The Harper Reviews

We had the honor of hosting our wedding here at The Harper on 1/19. From start to finish, Jess was such a great help. We’ve obviously never done this before and she was there every step of the way to answer any questions we had. Not only did we get referred to a Wedding Planner, but they made it easy to find all vendors we needed. They broke down all the information we needed with contacts and websites.
It was such a smooth sailing process. Perry and I could not have been more blessed to find this venue. It is beautiful inside and out and it made our night very memorable. They were always willing to help and answer any and all of our questions. Trust me, when I thought I had stupid a question, they made me feel like it was an important question.
Roomforty (f&b) were a pleasure to work with. They were there every step of the day to make sure our guests and us (the bride and groom) were taken care of. Everyone enjoyed their service and we received so many compliments on their behalf. Food and drinks were amazing. Everyone just enjoyed their hospitality and they even enjoyed themselves as well. Such friendly personalities and got along well with our guests.

My husband and I loved having our wedding at the Harper venue. It was the perfect location for our wedding and I’m so glad we chose it as our venue. The bridal suites, ceremony space, and reception space are all in one location which made it extremely convenient for us and our guests. Communication with Lyzmari, Jess, and their whole team was easy and efficient from the very beginning. They are professional, accommodating, and organized. The venue is exactly as described and we loved all of the small touches that made this venue perfect, from the picture perfect getting-ready suites to the complimentary beverages waiting for us in the suites and post-ceremony. At our production meeting, Jess and the team made sure the floor plan and all of the details for our wedding were clearly communicated and we so appreciated all of the small changes and adjustments they were able to accommodate even leading up to the wedding day. We had an amazing experience getting married, and we couldn’t have asked for a more seamless experience than with the Harper and the Hospitality Collaborative team.

The Harper is nothing short of the perfect venue. As a wedding planner, I always provide my couples with the best recommendations of those in the industry who provide top tier service. I know that at the Harper, my couples will be taken care of with the incredible service leading up to wedding day, and wedding day staff. Not to mention the gorgeous setting that the venue provides for your wedding. I recommend the Harper to everyone!

I got married at The Harper on 12-10-22 and from start to finish, The Harper was nothing short of amazing. I say this having booked this venue without having seen it in person before booking (check out the website's virtual tour for an overview of the whole venue). Right after we booked, Lyzmari contacted me and we set up a phone call to go through my initial questions. She was friendly, detailed, honest and personable. Throughout the wedding planning process, we worked primarily with event specialist, Katie Brantley, who we loved! Katie was warm, professional, communicative and helpful throughout the process. The venue is essentially an all-inclusive ceremony/reception venue, and they made wedding planning as stress-free as possible.

The Harper is a beautiful and roomy modern/industrial venue. There is a spacious outdoor area that was perfect for our ceremony and cocktail hour. The outdoor area flowed into the even more spacious indoor area with lots of natural light for the reception. The reception space is right next to the ceremony space with large sliding glass doors which open to allow for a very indoor/outdoor feel. There is also a large skylight directly above the dance floor area. We used the indoor space as a blank canvas, which was great b/c we wanted to decorate the inside to match our moody theme. There is a beautiful bridal dressing room with a private bathroom/shower, as well as a separate groom's lounge. The bridal suite has floor to ceiling windows with ample sunlight pouring in the room - perfect for getting-ready photos, and it has a connected outdoor patio area that looks like a European villa - perfect for group photos. The Harper is located in an industrial area/auto corner, so from the street, it doesn’t look like much. However, once you walk inside and into the space, you feel like you’ve been transported to the most beautiful, serene venue (there are also a ton of gorgeous areas around the venue for photos). The Harper is definitely large enough to accommodate a few hundred guests, depending on set up, but can also be configured for smaller crowds, and it's easily accessible b/c it's close to SNA with many hotels at varied price pts. With our guest count, we needed to have valet, arranged by Katie, and they were very fast and professional. The bathrooms were also clean and luxurious.

The Harper's staff is exceptional. We went to a Thursday evening group tasting a few months before our date where we tasted different cocktails, apps, entrees, desserts and late nite snacks. We also got to mingle with the staff. The staff were so friendly and fun! On the day-of, everything was done so efficiently (there was never a long bar line), and everyone performed their jobs with a smile/positive attitude, which really brought the best energy possible to our wedding day! For our evening reception, we went with The Harper's in-house caterer, Room Forty, and bar service, Pharmacie, both of which were arranged by Katie. She was very clear and communicative about everything that she needed from us and when she needed them by (e.g., guest count, menu selections, etc.). We chose to do a plated dinner with choice of 3 entrees, one of which was a silent veg option that we selected ourselves.

