Michael and Maria's Wedding!

It was a joy to share in Michael and Maria's beautiful wedding this New Year's Eve. The guest list was strikingly international. Maria is Filipino, Michael is Italian, and their loved ones traveled from as far as Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and even the Philippines to be a part of this special day. They had a lovely ceremony in the enchanting Wedding Circle. Maria clutched a gorgeous bouquet of fuchsia flowers as she and Michael exchanged their touching vows before everyone important to them. After the loving ritual, the guests transitioned to the Terraces for a fabulous meal prepared by Michael's cousin, Enzo. Enzo is the founder and Head Chef of Stella Restaurant in La Jolla. His incredible, handcrafted Italianfare charmed the entire wedding party. It was certainly an Italian gourmet experience. After the sun went down, the group gathered in the Event Center for an intimate New Year's Eve party with champagne and dessert and plenty of tango. While the rest of San Diego stayed up to watch the ball drop, Michael, Maria and their friends danced to the distant sounds of coyotes howling to welcome in the New Year.

Congratulations, Michael and Maria! We wish you all the best.

Mandi and Ben's Wedding!

For Mandi and Hidden Valley, it was love at first sight! From her very first tour, Mandi saw the property for all of its beauty and possibilities, and she knew that it would be the perfect place to marry her other love at first sight: Ben. From the very beginning, we knew that Mandi and Ben were going to be a really fun couple to work with. Their family was very involved in the planning. A big group of extended family came to tour the property as they prepared. Brothers, sisters, parents and grandparents all helped to build the detailed elements of the event. Mandi came to Hidden Valley with a clear vision for her wedding, and that vision carried through into a collection of amazing details. With the help of their family, this dynamic couple created a wedding that was well planned and very well executed. We want to share some of their special details with you! 

One of their incredible details appeared right in the men's clothing. Ben took advantage of his wedding day to gather his groomsmen and subtly reveal their super-identities. He made his wedding attire exceptional by equipping each of his groomsmen with awesome cuff-links to reflect their inner heroes. 

This family is handy bunch! They used their creativity and skills to hand-make many of the elements of their wedding. For example, they created a photobooth for their reception. It was assembled in true vintage rustic style, with cute frames and delicate vintage fabric. Mandi and Ben completed the set with masks, hats, and mustaches for dressing up. Their photobooth was a smash hit with the wedding guests! Local Escondido photography company, Dapper Images, did a fantastic job capturing these and all the other amazing shots of the big day!

Many of our couples choose to have a special lovebird's table for their reception. Mandi and Ben chose to place their table on the Wedding Stage. The display was thoughtfully constructed with numerous details including mismatched chairs, vintage picture frames, graceful florals, elegant china, and a celebratory bottle of champagne. Word has it that grandma hand-made the vintage-style chairs! The beautiful florals were constructed by our extraordinary friend Kelly Fiorito with Petals and Lace. 

We were impressed and inspired by Mandi and Ben's signage. The signs used an array of materials, textures, and hand writings to create the rustic, vintage flair that we love at Hidden Valley. The superstar family even built the entire wooden Bar booth themselves! They've inspired us to create our own new signs for the property (keep your eyes peeled for a blog when they're ready!).

As the evening progressed, the entertainment continued. We were especially impressed by the tender moments Dapper Images managed to capture between Mandy, Ben, and their parents during the dancing portion of the evening. It is clear to us that their family shares a lot of love.

Many congratulations to Mandi and Ben! We have nothing but warm wishes to send to you as you begin this new journey. We hope your happiness only continues to grow.

Thanks to the vendors who made this special day possible:

• Photography: Dapper Images
• Florals: Petals and Lace
• DJ: DJ React (949) 842-8465
• Caterer: Out Of This World BBQ
• Bar: GYD Bartenders
• Transportation: Wess Transportation (760) 741-9953

Janai and Nathan's Wedding

Janai and Nathan had a beautiful wedding at Hidden Valley this past September! Janai is the proud owner of an elegant horse named Beauty. From our first meeting, Janai made it clear that one of her priorities was to include her beloved, hoofed friend in her special day. We were happy to be able to work with her to make that dream come true. The result was a magnificent, entrance! Jaws dropped as Janai rode through the Orchard Gate to the Wedding Circle where Nathan was waiting for her to say their vows.

