This Must be the Place : Oakland Beer Garden Wedding
- Kendra Nixon
- Feb 8
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 14
M + I found me in the very beginning stages of my business. I had launched accounts on just about any other wedding planning service site that would have me, and they found me on Thumbtack. They sent a budget for the job, I put in a bid, we set up a call, we clicked, and so we began our planning journey.
They shared with me the most extensive list of venues that I've ever seen, still to this day. From as far south as the beaches of Half Moon Bay and up to Mendocino. Top of the list was Anderson Valley - we gathered some information about possible venues in the area and they spent a weekend visiting them, and ultimately decided it was just that, a place they liked to visit.
Back to the list...M + I lived in a cute apartment in Oakland, CA with an epic rooftop. They loved the home that they shared together with their beloved cat and decided they wanted their wedding to feel like home, almost like it took place in their imaginary backyard. After a visit, they very excitedly decided on The Oakland Museum of California. It was in Oakland (obviously), so it fit the element of being in their neighborhood and would also be a fun opportunity for out-of-town guests to visit the museum.
We were given a packet of preferred vendors and set to work on figuring out catering. Catering quotes that were coming in felt really high - remember, at this time I knew almost nothing about the wedding business; in hindsight, they were very normal wedding catering numbers. We built a budget based off the information and looked at everything big picture.
Could they swing it? Yes.
BUT, did it feel like them? No.
I don't know if I'm the one who said it first, but I know I felt it in my gut that this was not it. This was not the place. It didn't feel right.
They made the tough decision to pull out of the venue. And within that same month or week even, they stopped by a local beer garden (sadly, now closed) tucked back in an alleyway near their home. Mid-outing, they looked around and thought, could we have our wedding here? Yes!
The bar was built into the venue, there was a gallery space that could be used for the ceremony, and all the tables and chairs were already there - we even used the ticket numbers as table numbers. Hella Vegan Eats was the pop up was the pop-up chef at the time. They agreed to make apps for us, and then we found, Fist of Flour, a wood-fired pizza truck that could pull in and cook pizza right on the spot, and then later in the evening, we swapped it for an espresso and gelato truck for dessert.
Huge shout out to Jenna Rae Photography, who I had found a couple years prior for my own vow renewal. Her attention to detail and the way she captures small moments is unmatched. The photo of M in her gown with the getting ready mess in the background is my favorite. M + I gave Bluma full floral creative freedom, and their farm fresh arrangements tied in seamlessly with the existing plants at the beer garden.
M told me her sister was in a local band and they wanted to play, again, this would not have worked in a museum setting, but in a beer garden - sure! I'm always a bit weary of "hiring" friends or family, but they KILLED it. They were so fun (& talented!) and people were on the dancefloor all night.
Being one of my firsts, naturally, I was very caught up in the details, the paperwork, and logistics of it all. But day-of was a dream. I never once looked at my notebook; the whole day just flowed from start to finish. M's parents hung around for a bit and then realized they missed their ride, so I gave them a ride back to their hotel amongst bins of wedding decor and carseats. For me, that ending encapsulated how simple and familial every aspect of their wedding was. I drove home buzzing from the day with a heart full of gratitude and thought to myself, "now, that felt right."
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