Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows

Hotel and Bungalows was a premier location for our "Californian Wedding". We started our wedding planning journey in February 2013 for our September 6, 2013 wedding. Fresh in our mind from last week, this is our review of our Friday afternoon wedding. We held our ceremony in the entry drive under the historic fig and reception in the Wedgewood Ballroom. The hotel offers packages with typical wedding offerings and allows you to make some adjustments to suit your needs. The Ceremony - Chairs are set on the drive with the ceremony facing the tree. We set our quartet under the tree and had guests blow bubbles as we walked out. The Cocktail Hour - Post ceremony our guests were offered hors d'oeuvres and cocktails under the tree while we took photographs at the beach. The Reception - Our 120 guests entered the Wedgewood Ballroom for dinner and dancing. All dining staff are dressed impeccably and were focused on our guests throughout dinner service. Starter - Wild Mushroom Ravioli Salad - Arugula and Endive with Pecans and Apple Entree Choice - Filet Mignon or Sea Bass with Quinoa Cake - Included in our contract was cake from Vanilla Bakery We knew during the planning period, The Culinary experience from Ray Garcia's on site Fig Restaurant was of top quality. We wanted to make certain no one went hungry. Not only was the food amazing, all of our guests left full and satisfied. I personally had the Filet Mignon, quite possibly the best beef I have ever had. The Sea Bass was equally delicious. We had a few hours of dancing and drinks and these were very pleasant. Security kept any hotel guests out of our event and restrooms are just next door. The Hotel and Location - The hotel is above the California Incline (About 20 min walk to the Pier or Ocean) It has good (but not great views of the Pacific Ocean) The hotel bills itself as 4-5 star with room rates to match. As the wedding couple we were afforded a beautiful suite (in contract) and reasonable rates for guests committing to rooms early on in the process. Our guests booked about 20 rooms early on, closer to our wedding the hotel was sold out. Check in wasn't until 3pm, so guests arriving the day our wedding had a slightly tricky time while the staff readied more rooms. The hotel is showing it's age in some guest rooms, but the intention is to refurbish it over the next 10 years with major construction and renovation. The Hotel Service - Everyone we came across was attentive and attempted to offer exceptional service and make our stay amazing. The Sales Team - Headed by Senior Weddings and Event Manager, Krystal Kiremit. She is wonderful and responded to questions within 1 day. As she is not an onsite Planner, certain aspects will need to be decided with an external planner and or day of coordinator. This was not clear until we signed our contract, but was fine once our expectations were clarified. On the actual wedding day, Krystal went above and beyond to make certain small details were handled and small gestures helped make our experience even better. While every wedding is different and can be infinitely planned and costs can be increase exponentially, Krystal, Fairmont and everyone involved helped us have a wedding for the ages.