Venue Vibes – Finding the Perfect Wedding Venue

When we started to think about the planning process we knew three things about the venue we wanted to aim for.

1. We probably wanted the ceremony to take place outside.
2. We love the wine tasting experience and the feel that wineries have.
3. We wanted the venue to be unique somehow.

And when we actually started looking we of course, broke the cardinal rule: don’t fall in love with the first venue you look at.

By the time we reached the preliminary online searching phase, I had figured out that I really wanted to look into a winery for our venue and my mom sent me a link to the website for vineyard/winery called Murrieta’s Well. I thought it was beautiful and looked like a good place to start. Little did I know that it would set the tone and expectations for the rest of our search.

After seeing Murrieta’s Well, we spent days looking at and take tours of different wineries in the Livermore and Sunol areas. But as hard as we tried, we kept comparing everything to the look and feel of  Murrieta’s Well. We were in Sunol, walking back to the car from yet another tour and my mom noticed how we were feeling and comparing and she asked us if we wanted to go back to Murrieta’s Well and have a glass of wine. We originally said no because we felt bad and didn’t want to make my parents drive all the way back to Livermore but she said “Oh come on” and we caved.

So we went back to Murrieta’s well, sat down and were sipping our wine and looking around as they started to set up for a wedding that was scheduled for that evening. We saw the flowers and the draperies up and the bride arriving and looking at everything coming together. We saw how the staff worked so hard to make everything perfect. But even more, Cody and I just kept looking around at this gorgeous outside area with trees, a patio upstairs, and oh my gosh – that rustic barrel room with the gorgeous chandeliers that none of the other barrel rooms I saw could possibly compare to. We were holding hands across the table, just taking it all in and we knew. We knew this was our venue. It was just so us, elegant, yet rustic and relaxed. The feel for our wedding that I was going for was rustic, romantic, and chic – and this venue had it all.

My mom looked at my dad, and then at us and said, this place is so perfect for you two. Cody and I looked at each other and I asked him, “Is this our venue?” and he said “I think so”. We were so incredibly happy and felt settled because it felt like such a perfect decision and even better, it was a place we could go back to and have some wine and food and be in the special place where we exchanged vows and promised each other forever. This was our venue.

Murrieta’s Well is located in the Livermore Valley and is one of California’s original wine estates. The property has been part of the Wente family’s estate since 1933 (meaning the food at our reception will be Wente food…total bonus!). They’ve recently remodeled, adding gorgeous chandeliers in the barrel room which makes the entire experience feel elegant while still keeping the rustic, historic feel we fell in love with.

Every time we visit our venue we realize how much of a perfect fit it was for us. We chose Murrieta’s Well for its warmth and intimate setting, and we hope that our friends and family, the most special people in our lives enjoyed the evening as much as we did.

Check out my other Wedding Series posts!