Maravilla Gardens Weddings, Where Magic Happens
Posted by Jason | Filed under L.A. Wedding Reception Venues
Maravilla Gardens is a family owned and operated, Outdoor Garden Wedding Facility in Camarillo, California, located on Santa Rosa Road just a few miles from the 101 freeway and about 50 minutes from Downtown LA. I feel that it still qualifies as a Los Angeles Garden Wedding Venue, and it’s one of the best.
As one of only 2 Preferred DJ Companies at this property, I thought it only appropriate to write a review article of their facility, especially since we know it so well. I want to bring a perspective of someone who works there all the time as an outside vendor
Our DJs have had the privilege of working over 75 Weddings at Maravilla Gardens in the past 5 years and I have personally DJ’d almost 50 of them myself. I know this property and it’s owners and staff like it was my own family estate, and believe me, I wish it were! This place is truly magical, it embodies the spirit of “family” and togetherness, joy and celebration, and offers it’s guests a truly intimate and personal feel, as if you were in your own backyard having your wedding, only if your backyard was filled with beautifully manicured gardens and lawns overlooking the Santa Rosa Mountains and rustic rolling farm fields.
It’s owners are Jo & Tony Maravilla, husband and wife and owners for over 40 years. They’ve raised their children here, and their daughter Jen is now working as the on-site wedding coordinator and with other aspects of the business. Tony is the master gardener, and he gives so much love and attention to the grounds, you can feel the love he’s poured into every flower, plant, shrub and tree.
Jo is the business manager and she is currently the main contact person for the business. She’s been tireless and instrumental in the growth and success of this beautiful property since they turned their attention from their nursery business to providing their property for weddings. There really are no 2 nicer people in this entire wedding industry and I’ve been blessed to work with them as much as I have, and every client of ours says the same thing about them.
As for the property, it offers 3 distinctly separate areas for Ceremony, Cocktails, and Reception. You begin your tour by walking from the parking area to a paved path and look to your left to see the cage of doves cooing beside a great little putting green, a huge hit for the gentlemen. There are restrooms and a private Bridal Suite for the Bride and her attendants to be hidden from view and to dress in the cool air conditioning!
The ceremony site opens on a large and lush green grass seating area surrounded entirely by trees and shrubbery. The Ceremony Stage is a large concrete, step terraced alter large enough to accommodate a very sizable wedding party, yet intimate enough to support just the Bride and Groom if you have a small wedding. You can place your own chuppah, or decorate an arch with florals for the ceremony. 
In addition, the facility rents a large shade cover to protect your guests from the sun during the hotter months, and it looks great from a design standpoint as well. The musicians or DJ set up just to the right of the stage on a small raised concrete pad outfitted with electricity for your sound system, which your DJ or musicians or minister must provide. Our DJs can play all of the music you need for your ceremony, as guests arrive to be seated they are greeted with citrus flavored water and music of your choice. We’ll play all of your entrance and exit music as well as any music you want during the ceremony. We can also provide the microphone for your minister. We’ve found that the accoustics here are good enough to place 1 wireless microphone on a stand and we can hear the minister/officiant as well as your vows. If you have a reader or singer, we can provide a separate mic for them. Read the rest of this entry »
Walnut Grove Weddings, the DJ’s perspective with wedding video clips.
Posted by Jason | Filed under L.A. Wedding Reception Venues
This season, our DJs have been elevated to preferred vendor status at Walnut Grove at Tierra Rejada Ranch in Moorpark, California. This is a beautiful spot for a wedding, because of the uniqueness of the Walnut Tree Grove which makes you feel 1000 miles from Los Angeles and the gorgeous surroundings of rural and pastoral settings in Moorpark. The wedding ceremony can be held among the beautiful trees and the reception area has recently been remodeled to include a huge dance floor, a large stage built of stone and brick with a fireplace as the central focal point. Otherwise, the grounds are fairly simplistic and are a blank canvas for your wedding or private event. The exclusive catering on the property is done by none other than Command Performance Catering and they always do an amazing job at all of their events. The facility sales and events coordinator is Michelle Spring with Mia Bella Weddings & Events Call Walnut Grove today at 805- 558-8279 for more information.
There is a noise ordinance at this property, since the events are held completely outdoors. Be aware that although we don’t seem to have any problems with complaints there, if you’re having an enormous wedding and want to “blow the roof off the building” this might not be the place for you, you might consider a hotel ballroom or private event facility that is indoors.
We’ve included a few videos of Weddings at Walnut Grove that we’ve shot from the DJ’s perspective, we hope you enjoy! If you need a great DJ for your Wedding in Los Angeles or Ventura County, please give us a call, we’d love to help!
Walnut Grove Wedding Showcase and Open House
Posted by Jason | Filed under Announcement, Ventura County Wedding Reception Venues
The 2nd Annual Bridal Showcase at Walnut Grove presented by Command Performance Catering will take place on Friday, May 14th, 2010 from 6:00pm – 9:00pm.
