Searching for a unique spring wedding venue in Palm Springs? One great venue for the budget conscious is Moorten Botanical Garden on South Palm Canyon Drive. It is Palm Springs, so, as you might expect, this botanical garden features desert plants, including the world's first "Cactarium" boasting many rare types of cactus. I toured the botanical garden in the summer, and, yes, it was blazing hot. So, you might want to steer clear of the summer months, but, this venue would be perfect for a Spring or Fall Palm Springs wedding venue.

Normally, I'd have some photos to show you, but, for some reason, I can't find the memory card they're on, which must mean my own memory card isn't tip top, but, when I find it I'll post the photos.

For weddings, Moorten's features several nice touches, such as a bride's dressing room in the "Cactus Castle," a mission bell which rings to start the ceremony, and a staircase from where the bride and her attendants descend. Guests are seated facing a large rock waterfall.

Rental fees for a ceremony at Moorten Botanical Garden are pretty reasonable, starting at $400 for two to 25 guests, on up to $700 for 76 to 100 guests. Extras include receptions for $200 per hour, as well as an arch, canopy and floral bouquets for additional fees. Just FYI, no alcohol is permitted, and you do have to find your own officiant.

For more info on having your wedding at Moorten Botanical Garden, you can visit their site at moortengarden.com.

For more info on wedding venues in California, go to our page on wedding venues in California

We've added some fabulous ideas for Indiana Wedding Venues on our website recently, including several Indiana barn wedding venues, including:

• The Barn at County Line Orchard
• Conner Prairie
• The Red Barn Experience

We also highlight a couple fabulous resorts, the Lumiere Resort and the French Lick Resort, which are both outstanding venues for a dream destination wedding. The Lumiere Resort features gardens, two lakes and a waterfall, while the French Lick Resort and West Baden Springs Hotel feature mineral springs and carriage rides.

So, if you're needing suggestions on wedding venues in Indiana, do visit our web page: Indiana wedding venues.

Be sure to visit our webpage on Oklahoma wedding venues when searching for that perfect "I do" spot in Oklahoma. One of the venues we feature is The Mayo Hotel, which is located in Tulsa. The Mayo is one of those riches to rags to riches stories. Once a premiere luxury hotel in Tulsa, then empty for 30 years, The Mayo is once again one of THE venues to say "I do." Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Mayo offers many different wedding venues, including The Crystal Ballroom, with floor to ceiling windows providing a spectacular view of the Arkansas River. The Crystal Ballroom takes up the entire 16th floor and can accommodate up to 300 guests.

For those putting on smaller, more intimate weddings, you may want to consider The Mayo Museum, which can accommodate up to 75 guests. You can go to themayohotel.com for more details.

Below is a YouTube video to give you an idea of what The Mayo has to offer.

Show of hands. Who would like a tropical island wedding? I would bet there are a lot of brides with their hands up right now. And, why not? The blue skies, the ocean breezes, the beautiful beach stretching endlessly into the horizon. Everything about it screams "romance."

There are many good reasons to have a tropical wedding. They include:

• Perfect, romantic backdrop for your wedding photos
• Often many of the tropical resorts offer a free wedding ceremony if you stay a certain number of nights for your honeymoon.
• If you don't want a large wedding, it's perfect. Not that many people can spend the money to attend your wedding!

But, before you say "I do" to a tropical wedding, it's also good to examine the whole picture. That's right, there are some reasons you may not want to have a tropical wedding. That's why we've added a page to our website on the pros and cons of having a tropical wedding. Check it out!

Want a fabulous Ohio beach wedding venue? Consider the Firefly Beach Resort on the shores of Lake Erie in Huron, Ohio. The resort boasts over 5 acres, with vintage summer cabins, a private sandy beach and their on-site Erie Kai Tavern. For weddings, the resorts offer couples sites at the water's edge, or on their lawn which overlooks Lake Erie. As an added bonus, you get both summer sunrises and sunsets over the water, which can make for some fabulous wedding photos.

Rentals for weddings include:

• Covered pavilion
• Over 3 acres of lawn and shaded area
• Private sandy beach
• Onsite parking
• Additional location above the beach

As mentioned, they do have some cute cabins for honeymooning and for guests who wish to stay. There are also spots for RVs available. For more info, do go to their website at fireflybeach.com.

And, for more Ohio wedding venues, do go to our website page - Ohio wedding venues

As I'm sure you all know, the New York legislature recently legalized same-sex marriage in New York State. Well, it's about time! And, as you might expect, there will probably be many wedding venues and companies coming out with some great wedding deals in the coming weeks. But, why wait? Danfords Hotel & Marina in Port Jefferson, New York has announced a 10% discount on their Complete Wedding package for any wedding booked before September 1, 2011. This package includes:

• a 1-hour cocktail hour buffet with passed hors d'oeuvreschampagne toast to start the reception
• a four-course dinner
• personalized wedding cake
• a five-hour premium open bar starting at $79.00 per person

Do note that this special is not applicable to weddings that have been previously booked.

Danfords Hotel & Marina is an 86-room boutique hotel which overlooks the Long Island Sound, boasting panoramic water views and the distinction of being name "Best Hotel" by the Long Island Press.

In related news, a gay wedding expo, put on by RainbowWeddingNetwork.com, will be held on Saturday August 6, 2011 from 12:00-5:00pm at Gotham Hall on Broadway. Over 50 local wedding-related exhibitors will participate.

And, in more related news, actor Neil Patrick Harris and his partner, David Burtka, announced they are planning to wed in New York, following the passage of marriage equality in the New York State Senate. Congratulations, guys!

If you're looking to cut costs for your reception, you may want to consider one of the following fun reception alternatives.

The Picnic Reception: The picnic reception is perfect for spring, summer or fall weddings. Not only do you get the party outdoors, but the type of food served will typically be cheaper than a traditional sit-down dinner or buffet. You can have it catered, or, if you want to save even more money, cook the food yourself beforehand.

Barbeque Reception: What’s more down-to-earth than a barbeque? Again, you could hire caterers or have a family member or friend doing the cooking for you. Let everyone know ahead of time so guests can dress appropriately.

Cocktail Reception: Drinks and a few light snacks would be the only items served here. Again, mention it ahead of time so your guests don't come anticipating a meal.

Champagne and Cake Reception: Champagne and cake is very classy, and also makes a cheaper reception than a full meal. If you would rather not throw a traditional reception don’t have to. The rules or traditions which govern such things aren’t as stringent as they used to be.

The important thing to remember when planning your reception is that it's YOUR wedding reception. And your money. Don't let the pressure force you into providing a party you can't really afford.

Want a great destination wedding, but want it on the cheap? Remember, it is possible to have affordable destination weddings without leaving your own country. While Mexico, the Caribbean or Fiji are fabulous destination wedding locations, you can also have spectacular destination weddings closer to home. You could just go to the coast or to a lakeside or mountain setting within a few hours' drive from where you live. This makes travel cheaper for you and most of your guests.

Perhaps you're fortunate enough to have a national park nearby. The natural beauty of the surroundings can make an amazing setting for affordable destination weddings, as well as add a stunning backdrop for all your wedding photos.

Not all national parks allow weddings, but many do. The Chapel in Yosemite National Park is probably one of the best wedding locations in a national park. Surrounded by spectacular cliffs, along with a great view of Yosemite Falls, the historic chapel can accommodate approximately 125 people, and features an organ and baby grand piano. 

Other well known parks that will accommodate affordable destination weddings include

• Grand Teton (Wyoming)
• Glacier (Montana)
• Great Smoky Mountains (Tennessee/North Carolina)

All of these parks offer a chapel and/or reception facilities. Many other parks may have chapels or lodges or allow you to get married in certain areas of the park. You will probably need a special use permit that you can get from the park. Of course, you will also need a marriage license for the state where the national park is located.

While there are many plusses to having your wedding in a national park, the downside is that you will probably have to keep it small, as there are likely to be restrictions on the number of cars and the number of guests that you can have. And, also remember that you won't have exclusive use of the park. There will be tourists and other visitors around. Of course, if you have your wedding in a chapel in the park, you will have that all to yourselves.

While researching some fabulous spots for our weddings in Mexico sister site, I spotted this fabulous video highlighting the Barcelo Resort in Riviera Maya. The shot of the wedding gazebo and couples massage and spa rooms are simple gorgeous.

Barcelo Resorts has several venues throughout Mexico, including:

• Cancun
• Ixtapa
• Los Cabos
• Manzanillo
• Puerto Vallarta

We feature some of these resorts on our web page and new site devoted to Mexico Weddings, Weddings in Mexico.

Anyway, check out our page and this video.

 

Wondering what Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding would look like if they were legos? The following YouTube video was shot in Legoland Windsor, where there is a mini display set up of what the Royal Wedding might look like:



For those who want to watch the Royal wedding, it is scheduled to start at 11AM BST, or 6AM on the East Coast U.S. and 3AM on the West Coast U.S. But, there will be coverage starting before that on all the network and cable news channels.

For those of you wanting to celebrate the Royal Wedding in style, the Betty Crocker website has some ideas for you. It's loaded with recipes for your wedding parties, with such royal delicacies as:

• bangers and mash hand pies
• Union Jack fruit pizza
• mini buckle berry pies
• pink castle cake
• royal blue cocktails

Betty Crocker also has a recipe for "Prince William’s Chocolate Biscuit Cake." Apparently William is breaking tradition by having a groom's cake at the wedding - a chocolate biscuit cake. So, you can get the Betty Crocker version, a no-bake cake made by breaking up British biscuits into small pieces, then tossing ghem in a mixture of dark chocolate, cream and butter. You can get all the recipes by going to www.bettycrocker.com/menus-holidays-parties/parties-and-get-togethers/weddings/royal-wedding

What cake have the royal couple chosen as their Royal Wedding Cake? A multilayered fruit cake with a floral design. Oh...okay. I'm sure it will be much better than the fruit cakes I grew up with every Christmas.