For the Foodies: Favors that tickle the taste buds are becoming quite popular. You can now find and personalize mini versions of organic honey, exotic coffee beans, flavored olive oil or bottled after-dinner liquors (like Limoncello). Your guests will remember your day when they partake of your little treat!For the Philanthropists: Choose to give back on your big day by making donations in honor of your guests to your favorite charitable organization. Making a special offering, even if it is only a dollar per guest, will add up in the end and truly make an impact. Some charities, like the Make-A-Wish Foundation, have online stores where you can purchase bulk merchandise and a portion of the proceeds will go back to the organization. In addition, websites like https://www.idofoundation.org allow you to set up a charitable gift registry, where in place of wedding gifts, your guests can make their own donations to a charity of their choice!For the Practical Gifters: Why not choose to present your guests something they’ll actually get some use out of? Give a gift that will give back, like succulent plants or customized packages of flower seeds. You can find gifts like this on websites like Etsy or by visiting your local florist/nursery to see if you can purchase plants in bulk. For the Fun-Lovers: Couples who want to give their guests a giggle can put together creative gifts like hangover kits equipped with mouthwash, over-the-counter headache medication and a toothbrush. For those musically-inclined couples, compile a mixtape with some of your favorite songs for all of your guests, and make sure to throw in your wedding song!There are no guidelines for choosing amazing favors, just select something that will cause your guests to remember your amazing day in a meaningful way.

Sequoia Mansion was built in 1853 and is one of the most unique Wedgewood properties in California. It boasts a sweeping front porch, grand ballroom, a gorgeous sunroom, and a charming and intimate dressing room for the bride. With beautiful and original touches such as the working fireplaces and an English garden for ceremonies, Sequoia Mansion creates a warm and versatile space for summer or winter weddings.

One of the things brides love most about this venue is that there are so many beautiful places to take beautiful pictures. Whether at sunset on the porch, looking out huge windows trimmed in lace or clinking glasses in the wine cellar, Sequoia Mansion is the picture-perfect fit to make any wedding absolutely breathtaking.

Only 40 minutes from downtown Sacramento in the foothills leading to Lake Tahoe, Sequoia Mansion has so much to offer couples looking for somewhere not only to marry but also to spend the weekend with family and friends. Visit Tahoe, wine taste at local vineyards or explore antique stores in Old Hangtown—Gold Country has something for everyone!

Because Sequoia Mansion is a richly historical property, it naturally lends itself to popular trends in weddings this year. For Great Gatsby-esque themes like vintage, rustic, shabby chic or just plain romantic, the Mansion needs no additonal decoration to be the perfect backdrop!

We can also help with staging too. The Mansion is filled with beauitful antiques, cozy nooks and sunny windows to create a special place for bride-and-groom or family photos to be treasured for a lifetime.

Whether you’re looking for something intimate and romantic, grand and elegant, or all-natural elements, Sequoia Mansion offers everything in a quaint, small-town setting. With local wines, wonderful food and a warm and caring staff, Wedgewood Sequoia Mansion is sure to create cherished wedding day memories.

In order to decrease the chances of a panic attack right before you walk down the aisle, you can channel your inner Girl Scout and “be prepared!”

Here are some emergency items for packing into a wedding day safety kit:

·        Hairspray

·        Hair pins

·        Safety pins

·        Iron or steamer

·        Static guard

·        Tissues

·        Tampons

·        Wet wipes

·        Needle & thread

·        Waterproof mascara

·        Baby powder

·        Bandaids

·        Snacks & champagne (of course)

·        Lotion

·        Lint brush

·        Mints

Play it safe and plan ahead—you wouldn’t want any unforeseen accidents to happen on this day of happiness, and neither would we!

Each venue has unique special offers. E-mail or call us at 866-966-3009 to set up your personal consultation so you can start planning and save big on your Wedgewood wedding.Here at Wedgewood, we call winter the Season of Love. New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day are special times for couples and romance is in the air.  Aside from the enormous savings you will get by booking a Wedgewood Winter Wonderland wedding, here are some of our favorite things about winter weddings:

1)      Winter weddings are beautiful! From icy crystals to roaring fires, winter brings out some of the most creative and elegant décor.

