Best Weekend Ever: III

The best weekend ever kicked off with a welcome dinner.

But not just any welcome dinner, a welcome dinner that would rival the wedding itself.

Let's go back to August....I'm trying to find a location for a welcome dinner and everything seemed lame. A restaurant that wanted to setup a dinner...blah, blah, blah. I wanted something fun, cool, and different.

After a TON of internet searching, I happened upon Villa Valentina. A super chic interior design store in San Jose. It's family owned and operated and during the fall/winter, they host paella and sangria on the weekends. The space looked awesome from the website and who doesn't love paella and sangria? I hesitantly emailed the contact info on the website.

I heard back from Daniel within a day or 2. Incredibly prompt and professional through all the correspondences. I was sold!

When Nick and I went to Cabo for our "tasting" - we stopped by Villa Valentina. Don't be fooled. It might be next to an abandoned lot, but once inside, the place transforms into its own little oasis.

Here is the view as you enter the villa - back in September.

Here's the area where they were going to serve the paella.

The terrace area, where everyone would eat.

We were sold! We loved the space, we loved the food - and Daniel was stinking adorable!

We went back to CA and continued planning the wedding. And then November came and it was time to head back to Cabo.

Daniel suggested we stop by to make sure everything was up to snuff. I wasn't concerned, but definitely wanted to see what he had in store.

Little did I know. The Villa had literally been transformed. It was beautiful when we saw it in September, but it was gorgeous in November. They fixed everything up! They added a beautiful mural and a cross made from wine bottles. They re-did the serving area upstairs and added a bar and extra lighting and even added a sound system. This was incredible. I was now concerned that the welcome dinner would upstage the wedding. In fact, I was beginning to wish I had just booked the Villa for the wedding.

The mural on the stairs leading up to the terrace and the wine bottle cross.

The newly finished terrace, complete with bar, tables, chairs and a chandelier.

The terrace and courtyard at night.

This is what we were greeted with when we (all 47 of us) got to the villa. This gorgeous courtyard filled with candles. Daniel and his team did an incredible job.

The staff kept everyone's drinks filled! Margaritas, beer and water and some delicious appetizers.

Then we headed upstairs for the main event - the paella and sangria. Outstanding!

Another lovely view of the terrace and the view.

Did I mention the tequila tasting? Daniel suggested 4 good tequilas for us to buy and we had the bartender host a little tasting for all our guests. Towards the end it turned into people taking shots, but hey....when in Cabo.

There were lots of hangovers the next morning - the mark of a good party. One friend said it best, "too much fiesta!"

People raved about the awesome space and the delicious food! They loved that we had the place (almost) to ourselves. We couldn't imagine a better welcome dinner. Daniel was incredible - running around all evening making sure everything was perfect. His adorable parents were also there and taught everyone a little about tequila! It was so much fun and I'm so glad we were able to host our event here. It honestly felt like a little family and I hope that when Nick and I return to Cabo, we have a chance to stop by the Villa for their weekly paella and sangria event!