Surf and Sand Resort

By far The Surf & Sand had a ceremony view that we could not find anywhere else in OC. The terrace view was unsurpassed by any other venue we had talked to (and many did not want to talk to us due to the size). There are some quirky steps to their planning process: you cannot book your location until nine months before the wedding, they are not willing to shift or bend to ideas they are not comfortable with (square tables – oh the bane of my planning existence!), and are at many times completely and totally impossible to communicate with. Our catering manger was at times a nightmare to deal with. During the last three months of planning I could not seem to get a hold of her for anything if my life depended on it. My DOC set our final walkthrough and the catering manager called me an HOUR before hand to ask who was coming. I had to ask for my final paperwork (layouts, payments, finalized menu, etc) twice before she gave it to me. She neglected to wait until my final walkthrough to let me know that the final payment that was due 20 days prior had never made it (yet my parents had a signature confirmation from when they sent it a week prior to the due date). You want to infuriate a bride? Tell her thirteen days before her wedding that they haven’t received final payment and they need it today. There was a time span of 17 days between the time my final payment was due and final walk-through - ample time to let me know that payment had not been processed.

I did not find out until our wedding day (and I had asked multiple times!) that there was another wedding going on at the exact same time as ours on the upper terrace - both outdoors, literally two stories apart. Our reception rooms were stacked on top of each other so our guests mingled to use the restrooms. We ran into the other couple and their bridal party multiple times through out the day and there appeared to be no effort on the S&S’s party to negate that. The other bridal party was allowed to take pictures using my cocktail setup and the only reason they moved was one of my DOCs & friends said something (never mind I actually witnessed this while hiking back to my bridal suite before the ceremony). Their guests were frequently found before the wedding down by our reception area, hanging out at our tables, looking at our pictures, before either ceremony (theirs or ours) started. Weird? The personal favorite part was while my brother and DH were walking over to our ceremony site one of the lovely GMs from that wedding screamed at my husband to “shut the f--- up, you’re not getting married today.” Classy! Suddenly there was a shortage that day of candles (we had been promised 10 on each table, they provided three instead - Jennifer went out and bought more on her way up to the venue) & chilled champagne, wine, and beer to satisfy both weddings.

At our reception our DOCs really took over which is probably why it went a thousand times smoother. Have I mentioned I love these girls? The event manager (not the catering manager) kept our drinks full and went out and got us Red Bull for our cocktails for just the two of us since they do not normally stock their event bars with it. I had asked her to put together a to-go plate for our honeymoon suite since we got to eat very little… that never showed up to our room (which by the way, by the time we got up there, there was no longer room service so all we had was the booze and cake our DOCs put up there!).

By far the most interesting aspect of our reception was our sheer number of crashers from the other wedding. Apparently a large number of people spent all night peeking in, sitting at our tables, looking around, and getting on our dance floor. Our DOCs were in overdrive kicking people out while I don’t think the S&S figured it out… Our wedding had 32 guests. All of a sudden we had a lot more. Some had to be removed from our wedding multiple times by DOCs, family, and friends before they got the picture.

I would recommend the S&S for the view but I would highly, highly suggest to you get your own wedding planner for more than day of services to give you a helping hand through out the process. Their venue and catering managers, in my opinion, are only there to protect the interests of their hotel and little else.

I had my wedding reception at the Surf and Sand in Laguna Beach and it was a wonderful experience. It's a great place for weddings with 180 people or less and it is right on the beach, although there is no direct view of the ocean from the ballroom. Still, I thought it was a beautiful venue. Shannon, our catering manager, was extremely helpful, organized, and accommodated all of our requests. She did a great job setting up the wedding reception (along with some help from my day-of-wedding coordinator). The reception was set up just how I had imagined it and maybe even better! We had the italian buffet for our menu with roasted beef tenderloin and a seafood medley that were delicious. You should definitely do a tasting if you can because the food is so good, as well as the wine and the dessert. We got a lot of compliments on the food. One downside was that towards the end, they ran out of the main ingredients to the seafood medley and had to use smaller shrimp instead of the large shrimp and lobster they had in the beginning. But I still thought everything was great.