Walnut Grove is formerly known as Tierra Rejada Ranch in Moorpark, now simply known as Walnut Grove, and Weddings at Walnut Grove are spectacular!
Elegant Event Entertainment will be the Master of Ceremonies and DJ’s for this Ventura County Wedding Showcase and Open House, come by and say hello to our very popular Ventura County Wedding DJs Jason Jones and DJ Chris Mortillaro, the founders of EEE. If you need a Wedding DJ, we’d love to speak with you about your upcoming event!
Reservations are requested in advance by calling (805) 523-3232 or via email tina@cpcatering.com or contact Michele at Walnut Grove (805) 558-8279.
Here is a list of vendors that will be at the Wedding Showcase.
DJ / Master of Ceremonies – Elegant Event Entertainment
Cake – Skiff’s Cakes
Cake – Jana’s Creative Cakes
Florist – A Beautiful Day Productions
Invitations – An Occasion to Celebrate
Photography – Kimberlee Miller Photography
Photography - Alex Neumann Photography
Videography – Mr. Loki Productions
Hair/Makeup – Beau Ideal Beauty
Harpist – Jazz Harp Records
DJ / Photo Booth – I’m A Girl DJ
Wedding Coordination – Mia Bella Weddings
Vintage/Classic Rental Cars – Classy Chassis
Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, a Magical Wedding!
Posted by Dana | Filed under L.A. Wedding Reception Venues
I had the pleasure of being the Event Coordinator for Felicity and Jack on their big day. Their wedding was held at a truly beautiful location, set in the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve at the top of a mountain in the San Fernando Valley. The property once belonged to the Ahmanson Family and was known as the Ahmanson Ranch until fairly recently. So if you’re searching for Ahmanson Ranch Wedding, you’ve come to the right place, it’s just changed names.
The property caretaker Joan was also on site and played an active roll with her assistant, to insure that all the aspects of the evening were taken care of. This venue offers a gorgeous outdoor setting for the ceremony and reception. Depending on the size of your event, creating the most romantic outdoor setting can be accomplished. In addition, the 1939 fully restored Ranch House is available for use, dressing areas, restrooms, and kitchen with scullery for your catering staff’s needs. The Open Space Conservancy allows you to bring in all of your own vendors and event professionals from catering, wait and bar staff, entertainment such as DJs and live musicians, décor and coordination. From the coordination perspective, this location allows me a great opportunity to be creative, the grounds of this facility are very large and offer a 360 degree view of the San Fernando Valley, but there are gorgeous trees everywhere and placing small areas here and there for different aspects of the event, such as dinner, cocktails, ceremony, dancing, and even designated smoking areas can all be created with an interesting design aspect. Also, a huge selling point to this property: You can party until 12:00am and potentially stay until 1:00am. Very few outdoor locations in Los Angeles allow events to go beyond 11:00pm and most outdoor wedding sites in Ventura County close you down at 10:00pm. So keep that in mind, you get to hire your favorite caterer and aren’t locked into an “exclusive” company, and you can stay and play past midnight!
DJ Jason Jones from Elegant Event Entertainment and I had a terrific time with all the wedding party and guests. Bride and Groom Felicity and Jack had a great community of family and friends. I have never heard so many heartfelt and wonderful speeches. The Groom and his family were from Norway and the culture of their weddings calls for lots of toasts, which was truly a wonderful aspect of this wedding and the venue provided a perfect setting for the intimacy of speeches without feeling long and drawn out. I credit the toasters and the Toastmaster Kixx Malone, a long time friend of the groom for keeping the toasts moving and adding that special intimate touch to all of the introductions and speeches, Kixx was awesome! Read the rest of this entry »
A Wonderful Wedding at The Westlake Hyatt
Posted by Chris | Filed under Ventura County Wedding Venues
Well, it was another perfect day for a Wedding DJ in Thousand Oaks, California. I was the DJ for Antoine and Yolanda’s wedding atWestlake Hyatt Even though other talent at Elegant Event Entertainment have done weddings and events there in the past, this was the 1st time I have actually DJ’d a wedding there. I’ve been to the hotel numerous times, our company has exhibited for the bridal shows held there 2 times each year, and I have attended a few weddings there as well. Being on the other side I must say I was quite impressed with the hotel and staff, which was led by Jessica Haik, a true professional in the hospitality and event industry. Along with the help of Rose Ortega of Rose Petal Events,Antoine and Yolanda’s wedding planner , together Jessica and Rose turned one of the restaurants at Westlake Hyatt into a very elegant room fit for a perfect wedding. One of my favorite touches was rose petals placed throughout the room. Paco Arias ofPaco Arias Photography provided the photography services, and I am sure he captured the event with style and professionalism. I look forward to seeing the photos.
I was raised in a family that was very close and it was nice to see the closeness of the family and friends of Antoine and Yolanda, who came together to celebrate this great occasion. Even though I was hired to be the Wedding DJ, both families and their friends made me feel like family.
Starting out the afternoon reception, family members toasted with loving thoughts for the Bride and Groom. To cap off the toasts, Antoine’s Mother sang to both of them. I know they’ll remember that moment forever.
