Travel Betty

To read about our three on-site wedding location experiences with the Monte Verde Inn, Forest House Lodge and Newcastle Wedding Gardens, see “Planning A Wedding In California’s Gold Country? Part I of IV” and “Planning A Wedding In California’s Gold Country? Part II of IV” and “Planning a Wedding In California’s Gold Country? Part III of IV” respectively. Otherwise, we continue on with our adventure.

Obviously there are tons of great locations in Grass Valley, Nevada City, Auburn and the rest of California Gold Country to host a gorgeous wedding. I just didn’t have the time, or frankly the desire, to spend tons of time visiting them all. The three we chose to visit matched our specific criteria and had availability for the dates we were thinking of holding our ceremony. But along the way, there were a few more I thought were quirky and cool:

Miner’s Foundry Cultural Center- This one happened to be booked for all of May 2008, so we didn’t even bother to stop in. But, on their website it looked really interesting and I felt it would make for a very memorable wedding.

Northern Queen Inn- This one has some sort of a connection to a railroad (and you can ride the train!), which I love and the grounds looked picturesque for photographs, but overall I was worried it looked too much like a theme hotel and not a sophisticated locale. Could be wrong though. We never saw it in person.

Stonehouse Restaurant- I really loved the building’s old stonework with this location. And it looks like maybe they technically HAVE had at least one wedding here. But, I was worried that it seem more like we were just getting married in a restaurant and I just want the day to have a little more impact and thoughtfulness. Would be great for a rehearsal dinner though.

If anyone has visited, or better yet, held their wedding at one of these locations, let us know in the comments section.

Gold Country Wedding Resources

Websites and information about weddings in Gold Country are a little scarce and scattered, but these should help get you started

Nevada County Wedding Guide
Nevada City Chamber of Commerce- Weddings
Wedding Event Guide- Nevada City & Grass Valley

Other Betties blogging about getting hitched:

Flaming Tulle- Planning the perfect wedding—without going down in flames.
Stupid Wedding Crap- Exploring the underbelly of the wedding industry.
True Bride Confessions- It’s time to lift the veil.
Indie Bride- A site for the independent-minded bride.
DIY Bride- Your wedding. Your way.
Eco-Chic Weddings- Simple sustainable style.