This is Heritage Park in Dana Point. Seating for 80 guests. You need to get a permit from the City of Dana Point. Call Sue at 949-248-3530.

For information on this package, call Marcy Ann 949-433-3129.

BEST DEAL! WEDDING & RECEPTION

The best deal I have found in Orange County is The Beach House in Dana Point. You can have up to 80 guests. You do the ceremony on the patio with a view of the channel where the boats are going in and out and looking up the channel, you can see the ocean. You take all of your pictures out on the grass in front of the channel looking out to the ocean. You do the ceremony on the patio and then have your reception inside looking out at the yachts. Perfect! Prices are great!
You can have DJ, dancing, cake & champagne and not break the bank. If you want more information, you can call me - Marcy Ann - 949-433-3129.

seating for your guests

If you want to have your wedding out in a park with an oceanview in Orange County, and be able to have seating for your guests, the only place you can do this is in Dana Point. This picture is Pines Park on Camino Capistrano Street in Dana Point. It is available every other weekend. Parking is good. You need to get a permit from the City of Dana Point. Talk to Sue at 949-248-3530.

As you know, it is still SUMMER in California! And it was really hot this past weekend. However, Laura was having a great time with her bridesmaids while they were waiting to walk down the aisle. We all waited under the tree as it was cool there. Aren't her colors gorgeous! We were waiting for the violinist who lives out in the area where a fire is burning. Her regular route was closed, and she was rerouted on a far-out path. We had 100 guests sitting in the sun, and we just couldn't wait any longer, so we went ahead and started the wedding, using our back-up boombox. Laura got to walk down the aisle to a full orchestra playing Cannon D, and we refunded her the money for the violinist. After driving for two hours, the violinist finally arrived. I gave the violinist $60 expense money anyway - just part of loving and being loved which is why we are here on earth - to love and to be loved!

beach wedding dresses

These were my brides on September 26th at the beach. As you can see, all of them chose very traditional wedding dresses, even with a train. Remember, sand is not dirty. Your lovely wedding train can trail behind you across the sand and not get soiled.

Presentation of the Bride traditions

Yesterday was a gorgeous day at the beach. This picture is at Pines Park in Dana Point - full ocean view location on the cliff. This is the Princess in the Park Package - beautiful! My bride had her real father walk her from the sidewalk to the beginning of the aisle where her step-father took her hand and walked her down the aisle. Another presentation of the bride is for both fathers to walk her in, one on each side. What you would decide to do depends upon what your relationship is with each father and what relationship the fathers have with each other. I had one bride tell me, "My mother is walking me down the aisle. My father doesn't deserve the honor!" I think the most beautiful presentation of the bride is when the mother and the father walk her down the aisle. If you have a question about what to do, just e-mail me. I can tell you what other brides have done or perhaps we can come up with a whole new presentation! And don't forget the groom. It is nice to have the groom presented, too! And have his parents walk him down the aisle.

While most of the rest of the U.S. is getting into Fall and Winter, here in California we have 2 1/2 months more SUMMER!!! And actually, we can do weddings at the beach all year year.

personal vows

I have brides and grooms ask me what they should say in a personal statement. I say: speak from your heart. Say what is in your heart. These pictures are from my wedding on Sept. 14th. Alyssa and Isaiah are both in the U.S. Coast Guard. So of course they had to be married at the beach, loving the ocean like they do. They said I could put their personal statements on the blog and share them with all of you. Here they are:

Isaiah: Alyssa, You and only you make me complete. You are my best friend, soul mate and the love of my life. You are the most amazing mother to our baby boy Makai, and I am proud to have you as my wife. I promise to love you, care for you and stay faithful to you until the day I die. You will always be my snowflake: beautiful, unique and one-of-a-kind.

Alyssa, Isaiah, Here we are, I love you. This is the day I have dreamt about my whole life. And this is exactly how I knew I would feel. I was stressing over the minor details, but now, right now, as I stand here with you, I see that the only thing that really matters most is YOU - you, my love, and I know you will always be here with me. I believe that. You have given me love like I never knew existed. You have made me laugh at things I never saw funny before. You just have enhanced every single aspect of my life. You never cease to amaze me. You are the man of my dreams, and I love you so much.

LEIS & GERBER DAISIES

These pictures were of Jessica & Tony's wedding SAturday Sept. 12th. In the first picture, Jessie is presenting a lei to her Maid of Honor. She then presented leis to her bridesmaids and I got a cute picture of the girls doing their kicks! The next picture is the proud mothers of the bride and grom, taking pictures of the bride, and I got this shot of Jessie with her bouquet of magenta and yellow gerber daisies with her flower girl who has a child's white lei and is wearing a yellow-white-magenta dress and the groom looking on and he has a lapel flower of magenta & yellow gerber daisies and a tea leaf lei. I got all of the flowers for the bride. She also had tea leaf leis for her dad and all of the groomsmen. I can get all of the flowers for you, too.

