We found a church!

Whew! What a relief! We finally found a church we both really like and in our price range! It's St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Altadena. Built in 1922, St. Elizabeth is a lovely church with ornate paintings, frescos and woodwork. The outside courtyard is lush and green--a really picturesque place for a wedding. It's also really close to Old Town Pasadena where we'd like to have our reception.

 The priest, Fr. Edwin, was very approachable and didn't try to scare us away with strict guidelines. People at the parish seem very welcoming and close-knit. There was no marriage information meeting night. I was able to schedule a meeting with the priest within a few days of contacting the church. The stipend fees for the church is in the $500-$600 range--still a little more than what we budgeted, but far more affordable than St. Andrew in Pasadena. We were even able to set a tentative date --August 7. Now we have to meet with their wedding coordinator to finalize everything. We're so happy! It's such a great feeling to get the ceremony venue--the most important item on the list--finally squared away! Now we have to book the reception site. We already have one in mind, so here's hoping everything works out!