River Garden Wedding & Event Venue Reviews

I had looked for months for a venue that fit the vision I had. We had toured about 5 other venues before coming to River Gardens, but once I stepped inside the walls I knew it was one. They were a relatively new venue when I had toured, but they already had stunning reviews and it made sense when talking with the team and seeing all they offered. I wanted a completely outdoor wedding and they offer that along with the elements for bad weather should it happen. Becca was the manager who handled our wedding and she was always so sweet and quick to respond. She worked amazingly with all our vendors. They provide gorgeous seating and tables and dinner outside under the structure is so idyllic and I will cherish the memories that we created for decades to come. The photos only do so much justice of the beauty and greenery and waterfalls within the venue and I encourage anyone who wants to have the flexibility to bring in the vendors of their choice and those brides who like some DIY, and we got to bring our dog for our ceremony and photos, and that was very important. Thank you River Gardens!

River Garden was everything we could have dreamed of! It was GORGEOUS, affordable, and we loved being able to pick our own food/dessert vendors. We had a big wedding (200 people) and it didn't feel crowded at all. The staff is amazing to work with and so kind. We genuinely feel like it's a hidden gem in San Diego and we feel so blessed to have found it. We truly can't recommend this venue enough!

This venue is absolutely stunning and a DREAM!! We viewed this place and fell in love 100%! It had everything we wanted and just kept getting better and better each time we visited. The staff were amazing and helped make this place a second home for us. We loved everything about it! We couldn't be happier with this venue and how our wedding turned out. The team at River Garden made our wedding dreams come true! We are more than grateful to be a part of the RG family!!!! We highly recommend this place and promise you won’t be disappointed!

Beautiful venue at a hard-to-beat price! I highly recommend this venue for anyone looking for an outdoor wedding that does not require too much decorating because it is so naturally stunning. Vendors are flexible, there is a bridal suite on site, parking lot, plenty lodging options nearby, and tables/seats included!

We struggled so much finding a venue that fit our budget and honestly we couldn’t find genuine people, we ran into a lot of vendors just wanting to book the place. River Garden is nothing like those. The owners are true genuine people who want you to be happy, not just get you to sign a contract. Hanna and John Luke did an AMAZING job making sure everything went off without a hitch. Their communication was top notch and again they just wanted to make sure you were stress free in your planning process. The both of them were such blessings when it came to talking about vendors, layouts and everything. Altogether I wouldn’t hesitate to book with them. The venue is breathtaking and so calming.

We had the best experience with River Garden and highly recommend this spot to couples!! It’s so beautiful, the staff is so kind, and it really feels like a hidden gem in Vista. Caleb and I have gotten so many compliments on this venue. We ended up having a rainy day wedding and as the bride, I did not have to worry at all because the staff at RG immediately took care of it and made sure guests were warm and dry - even though it’s a fully outdoor venue! The vendor list RG provides is also incredible as we used a lot of their recommended vendors. The communication was always quick, kind, and easy. Again, we feel so blessed to have gotten married here and it was truly such a magical, beautiful day!!

River Garden was absolutely stunning. I was lucky and blessed enough to be a bride at this venue. The entire team / staff there are spectacular, helpful, kind, and hard workers. I adore Nicole, she’s truly the best. Was willing to help and answer all my questions and has a huge heart! The VENUE is insanely beautiful!! We had so many guest telling us how rad, different, and gorgeous this venue was. I 100% agreed with them. From all the different plants, water features, lightening, layout, and the rock walls! This venue is still doing amazing upgrades. There vision and love for weddings is truly something special. I highly recommend having your wedding here you definitely won’t regret it!

We had the most amazing day at River Gardens. They made set up and tear down so smooth with their planning system. All the flowers and waterfalls added such a spectacular effect to the venue! My guest’s did not stop telling me how gorgeous the venue was and were so comfortable the entire time! Also their dance floor is perfect to boogie with all your besties!!

Awesome new venue for North County, San Diego. The venue itself is stunning and the on-site team is professional and helpful. I highly recommend checking this venue out if you are looking for a spacious outdoor venue.

