Anyone who knows us well enough, knows that our favorite place in the entire world to go on vacation, destress, and take a break from being Phoenix wedding photographers is Hawaii. Specifically, the island of Kauai.  We have so many special memories there….even plans (crossing our fingers) for a house there some day.  When selecting the location for our wedding we seriously considered Hawaii. In fact, we had always said that when we got married for real we would get married in Hawaii. However, it was also very important to us to have our kids be a part of our day. Realistically, flying a family of 6 to Hawaii and funding everything after was insane.  So we chose our next favorite place to go on vacation and destress; somewhere close enough we could drive there in a day; somewhere where we can hear the sound of the ocean….Laguna Beach, CA.

Gorgeous, right? Well, that was that and the search began for a venue that wasn’t like any other venue. In case you missed it, we are Phoenix wedding photographers! Hi, nice to meet you. HAHA. We go to weddings just about every weekend many of which the venues are very similar in nature. We weren’t looking for the average Phoenix venue. That’s half the reason why we decided to hold this whole shabang at the beach. As soon as we decided on Laguna, Renee being the avid planner that she is, hit the Google search bar and did her planning thing. I think within 24 hours she showed me Hotel Seven 4 One. I took one look and said, “Yep! … How much?!” Those are the words we hear from all of our couples upon first discussing their wedding and here we are, the tables have turned. We are crunching numbers, looking at all sorts of vendors, and trying to pull off the wedding of the century (that’s every bride’s goal right? plan, design, and think up the most unique and memorable wedding… ever!). As many of you know, “amazing” “memorable” “unique” etc often come with a price tag. So, there I was with my resounding question…. “How much is this going to freakin’ cost?!”

As a wedding vendor, we always encourage our couples to think beyond the wedding day. Yes, this will all unfold into one, amazing day. But for all of the pre-planning that goes into this one amazing day it would be absolutely tragic to look back and say, “Dang it. I wish I would have _______.” For this reason, Hotel Seven 4 One seemed like the perfect venue for us. Something we would look back on and say, “I can’t imagine doing it any other way.” It’s a boutique hotel that is dedicated to our entire event. As Seven 4 One describes it…

Everyone and Everything In Once Place. Experience and enjoy the unexpected: an entire hotel for you, your family and your invited guests.

What?! An entire hotel just for OUR wedding with all of the modern and chic upgrades that fit our personal taste and style…. right on the beach?! HOLLER!

Watch the video below to see a detailed look at our venue.

Hotel Seven4One from The Hickman Group on Vimeo.

After seeing the venue in person Renee and I both knew we had found our perfect match. When you know, you know. At that point, the issue of cost became, “We will figure out how to make it work because this is where I want to get married.” After all, we do have the rest of our lives to pay off what will be the most amazing day of our lives to date!

This urban pic captured by Courtney Cook Photography

Next up? How we chose the rest of our vendors! and who they are….

Until then,

XOXO R & R

If you missed our first post….GUESS WHAT?  We are getting MARRIED!  Read it HERE!

To see our E-Sesh pictures by the amazing Dan Dalstra….. Click HERE!