The perfect weekend wedding location

The perfect weekend wedding location

Before we found Leonard Lake, we searched for the perfect spot. And when I say searched - I was a GOOGLE MACHINE!

What did a perfect spot mean?

- we could host accommodations for everyone (the economy hit people hard - we didn't want anyone to have to forgo being part of our event because of their financial situation)

- people could cook their own food (we knew we couldn't afford catering for more than one meal)

- my grandmother would be willing to stay there (she has high standards)

- it was natural and beautiful (so we could have an outdoor ceremony and didn't need too much decor)

- there was a place to swim

- it was less than $6,000 to rent the entire place for two nights (including accommodations). Our budget was REALLY tight. We didn't want to spend more than 10,000 TOTAL (including EVERYTHING).

One of the things that was impossible to find when I was looking for our location was a single location for ideas of places to stay.

Here's a list of where we looked (we're in Northern California).

We were seriously considering

Dawn Ranch Lodge
This ended up being way too expensive for us. Also there was no cooking option for our guests.

Rancho Cicada Retreat
We never actually went to see it, but there was a max of 60 people that could stay and we had about 80 on our guest list (though we ended up with only 60 people staying anyway). It could have been within our price range though. The housing was also a little rustic, but I think there is a B&B nearby that some people can stay at.

Trinity Mountain Resort
I've seen a ton of great weddings here on indiebride. This site would have been perfect as well, but the price was just too high. They really seem to cater to whatever you want - looks like a dream.

Camp Gualala
This would have been VERY affordable (and I went to 6th grade camp here a million years ago), but no alcohol is allowed - so it counted that out. They would prepare food for you for very cheap here as well (or you could just use the kitchen).

We ended up going with the perfect, wonderful, amazing Leonard Lake Reserve

It fit all of our criteria. It's not perfect for everyone (the 9 miles dirt road that crosses a creek as one example), but it was perfect for us.

There were more (I'll keep posting and at some point have a map and chart with all of them there), but these were my top choices.

If you have another site you were looking at, let me know and I'll post it here!

Edited to add:
After seeing this wedding on Southern Weddings Magazine blog, it looks like Nestledown would be a great place for a Homegrown Wedding.

Edite to add:
In a search for a perfect little mini-vacation spot, I found this...seems like a great spot for a homegrown wedding:
http://www.creeksideinn.com/blog/