Descanso Gardens 1418 Descanso Drive • La Canada Flintridge • California 91011
Descanso Gardens
We'd love it if you would mention that you found Descanso Gardens on the Here Comes The Guide website.
Why You'll Love This Place
A Here Comes The Guide Wedding Venue Review
Read More Show LessAs 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 oasis at the foot of the arid San Gabriel Mountains.
Once a large private estate, the Gardens occupy over 150 acres, offering a wide variety of enchanting sites for weddings. One favorite is a quintessential California setting—a broad, open lawn under wide-spreading coast live oaks that convey a rustic simplicity.
Another option is the Magnolia Lawn. A wall of lattice entwined with crabapple vines and ruby-red buds marks the entrance, and guests pass beneath a pretty archway before taking their seats facing a pair of mature magnolia trees. The trees serve as a natural altar for the bride and groom, while their creamy white flowers evoke a feminine grace. The surrounding greenery is punctuated by seasonal surprises—think cheery tulips in spring and perfumed paperwhites in winter—that enhance the picturesque environs.
If you're exchanging vows with a few family and friends looking on, then consider the serene Japanese Garden. Your guests cluster along the bank of a koi-filled stream as you share your first kiss in front of the Full Moon Tea House. An orange footbridge and springtime show of pink cherry blossoms create a colorful, exotic milieu for photos.
And who can resist the romance of Descanso's five-acre rose garden? It boasts hundreds of rosebushes! Couples can wed at the wrought-iron Rose Garden gazebo, and continue their outdoor celebration in a timber-and-stone pavilion bordered by fragrant blooms.
Seated receptions can also be held in the classic Boddy House, poised at the edge of the oak forest. Larger gatherings convene in Van de Kamp Hall, which is situated near the Garden's main entrance. This Craftsman-style building boasts a lofty open-beamed ceiling and French doors that open onto a lovely and expansive tiled courtyard flanked by flowerbeds.
With its shade-dappled lawns, brilliant flowers, majestic camellia forests and secluded woodland clearings, Descanso Gardens is 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, aquí puede usted descansar.
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Prices: What's this going to cost?
Rental Fee
- $5,500–8,000/event
- Rental fee varies depending on:
- Space reserved
- This price range includes sites for a ceremony & reception, or just a reception.
- Ceremony-only pricing ranges $4,000-5,000.
- Included in rental fee are: detailed meetings with the Special Events Office; 1-hour rehearsal at ceremony site; dressing room; admission at 3pm for photography; standard tables and chairs (upgraded options available through approved rental vendors); liability insurance for you and your guests.
- Please note that availability is limited to mid-March-late September on Saturdays & Sundays only, 5-10pm with an hour extension available for an additional fee in the East Garden.
Ceremony Fee
Package Prices
- $120/person and up
- Package prices vary depending on:
- Package chosen
- Catering packages include tax and service charge!
- Package prices include dinner, appetizers and hosted beer and wine or even fully hosted bar.
- Both plated and buffet options are available.
- Catering packages include tax and service charge!
Additional Info
For meetings, the rental fee ranges $425–2,500, depending on the room reserved, guest count, day of week, and time frame.
Capacity
Indoors | Outdoors | ||
---|---|---|---|
Ceremony | Seated | 0 | 300 |
Cocktails, etc. | Standing | 170 | 170 |
Reception | Seated | 170 | 170 |
Meetings | Total meeting capacity for this venue is 250. |
CEREMONY CAPACITY: Various outdoor locations hold up to 300 seated guests.
EVENT/RECEPTION CAPACITY: Van de Kamp Hall and the Rose Garden Pavilion each accommodate up to 170 seated guests. The Boddy House seats 50 guests indoors or 100 guests outdoors.
MEETING CAPACITY: Van de Kamp Hall seats 250 theater-style or 125 conference-style; classrooms Maple and Birch each hold 50 seated theater- or conference-style, and Minka Room seats 20.
Venue Details
Site Uses
- Ceremony
- Outdoor Ceremony
- Wedding Receptions
- Outdoor Reception
- Small Wedding
- All-Inclusive
- Rehearsal Dinner
- Special Events / Parties
- Business Functions / Meetings
Essential Info
Price
$ • $$
Catering
In-house
Catering is provided exclusively by Certified by the Guide vendor Kitchen for Exploring Foods.
Alcohol
In-house
Amplified Music
Indoors
Outdoors
Some restrictions
Wheelchair Access
Wheelchair accessible
Availability
Weddings are hosted mid-March through late-September on Saturdays and Sundays only.
Time-frame is 5-10pm with the option to extend 1 hour for an additional fee in the East Garden space.
Venue Type
Buildings, other structures, and natural settings available at this venue:
- Banquet Hall / Events Facility
- Community Center / Civic Building
- Garden
- Historic / Landmark Building
- Park
- Patio / Deck / Terrace
- Non-Profit
Venue Views
Peep the views you’ll enjoy from this venue!
- Creek / River
- Forest / Woods
- Fountain / Water Feature
- Garden
- Lagoon / Pond
- Landscaped Grounds
- Panoramic
Services & Amenities
Feel like a VIP with these services and amenities:
Catering: in-house
Kitchen Facilities: n/a
Tables & Chairs: provided
Linens, Silver, etc.: provided
Restrooms: wheelchair accessible
Dance Floor: provided
Bride’s Dressing Area: yes
AV/Meeting Equipment: PA system, 2 microphones
Parking: two large complimentary lots
Accommodations: no guest rooms
Outdoor Night Lighting: yes
Outdoor Cooking Facilities: n/a
Cleanup: provided
View: rose garden, stream and koi pond, lawns, woods, estate home
Restrictions
But take note of the following limitations!
Alcohol: in-house
Smoking: not allowed
Music: amplified OK with restrictions
Wheelchair Access: yes
Insurance: liability required
Map
Real Weddings

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