Hey there!

Looking to plan a bonfire next month- and I am looking for a great beach!

I am originally from Pasadena, and I want something that will be easy to commute from there... (OC is fine, but San Diego is too far sadly)

Thanks in advance!

Laguna, huntington and Newport are awesome! Love Sd but it's definitely too far. My favorite is at Laguna Niguel by the Ritz Carlton! So beautiful :o)

Well I'm partial to Huntington because I literally live across the street from the HB Pier. There are plenty of fire pits, and lots of activities in downtown HB.

I'm a little less familiar with Dockweiler Beach in Playa Del Rey (kind of near LAX) but that might be a closer option for you!

I did a bonfire for our rehersal dinner at dockweiler... its nice, less crowded than some of the other beaches. We had a good time! :)

thanks ladies! I have never heard of Dockweiler- I will check that out :)

youngbride - can you share the logistics of your beach rehearsal dinner? Im getting married at Cal Yacht Club which is very close to that beach and that was one of our ideas but i wasnt really sure how pratical it would be...did you have someone go ahead of time to save the space/fire pit? how many people did you have? what did you do for food? sorry so many questions, but I'd love to hear how you made it work esp since that was one of our ideas too...

beechdeeva- I do know that you can have someone stake out your spot or lay your items there early (we plan on checking into a local hotel, so we don't have to hang at the beach all day)

But you can look up bonfire foods for very cute portable foods. I plan on roasting weenies- but having a ton of 'gourmet' toppings to allow my people to choose from. We will have coolers of great drinks, bottled sangria with fruit and of course toasting marshmallows for s'mores at the end of the night :) hope that helps a bit.

But I would love to hear what young bride did too!!!

ajbevents - are youdoig this as your rehearsal dinner? or just as a fun beach day?

My only worry, is that I have about 60 family and friends (most form out of town) that will be attending the rehearsal dinner.. so the logistics of feeding everyone and making sure everyone has a great time gets tricky.

I'm just worried my grandma isnt going to have anywhere to sit at a bonfire...or one tiny fire pit for 60 people? Should I rent folding tables for the food and crap? Are folding tables allowed on the beach? AHH!! haha I'm just over analyzing this...

i'm going to look into this - but I love the idea of weenies and gormet toppings, as well as the sangria and smores!!

<3 thanks for your suggestions!

No this is just for a fun beach day- but maybe you can look into a nice hotel room with a balcony/view of the beach- that way Grandma has somewhere to head to when it gets to cool etc.

The folding tables- I don't think so- but why not just stop at Target/Walmart/Kmart to stock up on summer items. get the pretty plates with hawaiian prints- or purchase those cheapy foldable beach chairs, pretty towels and blankets and allow your guests to part with them after the dinner :)

I will think of what you can do for tables or flat surfaces- but there are a few things you can do just try and google it.

I would probably do two pits? But I HONESTLY don't know how big a fire pit ring is :( I'm no help in that department!

Let me know how it goes!