Some basics about the venue. You normally have to have the ceremony and the reception there, but since I planned my wedding 4 months beforehand and it was on a Sunday, they were willing to let me have the ceremony elsewhere (South Shores Church, another awesome site). Otherwise, the terrace where the ceremony takes place directly overlooks the ocean, which is awesome, but the site is a bit small for 170 people and you have to rent all the rooms on the terrace, which can be expensive. But if you're looking for a unique ceremony site, this may be the place for you. One plus about the site is that valet parking is only $6 per guest. You also get a conference room to get ready in the morning of the wedding, which is pretty spacious and you can leave all your items in the room till after the reception. Another plus, if your guests don't drink a lot of alcohol (which may be a rare thing), is that alcohol is paid per drink with a set limit. Our limit was $2000 for 170 guests and we just barely went under that. They also have bulk drinks you can buy per gallon (like mojitos, champagne punch, mint lemonade) to serve to your guests, which can save you some money. A hotel suite is included with the package and it was a beautiful room right on the beach. A nice surprise was the champagne and chocolate covered strawberries that were in the room waiting for us after the wedding (and rose petals arranged in a heart shape on the bed!).

Overall, I had a wonderful experience at The Surf and Sand and would highly recommend it to anyone.

Some recommendations for vendors if you're having your wedding there: Fusion Linens for chair covers, The Great Dane Baking Co for the cake, and Innes Photography.

The Surf and Sand exceeded our expectations. They were able to accommodate every one of my requests. When the girls and I checked in the night before the wedding there was champagne, cheese, and fruit waiting for us. We had someone waiting on our every whim throughout the weekend, and when Daniel, our banquet captain noticed we hadn’t eaten our food he arranged for us to get free room service in our room later that evening. When DH and I arrived at our room after the wedding there was champagne and chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us as well as rose petals decorating the room and bed. The venue was gorgeous, and we couldn’t have asked for anything better.

I am pleased that I chose the Surf and Sand for my ceremony and reception because of the views and locations. There is no location like it. The views are amazing and the guests were stunned by the sheer beauty of the ocean views.

That being said, I was slightly dismayed that one of the valet parkers was extremely rude (I don’t think he knew I was the bride)…..nonetheless, he seemed annoyed and I could only hope that he would have the day off on my wedding day.

About 2 months before my wedding the on site coordinator/catering manager left the hotel and was replaced. I could see this being an extremely difficult obstacle for most brides, but luckily I had hired Kerrie Underhill (Platinum Weddings by Kerrie) who took care of everything. 

The appetizers and main courses were delicious. However, the salad was very sub-par and my vegetarian dish was very oily and heavy (yuck!). The wait staff and bar staff insisted on carding everyone….including the best men who is 30 years old (and looks much older than 30)! Many guests were dismayed that they had to dig their wallets out and locate their ID’s in the middle of a toast (especially when nearly all of the guests were well above drinking age….aka those trying to obtain alcoholic beverages were well over 21). I understand the legal ramifications connected to ID checking but the S&S took it way over board……an incident which I believe hindered the good times of some guests. Very unfortunate. My brother (also a groomsmen) even had to run back to his hotel room to obtain his ID and ended up missing some of the reception. 

I believe that my wedding was incredibly amazing due to the fantastic vendors that I hired and the views that the S&S offered. I would recommend the S&S but advise brides to be aware of the incidents mentioned above. The S&S is a great site for your wedding event, but not much more. Be sure to hire great vendors and you shouldn’t have a problem.

The Surf & Sand Resort was awesome! Our wedding was there on Saturday, August 16, 2008 and it was perfect. The staff was helpful and Sandy did a fantastic job coordinating everything. I did not have to worry about all the little details and really got to enjoy the time. Overall, the service was beyond expectations. Plus, the view from the ceremony was beautiful. We really could not say enough good things about the Surf & Sand and highly recommend it to other couples looking for the perfect wedding venue.

Great hotel. Really nice ballrooms.