California-Orange County

Sherman Library and Gardens, Corona Del Mar

Can anyone who has had a wedding or attended one at the Sherman Library and Gardens provide me with any feedback? I'm looking for a private, reasonably priced location for around 150 guests. Any feedback at all would be appreciated!

Re: Sherman Library and Gardens, Corona Del Mar

  • ms.ritaliums.ritaliu member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    i've never been to a wedding here, but I did go check it out for my own wedding as a potential venue.  It's gorgeous- however, parking can be problematic as the main entrance is on PCH and the rental site, although reasonable, does not include the mandatory $2,000 "donation" to become a member there.  With that included, it was out of our budget.  Are you looking to stay within orange county? south oc or anywhere? 
    ~Rita
  • edited December 2011
    I'm hoping to stay in Orange County but am open to surrounding areas. We live in Huntington Beach so I would prefer North or Central Orange County but again I'm open. I'm finding it very challenging to find a simple, yet elegant site that is reasonably priced. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

    I'm looking for an outdoor ceremony, indoor/outdoor reception, with a hosted bar for $10,000. Is this unreasonable? We are paying for everything ourselves.

    Thanks for your help!
  • ms.ritaliums.ritaliu member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    i think it's totally reasonable!! FI and I are on a $10k budget as well, except our guest list is 100.  Some outdoor places that are fairly reasonable w/ outdoor space for the ceremony include The Clarke Estate (santa fe springs), CSUF Arboretum, CSUF Alumni House (which is where i'm getting married!), Soka University (mission viejo), The Betty H. Reckas Cultural Center (Long Beach), Newland House Museum (HB), The Huntington Beach Community Library... 

    i think those are all that I can think of (for now) :) 

    good luck!! It's TOTALLY do-able w/ your budget though! 
    ~Rita
  • TheDJAdvisorTheDJAdvisor member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I have worked weddings at the Sherman Gardens and in the summer the room where they have the reception is like an indoor oven.  It gets incredibly hot.  The room is also really small.  Parking is a hassle although there is a lot right across the street where people can park.  You just have to deal with beach traffic on PCH in the summer. 

    I reccomend, if you want a somewhat nice location, to check out Ole hansen Beach club in San Clemente.

    Best of luck!

    The DJ advisor
    www.musicmanevents.com/blog
  • edited December 2011
    I was not impressed with them at all and this is just from talking to them over the phone. A $2000 donation just to get in the door is just dumb.
  • cheryljribascheryljribas member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    To rent out the actual facility comes out to $4000.  Not bad at all considering the site itself.  We ALMOST had this as our wedding venue until we had to deal with the infamous caterer.  Pascal catering company charges over 20k just for their services, and they charge for ridiculous items.  Such as - they will charge you $12 every time they open one bottle of wine. 
    For a reception time of 5 hours they said that it is a requirment that I pay the bartenders, bus boys and servers for 8 hours of work. 
    The catering company refuse to work with negotiations even though not many people even get married there and they are terrible at communication.  They have horrible customer service and it was so unprofessional.  I checked out dozens of other places in the area and would highly recommend you do the same. 
    The facility itself was fabulous but the catering company is the worst.  And yes, you have to use them if you are going to hold your reception at that location.  I wouldn't recommend it at all.
  • edited December 2011
    I just sent in my $2000 donation and I wish I hadnt after reading these reviews. The place is absolutely gorgeous and everyone has been pleasant except for the catering company. We are doing a very minimal small wedding with less than 100 people and the catering estimate cameup to $13,000 with no cake and no alcohol. They are charging me $8 a person for water, ice tea and coffee and a $3,50 pp cake cutting fee. Ridiculous. Plus the caterers do not return phone calls, and only respond to emails. Very unprofessional.
  • Hello! Did you end up getting married at Sherman Library and Gardens? It is one of our top choices for wedding venue, but after reading your post, I am a little concerned. We are planning to have about 125 guests, and I want to keep our venue, food, drink, and rental costs to $15,000. I would love to learn more about your experience. Hope to hear from you soon!
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