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Weddings In Paradise

By April Clement

Coronado is one of the country’s most popular wedding destinations. Find out where to hold the ceremony, throw the reception and even pop the question.

"Where to hold the wedding?” is one of the most important questions an engaged couple asks on their way to the altar. Thousands of prospective brides and grooms from around San Diego, the United States and the rest of the world have chosen Coronado as the site for this most important and magical day. Here are some of the many reasons why.

• The Hotel Del Coronado

Even before the Del opened its doors in 1888, it showed romantic promise. The resort celebrated its first wedding in 1887, while still under construction, when the daughter and son of two supervising engineers exchanged vows in the Ballroom.

In the busy summer months a dozen or so weddings are held at the Del most weekends, according to
Rita Moore, the hotel’s catering sales manager. The Del hosts about 300 weddings per year and was recently named by the Travel Channel as the number-two “Best Place to Get Married” in the world.

With a variety of outdoor settings and 42 public rooms, the Del can host weddings from small and intimate
to large and grand. The four most popular locations are under the gazebo in the center garden court-yard of the original Victorian building, the Crown room, the Ballroom and the newest venue, the Windsor Cottage and Lawn.

“When money is no object, everyone chooses the Windsor Cottage,” Moore said. “With the classic red-and-white hotel as a backdrop and the sparkling blue ocean to the front, you’re guaranteed a beautiful beach wedding without getting your feet in the sand.

”Helen Walker, owner of Coronado Weddings, agreed, noting that “the happiest bride I’ve ever seen” had her wedding at the Cottage last April. The bride and groom, both in their mid-twenties, met in an internet chat room. After six months of regular exchanges, the girl explained to her electronic paramour that she was paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Didn’t faze him one bit, as they were married shortly thereafter.

“The bride had her dress specially made to fit gracefully in her wheelchair. You’ve never seen a more beautiful bride coming down the aisle,” Walker said.

The Grande Ballroom was “positively transformed” by twinkling lights and decorations featuring butterflies and Irish fairies, favorites of the bride. The bride had the first dance with her father, who whirled her around the dance floor in her wheelchair.

“They were like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Afterwards, the groomsmen carried her out to the beach. It was one of the most romantic weddings I’ve ever coordinated,” Walker said.

• Loews Coronado Bay Resort

Loews offers two popular ceremony sites: the Bay Terrace, with panoramic water views, and the Gazebo in the more intimate Rose Garden.

A “pet-friendly” resort, Loews hosted one of its more unusual nuptial ceremonies this past Valentine’s Day. Scooby Doo and Princess Kitana, two dogs belonging to employees of the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, were “wed” in the Rose Garden.

“Our pastry chef even crafted a dog biscuit-shaped cake for all to enjoy,” said Bernier. “And I’m pleased to say that the bride and groom did not dig up the garden!”

A former governor of Baja California held his reception on the resort’s Bay Terrace. He and his bride met on business in Los Angeles. Prior to the wedding, the groom took music lessons and wrote a song, which he sang to his bride at their ceremony.

“This wedding was so much fun!” Walker said. “The groom, who now lives in the Cays, was about 78 years old. The bride was from Germany and didn’t speak a word of English, or much Spanish, for that matter! But the language of love is understood with the heart, and his song needed no translation.” Copies of the song were presented to wedding guests as gifts.

“The funniest thing was that Sacred Heart Catholic Church (where the couple were married) unwittingly
requested this elderly groom’s parents to sign paperwork consenting to their marriage,” Walker recalled.

• Coronado Island Marriott Resort

Considering an evening wedding? The Coronado Island Marriott’s two bay-front locations provide a dramatic backdrop for ceremonies, especially at night.

“And if planned in connection with fireworks going off over the bay, it is very festive,” said Susanne Pelky of Crown Weddings. Receptions take place in an outdoor tent or one of
the ballrooms.

