Catalina Wins Bride's Choice Award

For the Second Year in a Row, Catalina Island Is Honored with a Bride’s Choice Award, Placing Resort Amoung the Top 5 Percent of Wedding Professionals

AVALON, Catalina Island, Calif. (January 27, 2010) —For the second year in a row, Catalina Island Resort Services has been chosen as a Bride’s Choice Awards™ winner, an honor recognizing the top 5 percent of wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network. The award, determined exclusively by recent newlyweds through extensive surveys and reviews, is given to wedding professionals who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, and professionalism.

“We are honored that our former wedding clients recognize the helpfulness of our team and the high-quality experience we provide,” said Brandon von Guenthner, sales manager for Santa Catalina Island Company.  “This award reinforces our commitment to making the couples’ special day as memorable as our picturesque island location.”

The results will be posted on the weddingwire.com homepage, a website that provides brides and wedding vendors a simple, yet productive, channel to interact with each other.

At Catalina Island, couples have their choice of many locations to say “I Do,” including:

• The Catalina Country Club, poised on a knoll overlooking Avalon, is a striking example of Early California Revival architecture with distressed cream-colored walls, deep green trim, and a Spanish tile roof. Small intimate affairs can take place on the brick terrace with the ocean as a backdrop or guests can gather for a reception in the adjacent banquet room. The Country Club’s Fountain Terrace, lined with ornate cement columns, paved with accented brick flooring, and anchored by an elaborate tile fountain, is another setting for both weddings and receptions for up to 120 guests. Couples also can choose to have their reception in the chic, Mission-style formal dining room, with its giant bay windows exposing a view extending from the ocean on the west to the former site of the Chicago Cub’s spring training field on the east.
• Brides and grooms can exchange vows in The Catalina Casino Ballroom, graced by the presence of many Hollywood celebrities in its heyday. The recently restored casino building retains its signature lavish style: a stunning medley of rose-hued walls, an arching, 50-foot ceiling with five Tiffany chandeliers, an elevated stage, raised seating areas surrounding the wooden dance floor, and a vintage full-service bar anchoring the back. A sweeping veranda surrounds the ballroom with stunning 360-degree views of Avalon Bay. The immense, Deco-themed ballroom is large enough for both wedding ceremonies and receptions.
• The Descanso Beach Club - currently undergoing a complete makeover - is a stunning outdoor oasis awaits couples who want to say “I Do” at the ocean’s edge. A terraced lawn, outfitted with an elevated stage, rolls gently down to the beach, giving guests a spectacular view of the ocean. The lawn seats up to 250 guests while the entire venue can accommodate groups as large as 1,200.

For more information, visit www.visitcatalinaisland.com or contact DeeDee Sidars, Special Events Account Executive for the Santa Catalina Island Company at 310.510.7428 or fill out a Request for proposal at www.VisitCatalinaIsland.com