The Mountain Terrace

k, and Caren from TMT emailed us every few months, reminding us of details she needed to know, which turned out to be so helpful in keeping us on track. Without her, we would have been pretty disorganized. The day of, all the staff went above and beyond to make our day special. They brought champagne to the bridal suite, made up a plate of hors d'oeuvres for my husband and I while we were busy taking photos, arranged our cake with our bouquets as decoration on the dessert table, and the bartender even learned some guests' favorite drinks. It was clear this venue hosts lots of events and really knows what they are doing. If you are looking for a beautiful outdoors venue with lots of classy details, and amazing customer service, this is it!

at dusk to graze at the edge of the lawn. The lights over the deck and fire pit made for a romantic setting once the sun set. I added on the day-of planning services and highly recommend it because I got to enjoy my wedding and not worry about where I needed to be or who was taking care of our guests. Caren made the day seamless, calm, and fun! She brought us a personal plate of appetizers and champagne during post-ceremony portraits. The bride's dressing room had water (with straws to preserve lipstick!) chairs and a big mirror. Our guests were very well taken care of. We got comments about how accommodating they were of dietary restrictions and how delicious dinner and appetizers were. Our wedding was on August 5, so it was sunny and warm on the lawn during the ceremony, but definitely cooler than in Palo Alto. We looked at weather forecasts for La Honda to prepare. It cooled off to a very comfortable temperature for dinner. We didn't need the heat lamps but were glad to have them because you never know how much it will cool off once the sun sets. There is air conditioning inside, which was great when we were dancing. Caren was very responsive and helpful giving recommendations on heat lamps and umbrellas as we approached our big day. She quickly answered every email in the days and months leading up to our wedding. Overall it was a spectacular experience and we highly recommend The Mountain Terrace and Caren!

ing with twinkle lights. Caren (one of the wedding coordinators) is amazing and very responsive. She's on top of things- you don't have to worry about a thing with her! The staff is also very friendly and attentive. We couldn't have asked for anything better. It fit us perfectly and the experience was everything we imagined and more. Just a "big backyard" wedding! All of our guests loved it too! Biggest downside is the drive up to the mountain terrace, so highly recommend shuttles if you're having alcohol. Last, the food is great, reasonably priced, and the bar/drink service that's included is awesome as well!

ordinator drop off our final payment the day before our wedding and a few weeks later were told they lost the cashiers check. Since we already moved out of the state, this was upsetting news. A few days later we were then told they forgot to calculate our initial deposit into the final bill. Needless to say it took us several days and an incredible amount of stress to sort this out. Mountain Terrace sent us a gift card and apology letter, but it didn't make up for the fact that someone lost a check, and then couldn't do math. Wedding itself was great, the people who handle your money...not so much.

it for our wedding. Charisse was the best guide to the beginning stages of booking a wedding venue. She explained everything, walked us through every step, and worked with us on every detail of the contract. A true professional! And I have to give a special shout out to Caren. She was a dream to work with. She answered emails quickly and never had to explain anything twice. Even up to the day before the wedding, she was working with us to make sure there was no stone unturned and no detail missed. Sharon, the day of event manager, was the BEST. She and the staff the day of worked tirelessly to make sure everything ran smoothly. Cocktail hour and dinner were great, by the way! We felt so taken care of. They made sure we didn't miss a thing while we socialized without guests. If anyone is interested in using the Mountain Terrace, don't hesitate! Book it! The drive to and from the venue is worth it! Our guests are still talking about how gorgeous everything was a month later.

ked my lucky stars that we managed to secure a date and find the perfect location, and for so reasonable a pricetag. We opted to have Mountain Terrace handle our catering as well, and the food was fantastic. Everyone commented on how tasty everything was, and they worked with us to create a menu that matched our tastes and worked with a few complicated dietary issues with our guests. They also handled lots of other requests with grace and professionalism, like lawn games, s'mores, signature drinks...everything you could want to make your wedding stand out. I want to give a special shout out to Caren, who is one of the nicest vendors I worked with and an all around stand-out gal. She was so patient and so quick to respond to my many questions, and she even made sure a waiter came by and fed us so we didn't pass out during our photos. Thank you, Caren!

