Andrea & Joe's Romantic Wedding at Rio Hondo

Spring days in Southern California consist of lush greenery, gorgeous florals, and amazing weather, all of which made Andrea and Joe's wedding day at Rio Hondo by Wedgewood Weddings one to remember. The pair decided to plan their wedding from 3,000 miles away within a span of four months while Andrea completed her Master's Degree at Columbia University. After hearing about their planning experience and seeing the amazing event unfold, we wanted to share insights and ideas from the couple themselves!

When Joe and Andrea began their search for a wedding venue in California, they knew that their distance would play a factor, and that was true for many venues that they came across. The quick turnaround to plan their wedding, plus the 3,000 miles of separation, proved a circumstance that many other venue operators couldn't keep up with. As they started searching they found that many venues either didn't have a date available or they weren't willing to work with Andrea & Joe's schedules... that was until they found the team at Rio Hondo by Wedgewood Weddings.

In addition to the consideration of distance, the team was able to accommodate the busy schedule that Andrea was keeping to finish her degree. Their planner, Roe, kept in contact with them with regular planning calls and emails, providing peace of mind that all of the details were being handled. Andrea commented that "The team really took care of a lot of things and they would just have these checklists and these catch-up calls. It was exactly what I needed."

We also spoke with Roe Kerns, Event Expert at Rio Hondo by Wedgewood Weddings, and Andrea and Joe's wedding day planner about how her experience went when planning their wedding from a distance.

Since Andrea and Joe planned their wedding from New York, how was it to plan a wedding with them compared to other local couples?

The biggest difference was turning everything into virtual appointments, and making sure to always account for the time difference. His family was local to the area, so at the venue tour we offered for his family to come and take a look at the venue. It is always helpful for out-of-state couples to have someone close to them come to see the venue for themselves. We adjusted to Zoom meetings instead of in person, of course, and utilized screen sharing and lots of picture references to make sure they were still getting the full experience that our local couples do. All of our vendors worked with them as well, converting all appointments into virtual appointments or scheduling around times when they were visiting California.

Your checklists were a huge help for Andrea & Joe while planning their wedding. could you explain what those include?

In our Wedding Planner, we provide checklists for different parts of the planning process. There is an overall wedding timeline that is super helpful to couples. This is important because there are so many timelines you can find online, but ours is specific to planning with Wedgewood Weddings so that couples have a true understanding of what they need to do. It makes everything more personalized, instead of giving them generic information that may or may not pertain to them. We also provide meeting checklists for the appointments we have together. The final meeting checklist, for example, gives a rundown of everything the couple will need to have prepared for their last appointment with us so they have a clear understanding of how their wedding day will go. We also provide worksheets for their visits with the bakery and florist, so that they can organize their thoughts for their consultations with them.

Andrea and Joe had a quick turnaround with their wedding of only 5 months, what type of advice would you give to couples planning a wedding in such a short span of time?

Book with Wedgewood Weddings! What was great about this couple is they choose our Elite package and used ALL of our vendors, including photography. So, once they signed on with us, they had a baker, florist, photographer, officiant, food, beverage, and a venue, all in one place. Once you book with us, you are booked with your vendors, and all you have left is scheduling a consultation to finalize your designs. So, they booked with plenty of time to get everything done. I also recommend taking full advantage of the wedding guide. It takes you step by step through the planning process and even covers things you need to do outside of Wedgewood Weddings.

It looks like those meetings and checklists certainly paid off because Andrea and Joe's late Spring wedding came together seamlessly and was beautifully complimented by hues of pink, orange, and cream against the gold and green tones that surrounded them at Rio Hondo's picturesque golf club. From the rolling green hills to the towering trees and scenic waterfall, Rio Hondo provided the ultimate romantic garden ceremony. Afterward, they made their way to the dance floor with a sparkler grand entrance in the stately and modern grand hall. Surrounded by their closest friends and family, Andrea and Joe could celebrate their first moments as husband and wife.

As Joe stated, "everything was coordinated really well," and it made all the difference when it came to how Andrea and Joe were able to celebrate their day. With support before, during, and after the wedding, they were able to take in all of the best moments and enjoy their wedding day. Thank you so much Andrea and Joe for choosing Rio Hondo by Wedgewood Weddings to celebrate your amazing day. We're so happy to hear that you had such a memorable experience.

If you'd like to take your own free tour of Rio Hondo or any of our other amazing properties, call or text us now at 866.966.3009. Our event experts can help you find the right wedding venue for you and will be with you every step of the way.

Thank you to our amazing vendors!

DJ: Lil Cesar
Bakery: Whisk'd Away
Florals: Events by Floral Sensations
Photography: Leah Marie Photography
Videography: The Studio by Leah Marie
Photobooth: L.A. Photobooth Experts