We found the Anaheim White House through several wedding websites and a bridal show, but they were also written up as a great restaurant in my local newspaper a few times.We were l...ooking for about a month at several venues before we decided to check out the Anaheim White House. We had been discussing what we wanted in a venue: we wanted something unique, we wanted somewhere that served great food, we wanted something within our budget, we wanted a place that did not have a site fee, in short we wanted some place that connected with our tastes. We basically went there without an appointment and met Katie, the event manager, who very graciously met us as she was setting up the reception hall for a wedding event. She told us what AWH could do for us, and let us have a quick look. We checked out their event and wedding menu packages, and pretty much chose them after two days.
The Anaheim White House is an Italian steakhouse restaurant that is also a historic landmark. You won't find the usual Italian food fare there. There is a long hall outside of the main restaurant that is used for events, and a small lawn area in front where wedding ceremonies can take place. Since we held our ceremony elsewhere, we were just looking for a place to hold our reception. With Katie's help, we were able to transform the small lawn into an outdoor dance floor with wonderful bistro lights crossing overhead. We had the bar, our DJ and a photo booth set up outdoors as well. Our guests were treated to a social there, and dinner was served indoors in the reception hall. The West Wing (as the reception hall is called) can hold up to 150 guests, but we had 100 guests and it looked more spacious than we were thinking it would. The food was well prepared and very tasty. We had our food tasting a month before and were really excited to see if our guests would love the choices we made on their behalf. We had dietary needs of all kinds, from my husband's mushroom allergy to gluten-free to dairy-free to vegetarians, and the staff handled everyone's needs wonderfully. One of our guests had mentioned to a server that she couldn't eat the hors d'oeuvres because there was cheese on them and that she was also vegetarian. The server came back to her with a few bites that was both vegetarian and without dairy. The service really made sure that every detail was taken care of. All we had to do was enjoy the evening with our guests. Katie and the entire staff really did take care of everything. We had the bouquet toss from the balcony of the restaurant to the single ladies on the lawn. It was a little tricky to have photographs done from both above and below. Whatever you do, be sure to add the Anaheim White House's version of a dessert tray as part of your package. You won't regret it.
All in all, our guests loved every minute of the reception. It was not the usual wedding venue that our friends and family have attended (read: buffets, Asian restaurants, same type of wedding food), and for that, we think they really got to enjoy something different, which is part of our diabolical plan in the first place! One of the most delightful things was the dessert tray. All of our guests raved about that one still.
Choose the Anaheim White House as your wedding venue. You won't be disappointed. And family and friends will be talking about it for a long time to come.