2)      Winter weddings are unique. Because May through October is the most popular time for weddings, summer events can start to feel the same. Winter is the time to do something unexpected!

3)      Winter weddings save everyone money. Not only will you get deep discounts on your already affordable Wedgewood wedding package, but you and your guests will also save on airfare, hotel stays, transportation and rehearsal dinners.

4)      Winter weddings are more convenient for your guests. January through March is a less hectic time for most people. Your wedding won’t have to compete with family vacations and other weddings that fill up social calendars.Wedgewood offered this promotion last year and the response was so overwhelmingly positive we decided to offer it again. As our winter brides found out last year, it’s great to book during a time when you’ll have first pick on a date at any location. Just contact the catering sales directors (CSDs) at any locations you want and they’ll describe all the venue-specific deals!

And don’t worry about the weather putting a damper on your special day—we’ve got outdoor and indoor wedding ceremony sites at all of our spectacular venues.

Make sure to also check out our blog and Pinterest page for winter wedding planning ideas during this season of love.

We believe in full-service wedding planning, and we already offer a variety of packages to cater to your any and every need. Whether you’re looking for a golf course, garden or unique outdoor wedding, one of our professional CSDs will assist you in booking your all-inclusive wedding package so you can fulfill the wedding of your dreams.

The weather was perfect, offsetting this unique and gorgeous photo of Amanda’s dress hanging in the tree at the beginning of the aisle.

While Amanda got her hair and makeup done, the photographer took pictures of her ring, like this one—resting on the leaf of a succulent—Amanda’s favorite flower!

The couple decided that they wanted to have a special moment together before they became husband and wife, so they photographed their first time seeing each other with this beautiful “first look” photo outside under the sun.

Amanda also added her own twist to the first look photos by taking them with her parents as well. Here she is standing behind the front doors waiting for her mom and dad to glimpse her as a beautiful bride for the first time.

Once the ceremony had begun, the ring bearer—Mario’s adorable nephew—walked down the aisle carrying this sign to give his uncle a heads up right before the big moment!

When it was finally time for Amanda to walk down the aisle, she couldn’t have been more ready to begin her life with Mario! Everything was perfect from her last single step…to their first married kiss.

After the ceremony, guests dined, danced and, of course, partook of the wedding sweets! Instead of a traditional tiered cake, Amanda and Mario cut into a smaller cake and served cupcakes to their enthralled guests.

Amanda and Mario shared a very special day with their friends and family, and we here at Wedgewood Sterling Hills couldn’t be more grateful to them for letting us share in it, too!

Photographer: Montana Dennis

After getting engaged, they decided to plan their wedding close to their family in the Bay Area. They live in Los Angeles and had to plan their wedding mostly over phone and e-mail, having only seen the actual site twice before the big day!

Kissing Balls with ivory roses and crystals hung from the gazebo for an elegant and romantic look.

Tara was a beautiful blushing bride! She decided to go with an everlasting broach bouquet, adding a twist to tradition.

After the vows, rings, hand fasting ceremony and kiss, Tara and Paul exited through a sea of rose petals, friends and family.

They’re such a good-looking couple!

Paul gave Tara a dreamlike wedding kiss.

Where would Tara and Paul be without their family?

The sweetheart table décor featured soft colors. Tara used gold glitter votive candles, the flowers from the ceremony site chairs, more rose petals in pale pink and a gold pin tuck runner to add texture and style to the reception.

Sweetheart table with wine waiting for the new Mr. and Mrs.!

Avonne Lee at Rosedale Floral Design provided the fresh floral centerpieces. They feature ivory hydrangea, peach stock, tulips, pink dahlias and soft pink roses.

Ivory satin tablecloths decorated the guest tables, with gold pin tuck runners, gold charger plates, ivory satin napkins, gold glitter votive candles, menu cards and fresh floral centerpieces.