As you can see from the photos, Janai was plenty enthusiastic about dressing Beauty up for the big day! From coiffed hair to painted nails, Beauty was the image of fine grooming. What a pretty girl! She truly lives up to her name.

Beyond Beauty's magnificence, Janai and Nathan's wedding continued to be a marvelous success. We are always pleased to welcome guests that fully embrace the family reunion aspect of the Wedding Weekends offered at Hidden Valley, and Janai and Nathan's party certainly did! The entire weekend was a special celebration of love and lighthearted fun. The warmth of this group was just inspiring!

Janai and Nathan, we were honored to welcome you and your family to Hidden Valley Retreat. We wish you all the best in your bright future together. And don't forget to keep in touch!

Hidden Valley gets a concrete floor!

 We're always looking for ways to enhance our guests' experience here at the property and this month is no different! We have brought in a wonderful, family-run concrete business, Hoaglund and Sons, to create a  one-of-a-kind floor near the Wedding Stage. They are truly specialists in their field and have vast knowledge of the concrete business.

 All three generations of Eric (Sr, Jr, and grandson) were on hand to install our new floor and have it blend seamlessly into the surrounding environment. First, a smooth layer was put down as a foundation. Next, they brought in a seamless stamp which will make the floor have a similar appearance to the amazon fountain nearby. Once the floor is finished, it will become a wonderful space for weddings, retreats, and reunions to gather at the property.

Hoaglund concrete is also installing a wheelchair accessible ramp that leads to our new Twin Oaks bathroom. This bathroom will be conveniently located near the wedding stage and will be equipped to help those guests who have difficulty getting around the property.

We'd like to thank Hoaglund and Sons for their wonderful work and we're thrilled to have Eric, Jr. and his wife celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary at the property this fall! We hope that you enjoy this project as much as we have-stay tuned for more photos once it is complete!

Improvement Work at Hidden Valley

Hey Everyone!

We are very excited and proud of the improvement work we’ve being doing at the retreat in the past 2 weeks. You probably remember that in February one of our trees fell down bringing down the fence from the Main House along with it. Being a green venue, we not only built a new fence but installed energy efficient lighting and installed electricity all around it with our very own hands! Fiona got into action working hard with the drill! During some clean-up work, we got a taste of nature’s strength; we pulled a weed that had made its way around a garden lamp! Take a look at the pictures below so you can see Fiona in action and the patio all illuminated.

Hidden Valley at Bridal Bazaar

Hi Everyone,

We are very excited and looking forward to another weekend of showcasing Hidden Valley! This time will be at the San Diego’s Bridal Bazaar Show. We will have the opportunity to be talking to brides about what a naturally beautiful venue Hidden Valley is for their wedding. As we all know, a traditional wedding is over in a blink but, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can make your wedding day a wedding weekend at Hidden Valley, and spend more time with your family and friends thus making the experience last longer.

We invite you to the show that will be held Sunday, April 25, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Come and visit us at booth #813, we will have information on all our Wedding Packages and beautiful pictures of the property. We have discount coupons that we will have available for you to take. Every bride and groom-to-be is invited to the show, there will be great exhibitions, fashion shows and prizes.

We will be waiting for you there!

Visit this link for more information of the show:
http://bridalbazaar.com/

We Just Couldn't Wait...to Introduce the Next "Who Wants to Win a Wedding?" Contest Couple

Since some of you have already been asking (and voting) for them,
here they are...

Ariana and Matt of San Diego, California.

These high-school sweethearts have been working at their blossoming love for nine years now! (WOW!) They are focused on their careers, each other, and on making this planet a better place for everyone. Matt cares about the environment and is a familiar face among San Diego city parks, while Ariana loves kids and is working to become a family and child advocate. They are hoping to put the icing on the cake with a wedding at the Hidden Valley.