Bargain bottomless booze wedding for "Summer of Love"

Imagine signing a wedding venue contract Wednesday for an 84-person event that same Sunday and pulling it off, not to mention with an open wine-and-beer bar for $80 per person, tax and gratuity included.
No need for speculation, Salt Creek Grille in Dana Point has done it before.
With the “Summer of Love” all-inclusive wedding package “the formula is already put there,” said Helen McClaire, the restaurant’s wedding coordinator. Brides and grooms just have to sign up, provide centerpieces and the party is well on its way.
Menu items such as sundried tomato goat cheese canapés (one of three tray-passed appetizers) and the oven-roasted chicken with herb jus are pre-planned and this makes the affair less stressful and more affordable, said McClaire.
Because these items are among the most popular at the restaurant, this allows bulk ordering and streamlined preparation that helps keep prices and stress down. And by limiting the bar to wine and beer, the restaurant can ensure a lower-priced, yet elegant affair.
“Since so many brides-to-be are planning their weddings this time of year, we thought this was the perfect time to really spread the word that we can offer an extraordinary wedding experience for a truly affordable price,” said owner Tim McCune.
For betrothed couples looking for more wallet-friendly options, Anaheim’s White House has a “Silver Menu” priced at $70 per guest that offers options such as a sauteed whitefish with lemon beurre blanc or a braised beef short rib topped with horseradish cream and a reduction of cabernet sauvignon. Combinations of two dishes are also possible. At an additional $15 per person (counting only guests that will be drinking alcohol), the White House provides an open bar of beer, wine and well cocktails for one hour, with each additional hour costing $5 more per guest.
If price isn’t a factor so much as poshness, The Ranch Restaurant, also in Anaheim, offers a more premium lower-priced option for brides and grooms. The Ranch’s “Silver” menu, priced at $85 per person, includes hors d’oeurves, a starter salad, a main and dessert, which is a selection of petit-fours crafted by award-winning pastry chef David Rossi. Savory items include fava bean crostini with shaved Parmesan and black truffle and a petit filet that comes with heirloom carrots grown on the Ranch’s own farm.

Drink packages at The Ranch begin at $25 per person for a two-hour beer and wine open bar, with each additional hour costing $15 per guest.