River Garden was the first and only venue we looked at, mostly because it was still during COVID restrictions in Dec 2020. I was concerned we wouldn't find a venue that was flexible but still a safe place to hold a wedding and they delivered! Right from the beginning, Nicole was amazing and answered all my million little questions promptly. The venue was an absolute dream and delivered everything we wanted and more for our May 2021 wedding!
Beautiful grounds, all outside, romantic atmosphere, and accommodating for all hired vendors. It was not as cheap as we thought, but with the rentals (tables, chairs, lighting, speakers for reception, plugs) that they provide, it is very comparable and reasonable. River Garden was an absolute pleasure to work with and all our guests loved the experience! I'm referring everyone!

River Garden is the most beautiful & breath taking venue I’ve ever been to. I’m so happy I was able to have my wedding here. We had the perfect day and everything went smoothly thanks to the venue coordinator Nicole! She is amazing and so helpful! Highly recommend :)

We had to relocate clients last minute and glad we found River Garden! Once you enter the giant wooden gates, you find yourself in a unique lush setting. Beautiful people to work with. Patience and very helpful.

We can’t say enough great things about River Gardens. We loved having our wedding there. Beautiful surroundings, plenty of parking, easy access for our vendors, amazing helpful staff, and we love the way our photos came out with the rock wall and greenery. Thank you River Gardens team!

The River Garden was absolutely SPECTACULAR & provided the beauty, incredible service & magical , blessed atmosphere & ambience for the Bride & Groom & all to have their “ BEST DAY & NIGHT EVER”!! A rare find- outdoors & SAFE!! Thank you to Jonathan, JL, Val & Nicole⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

River Garden is such a hidden gem! Fully private, plenty of parking in their dedicated lot and on the adjacent neighborhood streets, and completely gorgeous on the inside. Ceremonies and receptions can be configured in several different ways throughout the space so couples can come in and add their own style to the already beautiful grounds. The crowning jewel of River Garden is the massive waterfall. It’s such a unique, striking feature and one that I haven’t seen at many other San Diego venues! The staff was friendly and professional and there was a dedicated vendor break room, which is always appreciated. We can't wait to shoot more weddings at this lovely venue!

A beauty of an outdoor Venue. Wonderful place for small or large events. Peaceful and lovely landscape design.

We love working with this venue. They are one of the best ones out there.

Update 11/27/2022 ; Venue has not contacted us after they've replied to this review. We posted this review to inform future clients of our experience. There's pros and cons to every venue. Also just note, specifically on sound.. the venue stated sound limitations that are much different than what was in our contract. TY

Had our wedding here in Sept 2022.
Pros: Accessible, gorgeous, luscious, spacious, quiet, organized, very responsive staff, tons of parking, 12 hr rental, flexible on visits prior to event. Ice maker machine which was handy because alcohol was byob & Farm Tables and Chairs were just perfect!!

Cons: Where do we begin…

Noise. BEWARE if you want to have a decent sounding party with music and dancing. We saw the other reviews about this issue but weren’t too concerned, thinking we were respectful and other people must’ve been out of control. Our contract said they could turn down the music if it could be heard outside the property or surpassed 110 decibels inside. Even though these two terms weren’t met… the venue ‘co-owner’ ended up trying to turn down the music on our wedding day at about 7pm. Groom steps out and argues with Co owner for 15 minutes at the peak of the party, ruining the vibe, whereby it is eventually decided to go back inside to measure this ‘extreme’ music — only 84 decibels in the middle of the dance floor; and 104 decibels one inch away from a single standing speaker. I consider this a breach of contract so BE CAREFUL!! This was after they tried to argue the contract said the limit was 100 decibels. They would’ve been fine ruining the party if they had it their way.

Construction. They added a fireplace without letting us know, removing about 15% of the seating capacity we were counting on. They said it can hold up to 400 people. We had 250 and it was very tight. Just be sure when you book you are ready to be proactive to ask what will be changing we assumed theyd let us know - its good business practice to communicate!

Insurance. They try to make you get $160 insurance for every vendor. Musicians? $160. Security? $160. Clean up crew? $160. Of course they have it pre-set with an insurance company their friends with. I’m sure they don’t get a commission. ;)

Bathrooms. One men’s restroom. Guys started going into the female restroom since there were over 100 guys at the event….

Turf Area isn’t allowed for sit down dinner yet there are still pictures in the venues social media platforms that have this. Shady area is only in the Turf Area so be conscious of that during those hot summer days or pencil in umbrellas. ( Venue has only 8 )