When initially searching for a wedding venue I was looking for something unique and stunningly beautiful. Grandview nailed it on both counts. It is only a 20 minute drive from downtown San Jose, but the property feels like a secret mountain get...away from the city. Plus, the view is amazing by day or night.
At first, the sticker price seems high, but the event deposit includes the property rental for the day, the staff of waiters and bartenders, ceremony and reception set up including linens and glassware, and the amazing bonus of a bridal suite at your disposal. The suite can be used for pre-ceremony prep and also provides the bride and groom on site accommodation for the wedding night. After the deposit, we didn't need to worry until the day of the wedding when we closed out the balance for the food, drinks, tax, and 20% gratuity. That's it. Super easy and straightforward. We were certainly not nickeled nor dimed.
Another bonus you get is Ilya, the restaurant's general manager/event coordinator. He sincerely wants to help you host an amazing event and genuinely wants to make your wedding the best day ever. Ilya has suggestions that come from experience, yet really allows you the freedom to be the ones to make the major decisions. He told me that I was the boss, but then pulled all of the strings backstage to make things happen. Ilya really made our planning process much less stressful.
Our wedding day was absolutely amazing. The staff was professional and friendly. The bartenders were excellent. Chuy, one of the waiters, made it his mission to ensure that my husband and I never had an empty wine glass. The food was absolutely delicious, evident from the never-ending compliments from our guests. Ilya even ran interference so we got a chance to relax and enjoy the meal! In the end, our wedding was beautiful and fun. We hadn't thought a dream wedding would be possible, but we really did have the best day of our lives.
I highly recommend Mt Hamilton Grandview as a venue. Excellent food, a classy yet not pretentious atmosphere, and, of course, a grand view of Silicon Valley are my favorite aspects of this location that are a winning combination.