Renae's August 29th 2009 wedding

Hi Marcy Ann, First I wanted to thank you for our wonderful wedding day! The ceremony was everything we had hoped for and then some!!! It was absolutely beautiful and Reverend Jeff Alan did a great job with the service. All in all it was PERFECT! Thanks again, I would recommend your services to anyone looking for a beautiful beach wedding. Renae @ Human Resources Genpact, Irvine, USA

Can you believe this? This is the day after Labor Day. Didn't I tell you that the beaches would be empty now? It's a perfect time to have your beach wedding now. We still have 2 1/2 months of summer left here in California.

public beaches for you wedding

If you are choosing a beach in Southern California, it is going to be a public beach! And look at this picture! This was Labor Day weekend at the beach at Crystal Cove State Beach in Orange County. Hardly a spot left! So this is why I do not recommend that you try to do your beach weddings on a Holiday! There is no parking and very little sand left for that all important aisle for you to walk down. However, let me say, that NOW - after Labor Day - until November 15th - IS THE BEST TIME TO HAVE A BEACH WEDDING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA!!! Perfect weather - and the beaches are now empty. Call me for a date. Marcy Ann 949-433-3129

destination beach wedding

We just added our #21st foreign country - this bride is from Liberia! And we booked a wedding for October for a couple from Hungary - they were our 20th foreign country. We also did a wedding in the gazebo for a couple from Canada who raved about doing a destination wedding. Actually, they raved about us! They said it was such a comfort to work with someone who really knew the area and could provide reputable professionals. I booked the videographer, photographer, florist and decorator for them.
Let us do your Destination Wedding!
www.marcyann.com
949-433-3129

beach decorations

When you are planning a beach wedding or a wedding on the cliff looking out over the ocean, you need to work with a planner in the local area - because: every city has different rules and regulations regarding using the beach or any public cliff location. A local planner will know these rules and regulations. Most cities in Southern California do not allow weddings during the summer months at the beach from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The reason is that the beaches are too crowded and there isn't enough parking. The exception to this is Laguna Beach. They DO allow beach weddings in the summertime, and you can have up to 95 guests. However, you can't have arches or chairs. Well, actually, guests can bring a beach chair or, we can do our BEACH BABY WEDDING PACKAGE (lst picture) and we put out blankets with pillows for seating. It's fun and pretty, too. The second picture is a one-of-a-kind location: an oceanfront gazebo in a beautiful rose garden. I don't think there is another place like this in the whole world. Roses in California begin to bloom in early March and bloom until December. This one is located in Dana Point, California, and you can have 30 to 40 seated guests and the rest of the guests would stand. Which one of these may I do for you? xoxo Marcy Ann http://www.marcyann.com/ 949-433-3129

beach photos

A professional photographer is almost a MUST for a beach wedding. First of all, they have the right equipement with a big flash to "light balance" the ocean. The ocean throws off a tremendous amount of light which must be counter-balanced so your pictures are not dark.

Sounds funny, doesn't it!! Also, most photographers who work at the beach know all of the good photo spots, and they also know how to pose pictures. Remember, all you will have after all of the festivities are over are the pictures. When a bride tells me that her uncle has a nice camera and will take the pictures for her, I cringe! Having a "nice camera" doesn't mean he knows how to use it at the beach. Even my best friends and several members of my family who love to take pictures, have taken a lot of classes in photography and have "nice cameras" are not qualified to do a beach wedding! So, in planning the costs of your wedding, allow enough money for the pictures! My deal of 2 hours for $450 is an unbeatable price! You get a CD of all of the pictures. They are high quality digital. You can print in color, sepia or black and white. You make your own album. You book a professional for the wedding ceremony pictures, and then let "Uncle" do the pictures at the reception! xoxo Marcy Ann http://www.marcyann.com/ 949-433-3129

SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER SPECIALS

Hi everyone! Wow - September lst! Where did the summer go? Here in Orange County, California, we are still having summer, and actually, summer lasts all year here. September and October are some of the best months to have a beach wedding in Southern California. Beginning in October, the sun starts to set in the southern ocean! We are "southern" California, we face South, so in the summer months of June, July and August, since the sun sets in the west, we do not get the sunsets in the ocean in Laguna Beach. However, in October, we start to get the beautiful sunsets in the ocean, the beaches are not crowded, and you can have your perfect on-the-sand beach wedding! I read other beach wedding blogs that say you can't wear a traditional wedding dress for your beach wedding. Rubbish! I've had brides wear gorgeous satin traditional wedding dresses with long cathedral length trains at their beach wedding. Remember, sand is not dirty. Sand is soft and clean, even if it is wet, it does not hurt your dress. Walk down the beach with your beautiful train following behind, your wedding headdress blowing in the wind, and look gorgeous!

Our special for September & October is our BEACH PHOTO WEDDING PACKAGE for a red hot $1,195.00!
This includes an fresh flower aisle with fresh rose petals for the bride to walk down, the heart garland for where you stand to say your vows, coordination of the wedding ceremony, permit & insurance, and one hour of professional pictures. If you've been waiting to plan your beach wedding, wait no more. Get in on this great price and get married on-the-sand in Laguna Beach.