Katie worked very closely with our wedding planners (Fetelle Designs) to make things even more seamless and efficient. We didn’t have to worry or stress about ANYTHING on our wedding day. I attached several photos by my very talented and incredible photographer, Kellie Jane at https://kelliejanecreative.com/

I highly recommend The Harper for anyone planning a special event or wedding. You can feel rest assured that they will work hard to ensure that your day is special and runs smooth.

The Harper is hands-down one of the best wedding venues in Southern California. 5 stars isn't enough for this incredible space!

As a wedding photographer, I work at a wide range of venues every weekend, so I've really seen the good, the bad, and everything in between. The Harper is absolutely exceptional. Before photographing my clients' wedding, I had the chance to meet with them for a venue walkthrough so I could meet Katie (event specialist at The Harper who works one-on-one with the couples) and scope out areas for pictures. I was immediately struck by how hands-on the staff for this venue chooses to be with their clients. Katie asked our couple all the right questions and provided helpful suggestions to them about what past weddings have done for layout, placement, and even schedule.

It almost goes without saying that the aesthetics of The Harper are visually stunning. The venue is practically designed with photography in mind. Gorgeous large windows line the bridal suite allowing sunlight to pour in for magical getting ready pictures. The reception space is adjacent to the ceremony site with large sliding glass doors which open to allow for a very indoor/outdoor feel. A large skylight sits perfectly centered over the dance floor, again allowing for beautiful lighting up til sunset. The placement of the ceremony space is directly east/west facing - this is ideal because as the sun sets, it creates completely even, direct lighting across the couple and wedding party during ceremony which avoids harsh shadows on the faces and results in gorgeous pictures. With two getting ready suites and a side courtyard, we had so many places to photograph the couple and their wedding party, and it almost looked like we were transported to a beautiful European villa instead of Costa Mesa :)

Aside from the visuals, I have to make a special note about what it was like working with the staff at The Harper. This team did a wonderful job celebrating and supporting the couple getting married. Each person working for The Harper performed their job with a positive attitude and a smile on their face, and this warm, welcoming presence brought a great energy into the day. As a vendor, it's common that venues treat us somewhat poorly. In contrast, The Harper graciously provided us with one of the getting ready suites during reception (while the party continued elsewhere) where we could eat a hot meal and regroup with our equipment before the next event on the timeline. This really goes a long way for me as a photographer because by dinner time, I've usually been working on my feet for 6+ hrs, and I so appreciate being fed while guests eat so we don't miss any important moments but can still catch a meal break!

Above all else, our couple getting married loved their wedding day, and I know The Harper was a big part of that. Weddings are done best when the whole vendor team comes together with a singular goal in mind: to serve the couple as they enter into marriage. The Harper + staff led the way in serving and celebrating this bride and groom, and I can't thank them enough for all the work.

We can’t thank our venue coordinator, Katie at Hospitality Collective enough for the outstanding service she and the venue provided throughout the planning and culminating in our daughter's wedding day! Truly they were so great to work with at every stage and worked with us to make sure every piece of furniture was placed properly and looked beautiful. The bride and groom are both so happy with everything The Harper provided. Many guests mentioned to me how pleasant the staff was, especially the bartenders. We are still getting compliments on how delicious the food was. That meant a lot to all of us. From start to finish, it was all splendid!

The sign of a good venue and their team is hosting an event when everything around them is going right. The sign of a GREAT venue is hosting an event when something out of their control goes completely wrong - and yet, they find a solution.

My daughter's wedding was being held at this perfect venue nestled away in the middle of Costa Mesa. A couple hours before the wedding a vehicle took out a transformer in the neighborhood and the venue lost all power. This was a disaster in the making. However, the manager, Lorenzo, then drove to a hardware store, bought several generators and his team hooked the generators up to the venue just in time for the wedding.

While the wedding party was frenetic over the loss of power, Lorenzo's team remained calm (at least in front of us) and positive that all would be right with the world, and they would take care of this. And they did! They brought the power back up with the generators they procured, and the event went on without a hitch.

I have the highest possible recommendation for this venue and their team. Their commitment to service and a focus on solutions to a problem that was not of their making, led to the perfect wedding for my daughter and her husband. They have my gratitude for their professionalism in handling a situation that was extremely challenging.

