Autry National Center

We just had our wedding reception at the Autry National Center in Griffith Park. It was fantastic. We had never been to the museum before we went for the tour, and when we got there we were both struck by how beautiful and fun it is. It houses a great collection, from amazing paintings and costumes to more "Disney-type" attractions like the Wyatt Earp shoot-out or a classic stagecoach that you can climb on. We had a number of guests coming in from the East Coast, so we were also proud to expose them to a little bit of the spirit of the west, Hollywood-style.

The location did not disappoint. The food, provided by Cheers Catering (they do all of the catering for the museum events), was amazing. We'd both wanted a non-traditional menu, something besides the filet mignon and salmon you get at most weddings. We offered our guests quesadillas, BBQ beef sandwiches and chinese chicken noodle salad. It was all delicious and everyone raved about the food. The best part was that the groom and I actually got to eat at our own wedding because everytime we turned around, there was a server to bring us whatever food we wanted.

The caterer, Carolyn Baer at Cheers, was efficient and flexible and didn't mind when I kept changing the order of events or changing the menu. We started with just a dinner and ended up adding cocktails and appetizers. The location manager, Wendy Esensten, was friendly and accommodating, and threw in a couple of unexpected perks for us as well.

All of our guests loved the museum and someone even commented that it had seemed like a $50,000 wedding, when in reality it cost just a fraction of that.

One big advantage of doing it at the museum as well is that I didn't have to plan any decorating except for the centerpieces and the colors of the table linen. The space and art is beautiful, so you don't have to dress it up at all. Another fantastic thing is that they keep the galleries open so guests can browse through them. We were lucky anough to have the Gene Autry Centennial Exhibition there which incorporated some cool Hollywood western memorabilia into the mix. In addition, there's a ton of parking, a beautiful courtyard, and all the beauty of Griffith Park to greet your guests on their way in. I would highly recommend the Autry National Center.