Monterey Museum of Art La Mirada

Monterey and Carmel
View Map
Tell a Friend

Clicking this link will take you to a form that allows you to tell friends and family about Monterey Museum of Art La Mirada.

Add to MyGuide

Monterey Wedding Location
720 Via Mirada
Monterey, CA 93940
Contact: Special Events
Phone: 831/372-3689
www.montereyart.org
Request more information from Monterey Museum of Art La Mirada

if you would mention that you found Monterey Museum of Art La Mirada on the Here Comes The Guide website.

Click thumbnails to enlarge image

Why We Like This Place

The Monterey Museum of Art at La Mirada is one part historic home, one part gardens, and one part art gallery…all adding up to one incredible and unique event location!

Resting on a picturesque mesa above the bay, La Mirada, as the museum is most commonly known, began as a Mexican adobe that once housed pioneer John C. Fremont. At the dawn of the Jazz Age, new owner Gouverneur Morris, a silent movie mogul, embarked on a dizzying era of expansion and lavish decoration: Artists did hand-painted murals, and Hollywood designers transformed the estate into a graceful retreat, suitable for distinguished luminaries like Rudolf Valentino and Charlie Chaplin. In 1936, Morris sold La Mirada to the Work family, and doyenne Maud Porter Work renovated the Rose Garden which still bears her name. In 1983 Frank Work donated the entire estate—including the priceless art and furnishings—to the Monterey Museum of Art so that the public might enjoy its grounds and eclectic treasures. More recently, the museum added the Dart Wing, which encompasses four modern galleries with views of the gardens and Monterey Bay.

Today, visitors enter the museum via a cozy courtyard that recalls La Mirada's Early California heritage. Colorful European tiles embellish thick adobe walls, and potted citrus trees give a cheerful greeting. Through the lobby is the bi-level Rose Garden and Patio, a sweet site for wedding ceremonies. An Art Deco tiled fountain is the focal point of the upper patio, which overlooks the showy blossoms just below. A pair of bay and fig trees stretch their boughs wide, as if embracing the wedding couple as they say their vows. A brick path descends to the garden, where more than 125 species of flora are ablaze in vibrant springtime hues. A view out to neighboring Estero Lake with a slice of ocean in the distance completes the idyllic milieu.

Prefer a modern twist? Then hold your social hour on the Drawing Room Patio, where an avant-garde fountain, a large bronze horse, and a Buddha statue peeking out from lush landscaping are conversational ice-breakers. Tall glass doors slide open to the Drawing Room, a glamorous scene of retro opulence. At one end stands a 17th-century lacquered panel, a relic of China's Forbidden City; in the window casement, a pair of brass peacocks catches the sunlight. Crystal chandeliers, gilded mirrors, a grand piano and intriguing objets d'art let you party in the lap of luxury.

For after-dinner fun, adjourn to the Courtyard Gallery. Crisp and contemporary, the Gallery has lofty ceilings and polished wood floors perfect for dancing. With windows that look out to the Rose Garden, it's also a sophisticated setting for fine dining.

La Mirada has several other options to make your day memorable: For a culture-filled social hour, invite guests to tour the Dart Wing exhibits. Meanwhile, bride and groom pose for photos in the estate's old living quarters, still festooned with extravagant trappings of the past—silk wallpaper, opulent canopy beds and antique rarities that convey a timeless air of romance. Another photogenic environment is the Rhododendron Garden, a sheltered dell awash with violet-hued blooms flourishing beneath flowering trees.

Whether your wedding vision is nostalgic or fashion-forward, quaint or bold, Gatsbyesque or exotic, La Mirada can make it happen with grace and style.

Capacity

Ceremony

Reception/Special Events

Meetings

Max. Seated Indoors: 100
Max. Seated Outdoors: 150

Max. Seated Indoors: 100
Max. Seated Outdoors: 150
Max. Standing Indoors: 150
Max. Standing Outdoors: 300

Max. Seated: 100

CEREMONY, EVENT/RECEPTION & MEETING CAPACITY: The museum holds 100 seated or 150 standing guests indoors, and 150 seated or 300 standing outdoors.

Fees & Deposits

50% of the total event cost is required to reserve your date. The balance is due 30 days prior to the event. Wedding Packages are $2,500 and $5,000.

Availability

Year-round, daily, call for details.

Catering

Choose From List

Alcohol

BYO

Site Uses

Ceremonies
Wedding Receptions
Special Events, Parties
Business Functions/Meetings
Rehearsal Dinners

Services/Amenities

Catering: select from approved list
Kitchen Facilities: fully equipped
Tables & Chairs: some provided, CBA or through caterer
Linens, Silver, etc.: CBA or through caterer
Restrooms: wheelchair accessible
Dance Floor: provided
Bride’s Dressing Area: yes
Meeting Equipment: some provided, CBA
Other: grand piano, picnic area, docent tours, galleries open for guests, event coordination, AV equipment, wireless internet, stereo/CD
Parking: large lot, valet available
Accommodations: no guestrooms
Telephone: office phone
Outdoor Night Lighting: provided
Outdoor Cooking Facilities: BBQ CBA
Cleanup: provided
View: courtyard, garden, cityscape, ocean/bay, coastline, forest, lake, fountain, landscaped grounds

Amplified Music

Indoors
Outdoors
w/ Restrictions

Wheelchair Access

Wheelchair Accessible

Site Type

Banquet Hall/Events Facility
Museum

Restrictions

Alcohol: BYO
Smoking: not allowed
Music: amplified OK with restrictions
Wheelchair Access: yes
Insurance: liability required

Contact: Special Events
831/372-3689
www.montereyart.org
Email or request more information for your event from Monterey Museum of Art La Mirada

View Map
Tell a Friend

Want to search again?

Want great wedding vendors?

You’ve come to the right place. We’ve grilled thousands of brides and wedding professionals to find out who they highly recommend. The result? The Certified By The Guide California wedding vendors you’ll find here. If we don’t consistently hear raves, we don’t put them on our website.

Register for your MyGuide account

Wishing you could save a list of the places and services that interest you? You can. Register for MyGuide and save your favorite locations and services.

Just getting started?

Know what questions to ask when evaluating a wedding venue and what questions to ask wedding vendors:

Santa Barbara Weddings

Santa Barbara is a stunning region for destination weddings. Its sublime weather is perfect for garden or beach wedding ceremonies, and its chic hotels and restaurants will rock your wedding reception. Most of our beautiful Santa Barbara wedding locations have Virtual Tours, so take a sneak peek right now!

Beach Weddings

Love the idea of a beach wedding in California? We provide detailed information on dozens and dozens of beachfront wedding venues in California.