We got married in the summer of 2021, and The Harper made the experience so wonderful. The venue itself is cozy and elegant, with reception/ceremony at the same vicinity so that guests don't have to drive or walk long distances. Parking at the wedding is valet (covered for the guests, no charge to guests). We got married in the outside part of the venue and had our reception in the indoor part of the venue, but you can choose to flip it or mix it up however you wish. The venue holds group food-tasting sessions, where you can go as a couple and try out the food (which is delicious). They have a great selection of classy food items that the guests at our wedding thought was absolutely delicious. Importantly, the venue is flexible and you can add / subtract items depending on your needs, from drinks, cocktail hour snacks, hours of use for the facilities, and so on. If you want to bring in your own items during certain parts (say snacks/desserts, or if you're from a multi-cultural background and want to bring some non-American items or include ceremonial touches from other cultures) you can do that too. Whether it's traditional or non-traditional or whatever you dreamed about, just ask, and they will find a way to make it happen. The venue itself is very pretty so you don't need too much more in terms of decorations, but the venue has a lot of very good recommended vendors, such as flowers and DJ/music. A big thank you to Taryn and Katie at the venue, along with the in-house day coordinator Lydia for making our day so wonderful! They have a lot of experience with the site, so they can provide good advice / direction / thoughts depending on your guest count and wants, whenever you aren't sure what to do.

My daughter and her fiancé held their ceremony and reception at the Harper on March 14, 2020. It was amazing. We had a fairly complicated set up with lots of florals and many vendors and the Harper accommodated it all. The appetizers, drinks, dinner and late night snacks were delicious. Taryn was our contact at the Harper and she was beyond helpful and a joy to work with. My daughter and son in law have told me that it was such a memorable day and exceeded their expectations! The country shut down because of Covid 19 two days after our event and I know this must be a hard time for all in the wedding industry and hoping that we all get back to work so very soon!

First, I have to give The Harper HUGE props for being so accommodating. Our original venue couldn't host us with covid, so we were looking for a new place just 4 weeks out from our date (with all other vendors confirmed for the new date!).
The Harper is relatively new on the venue scene, and sometimes that shows through. Our contact only worked MWF, so on such a short timeline it was occasionally a pain. If we had been working with The Harper for months in advance, I'm sure this wouldn't have been an issue. The site is beautiful and super user-friendly. We loved the secret passageway, the hidden garden, the great courtyard, and the huge inside skylight. However, since our event needed to be completely outdoors we also had to compensate with additional lighting in the courtyard. There's also no sound system (would be a huge plus!).
While The Harper made everything on the day-of super easy, there were a few little interactions in the planning that keep this place from being the absolute best. We were initially verbally quoted a price after sharing our guest count and date, but the proposal came back at $50 more per head (a $3k difference for us). Also, there was a potential additional charge to use the bridal suite for more than 2 hours. Who can do everyone's hair and makeup all in two hours?!?
I would completely recommend The Harper. Just be sure you dig into the details and have plenty of time for planning!!

Highly disappointed with the Harper and all of the staff. I am planning my July wedding and originally had picked this venue due to it uniqueness and “culinary experience” aspect. After feeling extremely pressured into signing lengthy and confusing contracts, I was left even more confused and to fend for myself. Questions took weeks to answer and I truly did not feel supported through this experience.
The worst part was the “group tasting” 2 months after signing the contract we were scheduled for a group tasting with 9 other couples with upcoming weddings. Not only was about 10% of our food options available for tasting that day (the rest was random food) but they had served the staff before us so we were not able to taste all the options that were there. Needless to say the tasting was abysmal, only about 2 options were edible. Food was overly salty and bland. Once I voiced my concerns about this, I was informed that if I would like a private tasting it would be $150/person.
After all this, I decided to cancel my contract with the Harper, while still planning my July wedding. I lost 50% deposit (which was a huge blow, but rather lose the money than deal with this adolescent venue). A month or so after cancelling the owner Steve Fortundao reached out to me via email and asked to speak with me by giving him some dates and times that work for a touch base. I responded to him with no other communication back. My point of contact Jess has been giving me the run around and it’s so frustrating. The worst part is that I am still waiting for the return of my deposit! The Harper had held my money that I need for planning my upcoming wedding for over 2.5 months!!!
What a scam this place is. Go with another more seasoned venue, unless you would like to be 100% stressed the whole time you are planning your event.