The Garden Suite is officially open!

   After much anticipation, our Garden Suite renovation is complete! It has been quite a process, but the end result is a beautiful, secluded area for newlyweds and bridal parties alike.

   The suite is separate from the other buildings on our property, so it feels like your own private honeymoon hideaway. It comes complete with a queen-sized bed, vanity, wall mirror, and a love-seat bench. It even has its own kitchenette!

   It's also the perfect place for bridal parties to prepare for a wedding. Accents of burgundy are laced throughout the room to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. There is hanging space for dresses, plenty of seating, and a bathroom with a shower!

   We hope you enjoy the new suite as much as we do. If you're interested in our Garden Suite, please give us a call to upgrade your rental.
 

Ordering Rentals is Easy

While we offer the ability for our groups to bring in their own vendors, including rentals, we also have the option of renting directly from our venue. We offer assorted tables, chairs, linens, dishes, chocolate fountain, coffee pots, and even staffing for set-up, tear-down, and parking. We have kept the costs comparable to many other rental companies, but we do not charge the delivery fee. You have the ease of having your rentals on-site when needed. On top of that, when you rent from us, you get the rentals for the entire weekend.

We recently created a form to make ordering these rentals easy! Using formstack, all you have to do is enter the amounts of each item you'd like to rent, and our form totals everything for you. After finishing your order, you can easily make a payment through our secure service, or you can always coordinate payment with our office. 

To view our new form click here.

Engagement Sessions

Early spring and late winter is when San Diego is at it's most beautiful. Trees and flowers are just starting to wake up from their winter's sleep and begin to bloom. Everything is still crisp, bright, and fresh. We've had the opportunity to open up the property for a few couples and their photographers for engagement sessions. Our most recent session was with Dapper Images, who shot Amanda and Andrew's engagement session. Dapper Images has never ceased to impress us with their work. Yasmin and Deshun not only have an eye for their subjects, but they found the perfect setting for each individual shot, and created a beautiful mood between the couple. We were delighted to see the finished photos: professional and charming memories.

Here are a few shots from Amanda and Andrew's shoot:
 

 

Here are a few point-and-shoot shots taken by our staff in Hippocrates circle as the sun was setting:

Rachel and Matt's Destination Wedding

This past week, our dear friends Rachel and Matt were married at our venue. They are one of the first couples to have a destination wedding on our property. Rachel and Matt and most of their family came all the way from New York for a middle-of-the-week wedding! Every few years, Rachel's family gets together for a family reunion, and she was able to turn this year's reunion into a wedding too! Our property was able to accommodate all of her family for a 3 day wedding/reunion experience! 

Here are a few photos of the weekend taken by friends and family members:

First dance in the Event Center

Girls on Patio

Rehearsal Dinner on the Patio around fire pits

Wedding Photographer taking photos

Yoga in the Event Center

Patio Reception

Family Photo on Terraces

We hope to have more pictures coming in from Rachel's brother- a professional photographer who has won many awards including The Knot's "2012 best of weddings." Stay tuned!

Barn House Bathroom Renovation!

 We've been working the last few weeks on renovating The Barn House bathroom, and we are proud to announce it's completion!

Before:

After:

Improvements we've made:

• Installed Bathtub
• We decided to install a bathtub to replace the small shower we previously had. We put in beautiful green tile, with white accents.
• Added tiled ledge to bathtub
• We wanted the bathtub to be a comfortable, accessible area, so we installed a small ledge around the tub. This allows you to put up your feet and relax a little while. It also gives a convenient place for soaps and shampoo.
• Put in new eco-friendly window
• This window is weather-resistant and well-insulated to keep the cold out and the warm in (or vice versa during the hot summer months).
• Re-wired electric
• Outlets are now near the mirror for hair dryers, electric shavers, etc!
• Moved toilet and sink
• We think this layout works much better.
• Put in Allure Flooring
• We LOVE Allure! It is very easy to work with and install, and makes cleaning a dream. It is made of vinyl, but comes in a natural, oak color with nice texture for grip.
• Put in new drywall and painted our walls a lovely sage green
• New bathroom accessories
• We found accessories to match our color palette of natural wood and sage, to go with the natural theme of the property. Our favorite part is the shower curtain, and the LED candles that create a soothing atmosphere.

Our good friends over at Bradley Fox Construction did the beautiful tiling project for us. They were also a great resource for us to ask questions about other parts of the project. Brad Fox, the owner, is awesome, and we highly recommend his services. We will definitely use them again!

We hope that our guests will enjoy it as much as we do, and make good use out of the whole bathroom.

Photo Shoot at Hidden Valley

We recently had a Wizard of Oz themed birthday party photo shoot at our venue. It was hosted by Urban Style Wedding Network, and had several different wedding vendors to provide set-up, treats, and photos. Everyone had so much fun playing on the property, and the girls were adorable!
Check out the photos, they are just so cute!

Coordinated by Sara Mackenzie, Urban Style Wedding Network

Photographed by Jana Morgan

Sugar Table by Tailored Sweets

Candy Table by Love Candy Tables

Flowers by Camellia Wedding Flowers and Gifts

Rentals by White Wedding Day

Paper Products by Paper Scissors Print

Ruby Red Slippers by Disco Toes

Hats by Party Hats Entertainment

Lovely Models were Julia, Makena, Maylee and Mika

The Green Chamber of Commerce series

As you know, Hidden Valley Retreat and Spa is committed to being a green venue. We work hard to have environmentally-friendly practices at the Retreat. We've joined the Green Chamber of Commerce, a community dedicated to helping green businesses succeed. They've recently been working on a YouTube series of green businesses, and we were lucky enough to be featured on it! Fiona had a chance to talk about all of our green practices while they filmed beautiful shots of our property!

Check it out: