Marriages may be made in heaven but it is the venue that helps make your special day truly special and memorable for you and your guests.

Experts believe that the choice of the setting, especially one that fits in your budget and catches your combined fancies, is the most challenging decision of a wedding preparation.

Thankfully, California’s vast and varied geographical landscapes and cultural institutions offer a huge choice for varied styles, tastes, and budgets.

Before selecting a venue for your special day, make sure you do your homework, or work with your planner, to find out if the facility is a full service facility or not. Besides the rental fees, some places expect the patrons to choose a meal and beverage plan from their list of caterers.

Find out what is included in the rental fees, like the number of hours for the facility use, ceremony site and chair setup, linens, china, glassware, silverware, table-setting and complete serving staff. Some facilities might include services like the ceremony site and chair setup fee in their charges, but others might not.

From upscale hotels and splendid halls to magnificent mansions and winsome wineries - the options for exchanging one’s sacred vows are aplenty.

Besides chic hotels like the Westin, Palace Hotel, Ritz Carlton, Fairmont, Hilton LAX, and the Marriott, some other destinations for having your wedding ceremony or a reception include mansions, wineries, yachts and cruises, and acclaimed art galleries or museums.

In the past few years, galleries and museums have found a fresh niche as novel destinations to have a nuptial.
In San Francisco, you can choose amongst the majestic City Hall and the stunning Asian Art Museum or the contemporary Bently Reserve and the classy Design Center.

San Francisco City Hall is an elegantly restored historic landmark with versatile rooms. The City Hall Rotunda can accommodate up to 200 guests, and is available weekdays and up to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.

The Bently Reserve - a grand state-of-the-art facility — serves as a monument to San Francisco's vast architectural history. It combines contemporary San Francisco style with a cherished and colorful past.

“We can hold up to 400 for a wedding and/or reception. About 50 percent of our weddings are ethnic, and many are Indian or Persian. In the past, we have accommodated requests for the fire ceremony and for horses,” Vivian V. Perez, event and sales manager of the Bently Reserve, told India-West.

Similarly, the Asian Art Museum offers a glamorous ambiance that is perfect for weddings for up to 250 seated guests in its North or South Courts.

Recognizing the cultural pride of their patrons, many glamorous venues have begun accommodating the special cultural needs of Indian weddings. Rituals such as the loud and boisterous baraat arrival with a groom on a horse or an elephant, the sacred fire ceremony, service of Indian food, and a requirement for a longer time span for the festivities are being allowed on request.

For couples wishing to combine the charms of the historical with the natural, wineries are a viable alternative. Whilst the Testarosa in Los Gatos is good for small intimate gatherings, the Palm Event Center and Casa Real in Pleasanton can accommodate bigger numbers.

Wineries in Napa are also an attractive option. If you plan to hold your ceremony in Napa, you and your guests can lodge at the award-winning Chardonnay Lodge with boutique-style rooms. It is a quaint hotel with 19 individually decorated guest rooms and Italian-style touches great for a romantic or honeymoon getaway.

For aqua aficionados, cruise lines such as the Hornblower and others are a practical possibility. In the Bay Area, if you plan to have a ceremony on the ship, not only will you and your guests enjoy the spectacular scenic beauty of the San Francisco bay, but you also can take pleasure in the ethnic gastronomic delights (via New Delhi restaurant) and traditional ceremonies available.

The cruise line offers nautical settings for weddings sailing on the San Francisco Bay in San Francisco and Berkeley, as well as weddings at sea in San Diego, Newport Beach and Marina Del Rey.

The Hornblower Cruise line has a fleet of 25 private yachts and the big vessels can accommodate around 600 guests.
“I have planned several successful nautical weddings and as long as no one in the wedding party suffers from sea sickness, I recommend it as a great choice,” said Purvi Shah of Avant Planners. “Budgets are flexible in most venues.”

Having a wedding on a cruise is another departure from the ordinary, especially on a Masala Cruise. These are especially popular for Indian American weddings as they allow a combination of Indian and western facilities and services.

For those willing to spend big bucks on the venue, some of the many options include the Dolce’s Hayes Mansion in San Jose, the Ralston Hall Mansion in Belmont, and the Kohl Mansion in Burlingame or Palmdale Estates in Fremont.
The Ralston Hall Mansion can accommodate up to 200 guests seated for dinner and dancing. The mansion has a lovely garden area and a beautiful ballroom, and the first floor is elegantly furnished.

“We have an exclusive caterers list that our clients have to select from, though our patrons can bring in their own alcoholic and soft beverages,” said Karen Boquist-Gelineau and Denise Winkelstein, Ralston Hall Mansion event coordinators.

“We have had a number of Indian weddings at the mansion. The ceremonies have been both indoors and out. We do allow a fire pit for Indian weddings, including a small fire pit indoors for the ceremony.”

Similarly, Terri Baldocchi, director at the Kohl Mansion, said, “We can accommodate up to 300 guests, and the fire rituals are allowed inside under supervision. We have also hosted many Indian weddings outside on the lawns. On special requests, horses are permitted on the property and the Mandap and canopies are set up on the lawn.”

Palmdale Estates is a beautifully landscaped site featuring palm and other native California trees, verdant lawns, gardens and even a pond. In the midst is a Tudor-style mansion with delightful interiors. Built in 1915, the house reflects elegant, ornate detailing including graceful arched doorways, bas-relief ceiling moldings, crystal chandeliers, hand-painted murals and gleaming hardwood floors.

The main floor of the ‘Best House’ can accommodate a party of 200 indoors and 500 outdoors. “We have booked 25 Indian weddings for the upcoming season,” said Veena Roesler of Palmdale Estates. “We cater to our Indian clientele by offering a vast and varied array of Indian menus prepared in-house, permanent Mandap set-ups, an Indian DJ and permissions for fire ceremonies and horse carriages on the facility.”

Other wedding venues include the Pacific Hills Banquet Hall in southern California, which has successfully held many lavish Indian weddings; and the Anaheim Hills Golf Course Clubhouse, which looks out over green fairways and clear blue skies. The 30,000-square-foot Mediterranean style building is an elegant wedding venue and a departure from the norm.

Several Indian restaurants offer Indian food for weddings either at their own restaurants or for catering at other destinations. New Delhi restaurant in San Francisco, for example, has an exclusive arrangement with over 25 hotels and caterers.

“While the restaurant is suited for no more than 150 guests, we can cater to a party of 450 guests at varied venues,” said owner Ranjan Dey.

In spite of the current economic scenario, Dey does not think that the economic downturn will affect the upcoming Indian American marriage season.

“The wedding commemoration is a very vital cultural and social occurrence for the community for which the parents save for years,” asserted Dey. They have already booked 28 weddings for the upcoming season and six for 2010.