Throughout its history, California has attracted those with an entrepreneurial spirit. Rumors flourished during the Gold Rush about a California that sparkled, featuring streets lined with gold. Even during the Great Depression people looked to California as a place bursting with opportunity and the renewal of life. This entrepreneurial spirit survives today in California's residents and fuels charm that is unique to the state. Endless possibilities still remain for those with a lust for adventure and a few creative ideas. This California weddings guide will provide those who wish to wed in a magnificent manner with the tips and tools to embrace California's breathtaking scenery and potential.
California Weddings By Region
There are three distinct regions of California, each with its own key attractions and secrets hidaways. Weddings in Southern California boast of a star-studded guest list; but even if you don't have a few movie stars among your friends, you'll definitely have the feeling of being on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as you walk down the aisle. If you're opting for a more humble setting, Southern California's Spanish Missions will sweep your guests off into another time when friends and family arrived at a pastoral mission by horseback bearing gifts of grains, fruits, and flowers.California's twenty-one remaining missions stretch all the way into the San Francisco Bay Area, the second major region of California, which offers not only the monumental Golden Gate bridge as a background to your wedding pictures, but also the hidden hills of the Napa wine country. Whether you chose to hold your wedding against the backdrop of 100-year-old Victorian mansions or decide to gallivant through the whispering wine country of Napa and Sonoma, Central California and the Bay Area inspire an outlook of abundance and splendor for years to come.
While Napa's golden, rolling hills covered in lush vineyards seem to stretch on forever, they are soon met with the mighty presence of the state's national forests, from Yosemite's famed granite heights to misty redwood forests along the Northern California Coast. Scenery along the four-hundred-mile-long range of the Sierra Nevada mountains flourishes with ancient groves of giant sequoias and eventually plunges into the Pacific Coast Ranges, filled with precious stands of towering redwood trees. If you wish to add a natural sense of magic to your wedding backdrop, embrace the captivating morning mists of Northern California's redwood forests. Delicate vapors float longingly through huge pillars of old-growth redwoods, creating a soft glow behind a solid-wood frame, symbolizing your undying commitment to each other. This ethereal outdoor church also doubles as a honeymoon hot spot where you can relax along wild, winding rivers when you stay the night in a grand Victorian hotel, where you can listen to soft breezes sweeping through the trees as you gaze out into a star-filled night.
Spanish Missions, lush vineyards, the Golden Gate bridge, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, ancient redwoods, and sparkling world-class cities are just the highlights of a state so vast and varied that the possibilities for your California wedding are truly unlimited. This diverse state has a setting to accommodate any mood, character or style, allowing you to plan a wedding that is all your own.