Villa del Sol d'Oro

the ceremony on the grass in between the reflection pool and terrace. My husband and I are Disney fanatics(he proposed to me at Disneyland) so when we found out that The Princess Diaries and Agents of Shield was filmed at the Villa, we were sold. I was never worried or stressed out thanks to Sandi(venue coordinator), Grace(Chef) and Lindbergh(coordinator). Sandi was easy to get ahold of and answered my emails of any questions I had quickly. She was very accommodating to my handicapped guests and bridesmaids. Instead of having the women changing room upstairs, we had it in the library. My husband and I are vegan, so we wanted the food to be a big hit with the meat eaters and non-meat eaters. Grace did an AMAZING job creating an all vegan buffet. She made a strawberry salad, soyrizo on sweet potatoes, asparagus curry, and lemongrass chick-un with veggies. She even made sure that the top of our cake(the part just for us) was vegan. Lindbergh was very helpful and the reception area, and ceremony area looked amazing thanks to him. I highly recommend using his worry free rental package. When we met him just before the wedding, he explained where everything was going to go and even helped us out with choosing what colors go together for napkins and table cloths. The staff were very courteous and hard working; they did a great job. If I could give a rating to every category, (venue, staff, food, furniture, coordinators) I would give it a 5 across the board.

dinator. Called Villa and reached Sandi. Sandi explained to me all the things that Villa would accommodate us with the wedding, we probably spent thirty minutes on the phone going over menu options and pricing. Scheduled a meeting with Sandi in person. We met at the venue and discussed other matters and paid the deposit of $2000, which was half the venue fee. During the year, my husband and I were able to visit the venue hours before actual weddings to check out the space, ask questions, walk our vendors and bridal party around. A month before the wedding date, we met the staff again and paid in full. Payments are broken down like this: Remaining deposit for the venue: $2000. Goes to Alverno Highschool, who looks over the property. Catering deposit: Goes to Sandi, the Caterer. Remaining Balance: Goes to Lindberg, the Coordinator. Payment is X amount per person at your wedding. This includes paying the staff, bartenders, cutlery or utensils used, tax, tip, etc. Day of coordination for Lindberg is $200 and is worth it. During this time, we also confirm what linens we wanted, and what needs to be provided day of. Rehearsal will take no more than an hour and a half and should be the day before. Our wedding had complications with scheduling our rehearsal so we had to do it the day of our wedding. Wedding went pretty smoothly, these guys pump out weddings like factory workers, but won't make you feel like just another product. The venue gives you an hour for clean up at the end before closing the gates. Our wedding ended and thirty minutes after closing hours, we were packed up and left the venue. Easy Peasy. THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW_ + If you need to get in contact with Sandi, text her. + If you need to get in contact with Lindberg, call him. + If you text Sandi, send her a picture of yourself so she can remember who she's talking to. A little trick I use to do to help her out - she handles so many brides it's really hard for her to keep track! + If you want to check out a wedding, you are able to go around 12 noon to scope out the place. I recommend this, you can see how other people utilize the venue. + Acoustic music is allowed outside during the ceremony, otherwise no amplified music. The DJ set up inside and they project the noise outside. Honestly I didn't have a problem with any of that... both musicians and DJ rocked the house. + Make sure you have a bomb ass DJ and MC. The venue is an awkward set-up for dancing, your guests will want to chat outside, get drunk in the library bar, or find cake to eat. + There's two bathrooms for your guests located downstairs, one mens and womens. But if you use the bathroom, you may see guests staring at you because the toilet is next to the window, haha! + If your guests are late, tell the venue to close the gates when there ceremony starts, otherwise the cars will be rolling up during your ceremony... super awkward. + The staff works hard and they're all super cool people, so be courteous. + Strangely enough, not only was this the prettier venue I've found on my list (that was in the area,) but it was the most affordable. I definitely recommend this venue, I had a great experience!

ating, flexible, and most importantly, delivered amazing results. Our food was so delicious and we were able to customize our own wedding, like being able to bring in our own liquor, wine and champagne as well as our own desserts from a local bakery. Everything moved seamlessly, and the venue is just a unique, breathtaking and incredibly romantic spot. For those who are looking for a venues that are a little out of the norm, this is it. It makes it so easy that they offer a full catering package from drinks to appetizers, to dessert and cake and also even offer rental packages for furniture and everything else you would need. Lingburgh even can coordinatate your rehearsal and day of event in addition for a nominal fee (we were so happy with him and he was incredibly professional and hardworking - doing everything from working with the catering staff, to setting up the decor, to fluffing my dress!). All in all, this was an amazing venue and we had absolutely no regrets. Just a tip -- if you're the kind of bride that likes to be "hands on" - be sure to ask a lot of questions and have follow ups and reminders when working with Sandi to plan out your special day. She is a busy woman (caters also at the Greek Theater with her partner) and all the up-front communication and thinking ahead helps the day move more smoothly!!

s, and the service was great. I recommend the "work free package" for all the tables/chairs/dishes/candles/furniture, etc. to keep it easy on you. I highly recommend considering this venue. Ceremony on garden by reflecting pool was fully shaded by 4:30 pm in mid July, and dining outside on the patio is divine--very Mediterranean. We found it useful to visit the Villa on Sat or Sun midday when they were setting up weddings to get ideas, see how things look, and get a feel for the event. We did use a "day off" wedding planner and that helped us with a detailed schedule since there is a neighborhood-driven curfew of music off at 9:30 pm and all guests off the property by 10 pm. An "after party" can handle the desire for more celebrating. Enjoy!!!