Orcutt Ranch Horticultural Center & Community Garden

We reserved a year and half before our wedding and some of the dates were already filling up at that time.

. We didn’t mind having to end earlier, we just made sure to start a bit earlier so we had plenty of time to dance and celebrate. They only require their use of approved Alcohol vendors. So if you’re looking to save on Alcohol and bring your own, this may put a damper on your budget. We ended up spending more on Alcohol than the venue itself. We did however love their vender Sunseris and 1 bartender was able to easily serve our 115 guests. Orcutt is ideal for a DIY Wedding. You have a great canvas to work with and I recommend using Instagram to see what others have done at this venue. You will love it and so will your guests.

nd the staff is all so wonderful!

ty of room for decor and guests can browse the place. The place itself is rustic and inviting. The ceremony and reception took place there, plus there is plenty of parking.

ither be in the adorable house or in the rose garden. There is a barn, a greenhouse, an orchard and much more on the grounds. There is a bridal suite and a grooms suite that have a wonderful vintage feel and are perfect for getting ready on the day of the wedding. The venue is made for DIY weddings as you get to bring in everything which was exactly what I was looking for. The staff is very responsive and the price is amazing but it books up well in advance.

The venue itself is beyond gorgeous (especially in spring) and our guests couldn't stop telling me how beautiful the grounds were. Don't be thrown off by the swastikas. Never thought I'd write that sentence in my life. The house was built pre-WW2 and they are a tribute to the original builder's interest in Native American customs. We had a jewish ceremony and none of our guests noticed them until we pointed them out. With a smaller budget we wanted a beautiful venue that allowed us to truly make our wedding our own and Orcutt Ranch allowed just that. Do yourself a favor and go check them out!

es of the different rooms and spaces and there was no hassle each time. A word of caution to brides & grooms considering this venue: this is a fully DIY space, meaning you have to provide EVERYTHING yourself (e.g. tables, chairs, linens, decor, lighting, etc.). The costs of contracting with all the different venues can add up quickly so make sure you do your research and budget carefully before booking this venue. Beautiful indoor/outdoor space!

and work with. The alcohol vendor that you are required to go with was very reasonably priced and really awesome. The park was beautiful and made for some incredibly gorgeous photos.

more each time I visited. It's open to the public when an event is not on the schedule so you can walk around and decide what you want where most mornings. Access to the house makes for a perfect additional space and rain-out plan if ever needed. The gardens are magical and I saw several pictures of our guests wandering around. The back drops are beautiful for photos and the venue is a great deal. However, if you have your heart set on partying into the night (past 10pm), having open flames (candles, etc.) or your own bar service, this may not be the place for you. Still very well worth exploring as an option!

on outdoors. Orcutt Ranch provided all of that, and at a great price to boot ($1500 for venue only, which means you have the freedom to bring in whatever vendors you like). Moreover, your money goes toward maintenance of LA's city parks, rather than lining the pockets of the wedding industrial complex (if you're into that sort of thing). We held the ceremony in a grassy grove surrounded by trees. After visiting in August, we were a bit skeptical about whether we would have grass at all or just dirt, but by April the grass was lush and plentiful. Our cocktail hour was held in a courtyard with a small fountain, and the reception was on grass in front of a small gazebo, where we put the sweetheart table. Orcutt Ranch has so many flowers and scenic locations for photos, we hardly needed to purchase any decorations. They have not only a bridal suite, but also a groom's suite, and both are huge (to be honest, the groom's suite is probably even nicer than the bridal suite...but both are great)! Although Orcutt is technically an LA city park, it's closed to the public after sunset, and the venue area is completely blocked off from the public, so you won't have any looky-loos. Weddings have access to the entire grounds, including the citrus orchard and the historic home. In the unfortunate event of rain (which we thankfully avoided), the house could accommodate a SMALL wedding, rendering a tent unnecessary. The staff at Orcutt, Danielle and Trish, were very easy to work with, and accommodated our numerous requests to visit and even more numerous questions over email. Because they are a city park, they have a contract with a beverage provider (Sunseri's) who must provide and serve all alcoholic drinks. That said, the beverage provider allowed us to bring in homebrewed beer, which was one of our must-haves. The ONLY down-side, and it really wasn't that big a deal, is that the party must end by 10 PM. This is pretty typical of venues in residential areas. Would highly recommend this venue!

