Secluded Garden Estate Reviews
Reviews
4.4 out of 5 rating
4.4 out of 5 rating
24 Reviews
88% recommend it
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![Kaylyn]()
Kaylyn L. Sent on 06/11/2019I would choose this venue over and over
SGE. In its name it describes the property. You are nestled away in the hills of Pala. Everything was green and vibrant. The staff were amazing and could not have done this day without there TLC. Josh was our coordinator and he was hands down the real deal. He met with me, made sure I had everything I needed to complete our wedding, and made me feel like I was the only Bride in the world. In reality there were 3 weddings that same weekend. We give you so much respect and feel honored for sharing your home with us. The whole experience sums us up and we all had the best time of our lives. Thank you !Secluded Garden Estate's reply:
Kaylyn, Thank you so much for your kind and lovely comments. We do try to help make your day the best ever! Josh is truly one of the very best coordinators ever :) Everything about your wedding was amazing! Your personalities as a couple definitely came through on your wedding day.. The florals, the decor, your selection of vendors, all of the special touches, showed who you two are as a couple. I loved your ceremony, your enthusiasm, and obvious excitement & love for each other was loud and clear! All the best to both of you and Thank you for selecting Secluded Garden Estate for your wedding venue. Warm Regards, Emily, Owner -
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![Jamie]()
Jamie Y. Sent on 10/23/2018Dream Wedding!
The Secluded Garden Estate was an absolute DREAM for us. We wanted a gorgeous "enchanting" wedding, but were also on a budget. We weren't sure if we would be able to find a venue in San Diego that let outside vendors come in, and that's when we stumbled across the Secluded Garden Estate. It FAR exceeded all of our expectations. It is a STUNNING venue, with about 6 different locations to take pictures. Our guests commented that it was one of the most beautiful venues they've ever seen. The owners are very flexible, and sat down with us beforehand to show us good ideas of other couples that have gotten married there! Our bridal party got incredible pictures in the "getting ready suite" and the groomsmen had an awesome time in their area. We couldn't have dreamed for a better location! I would highly highly highly recommend this place if you want a stunning wedding!! -
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![Karina]()
Karina Sent on 07/08/2016A perfect venue for a wedding! Stunning views. All our guest loved it! -
User896453 Sent on 08/12/2012The Secluded Garden was absolutely beautiful and a wonderfully unique place to have our wedding. We were very happy with the service and the owners of the venue's assistance throughout the whole planning process and the day of. There are 3 different levels to work with on this property and after having our wedding there here are my suggestions. I would hold cocktail hour on the reception floor level instead of the ceremony level and make sure your whole wedding party walks with you to take photos and are prepared for the walk. Otherwise the management of the vendors and the escorting of our guests around the venue was excellent and the views are amazing which makes for great phots. Loved this place!!! -
![Stesha]()
Stesha Sent on 06/13/2013Great venue, and gives you lots of leeway to hire your own caterers. Be aware that you have to use their preferred renter for tables and chairs and that you have to pay extra for set-up and tear-down of the event. Also don't be shy to contact Emily more than once if she doesn't respond at first - she's very busy. It's worth it! Beautiful venue. -
User1160850 Sent on 05/13/2013The Secluded Garden Estate is A BEAUTIFUL VENUE with Lots of ways to make your Big Day your own Special Day!!! I instantly fell in love with the venue from the moment I stepped foot onto the property! My pictures are gorgeous and everyone is still talking about how incredible the venue was! My only complaint is that there is Not a Bride Suite to get ready in, you actually get ready in a part of the owners home which is not private as you use their personal restroom facilities which was a bit strange. The owners of the property are very nice people and are willing to allow you to customize your day. I would definitely recommend this venue to future brides... -
![Walter]()
Walter Sent on 02/26/2013This place is fantastic for value and beautiful landscape, but if anything goes wrong prepare for poor customer service.
