The Ruth Bancroft Garden

ning, as well as spaces for our guests to explore. The staff is extremely flexible, attentive, and experienced. I was particularly impressed with how well they worked with our caterer, and how, during our initial tour, they were able explain a variety of configurations. Their knowledge of the space and how to best use it put us at ease, especially since our wedding was on a tight timeline. Ultimately they made our wedding feel at once cozy and elegant, which is exactly what we wanted for our guests.

e director who seems to have absolutely no desire to accommodate weddings but is fine throwing other events, and the previously raved-about events team (Tawny and Mary) left. The ONLY reason our wedding went smoothly there is because our planner/coordinator (Hudson Ave Events) has done so many events in the past there and we hired other vendors familiar with the venue. The current staff does not have the knowledge nor experience with event planning and certainly not wedding planning. They are extremely uncommunicative and made changes to venue policies without ever contacting us directly, only our planner. One of my "favorite" kicks in the stomach was when they told us we could no longer have our dinner in the Eucalyptus Grove because there is no permanent lighting there and there is hazard for people stepping on the plants. Weeks after telling us that, we went there for another walkthrough to pivot and what did we see but bunches of young children volunteers in amongst the plants setting up lights for their holiday display show. As beautiful and unique as the setting is, I just don't think I can rightly recommend this venue to couples anymore.

we hired, not because of the venue staff, who were negligent, evasive, and careless with our belongings and emotions. Over two years of planning, we were assigned three different venue coordinators due to turnover. By the time our wedding arrived, we were working with Fiona, whose title is House Manager — not Event Coordinator. That detail matters: she has no professional event experience, and it showed at every turn. Fiona’s disorganization was clear from the start. She attended our final walkthrough, then emailed weeks later asking when it would happen. She repeatedly asked questions — not for clarity, but because she failed to take notes. That didn’t give us confidence. And rightly so — things fell apart on the big day. Venue staff showed up 20 minutes late, delaying setup. We were promised five event assistants but told the week of the wedding we’d only get three. Our coordinator had to fight to get four — still less than contracted. The assistants were clearly inexperienced teens. One vendor’s clear instructions were ignored, leading to damaged items. Fiona saw the damage and said nothing until confronted. The most painful part came after the reception. Our coordinator had clearly communicated that she’d stay until midnight to supervise breakdown — which Fiona acknowledged. But the night of the wedding, Fiona told her she had to leave at 11 p.m. That decision led directly to our biggest heartbreak. After our coordinator left: • Our bridal bouquets were taken without permission by venue staff and either thrown out or taken home. • These were custom, sentimental, and emotionally irreplaceable. • We followed up and were ignored. Only later were we told they had “another event that weekend.” • What should’ve taken one phone call dragged on for four days. To make things worse, the venue blamed our coordinator, claiming she had given permission. She hadn’t. They refused to speak to us directly and only responded once she took the fall, calling it a “miscommunication” just to get our items back. She took the blame because they refused to be accountable. Some of the bouquets were never returned. The few we recovered were wilted, clearly never placed in water. We were told this was “standard practice.” Taking or discarding someone’s wedding bouquets without permission is unacceptable. Additional damage followed: • Our items were tossed into bins. Several were broken or missing. • A vendor’s couch was damaged — dragged across the floor until the leg snapped. • When asked, Fiona admitted seeing it and said nothing, assuming it was already broken. Throughout the entire process, the venue avoided responsibility, minimized issues, and passed blame. They didn’t just mishandle our wedding — they mishandled our trust. Read older reviews — everyone raves about Tawny, the former events lead. Without her, this venue’s wedding operations have collapsed. Had she been there, we believe none of this would’ve happened. Yes, the garden is beautiful. But the beauty is not worth the damage, stress, and heartbreak we endured. Until they overhaul their event staff and processes, we do not recommend Ruth Bancroft Garden. If your wedding matters to you — don’t risk it here.

ts are incredible! We worked with both Tawny and Mary during the planning process and both were incredibly sweet and helpful. Emails were answered quickly, and they made it easy for me to schedule walk-throughs and our rehearsal. I will miss talking to both of them! The costs and available rentals were listed out and there were no surprises. We had our ceremony in the Eucalyptus Grove in the evening and it was perfect, especially with the sun peeking through the trees and plants. Our dinner and dancing were also outside, which was a big part of why we picked this venue. Who doesn’t want to dine and dance in a desert plant garden?! Our guests keep talking about how beautiful the venue was and I couldn’t agree more. I highly recommend Ruth Bancroft for events!