d groom suite that you can use to party before the party. The rose bushes and magnolia trees were in bloom 06/23/13. with the back drop of the full moon awaiting in the dark. It is the valley but the weather smiled at us but the canvas umbrella we rented for the tables were a good standby. The cake room was the 2nd favorite place. Lots of places to take photos and we used the gazebo as a photo booth. The place has a water fountain too and you can get creative with that.

n we saw Orcutt Ranch and knew immediately it was the place. It is stunning. There are rose gardens, citrus groves, a beautiful ceremony site with a big tree to get married under, a beautiful spanish-style ranch home, and a lovely outdoor seating area for the reception. The staff was beyond helpful throughout the process, and allowed us to come by any time we needed to during the planning process. Orcutt Ranch is now one of our favorite places, and we plan on going back every year on our anniversary to have a picnic under our tree.

fore the ceremony. The price was on point and if you clean up and get out in time you can get your deposit back which is nice.

hady garden where our wedding was held was gorgeous all on its own. Many of our guests were absolutely overwhelmed with what a beautiful place this is and how it was a perfect location for our vintage style 1920s wedding. We would happily recommend this venue to anyone - in fact, we visited it several times (having booked it 9 months in advance) and plan to do so in the very near future too to celebrate our phenomenal wedding which took place just a few short days ago.......

un for the reception since there was a huge tree that gave off a lot of shade. I would definitely recommend Orcutt if you're looking for an affordable, out door celebration!

had 70 people, and even though it was one of the hottest days of the summer, the evening was just magical. We worked mostly with Danielle, and she is such a lovely person. She helped us out any time we wanted to look at the venue, ask questions, and even sneak a peek at lighting for another evening wedding. On the big day, she was so helpful, and went above and beyond, telling vendors when it was time to pack up, and even helping with the clean up. She's amazing. The only bummer is that because it is part of the public parks system, you have to use their bartending service. This was only a problem because my husband got so much free booze for our wedding, and we could have saved some money there. But the bartender was awesome! And they ended up giving us a discount for using our booze. Besides, the venue is so inexpensive, it's a great value no matter what. I love this place and can't recommend it enough!

chairs to additional lighting, but it can be done on a budget!!! Everyone there was extremely friendly and helpful which is a huge plus! I would definitely recommend this venue to people!!!!!

why the 2 stars). And they have one choice for the bar catering which provides a great affordable service. Another downside, if a long night is what you are after is that you have to wrap up by 10pm. I only had my reception and the 6 hours allotted was plenty for a nice evening celebration. As the bride, having started the day at 6am (unless you are a party animal) I was ready to go home at closing time. Your photographer will love this venue as well as it has such great spots for great pictures. From among the roses to trees or a rustic wall. Book early if you are looking to have your wedding April-July. The dates book fast.

. There are so many different ceremony and reception options. We found the staff, particularly Danielle to be very helpful. She had a lot of great ideas. Weekends do book up quick so try to visit in advance.

uld see the place before my big day, and all the girls in the office are super nice and helpful.

way and let my people do their thing which I loved since I planned all my own stuff. The venue was one of the best prices in LA. Overall it was a great experience!

e hardly needed to add any decorations at all. Of course we did, and it only added to the beauty! The venue is huge so we were able to do both our ceremony and our reception within a few yards away. There are really cute bride and groom suites for the wedding party to get ready at and tons of great places for photos! And the price was great too! I had looked at tons of locations and this place was the most reasonable by a long shot! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a great outdoor wedding spot!