Our wedding was here and unfortunately rain was predicted the last minute. News increased the chance of rain from 10% to 50% the day of - horrible luck for southern california. Because of the rain, we had to setup a tent on the day of. Since the venue is a side business for the property owners they have a policy of not being disturbed before 10am. This meant that we couldn't organize the tenting until than. The tenting wasn't expected to be finished until 5pm and the reception was scheduled for 5pm! Nothing could be moved back under the tent until it was fully erected. This put a huge strain on the the wedding party and all other vendors. The vendors and my crewcame through at the zero hour of getting things ready but the stress could have been minimized if the property owners were more responsive; the extra 2-3 hours would have easily saved us the anxiety and stress.
Wedding services have to be customer service oriented since it is a huge event in someones life. It was disappointing to find out that sleeping in was more important than the clients. I will give them the benefit of the doubt that their service will improve if it ever rains again since our wedding was their first tent ever pitched.
Lastly, email responses have taken 16 days to get back to me in some cases (deposit refund).
Also, do not go with their recommended "Day of Coordinators". Their recommended "best" was absolutely dreadful - Tamra (Tammy) Francis. All the vendors and my bridal party complained of her for her lack of experience, work ethic, inability to prioritize and manage. There was also a conflict of interest in that she worked for the property owners and prioritized their needs instead of ours. Stay away!
Overall, if it didn't rain, the only complaint I would have would be there coordinator recommendation and email responsiveness.
Secluded Garden Estate's reply:
I am absolutely stunned by this couples remarks!
All businesses have hours of operation. Our hours are clearly stated in our contractual agreement. On the day of an event our couples have use of the Venue from 10AM to 11:30 PM. That is 13.5 hours, which is very generous and customer oriented. Our 10AM policy has nothing to do with sleeping in. This groom, never even attempted to call me about the possibility of a tent. In fact I received a call from the rental company informing me that this couple was considering the tent option. He called them at 8:30 AM to discuss the possible tent. He clearly did not need access to the venue for the purpose of making these arrangements. When the groom did arrive to the venue, He sat in my office for 2 hours before he made the final decision to order the tent. The rental company and I told him, the longer he waited to decide the more he was pushing the envelope, and impacting the reception start time.
The responsibility of tenting is the full responsibility of the couple, and this is clearly stated in our contractual agreement.
In order to erect a tent the area must be cleared.We have string lights in this area, that had to be taken down. Also, the tables and chairs had been placed on the reception lawn, and the coordinator, my staff and myself had to move all of the tables and chairs out of the area. Once the tent was erected(around 4:30PM) we then had to move everything back under the tent, and dress the tables, set-up the centerpieces, etc.
I would call this excellent customer service, considering the fact that it was the couples responsibility, not the responsibility of the Venue.
We were not provided with any assistance. The Bride and groom were actually getting ready, and married while we took care of the situation. They had no idea how hard we all worked to make their day successful.
I also, have a special arrangement with our preferred vendor for rental equipment which is: Our couples can share the cost of their rental equipment that they have in common with the other event on their weekend. This means that this groom's cost for tables and chairs were at 1/2 price. More Customer Service.
We also allowed this couple to come back to the Venue the day after their event to pick up their decorative and personal items. Again this IS customer service, consideration, and accommodation.
We strive to make every wedding special, successful, and the Best Day of every Bride and Grooms life.
I do wish that Walter and Carrie could realize how wonderful their wedding really was.
Emily/Owner -
User2298548 Sent on 09/02/2015My FH and I met with the owners of Secluded Garden Estate for a tour and fell in love with the venue itself. Romantic, unique, beautiful views. The only problem was the service. From the get-go, we got a strange vibe. What really threw us off was the owner's conduct. She made us look through slideshows of various weddings they'd hosted in the past. Usually, I'd love to see what the space can look like but the owner kept pointing out what the couple "did wrong" and was trying to give us a tutorial of "what not to do" for our wedding. What she didn't know is that I'm on it, know my theme/colors/DIY and had all this figured out before we met with her. She kept telling us what was wrong with other weddings and it made us feel so uncomfortable. No way would I want to have my wedding there knowing that a year later, she'd be trashing my choices based on her own preferences (not her professional opinion, she doesn't offer wedding planning services). I finally had to stop her "tutorial" and ask for the pricing details, etc. Felt so bad for the couples she was trash talking. Lovely home, great price, but strange vibe over all. Just couldn't take the risk.Secluded Garden Estate's reply:
It is unfortunate that this Bride interpreted by attempt to suggest some do's & don'ts as a negative. Most couples, appreciate receiving information about the logistics of planning an outdoor wedding. I would never put down anyone's wedding, every wedding is different and unique.