“One of the prettiest weddings I ever did was in the big tent at the Marriott. I draped everything in pleated organdy and white twinkling lights,” said Walker. “The bride chose hydrangeas, which showed up beautifully in the soft evening light. We put a theater-like marquee over the entrance to the tent. It was like being married in a fantasy world.”

• Coronado Cays Yacht Club

Jon Rogers and Jenny Moore made a surprise entrance via sailboat to their wedding at the Coronado Cays Yacht Club. It was a fitting arrival for the couple, who met under the mast. Jon, who has sailed competitively
for more than 15 years, is the Junior Sailing Program director at the Coronado Yacht Club. About four years ago, Jenny’s younger sister Betsy, who was taking sailing lessons from Jon, saw romantic potential for Jon and Jenny. At the time, Jenny, now an English teacher at Coronado High School, was spending a year in Kenya with “Teach for America.” Betsy wrote her sister: “You must meet this guy when you get back.” Betsy’s intuition proved correct, and it was love at first sail when Jon and Jenny finally met at a “Beer Can Race,” the summer race series sponsored by the Coronado Yacht Club.

The sight of Jenny walking down the grassy outdoor aisle in her mother’s 1960’s-vintage wedding dress had her father, Tom, blinking back tears. Daisies, embroidered throughout the gown, figured prominently in the wedding decorations, making for a simply beautiful bayside wedding.

Weddings at the Cays Yacht Club are open to the general public. The club hosts only one event per day so there is unfettered access to the site from 9 a.m. to midnight.

“Brides love the fact that their troops can get in so early for decorating and other preparations,” said Lou Militi, general manager.

• Charter Connection

What could be more romantic than tying the knot on board a luxury yacht? Coronado-based Charter
Connection offers a choice of 30 yachts and sailing vessels for an on-the-water San Diego Bay wedding.

“Our flagship yacht the Cher Amie (docked in Glorietta Bay) has a full-size professional galley so all food is prepared on board and served piping hot,” said Chris Canning, director of sales. “San Diego Harbor is so large and calm that seasickness is never a concern. Some couples even like to have casinos set up on board for their reception.”

Gambling? At a wedding? Well, it’s a safe bet that the lucky bride and groom will draw the king and queen of hearts! Charter Connection can also provide décor, disembarking of gifts, entertainment, narrators, and fireworks.

• Beaches, Parks and Golf Courses

Coronado offers many public venues for an outdoor ceremony or reception, including the beach and 18 parks. The gazebo in Spreckels Park and Centennial Park, where Orange Avenue meets the bay (the site of the original ferry boat dock), are the two most popular options, according to Sandy Goodson of Coronado Parks and Recreation.

A facility-use permit is required for 25 or more guests. Applications can be downloaded at the city’s website, www.coronado.ca.us. Also required are a $50 refundable cleaning deposit and a certificate of liability insurance, which may be purchased through the city for $90 or through a private insurance company. No alcohol or amplified music are allowed and reservations may be made from two weeks to six months in advance.

If you want that outdoor feel but want to play some loud music and enjoy a toast, a popular location is the Coronado Golf Course Clubhouse. A lovely banquet room with dance floor and patio is available for receptions. Dining options include a choice of appetizer stations or a buffet dinner.

• Going to the Chapel

Coronado is home to 13 churches, each with their own special features and traditions that contribute to the beauty and uniqueness of a wedding ceremony. Each church has different requirements, fees and available dates, so it is best to check with the church of your choice as soon as possible. Many churches require some form of premarital counseling.

Karen and Chris Finch, married July 5, 2002, chose Sacred Heart Catholic Church on the corner of Seventh and C for their wedding ceremony. As part of their marriage preparations, they were required to
go on a weekend retreat and to take a 200 question compatibility test.

“Chris and I really enjoyed solidifying the foundation for our marriage and the talks we had with Deacon Robert Griffin as we prepared for our wedding ceremony.” Karen’s uncle, Father Jim Kolb presided over the ceremony.

Afterwards it was off to the Del for the reception. “By being creative we were able to afford the Windsor Cottage,” says Karen. “We kept our guest list to 80 and had a luncheon reception on a Friday. With careful planning, it really is possible to have the wedding of your dreams.”