The Hotel did an excellent job in making sure you felt like they were at home and helped capture the essence of family and tradition for this beautiful couple. I hope to provide Wedding DJ Services in Westlake Village many more times in 2010 and beyond, and the Westlake Hyatt will be on my list of places to recommend to Brides and Grooms.
Bride and Groom’s First Dance Idea: A Candlelight Dance?
Posted by Chris | Filed under Wedding Planning
A few weeks ago I was the DJ for Tony and Niya’s wedding at Hartleys Botanica Gardens, one of our most frequented Wedding Reception sites in Ventura County. This couple had several unique ideas at their wedding, but most impressive was their very different approach to the Bride and Groom’s 1st dance. Everything was prearranged with me, the Master of Ceremonies, so I knew how to organize this special moment to make it easy for the guests and perfect for the Bride and Groom. We had all the guests, 150 in total, come up to the dance floor and make a big circle around the floor where the Bride and Groom would soon bask in this beautiful limelight. Then, the guests were given candles to light from the unity candle. The end result was truly moving. This was one of the prettiest 1st Dances I have ever seen in over 17 years of working as a Wedding DJ. If you’re having an outdoor wedding, you may want to consider this idea. You will need to check with your venue first, and most likely you’ll need some type of fire permit. I can’t offer much more advice on that but I can tell you that a Candlelight First Dance is stunning and truly unforgettable! Just take a look at that photo again.
Read the rest of this entry »
Our Top 5 Best Picks: Los Angeles Garden and Estate Wedding Sites
Posted by Chris | Filed under L.A. Wedding Reception Venues
So, you’ve determined that a Garden-Style Wedding is what you’ve always dreamed of and you decided to have your Wedding Ceremony and Reception at the same location.
There’s just one problem. How in the world do you choose from so many great facilities and gorgeous locations? We’ve put to together a short list to help you look closely at some of our favorite locations as wedding DJs. Through the years Elegant Event Entertainment has performed wedding DJ services at many garden and estate venues. We happen to like these 5 a lot.
These venues do not appear in any particular order: They all made the grade! Keep in mind, the locations listed are primarily outdoor venues, consider tents in colder or wetter months, and also consider that July, August, and September can be brutally hot, set your event start time late in the afternoon and early evening. Don’t make grandma or anyone else endure the heat.
1. Maravilla Gardens- located in the Santa Rosa valley and minutes from the 101 this family owned nursery is a real treat for your Wedding Venue. This property features a fully outdoor Ceremony/Reception experience with tenting as an inclement weather plan. The added bonus here is the full service on site exclusive catering provided by Command Performance Catering Group. Maravilla Gardens is a gorgeous setting, in the hills with great views and the Gardens are amazing, you can save big money on flowers, you won’t need much more than centerpieces and minor accouterments here. Able to accommodate up to 350 guests, yet intimate enough for a gathering of any size, this site is suited for weddings, family reunions and corporate events. Their on-site coordinator and their owners are wonderful and they are extremely accommodating to vendors and guests. Music stops at 10:00pm here.
2. Hartley Botanica- This site is located in Ventura County and is a real gem, offering garden weddings and receptions. You have to see these gardens, truly a fantasy land here. The catering is offered exclusively by Command Performance Catering Group. We really like the setting here, for outdoor and garden weddings, it certainly does not disappoint. One of the best. You can find pricing on their website or call them for custom quotes. Our services are well respected and accommodated here as well. Music stops at 10pm.
3. Bella Victorian - Elegant Event Entertainment founder Chris Mortillaro has performed for many Weddings and parties at Bella Victorian, he loves it, our clients love it, what else can you say? Though this is a winery, it feels like an estate or garden wedding facility. The owner is great, she helps with coordination and works extremely well with our DJs. The grounds hold up to about 200 guests and accommodate Ceremonies and Receptions. And of course, you can have wine tastings here as an added feature to your event. This place is just very unique, like most of the locations on this list. DJ’s Catering is fabulous as well. We love the staff and it’s always a great time for our clients.
4. McCormick Home Ranch- Just over the Santa Rosa Pass and right off the 101, this is an ideal location for your event. You’ll have the option of having a ceremony in a garden, your cocktail hour in a private backyard setting, and reception under huge Eucalyptus trees in front of a gorgeous country colonial style home. You can bring in all of your vendors here, and we are unsure of the details on that for this property, but our experiences working here have been really stellar, no matter who catered it. This is just an absolutely beautiful location for a wedding or private event. They accommodate about 250 and music stops at 11pm.
5. Saddlerock Ranch- The Santa Monica Mountains never dissapoint. This is another location off the 101, up a mountain, and far away from the hustle and bustle…and although it can be a little difficult logistically, it is truly stunning. They have gardens, meadows, views, vineyards and very private settings. They can accommodate up to 5,000 people here…can you imagine? Most parties are up to 400. No noise restrictions here either, a big plus for the wild parties!
If you are an experienced wedding DJ who loves working to serve the needs of your clients, 