff, Canada
If it’s a mountain setting you’re after, head to the Canadian Rockies, where you can say your vows in the beautiful wilderness of Banff National Park. A week at the Fox Hotel & Suites in Banff, room-only, costs from £1,304pp including flights through Kuoni Travel (as before). The company offers a wedding package from £1,108 per couple, including location permit, marriage licence and certificate.

14. Praslin, Seychelles
For tranquillity and beauty on your wedding day, the Indian Ocean is the ideal scenario. Weddings in the Seychelles are never a bargain option, but they do offer something utterly unforgettable. A 12-night trip, with eight nights on Praslin and a four-night luxury catamaran cruise, costs from £2,499 through Tropical Sky (0845 543 2185; tropicalsky.co.uk), including flights, the ceremony, cake, champagne and flowers.

15. Hotel Budir, Iceland
Located on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, the Budir offers an awe-inspiring natural backdrop for a wedding ceremony; tumbling glaciers, sweeping fjords, volcanoes and soaring mountains. A five-day break to Iceland, with two nights at Reykjavik and two nights at the Hotel Budir costs from £594pp, including flights through Discover the World (01737 218800; discover-the-world.co.uk), who can also arrange the wedding package which starts from £250 for ceremony fees and church hire.

BAREFOOT ROMANCE

16. Dominica, Caribbean
The lush, unspoilt landscapes of Dominica offer something different from the traditional Caribbean beach wedding. The ceremony can take place by dramatic waterfalls or natural volcanic rock pools, or on one of the wild Atlantic beaches. A week at the Jungle Bay hotel costs from £1,779pp, including meals, a daily spa treatment and activities, through Harlequin Holidays (0845 277 3397; harlequinholidays.com). The company can arrange a wedding package from £1,000, including flowers and formalities, cake and a CD-rom of photographs.

17. Koh Phangan, Thailand
The island of Koh Phangan is most famous for its full-moon parties, but the palm-backed beaches and lively atmosphere make it a memorable place to get married. A week at the Santhiya costs from £915pp, including flights, through Tropical Locations (0845 277 3310; tropical-locations.com). A western wedding package, including flowers, formalities, dinner for two and an overnight upgrade to a villa, costs an additional £1,400.

18. Peter Island, British Virgin Islands, Caribbean
Get married on a high bluff, known as the Loop, with sweeping views of the ocean and the neighbouring St John and Norman islands. A week at the Peter Island resort costs from £2,949pp including flights, full-board accommodation and wedding package – licence fees, flowers, cake and champagne – through ITC Classics (01244 355527; itcclassics.co.uk).

19. The Cook Islands, South Pacific
If you’re thinking of heading to a tropical idyll for your wedding, the Cook Islands offer something really different. Tie the knot on the unspoilt island of Rarotonga, and the ceremony will take place against a backdrop of high mountain peaks scattered with lush rainforest. 12 nights’ B&B at the Takitumu Villas costs from £2,054pp, including flights, flowers and formalities, a bottle of bubbly and a wedding co-ordinator, through All Ways Pacific (01494 432747; all-ways.co.uk).

20. Beaches, Bermuda
For an eco-friendly wedding (if you overlook the flights), this resort combines a laid-back approach with green credentials. A week’s B&B costs from £798pp, including flights, through BA Holidays (0844 493 0758; baholidays.com). The basic wedding package, bookable at 9beaches.com, costs $1,150; organic add-ons cost extra.

Hmm, quite surprised that New Zealand was not included in this list as there are a number of romantic spots to get married here in this country of mine for very affordable costs too. Perhaps I should invite the writers Annabelle Thorpe and Nicola Iseard to come visit and explore New Zealand or maybe, I should write about the wonderful wedding spots here down under.

Post from: Our One Heart

Image - Flickr

1. Have you got a big enough kitchen to accommodate a catering staff? Is your kitchen properly equipped? If you have a family-sized refrigerator, it may not be enough to hold everything. The lack of a large, fully-equipped kitchen is not a deal-breaker though. You can ask your caterer to cook everything at their place and bring them in to your place at the day of the wedding. If you hire a caterer that knows what they’re doing, I am sure this issue can be resolved.

2. Have you got a garden, yard, lawn large enough to accommodate you, your spouse-to-be and your guests? If not, you may have to considerable cut down your guest list. You can still get married at home and have the reception at a restaurant if you like?

3. If it rains or snows or a garden wedding is not suitable, is your indoor space large enough to accommodate your invited guests? If not then again, you may have to cut down on your guest list and ensure they can all fit inside your house in the event that you can’t hold the ceremony or wedding reception outdoors!

4.If you plan to have a DJ or band for entertainment, have you got enough power outlets for the sound system, a space for a stage and dance floor?

5. If you are planning on getting married at home, you need to have your toilet (that will be used by the guests) constantly monitored for its cleanliness. Make sure you assign someone to do it as you don’t want your guests’ last memory of your wedding as the couple with the stinky bathroom! :

6. Parking. Do you live in a place where there is plenty of street parking? Do you live in a hill where there is no off-street parking available? If there’s none, you might want to consider hiring a shuttle bus service to service the guests to and from your place.

Good luck!

Image: Flickr – Wes Kroesbergen

Post from: Our One Heart