Emily, Owner
Secluded Garden Estate. -
User1301270 Sent on 08/25/2013This venue is by far the most gorgeous place to have a wedding and everyone who attended my wedding said so. The natural beauty of this place cut down a huge cost on decor and gave me the freedom to make my wedding my way. That being said, the owners are definitely a pain to work with. Our contract changed 3 days before my wedding day. There seemed to be a huge lack of communication on details of the venue. I had explained in front of the owner many times that the bridal party planned to get ready in the bridal suite provided; 3 days before the wedding I was told we could only use the bridal suite to put my dress on and we could not begin the reception until it was cleared out. My photographer said the owner was in the way of every single shot and needs to edit her out in multiple shots. There was security present however very involved in the wedding and VERY VISIBLE which made many feel very uncomfortable including myself. If one chooses to use this gorgeous its one must tell the owner that although it is their property it is YOUR wedding and you will respect her rules if she respects your privacy and choices. We were being watched at all times by security, the owner, her husband, and people in golf carts. The venue is a GORGEOUS bang for your buck however is very sketchy and not private.
Secluded Garden Estate's reply:
The policies that this Bride has stated were just given to her 3 days before their event, is untrue. The Bride and Groom signed a contract in January of 2013, that clearly stated our policies, which addressed the fact that we do not allow "hair and make-up" to be done on sight. They also violated our "Alcohol" policy, which is in keeping with the state laws. Due to the fact that the alcohol policy was violated, it required intervention from our on site Security Guard. We did not demand that the brides room be cleaned before ceremony. In addition, our contract states that the Bride's room must be cleaned out by 6PM. We provide them with the opportunity to store all of their belongings in the Groom's room(40 feet away) for the rest of the evening. Unfortunately, this bride felt that the contractual policies did not apply to her.
We strive to make every wedding experience wonderful. We have policies, as do all Venues, that are contractually agreed to, for every event. This couple did not make alternate arrangements with us. -
![Lizbeth]()
Lizbeth Sent on 01/13/2014Initially we were in love with this place and signed a contract a year and a half before the wedding. The place is beautiful and the owners were very nice. The problems came as the wedding came closer. Initially we were told we could stay past 12 because of course it is in a far away place and very secluded. A month before the wedding they told us we had to turn the music down by 9. When I called them to make sure that was not was initially promised, they told me we could keep the music but it would have to be lowered at 11 and we had to still be off the property by 12. The day of the wedding the owner came to the DJ at 9 and had him turn down the music. Meanwhile, they did pull out a couple of chairs and joined our party by drinking and eating along with the rest of our families. They made us go through their insurance and gave us a hard time with the deposit because one of the vendors hit part of the fence. It was later resolved because the vendor took responsibility and paid them, but we never even got a response from the insurance company. We had to use their provided rental company and they made it extremely hard for my wedding planner because they left items all over the place and my wedding planner had to move 5 belly tables, chairs, and tables across sections even though they had asked us where we wanted them. Very nice people, but not sure this is something they should be running on their own.Secluded Garden Estate's reply:
Unfortunately, sound ordinance restrictions are out of our control. It is in our contract that music has to be at a reasonalbe level. We advised the DJ of this in advance. This couple did get to have their music on until 11PM. We provide very generous access time for each event, a minimum of 13 hours. The damages caiused by one of their vendors was over $650.00. Once the damages were paid for , we refunded their "Security Deposit". Issues that they had with the equipment vendor, was based on their directions to the Vendor. Also, this vendor gave them a great discount right from the begining.
It is cutomary, and courteous to include your vendors in your guest count with your caterer. The photographers, DJ, Photo Booth staff, etc are always served, as well as our staff and occassionally the owners of the venue. When a caterer invites us to try their food, we do occasionally try it. We would never intrude or eat with guests.
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