With many couples getting engaged over the holidays, spring is the season for wedding planning. La Jolla, known as the "Jewel of San Diego," offers spectacular venues that provide wedding packages and professional planners to customize the big day into a memorable celebration with family and friends.

Tailor-made for romance with breathtaking coastal scenery, sparkling beaches and idyllic year-round weather, La Jolla is a postcard-perfect setting to say "I do" or spend a blissful honeymoon.

The following are some of La Jolla's most remarkable and captivating wedding and honeymoon offerings.

• Situated on the coastal bluffs of La Jolla with panoramic views of the world-renowned Torrey Pines Golf Course, The Lodge at Torrey Pines is a wedding setting unlike any other. Grand California Craftsman décor complements an elegant selection of wedding venues, accommodating 10 to 220 guests, including the outdoor Arroyo Terrace with breathtaking views of the 18th green and Signature Courtyard surrounded by native coastal flora and trees. Indoor ceremony and reception venues include four ballrooms and a quaint cottage.
  The Lodge offers three wedding packages-Signature, Reserve and Palisade-that include ceremony location and set-up, reception with hosted bars and butler-passed hors d'oeuvres, three- to four-course plated dinners, cake cutting, valet parking and two nights accommodations for the wedding couple in a Palisades Room overlooking Arroyo Terrace and the Torrey Pines Golf Course.
• Situated on the 18th fairway of the Torrey Pines Golf Course, Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines features breathtaking views of the course, Pacific Ocean and beyond. Elegant ballrooms and expansive manicured gardens allow the resort to accommodate intimate wedding ceremonies or galas of up to 1,500 guests. Offering extraordinary catering, exemplary service and upscale accommodations, the hotel's catering professionals can design a variety of wedding packages tailored especially for a couple's dream wedding.
• With its beautiful seaside location, superior service and award-winning cuisine, La Valencia Hotel has become a tradition for couples in love. La V's indoor and outdoor wedding venues and three reception rooms feature ocean views and accommodate up to 175 guests. Wedding couples receive the personal attention of a dedicated catering manager who oversees every detail, from ceremony location and event design to custom menus and wine pairings. Couples can also reserve one of La V's restaurants, THE MED and Patio or Café la Rue for rehearsal dinners, late night gatherings and post-wedding brunches.
  As part of the Ultimate Wedding Collection's California Experience, La Valencia transforms into the wedding party's private Mediterranean-style villa. This luxurious, ultra-customized wedding package features accommodations for the bride, groom and up to 200 guests; rehearsal dinner on a private yacht in San Diego Bay; welcome reception in Scripps Park overlooking La Jolla Cove; custom menus prepared by 5-star chefs; Bon Voyage brunch with parting gifts; top wedding vendors including design, planning, photography, videography, beauty, fashion styling and entertainment; custom-designed furniture and décor; gift cards for La Jolla restaurants and shops, spa services and more.
• Nestled in the heart of the Torrey Pines mesa, the enchanting Spanish rancho-style Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa welcomes wedding couples with its warm atmosphere, award-winning cuisine, impeccable personalized service and richly landscaped outdoor ceremony spaces, accommodating 50 to 300 guests, including the Olive Lawn and Garden Courtyard. Four elegant indoor venues include the newly redesigned and expanded La Jolla Ballroom, Grande Room, Trinitas Cellars Private Dining Room and Adobe El Restaurante. Additionally, the spa's Nail Bungalow is perfect for bridal parties.
  Newlyweds can enjoy Estancia La Jolla's Romance & Rendezvous Stay Package, featuring a choice of guestroom or suite accommodations, sparkling wine and fresh berries upon arrival, 50-minute couple's massage and breakfast for two at Adobe El Restaurante or in-room dining. Upgrade to the Couples Bungalow for the ultimate private romantic spa escape for honeymooners.
• A perfect marriage of historic grandeur and modern luxury, the romance-filled Grande Colonial hotel offers picturesque seaside wedding settings overlooking the Pacific. An exclusive collection of wedding packages combines chic accommodations, professional planning and catering services, lovely ocean- and garden-view wedding venues-including the top-floor Loft, outdoor Grande Terrace and Garden Courtyard, accommodating up to 120 guests-and three elegant reception rooms featuring award-winning Executive Chef Jason Knibb's delectable menus.
  Grande Colonial's Wedding Reception Package includes tray passed hors d'oeuvres, champagne toast and valet parking for wedding guests and a one-night stay for the newlywed couple in an ocean view guestroom, complete with champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries and breakfast in bed the following morning.
• The landmark La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club celebrates 80 years of "happily-ever-afters" on one of Southern California's few private beaches, which can accommodate up to 200 wedding guests. La Jolla Shores Hotel, its adjacent sister property, is equally ideal for beachfront nuptials. Both properties feature many indoor and outdoor ceremony and reception venues, including the Club's oceanfront Walnut Lounge, poolside patio and bucolic duck pond area, plus the Shores' Garden Patio, Acapulco Room and La Jolla Room and Patio. The Club's legendary Marine Room restaurant is a lovebirds' favorite with a warm romantic atmosphere, dramatic on-the-sand location and award-winning cuisine by Executive Chef Bernard Guillas.
  Customized wedding packages can include the wedding ceremony, reception, rehearsal dinner, bridal showers and family brunch with an exceptional onsite catering staff-under the culinary direction of Chef Guillas-coordinating everything from menu selection to set-up and serving.
• For a unique wedding venue, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego features spectacular ocean views and distinctive architectural design, and the Birch Aquarium at Scripps pairs the enchantment of the underwater world with panoramic views of the Pacific.

Happiness is calling in San Diego. For more information on La Jolla, visit the San Diego Tourism Authority's website at www.sandiego.org/lajolla or call 619-236-1212.

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Photo credit: bellaLUZ