Occasions at Laguna Village

Overview

Or, if your style is more hands-on, Occasions at Laguna Village is still a perfect choice for your oceanfront wedding in Laguna Beach. We offer a variety of all-inclusive packages as well as tailor-made packages for the discerning couple. Each package is a perfect fit because it is custom made for you.

Whatever your preference, Occasions at Laguna Village will help you create memories and traditions to last a lifetime. Beauty and romance abound, making every wedding a dream come true.

What Type Of Bridal Couple Would Like This Place?

Ah, yes, the elusive Southern California Beach wedding.  If you've ever been to the elaborate beach set ups at the beach resorts you would find in Mexico you would find that they provide service on the sand.  They would take it right up to the water if the waves wouldn't wash the guests and whatever away.  In Southern California with the glass on the beach laws, you won't find wedding venues right on the sand.  However, you can find a variety of different ways to have a wedding ceremony right on the sand.   It's a common first dream for a bride to toy with the idea having a ceremony in the sand at the beach.   I've been to a number of these weddings, and for the most part, the fantasy is much better than the reality.  We had one ceremony that everybody was barefoot in the sand, except it was Malibu, and the sun never came out that day.  The bridesmaids feet started turning blue.  We had a Laguna Beach wedding where sun was out and shining that day.  It was perfect!  Except for the fact that the sand just radiated the heat back from the sun. The guests just sat and melted.  Being barefoot in this sand would have scorched the soles of everybody's feet.     And don't forget, sand is a miserable little thing.  It gets into your shoes and you can never really get it all out.    It's also hard to walk around on.  It would do wonders for your wedding dress.

A better plan is to have a wedding near the ocean, where you can be close enough to benefit from the cool ocean breeze, the smell of salt water, the sounds of the waves crashing, and the overall 'Gee, ain't it great to be in Southern California' vibe.   You would think that with the hundreds of miles of Southern California coast you would find thousands and thousands of beach wedding venues.  But, when you start doing your research, you find this isn't the case.  If you want to find places that have unrestricted views of the beach (not bay or lagoon) the list isn't as big as you would expect.   So, if you want a nice beach wedding, get ready to do some extensive research.

Of all of the places I've been to with an unrestricted view of the beach, this is one of my favorites.   First of all, the location.  Laguna Beach for reason seems to have a lot of sunny days, especially when you compare it places like Malibu.  Laguna Beach also seems to be a lot less worn out looking than other beach communities in the Los Angeles area.   It's clean and fairly pristine.    The second reason why it's a favoritee is because this place isn't huge.  It's small and charming. Located on a cliff right above the beach, it's a cute place!   The third thing I loved about this place is that I've met everybody involved with this venue from the owners to Dana, the coordinator.   Here's the bottom line, they care about everything.   The owner cares, Dana cares.  Dana keeps up a work schedule that most people wouldn't take for a week.   She's there from morning until night making sure everything is perfect.  Things go smoothly because Dana has invested herself into making sure that the smallest details are taken care of.    The Ritz Carlton is right down the street.  They have more staff, and more money, and exceptional service, but this place rivals their level of service when it comes to attention to the bridal couple.  There's a difference however, Ritz Carlton is focused on satisfying every whim, Dana is focused on making things run smoothly. 

Photographic Potential

What, are you kidding, this is Laguna Beach we're talking about!  One of the nicest beaches in the continental US.  Yet, I do need to mention that the beach can be a miserable place to shoot.  This place for example has very little shade, if any.    The lighting at the beach is harsh right up until just before sunset.  This place can prove challenging for a less experienced photographer.    There is a gazebo on one side of the property with a grassy area where they set up for ceremonies.  This is right under the outdoor tables at the restaurant.   We had a two and a half hour Indian ceremony once at this location.  The hot ticket would be to dine from above with a nice margarita and watch the ceremony from a distance.   Yeah, that's how you roll in the OC!

They have a pillar setup which is similar to a gazebo on the other side of the property. This area is on tile.  The grassy area is where the bar is located and usually this is where the cocktail hour is held. The tile area is where the reception is held.   Both areas photograph extremely well.  The head table is usually set up right next to the pillars and the wedding cake is placed into the gazebo. 

Possible Distractions/ Work Around

Ask anybody who has been to this place and they will tell you the same thing, parking is difficult.   There is a small lot on the property that can hold perhaps a couple of dozen cars, and they charge for parking.  However they have a free parking plan that involves a shuttle and a remote parking site.   On this property there is a restaurant that overlooks where your ceremony and reception will take place.  So, your wedding can be watched from strangers at a distance.   They never prove to be a problem, and for the most part they are on one side of the property while you're on the other side, so at the very least they won't have a great view of your wedding. 

The one thing that also really sucks big time is that the city of Laguna Beach has a special officer that cruises around Laguna Beach to do code enforcement.   In order to take pictures on the beach or parks in Laguna Beach you need to buy a permit.  If not your photographer will get a ticket.  Oh, another thing, the permits aren't for sale from June until October.  Doesn't that suck! 

Overall Evaluation

The fun thing about writing these reviews is that I'm free to say the things that the owners and Dana can't say.  Therefore, I am going to talk about compromises.  If you want to save money, scratch this venue off your list right now.   There are thousand and thousands of golf courses in Southern CCalifornia.  If money is tight, they'll cut you a deal, especially if you have a wedding on a Friday or Sunday in January.  There is nothing wrong having a wedding at a golf course.    Except. . .

Except what?  It's really something silly.   For some strange reason you got this idea in your head that you needed to have a wedding next to the beach.  You can get over it.  It's time to be an adult and fiscally responsible, so you have your golf course wedding.   When it comes time to buy a new car you get the one with the cloth seats and the factory stereo.   A lot of decisions in your life can be brought down to economic compromises.   Your golf course wedding was fine, and through the years you go to a number of them as a guest. Then, one day, you go to a wedding at a place like Occasions at Laguna Village and you tell the guests at the table during dinner "We got married 15 years ago, and I really wanted to have a wedding like this, but we couldn't afford it."  You then think about it a few days later.  Hey you really could have afforded it, you just didn't make it happen.   You could have invited less guests, you could have driven your car a few more years before buying a new one, you could have ate out less.   Yes, this place isn't cheap, but run down the street to the Montage and ask them how much they want for a wedding, and you will see that in fact  this place is a good value for the money.

If you can make this place work for you, and you need a little push, here it is.  Fifteen years from now is coming much sooner than you expect.  In that time you won't really remember how much you spent or saved when it came to your wedding. You will always remember exactly how it came off compared to your expectations.

This place is beautiful, fantastic, awesome.  Dana is awesome.   Point your car to Laguna Beach and go!!!!

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