Tara and Paul created an adorable candy table with color-coordinated sweets and personalized baggies for guests to take home.

Personalized signs make these candy jars extra special!

See this wedding come to life! Tara & Paul’s Wedding Video:

http://vimeo.com/54432209?action=share&post_id=571683443_527817733897935#_=_

Read Tara and Paul’s thoughts about their wedding on Yelp! http://www.yelp.com/biz/wedgewood-wedding-and-banquet-center-crystal-springs-burlingame

To some brides, however, the importance of capturing video footage of your wedding isn’t as obvious. A lot of couples wonder if it’s a worthy expense; how many times will you actually watch the video anyway?

With so many tasks to juggle, vendors to meet and checks to write, should you really add videography to the list? The answer is an unequivocal yes! A picture may be worth a thousand words, but being able to see the change in your fiancée’s facial expression as you walk down the aisle is priceless.

Your wedding day will come and go way too quickly. Of course you’ll remember the highlight reel: walking down the aisle, the I dos, your grand entrance and parts of your first dance. What you might not remember is just how long that first kiss lasted, or the look your parents exchanged when you were pronounced husband and wife.

We’re not suggesting that you replace the sentimental value that regular photos provide. But when you start to budget for your big day, you should carve out enough to hire someone who can capture—on video—those precious moments that you’ll want to remember forever.

Browse our website or visit our Facebook page for examples of Wedgewood wedding videos.

In order for the planning process to be the fantasy you hoped for, you may need a little help. Keeping your budget in mind while you juggle the things you might need is no easy task. If you haven’t planned a wedding before, how do you know how much money to dedicate to flowers, cake or food?

This is where I step in. You can think of me as your Fairy Godplanner.

I meet with brides every week, and 80% of them say that the planning process has caused them stress. The other 20% have just started the process. I get to simplify everything for our brides, taking the stress level from “Oh my gosh, I don’t want to deal with this,” to “Oh my gosh! Let’s make this fairytale happen!”

It’s really simple. Just come in with an open mind, fun ideas and a budget. I get a thrill meeting with brides and hearing their visions for the big day, and then I get to show them what it really means to be a Wedgewood princess. Clients learn that we not only work with the leading cake and floral vendors in the area, but they also don’t have to make separate deposits for each vendor—and their services can be added to each all-inclusive package. The stress dragon can be slayed!

When you’re looking for the perfect fit for your special day, come by and see me, or one of my co-Fairy Godplanners at other Wedgewood locations! I would love to make the marriage to your Prince Charming a fairytale come to life.

Nestled in the foothills of Mount Baldy, this picturesque Mountain View location provides a beautiful natural setting for your wedding. Our outdoor ceremony location, complete with a paved aisle and garden-inspired gazebo gives the perfect layout for any type of ceremony. Our florist vendor provided the aisle swag and gazebo décor shown here.

Our sunset ceremony option provides a romantic background; if you schedule your ceremony at just the right time you can catch the beautiful sunset in your photos. You can even add uplighting into your package to enhance the gazebo during your evening ceremony, like this.

Our newly built pavilion can host up to 250 guests—perfect for large receptions, Quinceaneras and parties alike. Similar to Wedgewood’s Northern California Metropolitan property, the east wall of our pavilion, complete with floor to ceiling glass windows, provides a beautiful view of the mountains. From the outside, our pavilion may appear as a glorified tent, the space functions completely as a structural building with a temperature controlled atmosphere, adjustable lighting, carpeted floors and a built-in bar. You just happen to be able to see the gorgeous outdoors surrounding you! In addition, the fully draped white ceiling and back wall allow this room to be completely adaptable to any and every event theme.

The Fountain View Room functions as the main banquet hall and accommodates up to 150 people. This venue is complete with a full wrap around terrace, a breathtaking view of the golf course’s two lit fountains and a warm ambiance stemming from the drapery and lighting. This transformable space serves as a perfect backdrop for an intimate reception or an indoor ceremony.

Are you planning your wedding or event with us? If so, we would love to hear from you. Be sure to visit Wedgewoodbanquet.com for more information!