Descanso Gardens
La Cañada Wedding Location1418 Descanso Drive
La Cañada, CA 91011
Phone: 818/949-4291
www.descansogardens.org/weddings
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Description
As you drive down the quiet, oak-lined residential street that leads to the gardens, you get your first taste of this facility’s peaceful seclusion. Living up to its name (descanso means "rest" in Spanish), Descanso Gardens is indeed a tranquil, verdant haven at the foot of the dry San Gabriel Mountains.
Once a large private estate, the gardens occupy over 165 acres, offering a wide variety of appealing sites for weddings. One favorite is a classic California setting—a broad, open lawn under widespreading live oaks. A few steps away, Feather Falls is a shady dell where more intimate ceremonies are accompanied by the music of falling water. The scenic Japanese tea house, with its blue-tiled roof and graceful red bridge, forms a colorful and unusual backdrop for a service, while the timber-and-stone Pavilion and the wrought-iron Gazebo, surrounded by acres of roses, make fragrant open-air venues.
Seated receptions are held in the Rose Garden Pavilion, the Boddy House or in Van De Kamp Hall, which is situated near the garden’s main entrance. The Hall is a Craftsman-style building with a lofty open-beamed ceiling and French windows that open onto a lovely and expansive tiled courtyard flanked by flower beds and a bubbling natural-rock fountain. An arbor, hung with baskets of flowering plants and covered with wisteria, shades the courtyard, which is adorned with large redwood tubs of flowers and ficus trees that bring the freshness of the gardens indoors.
With its shade-dappled lawns, brilliant flowers, majestic camellia forests and secluded woodland clearings, Descanso Gardens should have just the right wedding spot for any nature-loving couple. But whether you get married here or not, a visit to the Gardens is a tonic to urban stresses and—dare we suggest it—frayed prenuptial nerves. You can breathe easy in this serene setting, or, as they say in Spanish, aqui puede usted descansar.
Capacity
Ceremony |
Reception/Special Events |
Meetings |
|
Max. Seated Indoors: 50 Max. Seated Outdoors: 400 |
Max. Seated Indoors: 180 Max. Seated Outdoors: Max. Standing Indoors: Max. Standing Outdoors: |
Max. Seated: 200 |
|
CEREMONY CAPACITY: Indoors, Boddy holds up to 50 seated guests. Outdoors, several spaces hold up to 400 seated guests. |
||
Fees & Deposits
The rental fee starts at $3,000 for a ceremony only, $4,000 for a reception only or $5,000 for both. On Saturday night, there’s an additional $250 fee.
For ceremonies or receptions, a nonrefundable $500 deposit is required when the date is booked. Half the rental fee is due 6 months prior to the event; the balance is payable 2 months prior. For other special events, a 50% deposit is required with a signed contract; the balance is due 30 days prior to the event. The site has an in-house caterer; per-person meal prices run: breakfasts $10–30, luncheons $20–40 and dinners $40–80. Other options are available; alcohol, tax and a 20% service charge are additional. 20% of the estimated food and beverage total is required upon booking; the balance is due 7 days prior to the event.
For meetings, rental fees run $250–1,400, depending on room, guest count, day of week and time frame. Half of the estimated event total is required to reserve your date; the balance is payable 2 weeks prior to the event.
Availability
Indoors year-round, daily, except Christmas. Business meetings, 8am–4pm or 5pm–10pm; wedding ceremonies 8am–10am or 5pm–7pm. Evening receptions, 5pm–10pm; morning receptions can be arranged.
CateringProvidedAlcoholProvidedBYO w/ Corkage Fee Sites UsesCeremoniesWedding Receptions Special Events, Parties Business Functions/Meetings Rehearsal Dinners Services/AmenitiesCatering: providedKitchen Facilities: n/a Tables & Chairs: CBA, extra fee Linens, Silver, etc.: provided Restrooms: wheelchair accessible Dance Floor: CBA, extra fee Bride's Dressing Area: yes Parking: large lot Accommodations: no guestrooms Telephone: pay phone Outdoor Night Lighting: yes or extra CBA Outdoor Cooking Facilities: n/a Cleanup: provided View: rose garden, stream and koi pond, lawns and woods Meeting Equipment: PA system, 2 microphones Other: event coordination |
MusicIndoorsWheelchair AccessWheelchair AccessibleSite ViewsForest/Wooded AreaFountain/Water Feature Garden Garden Patio/Courtyard Landscaped Grounds RestrictionsAlcohol: provided, or WC corkage feeSmoking: designated areas Music: amplified OK indoors, acoustic only in gardens Wheelchair Access: yes Insurance: liability required Other: decorations limited |
Wondering what CBA or BYO means?
818/949-4291
www.descansogardens.org/weddings
Email or request a proposal for your event from Descanso Gardens
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