nd wonderful overall atmosphere. Only complaint would be the extra fees for a dance floor, heat lamps, and required beverage packages. However, it was THE ONLY choice for us. Would use again in a heartbeat.

and I'm employed in Michelin star restaurant!) I would recommend this venue to anyone who wants a perfect day down to the last detail!

an outdoor wedding in January (apparently its rainy this time of year). But not mountain Terrace. Caren was perfect, answering all my emails quickly and efficiently. She worked with our strange requests and was more than happy to allow or friends to do most of the set up. She helped us design the order of our reception, and allowed us not to have alcohol, even though it is usually a requirement to have a cash bar at least. Aside from just the great service, the location is perfect. Look at pictures, I cannot even begin to describe it. Thank you Mountain Terrace!!

re was a lot of emailing back and forth between us and Caren (coordinator). She was supremely helpful in answering all of them and really kept us on track. When we visited the venue in March for a tasting, the staff was very friendly and helpful. The chef, Kacie, was very willing to accommodate a few of our vegan guests and they really enjoyed their meals. Other staff members also offered creative and fun ways to spice up our wedding - like renting a fire pit and roasting s'mores during the reception! Our wedding day went off without a hitch. We hired Caren to be our day-off coordinator and I am so glad that we did! She took care of everything and not once did I worry about something going wrong. It took such a weight off of our shoulders to have her there. Beautiful location, amazing staff and a perfect wedding day!

f questions upfront about costs before you sign, there shouldn't be any surprises.

sic outdoors due to noise regulations in woodside. Ceremony music must be acoustic and toasts during dinner may not be accompanied with a microphone. We chose to use an outside caterer and pay a fee since our caterer through a friend was not on there preferred list. The "brides room" at the venue is quite small so we chose to get ready elsewhere. All in all t was a wonderful outdoor/indoor venue and we had a wonderful time there.

or and head bartender were my go to ladies and were wonderful to work with. Many of my guests commented that this was the most beautiful and perfect venue they have been to. While the ride up to the site is spectacular, through the trees and winding roads, it is a LONG one, but was very enjoyable. Most of my guests were coming from the midwest so I think they really enjoyed it. There are also only a couple ways to get there and since there ended up being an accident on the highway, I got very lucky that the guests using the shuttle weren't too late. The county/city has an ordinance that no amplification can be used outside so this means live musicians for the ceremony (which is more beautiful anyway) and practice projecting voices for any outside toasts. Also, wear the shoes you will be wearing at the wedding to the rehearsal!! The grass gets watered frequently and standing for over 20 minutes with heals poking through grass is not fun. But, if they didn't water frequently, the venue wouldn't be as beautiful. All in all, it was wonderful. They have their own caterers and tables, chairs, linens, you can rent the dance floor, heat lamps, etc. from them. (After the ceremony, dinner, alcohol, and everything else, money adds up. But it was extremely convenient to use ONE vendor for everything)

Caren are a joy to work with. Both are incredibly responsive and pay great attention to detail. We went with in-house catering and thought the food was great: rosemary chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, and jade rice. Passed appetizers were delicious as well. Absolutely love the bar inside. Service throughout the evening was prompt and pleasant. Be sure to warn your guests of the long and windy road up to the venue.

they were within our very tight budget (venue rental, ceremony, food, drinks, linens, heat lamps and service are all included in my cost listed). We were planning the wedding from Texas, and the date that we wanted was likely to be booked early, so we put down a deposit before ever seeing the place. When we were finally able to fly out to see it, we were so relieved that it was as beautiful as advertised. The location is a little out of the way with a long windy road to get there, but the scenery is gorgeous, the in house catering is DELICIOUS, the bar was very well stocked, and the staff were so accommodating and helpful. Caren was super helpful during the planning, she answered my endless questions and good naturedly endured all of the changes that we made. Bridget was there the day of the rehearsal and the wedding and gave us really good tips about how to run things, and also smoothed things over when the groom's parents were delayed on their way to the ceremony! All in all we were very satisfied with our experience for our wedding day.

