Clarke Estate

as soon as i pulled up to this venue, i knew it was perfect for our wedding. the well-kept grounds, the charming courtyard, the splashes of red, all the bamboo, the Modern architecture, and the expansive outdoor areas met our aesthetic criteria. on the practical side we loved the relatively reasonable rental fee (it's more of a steal if you are a city resident) that includes use of chairs and tables for up to 300 guests, 10 hour use of the estate (7 hours of which guests can be on the grounds), city-required security, a site coordinator, and ceremony sound equipment. ample parking is provided a short walk from the main gate of the estate, only one event is held at a time, and the expansiveness and variety of the grounds allows you to hold both ceremony and reception at the same venue, a must on our list, while still varying the feel of each portion of the wedding. there are a few regulations that must be respected due to the historic designation of the estate and its residential neighborhood, but none of the stipulations were deal breakers for us. their BYO policy for food and alcohol allowed us to save quite a bit on catering costs as well. the estate's events coordinator, tamra wilbur, was professional, pleasant to work with, accommodating of any special requests, and wonderfully organized in her dealings with us, our wedding coordinator, and our caterer.

Very affordable and gorgeous! My fiance and I just booked this site for our ceremony & reception. What I like about this place is that you can bring your own caterer / liquor / bartender, etc. and there are no special insurance requirements. Tamra is wonderful and very eager to help you. Highly recommended. I will write an update after my wedding.

UPDATE: 8/12/08
I have nothing but positive things to say about the Clarke Estate and their staff. Tamra ran the rehearsal dinner w/my coordinator and made sure everything was perfect. Everyone at my wedding was so impressed by how gorgeous the grounds at the Clarke Estate are.

We have just begun our wedding planning. We saw two locations for a venue (Clarke Estate and Pasadena Masonic). We end up picking the Clarke Estate since we concluded we wanted a venue that was outside and thought it would be relaxing and different as most weddings we go to are indoor. We instantly feel in love with the Clarke Estates, it was everything we wanted and with having a relative who is a city resident, we could not pass up the savings, which is a steal. We are having our ceremony and reception at the Estate, no driving from one place to another. The Estate is beautiful, so many possibilities for pictures. We also loved the fact that the Estate holds a large capacity for the ceremony and reception. The staff, Tamara and her assistant, have been patient and attentive to our many questions I have e-mailed to them (can we have candles, can we hang paper lanterns in the trees, etc. [which is a yes just in case you were wondering]). We are looking forward to our planning with the Clarke Estates. I will update as we progress further towards our wedding date.

I just got married here and I loved it. All of the pictures look beautiful because of the landscaping. There are many places on site that pictures can be taken. We had our ceremony and reception here and it was perfect. Our ceremony was in the courtyard!!! I loved how the tables and chairs were included in the rental fee. Tamra was very helpful and always returned calls. What was also great was that we were able to choose our caterer, we went with someone on the list they gave but you have a choice and do not have to go with someone on the list. I also loved the D.J. we hired since they have a list of D.J.'s that we must choose from, but it made my job easier!!! I am so happy that I got married here and I highly recommend this site.

Our wedding was beautiful! Highly recommend this place!

One of my favorite weddings of this year was located at the Clarke Estate. This place is gorgeous and an incredible place to have a wedding. I loved the decor of the estate. And would HIGHLY recommend checking it out. There were so many places to take photos and the place has a ton of charm!