bekndale's reviews

The setting is amazing!! It was a perfect place for the wedding we wanted. The front of the house/front yard is perfect for a cocktail hour and the back is a great reception venue. It is so difficult to find an out door venue in Orange County that is not surrounded by buildings and traffic noise. If you follow the guidelines, which are a bit restrictive but not too bad, you should not have any trouble. One thing I don't like is the 15% charge for all vendors, which they used to not enforce but I think since the state is bankrupt they are starting to enforce. It wasn't too bad for us since we did almost everything ourselves or through family friends so did not have to deal with the 15%. But basically they make you (the bride & groom) make sure all your vendors give 15% of the contract amount they receive from you to the state. I am guessing that most vendors will not want to pay this fee, or will make you pay it for them, thus making your wedding 15% more expensive. So watch out for that!

They are fantastic. I went in with a picture of the bouquet I wanted to make and they helped me pick out the correct flowers or comparable flowers if the others were out of season. They are so friendly and knowledgeable and the prices were amazing! We had way more flowers than we expected at a price no flower shop can compete with.

We had a fantastic experience with Chef David! He was extremely easy to work with before the wedding. Our biggest problem was deciding what food we wanted to have because he has such a large selection of delicious sounding food. He worked with us to stay within our budget but still have an elegant meal. We had passed appetizers and a sit down dinner with a split plate entree. He accommodated the vegetarian and the children (even with food allergies) without a complaint and wanted to make sure that they not only had something to eat but made sure it was more than just pasta like other caterers might do. He arranged all the table/linen/plates etc rentals and all we had to do was pick out what colors/styles we wanted. He did not even talk about charging us a cake cutting fee (and we provided our own cake). On the day of the wedding he had a plate of appetizers set aside for the bridal party since we were off taking pictures during the cocktail hour, which was very thoughtful. Everything went perfectly and his service was above and beyond our expectations.
After the wedding our friends kept raving about how much they enjoyed the food. I would highly recommend Chef David to other brides.

Our Menu:
Assorted Sushi w/ Appropriate Condiments
Feta Cheese & Sun Dried Tomatoes Stuffed Artichoke Hearts w/ Balsamic Reduction
Coconut Crusted Shrimp w/ Thai BasilSweet-Chili Sauce
Grilled Petite Australian Lamb Chops w/ Minted Demi-Glace
First Course
Asian Pear Salad w/ Mesclun Greens, Caramelized Pecans & Humboldt Fog Cheese
Second Course
Sake Cured Salmon w/ Strawberry-Relish
&
B.B.Q. Boneless Beef Short Ribs w/ Hoisn B.B.Q. Glaze
(Entrées Served w/ Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Fresh Grilled Vegetables)

I went in to the store to look at bridesmaid's dresses with 2 of my bridesmaids. We had called to make an appointment yet they gave us no help in looking for the dresses, and only vaguely pointed us in the direction of the changing rooms. There was no one else around or using the changing rooms so each of the girls took a room. About 20 minutes later one of the ladies came by with a bride and got her in a dressing room then told us that the bridesmaids were going to have to share a dressing room because other people would need the dressing room. We were the only other people in the store and there were still 3 other rooms empty!!!!! Their prices are higher than the other nearby bridal stores that carry the same dresses. When we did interact with the sale's people they spoke to us as if we were children they were rude and patronizing. They may treat the brides who go in for their dresses better (there is a bigger commission there) but there is no service for bridesmaids! I suggest spending your money somewhere where they actually provide service.