sts that I have talked to were blown away by the natural beauty of this place. It is a little cramped if you have 110+ guests eating in the dining room. However, none of my guests complained about space, and I did have enough room to make the rounds to each table. 5 stars for the venue itself. The Mountain Terrace might just be the perfect if you are looking to have the venue and catering all handled in one spot. The management of the Mountain Terrace leaves a lot to be desired. Charisse was great during our tour of the property, and Denise was fabulous on the day of. They were both very helpful and made sure that all questions and requests were handled. Denise and her staff even assisted my caterer in setting and resetting the ceremony, as it was raining on and off that day, and I had my heart set on an outdoor ceremony. Unfortunately, they were not my direct contacts for most of the planning process. Working with Caren proved to be challenging at the best of times, and frustrating at the worst. The positives first: Caren was very responsive with emails, and she was willing to meet with me a few times up at the property. However, if you are looking to use a caterer not on their approved list, I would suggest you proceed with caution. I was very dedicated to using a caterer close to my family, so I paid the outside catering surcharge and didn't look back. Every request I had was met with resistance, even though most were not out of the ordinary. The worst transgression, however, took place the day after the wedding. Unbeknownst to us, our caterer had put a decal on the dance floor. I am unsure of the details of the clean-up on the night of the wedding, but my caterer reports that he was ushered out before he was able to pull it up. My bridesmaids went to retrieve some of the flower arrangements that were left behind, and they were told that the decal had damaged the dance floor and that my husband and I were held liable for the charges. That is understandable, as their contract was with us, and their only recourse was through us. What I find inexcusable, however, is that THEY called us on our honeymoon before trying to reach out to our caterer. They had a wedding the following evening, and they told me that we would also be held liable for the resulting discount to that couple, since our names were emblazoned on the floor. A few frantic phone calls and many hours later, I got a hold of Caren the following morning. It tuns out they HADN'T MOPPED THE FLOOR before calling us to let us know about the "damage". As I said before, it had been pouring on the day of my wedding, so dirt and mud had been tracked across the dance floor. I can't believe that mopping was not part of the setup process for the next wedding. 0 Stars for that experience, and for the management needlessly ruining the first part of my honeymoon with unnecessary stress, which results in 2.5 stars, rounded down.

aff are all amazing! We couldn't have asked for a better experience. Also, they were reasonably priced compared with many other venues we looked at. Wish we could get married here every year!

up front about them. Everyone commented about what a beautiful venue it was and we loved having our wedding there. We worried about music volume for our band beforehand but it did not turn out to be a problem. Just remember it is chilly there at night - even in August!

othly, it was just wonderful. Some of the food/beverage costs seemed a little high, but we were on a tight budget.

amp; very patient when we were super indecisive about our beverage options. There were a few challenges we didn't really consider to carefully when booking which we wish we'd thought about more prior. Mountain Terrace requires you go through them for beverages. Luckily our wedding was on a Sunday so we weren't required to buy a beverage package and could opt to pay based on consumption. They require also that you use their in-house catering or select from about 3 other options. If you want something different they charge an additional $1000. Also, the venue is located up a curvy narrow road so getting shuttles ($1500 for 2 shuttles to accommodate 60 guests at a time) was almost a necessity to avoid worrying about people driving down a steep hill drunk. These are relatively minor things, but they ended up stressing us out a bit during the planning process. That said, we had a beautiful wedding and I wouldn't have wanted us to get married anywhere else. Our guests loved the location & even had a great time on the shuttles.

rrace.

ning room. Unless your event is small, you must use the bar area for dancing and it's partially seperated by a stone fireplace from the dining room.