Wedding planners — Help for your special day

According to no less an authority than Martha Stewart, hiring a wedding consultant is not an indulgence. Having been the “mother of the bride” for each of her three daughters, Helen Walker could not agree more. She now shares the joy as owner of Coronado Weddings.

Walker decided to pursue a career as a wedding consultant in 1991, after her first daughter’s wedding and a move to Coronado. She wanted to enjoy her daughters’ weddings, rather than work at them, and figured other mothers did, too. In 1993, she established the first full-service Wedding Department at the Hotel Del Coronado and became its first wedding director. She left her Hotel Del office after two years to strike out on her own and coordinate weddings throughout San Diego. In the years since, she has assisted more than 500 couples in tying the knot, about half of them at the Hotel Del.

“Today’s brides are usually over the age of 28, working, sophisticated and well traveled,” Walker says. “But no matter how mature and successful the bride is, I still must pass muster with her mother.”

“One of the most important aspects of my job is to keep the flow of the ceremony and reception running smoothly. I also advise about issues of etiquette and protocol, which is becoming increasingly tricky with so many divorced families today. My favorite aspect of the job is planning the décor: table linens, centerpieces, party favors. But it’s not all fun and glamour. A large part of the job involves accounting and paperwork, reviewing vendor contracts and tracking budgets. Brides don’t like mistakes!” Another veteran Coronado wedding coordinator is Susanne Pelky, owner of Crown Weddings. Hailing from England, Pelky has been coordinating weddings since1998. She agrees that today’s brides are older and more
sophisticated than their nubile predecessors of yore.

“Many of my couples are not only planning a wedding, but are also in the process of buying a house. Talk about being high on the stress scale! They wouldn’t make it to the altar without a planner,” Pelky says.

The hard part of the job, Pelky says, is staying organized while coordinating 60 to 70 complex, unique weddings a year. It’s an occupational hazard, agrees wedding consultant and 40-year Coronado resident Joan Whalen.

“For a typical wedding, we start working a year in advance, which ends up generating over 100 hours of phone calls and e-mails back and forth between the couple and vendors,” Whalen explains. “Then on the day itself, I am looking at 13 hours on my feet. But I absolutely love it! It’s fun to be a part of such a wonderful time in a couple’s life.”

Whalen has focused on wedding coordination since 1993, but she owned and operated a catering business for 20 years. It is little wonder, then, that she most enjoys planning the menu and table arrangements for receptions.

Most romantic places to pop the question

Before you can start planning the wedding, you’ve got to get an affirmative to that all-important question: “Will you marry me?”

In Coronado Lifestyle’s January “Best of Coronado” issue, readers voted the beach as the most romantic place in Coronado to propose. Sitting by the tide pools, relaxing in the dunes or strolling along the sand as the sun sets over Point Loma, it’s easy to contemplate a lifetime together, as eternal as the ocean stretching before you.

At Chez Loma, one of Coronado’s most intimate and romantic restaurants, chef-owner Ken Irvine estimates that the restaurant sets the stage for eight to 10 engagements in a typical week.

“It’s really neat when we see a couple come back to celebrate the anniversary of their engagement,” he said.

The Gondola Company at Loews Coronado Bay Resort brings the art and tradition of Venice to San Diego Bay. The hour-long cruises in authentic, imported Venetian gondolas include Italian music playing softly in the background, an appetizer or dessert plate, ice bucket and wine glasses, plus a blanket in case it gets chilly. All you need to bring is the champagne and the ring!

“We have at least one engagement a week, although some Saturdays we have seen up to five engagements in a day,” says Sean Jamieson, co-owner of the business. “Usually the bride-to-be comes bouncing off the boat ready to show off that ring.”

Great Coronado Island Wedding links and resources.

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Reprinted with permission from Coronado Lifestyle, "the little magazine with the BIG impact."
For advertising or out-of-town subscriptions, call Kris Grant, publisher/editor, at 619-522-0900.