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about Brookside Farm, San Diego Wedding Location
SAN DIEGO BRIDE AND GROOM MAGAZINE
Fall/Winter 2002
Text of above San Diego Bride and Groom article:
An Intimate Country
Wedding with Rustic Charm
Rachel Kenyon's dream for her wedding had always been to be
surrounded by nature in a rustic yet elegant setting. "I'm
a bit of a country girl," says 28-year-old Rachel, a
second grade teacher, "so I wanted an outdoor wedding
with rustic charm although my vision was to have a classy
affair, too."
Her wedding to Anthony Finney on April 8, 2001, took place
at Brookside Farm in Dulzura, a small town about 40 minutes
southeast of San Diego. The location fit the bride's requirements
perfectly. "I liked the location because it was a rural
setting not too far from San Diego," remarks Rachel.
"The property, centered around a large, refurbished farmhouse
and included a series of shaded terraces flanked by oak trees
and colorful flowers with a stream running by."
Three-tiered Patio
Setting
She adds that another factor in her decision was the size
of the location. "I preferred to have my wedding at an
intimate setting where our 75 guests could mingle in close
proximity to each other rather than a large, spread-out affair,"
explains Rachel. "The three-tiered patio accommodated
both our ceremony and reception. During the ceremony, guests
sat on the lower patio facing the babbling brook and raised
ivy-covered archway and platform. Then, during the reception,
the lower level was quickly transformed into the dance floor,
and the upper levels were set for the reception buffet."
The Rancho San Diego couple started planning their wedding
in December 2000. "Since I proposed in October 2000,
and Rachel wanted a spring wedding, we didn't have a lot of
time to plan," says 32-year-old Anthony, an auto shop
owner. "But Rachel pulled most of the details together
during her holiday vacation from school."
Self-written Vows
For the 1 p.m. ceremony, Rachel and Anthony wrote their own
vows. "This is something I recommend for everyone,"
advises Rachel. "The ceremony represents what's important,
why you're there. Take the time to plan the ceremony and make
it unique to the two of you so it will be something that you
will remember."
Instead of the traditional bridal processional music typically
played at weddings, Rachel walked down the aisle to the country
song "Amazed" by Lone Star. This brought tears to
the groom's eyes.
Luncheon Buffet
The ceremony was followed by a cocktail hour during which
time the couple's photos were taken on the property's garden
paths. After the cocktail hour, a luncheon buffet was set
up on the site's top two patio tiers overlooking the dance
floor.
An old-fashioned wagon with big red wheels served as an interesting
display for the fruit and vegetable crudites and chocolate
fondue. The Old West-style bar added to the wedding's rustic
charm.
"For the wedding's colors, I selected a country look
with an accent of royal blue to fit the natural environment,"
states Rachel. "My bridesmaids' dresses were royal blue.
In keeping with the rustic feeling, we placed galvanized cutout
oil lamps on some tables, and pretty glass lamps with blue
oil on other tables. To further enhance lighting, we rented
old-fashioned lamp-posts draped in ivy which added a touch
of elegance to our intimate setting."
Wild Flowers with Blue
Accents
Centerpieces consisted of heart-shaped topiaries in clay pots
that were covered in ivy and decorated with tiny rosebuds
and little white doves. Around the base of each centerpiece
were arrays of wild flowers with accents of blue. All bridal
bouquets also included wild flowers with accents of blue,
and the wedding archway was adorned with wild flowers and
greenery.
For her wedding favors, Rachel ordered Lindor truffles in
bulk over the Internet that were placed on the reception tables.
In addition, she made her own invitations at home using her
color printer. "I think the invitations were just as
nice as if professionally printed," says Rachel. "I
chose a floral design with a spring, outdoors theme. It was
definitely worth the extra time it took to create these myself."
Something that made Anthony's and Rachel's wedding even more
special was to be able to share their joy by knowing that
the proceeds of the location rental funded a charity. "This
was a nice surprise to learn that Brookside Farm gives 100%
of the facility rental costs to a charity providing humanitarian
works in 50 countries around the world," remarks Rachel.
Some Wedding Advice
The bride offers her own advice to couples planning their
weddings. "It's possible to plan the wedding of your
dreams within your budget in just a matter of months if you
have the time to invest," says Rachel. "I was lucky
that I had a month off from work to focus on planning the
wedding.
"To reduce your costs, shop yourself for such items as
centerpieces, favors and room decorations. In addition, plan
your wedding for a day other than Saturday. Many of your costs
will be lower, and you'll benefit from greater flexibility
from vendors.”
San Diego Bride & Groom is copyright 2001
by K&K Publications, Inc.
Brookside Farm is operated by Family
Care Foundation.
All proceeds from weddings support the charity work of Family Care Foundation, as do car donations. Click here to make a car donation, truck donation, RV donation or boat donation to Donate Car to Charity
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