About this vendor
Life Arts Center is a historic wedding venue in Riverside, CA. This stunning building has been hosting weddings since 1993 and sits at the heart of the beautiful downtown area. Rich in stories and vintage elegance, this structure blends historical architecture with modern comfort. Here, you can join guests for an unforgettable and luxurious experience like no other.
By hosting your wedding at Life Arts Center, you can choose from two stylish event spaces. Each room features tasteful decor, contemporary furnishings, and a neutral color scheme that will offset your personal style. Bella Manor with Annex can seat up to 200 guests and offers an open floor plan that you can tailor to your requirements. With brick walls and an exposed skeleton ceiling, this space is made for dining and dancing. Alternatively, you can use the Victoria Vault to mark your celebration of love. It features arched windows and ambient lighting, which softly illuminate the space. Suitable for ceremonies and receptions, this versatile room can be set up to fit your vision.
Once you book your wedding at Life Arts Center, the dedicated events team will make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. They can lead the complete setup and breakdown of all decor, allowing you to focus on celebrating in style. Chairs, tables, and a dance floor are just a few event items included when renting this property. With a variety of customizable packages available, you are sure to find an option that fits your tastes and budget.
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
Reception Area
Covered Outdoors Space
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Wireless Internet
Settings
- Ballroom
- Historic Venue
Venue Service Offerings
- Bar & Drinks
- Bar Rental
- Food & Catering
- Planning
- Se Habla Español
- Wedding Design
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Reviews
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2
out of 5.04 reviews
My wife and I held our wedding reception at the Life Arts Center on December 31, and unfortunately it was one of the most disappointing customer service experiences we’ve ever had....
The problems started before the wedding. During the final weeks leading up to our reception, our assigned event coordinator went nearly two to three weeks without responding to us. For a couple trying to finalize details for their wedding, being effectively ghosted during such a critical time was incredibly frustrating and unprofessional. When we finally heard back, we were told they were overloaded and busy. That’s not an acceptable excuse when people are trusting you with one of the most important days of their lives.
The bigger issue happened on the day of our reception.
A rainstorm exposed a major leak in the ceiling of the main reception room. Despite attempts to patch the roof, water continued leaking into the room during our wedding. The venue’s solution was essentially a bucket on the floor.
The event coordinator provided no meaningful solution, and our own friend—who was helping coordinate the wedding—had to leave, go home, and bring back pipe and drape to create a makeshift cover for the leaking area. We lost part of the room, had water coming through the ceiling during our reception, and ended up looking at a temporary curtain setup in the middle of our wedding celebration.
Things go wrong sometimes. Roof leaks happen. What matters is how a business responds when they do. In our case, there was no real plan, no meaningful support, and no ownership of the problem.
After the wedding, I didn’t ask for a full refund. The reception still happened, and there were aspects of the evening we appreciated. I simply requested a reasonable partial refund given the circumstances.
That request was made in January.
Since then, the Life Arts Center has completely ignored us.
No response. No resolution. No accountability.
The leaking roof was frustrating, but honestly the way they handled the situation—and then ghosted us afterward—was worse. We paid thousands of dollars expecting professionalism and support. Instead, we were left to solve problems ourselves on our wedding day and then ignored when we tried to resolve the issue afterward.
Based on our experience, I would not recommend this venue.
Don’t book I repeat don’t book. Just trust me. From decor, to food, to the bar and to not returning any of my calls cause they know they dropped the ball big time, just don’t.
Venue was organized, well accommodated, they let you set up in advance, the facilities were clean, the food, and DJ were great. Desiree was absolute amazing with communication lead...
ing up to the day of the wedding. I would definitely recommend this venue for special events!
Please do not book. They have very poor professionalism. We were excited to be getting married there, it’s a pretty building. But it’s not a good feeling to have someone steal from...
you on your wedding day. We had an open bar, and unfortunately our wedding coordinator Ruby told him to take what he wants because we won’t know, we purchase the alcohol in the venue provided the bartender. At the end of the night we saw our wedding coordinator, Ruby decided to invite her friends and gave them our beers to drink. But the worst part was when we returned to get the rest of our stuff we had items missing, then Ruby’s mom Elvia had wanted to buy our unused alcohol For a party, her brother was going to have. She told us he would send us $260, But when we didn’t receive any money or communication, we called her and were told he can only give us $200. We said that wasn’t the agreement and to deliver our items back. She said if we wanted the stuff we would have to pick it up. It’s not a good feeling when someone takes advantage of you on your wedding day. These are just the things we saw, who know else was taken that we didn’t see. Please beware that they steal and keep your eyes on everything.
Contact
3485 University Ave, Riverside, CA | Inland Empire, Riverside CA
Life Arts Center