wedding receptions

The Clubhouse and serene surroundings offer a beautiful setting for that special day. We have hosted hundreds of weddings, each special and unique.

No matter where you have your reception, we would like to offer the following guide to making your wedding day that of your dreams.

selecting a facility

Selecting your location for your wedding is the thing you should do after you get engaged and right before you set a date. Don't make the mistake, as so many do, of sending out a "save the date" note only to find the ideal locations have been booked already.

Here at the Clubhouse, there is no deposit required to have your name "penciled in" on a particular date and time in the future. For peace of mind, you may choose to offer a deposit only when you are certain the Clubhouse is right for you. If not, as a tentative date approaches, and if we have requests for the same date and time, you will be notified that a deposit should be applied to set your reservation in stone.

picking the month

One of the first things to consider is the month in which to get married. 

June

June is the most popular month in which to marry. It also means that competition for facilities is at the highest. Since the San Diego area is practically in a perpetual summer all year long, there is no functional need to focus on June as your wedding month.

July, August and September

The longest days of the year, with warm evenings. This is an ideal time to enjoy patios as part of your reception.  Surround patio walls with votive candles and place your DJ or band under a trellis behind a dance floor.  Children are out of school during most of this time, so expect more out of town guests to say “yes.”  This also means invitations need to go out a little early before summer vacation plans are firmed up.

October, November and December

There are numerous good reasons to consider getting married late in the year in San Diego. The weather is mild and tourists are at a minimum. This makes travel for out-of-town guests easier.  Depending on where they live, they may appreciate the early break from winter to join you on your special day.

January, February and March

The coolest days of San Diego; but still not sweater weather.  If it is going to rain, this would be the time, so best to plan on indoors for the reception and utilize patios as a bonus should the weather cooperate (it usually does in San Diego).

Guests coming from the East Coast or the Midwest at this time of year will remember your wedding “warmly.”

April and May

Spring in San Diego, boasts the same weather as June, but with the advantage of yours being the first wedding of the season.

picking the day of the week

If you will have people and families traveling in from far and wide, Saturday is the time honored day to help by giving them a little extra time to navigate the airports and get settled into a hotel.  Even better is late Saturday afternoon or evening. 

Friday evening is a great time for a wedding reception.  If it works for out-of-town guests to arrive a day early, both you and they are left with the entire weekend to enjoy in San Diego.  Since most people get married on a Saturday, you’ll see fewer limos driving around, perhaps making your wedding just that much more special.

If you just need a small wedding with a few guests, Sunday evening is a pleasant alternative to competing with the Saturday crowd.   

Having your service in the late afternoon allows for the reception to land right on time at the dinner hour, rather than some traditional weddings in which food is served at an odd hour of the day.

sit-down, buffet or appetizers?

The formality of a wedding is not driven by these three choices, as any service format may be made casual or elegant, depending upon your needs and how the room is dressed and decorated.

Each has its advantages and disadvantages, as discussed below.

sit-down meal

In general, sit-down wedding meals cost more per person, and you choose the choice of dishes to be served your guests.  This entrée choice is often meat or fowl, or meat or fish.   There are side dishes plated with the entrées. Your guests remain seated as starter salads, main courses and cakes are served. 

The number of each entrée needed is determined by putting the choices on your wedding invitations’ RSVP card.  As the RSVPs are collected, you keep track of what each guest wants, and place the name of the entrée or symbol on their table card, in addition to informing the chef of your “count” at least one week prior to the wedding.

buffet meal

If you would like to skip the work and expense of a sit-down meal, another option is a buffet format.  In a classic buffet, tables are set out in a row, and dishes of your choice are lined up along the row.  Your guests take a plate at the beginning of the row, and add what they please to their plate as they move along the row.

Buffets have a fundamental advantage from your guests’ standpoint, as they are not so much at the mercy of someone else’s food selections.  On the buffet line, a guest may choose to have extra of a favorite food, and perhaps none of another.  They are always free to come up to the buffet additional times to sample things they missed.

The downside of buffets is, of course, the line that forms.  Even double-sided lines are unsightly at celebrations and cause your guests to wait.

We mitigate the line problem here at the Clubhouse by breaking the traditional buffet into multiple and even duplicate stations spread out in a roomy area, such as under our patio trellis.  Plates for the buffet are located on a large center table.  In this format, guests quickly pick up a plate and move to available stations to make their selections.  For some entrées, the Chef or a Sous Chef is on hand to assist the guests.  We have timed this buffet format, nicknamed "the beehive buffet' by our staff, and it is fast; it is even faster than sit-down service.

appetizers

A new and increasingly popular format that breaks some traditions in a positive way.  Picture your wedding as the dressiest cocktail reception possible.  Tall belly tables are placed around the room, with large tables and chairs in other areas. The appetizers are readied as your wedding ceremony concludes.

Following your ceremony, your guests are free to proceed directly to the Clubhouse, leaving you free to work with the photographer.   As your guests arrive, they are greeted with drinks and passed hors d’oeuvres, carving stations, and appetizer displays.  Upon your arrival at the Clubhouse, your DJ is cued to interrupt his selection and play a favorite or chosen song and then to announce your entrance.  You then join your guests and mingle as a couple at your leisure.  Appetizers are replenished throughout the event. A champagne toast is preformed at some point after servers have passed glasses out to all the guests.

This delightful straying from the tradition of leaving your guests waiting for you with little or nothing to eat, drink or do is surprisingly economical, costing no more than a buffet dinner would.  We count this style reception among the most memorable, and so will your guests.

beverage service

In this area there is really only one right way, and that is your way. This is your wedding, and you may serve the beer, wine and spirits of your choice.  What you serve however, must be free to your guests.  An open full bar could cost up to and over $20 per head when tallied after the reception; and you may choose to do just that. 

A perfectly reasonable alternative is to offer wine and beer only.  Perhaps pass a red and a white, and have a small but thoughtful beer selection in a self service ice table. 

Unless you are utilizing the entire Clubhouse, we will maintain a public cash bar at the far end of our dining room which will be available to your guests who can’t live without some special elixir.  In addition, you may choose to run a tab for friends and family at the bar. 

There is any number of combinations for beverage service.

additional comments

Shop wisely for decorators, photographers and cake makers.  Use the internet to compare prices and check references. 

We have observed too much money going out for items that don’t add proportionally to your special day.

Our staff and management will provide you all the free advice you need to make the most of your wedding budget.