Venue, Directions, & Parking
Maple Lawn – Magnolia Terrace @ the Elks Lodge (BPOE) San Rafael
1312 Mission Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901
Conveniently located in downtown San Rafael, just off of Highway 101 and not far off of 580, it’s a snap to come from the North, South, East, or West (if you’re coming from the West, you may live in the Pacific Ocean, so that’s kinda weird). Or if you’re coming in by plane, then nothing about this is really convenient, and we thank you for your travels. The space itself is located directly on Mission Ave, at the intersection of C Street. The entrance will sneak up on you, but that helps keep things more private and secluded.
Both the ceremony and reception will be held at the same place: A unique outdoor terrace surrounded by magnolia trees, aptly named Magnolia Terrace. Magnolia Terrace has beautiful greenery year-round. String lights illuminate the perimeter of the garden and above the brick aisle. Two gorgeous, multi-tiered fountains gracefully cradled by plush grass and an elegant arbor at the end of the brick aisle are the centerpiece to the terrace ambiance. The canopy-covered patio is where the party happens! ← Can you tell that bit was taken directly from their website?
To summarize, the ceremony and reception are both held on the grass, with a brick path in between, and the dance floor is concrete. Please note that there is a strict no smoking policy on the entire property, so if you feel the need to smoke any substance (even those that are legal in CA), you’ll have to step out a bit to the main road to do so.
As for parking, there is a large lot at the venue (follow the signs!) that will accommodate most. If that fills up, people can park right in front of the Elks Lodge building. In the rare scenario that both of those fill up, you can find free parking at the mansion next door (Falkirk Cultural Center), at the San Rafael Library across the street (1100 E St), or anywhere on B Street.
Attire & Forecast
The entire event will be held outdoors (barring any rain, which rarely occurs this early in October, so you know it’s going to happen). This time of year in this area of California is often fairly warm (low 70s) during the daylight, but can get quite chilly (high 50s / low 60s) after sunset. For you New Englanders who just scoffed at us called 50/60s “quite chilly”, yes, we are wimps here in California, and we like it that way. We do plan on placing several heat lamps near the reception tables for those that share Ilana’s cold heart.
Outside of temperature considerations, we want our guests to be comfortable, so the dress code is essentially “whatever you want, within reason.” No need to go formal, unless you’ve been looking for an excuse to buy that ball gown you keep seeing in the Neiman Marcus window display. No need to go casual, unless you totally forgot to do laundry that day and all you have left in the closet is a pair of acid-washed jeans with strategically placed rips in them that you swear you’d never wear in public. Basically, dress in what you feel comfortable in, but that also won’t incur us any legal costs when trying to explain things to the cops.
The one item that we absolutely cannot allow is short jorts. Not because we have a moral problem with them, or because they are no longer considered “in fashion”, but because we don’t want anyone to look too much like the groom. Those that are over the age of 80 (keep rockin’ ‘em, Grandpa Funny!) are exempt.