Clarke Estate

BEAUTIFUL venue! I only had my ceremony there, but now i wished i would have had my reception there also! Its a very beautiful place. The staff is very helpful. Thank you Tamra for your amazing help.
I'm so very glad I chose this venue for my ceremony. The courtyard looked absolutely amazin all done up!

Tamra is polite, courteous and flexible. The grounds are absolutely beautiful and I could not hope for a prettier day, weather wise. All our guests raved about the beauty of the venue. What's great about a garden wedding and reception is that kids are free to run around and have fun. The only real downside about the estate is that there is no plan B, so all you can do is pray for good weather.

The Clarke Estate was the first place we looked at to get married and we fell in love with it immediately. We had the ceremony on the North Lawn facing the bamboo, the main thing that drew us there. Then we had our cocktail hour in the courtyard and the reception in the back. We loved that you could bring in your own catering and bar too. It's just such a beautiful place, tucked away that you wouldn't even know it was there. Everyone was really impressed with the place. Tamra was a great help and made everything go nicely the day of. Highly recommend that you check this place out!

This place is a hidden gem. Once you step onto the grounds you feel like your in a completely different world. I was going for a vintage garden type of look and this place was perfect. I was the only event there all day which was fantastic. The price to rent the venue was cheap and you could bring all your own vendors except DJ.

Great venue, coordinator, and value

We absolutely LOVED having our wedding and reception at the Clarke Estate in Santa Fe Springs! The venue was beautiful, the lawns were nicely manicured, the flowers were beautiful, the grounds and bathrooms were clean, the staff was wonderful--I simply could go on and on. Tamra was awesome! She was very thorough and detailed and helped ensure that all the things I asked came to fruition. She was a little bit over the top on a few things (i.e. not letting ANYBODY except the bridal party into the bridal suite, including my hair/make-up girl) but mostly she was incredibly accommodating and helpful. The people at the Clarke Estate were incredibly professional, easy to get a hold of, and helpful in all cases. I would definitely recommend the Clarke Estate as a wedding venue to ANY bride! :)

The Clarke Estate was the PERFECT venue for our special wedding day! My husband is a wedding photographer (www.harrisonlongphotography.com) and he shot a wedding there two years ago before we were ever engaged, but he knew then that it was a special place that I would love. I didn't think anything nice would be in Santa Fe Springs, but as soon as I walked through the classy orange gate, I was in LOVE! The beautiful, expansive green lawn, the over 30 foot bamboo forrest, the classic architecture of the estate...all of it was perfect for us.

We got married on April 30th! Woohoo! And all of our guests were AMAZED when they came in and they are still talking about how beautiful and peaceful that venue was. Tamra is really organized and helped us create a perfect day. She helps preserve the Clarke Estate so that many couples can enjoy it, but she is also flexible in helping you make your individual design a reality.

It is really hard to reserve because the days get booked fast (which shows how beautiful it is!) so, I'll give you some tips:

-You can book one year ahead for any day of that month. so, on september 1, 2011, you can book for any day in september 2012, but you can't book sooner than the first of that month. i showed up an hour before the city office opens and there were already 4 couples in line so i didn't get a saturday in september. the first two couples got in line at 9pm the night before...so this just goes to show what you need to do!
-You must wrap up by 10pm and all vendors out by 11pm
-No live music, but you can have a few instruments for the ceremony
-The venue comes with enough folding white chairs and round tables for 300 guests (which really saves you a lot!)

Thank you Clarke Estate!

We had the most wonderful wedding ceremony on the grass and reception in the courtyard at the Clarke Estate. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a unique, romantic, and affordable wedding day. Staff is awesome and flexible, cost is outstanding, and the grounds are beautiful!

My husband and I visited a handful of potential wedding venues in 2009, and as soon as we walked onto the grounds of Clarke Estate, I knew that our search was over. Clarke Estate offered exactly what we was looking for- an intimate outdoor venue with plenty of space and possibilities for decoration. The price for 9 hours (add'l hours are $30/hr, max 2 hrs) is very reasonable, especially if you are a resident! Check out the website for the latest 2011 rates, I think it's like 50% off for residents!

The venue itself is inviting and provides varied and pretty backdrops for wedding photography. Access to the roof is a plus- our photographer was able to get some great aerial shots. The green space where ceremonies are held is perfect for weddings with lots of kiddies in attendance, there's plenty of room for them to run around.

You'll also want Tamra Cook to work your wedding. She is organized and no-nonsense. She was able to answer all our questions via phone, email, and in person. She was very helpful in making sure that we knew what we could and could not do in terms of decoration and set-up. She made sure everything ran smoothly from the rehearsal to the actual day of.

Note: you can only book up to a year ahead. Slots open up the first of business day of every month for weddings of the same month of the following year. It's not uncommon for folks to camp out in front of City Hall the whole night in order to get their preferred wedding date, especially if it's a Saturday during a popular wedding month. If you're a Friday or Sunday bride, you probably wouldn't need to stand in line the day before.

The Clarke Estate is truly a hidden gem. Even people who live in the neighborhood may not not about it, as this venue is tucked away down a long driveway behind the civic center. Once you enter the gates, it's as if you've entered another world... beautiful fountains, a building reminiscent of Zorro, and the most gorgeous grounds including bamboo forests and huge tall trees make for the most perfect picture settings! The staff was all super helpful and easy to get ahold of via email or phone for all my questions, and the wedding went off perfectly! I would HIGHLY recommend this place. I loved that the ceremony and reception were on the same grounds, but far enough apart that it didn't feel like they were melding.

The Clarke Estate overall is an amazing venue! All the greenery, the bamboo grove, the courtyard, I just love it all!

The flexibility isn't great but that's because they book so fast. At first we booked a Sunday because that's the only thing that had available in July. I wasn't particularly happy with that but if we wanted Clarke, it had to be that way so it was fine. Later we received a call that the Saturday bride canceled so we were able to jump on that date.

Tamra was pretty good at responding to my emails within 2 days, she is cordial through e-mail. She is friendly sometimes, very outspoken and opinionated and she'll make it known she don't care if you agree or disagree. Overall I know she is looking for the brides best interest, but even though she's been there for a while doesn't mean she knows everything.
There were plenty of times my coordinator and I were talking about my vision of where to place certain things or what to do at a certain area and Tamra would walk right in and say "That's not where most of my brides put that. I mean you can put it there if you want, I don't want to be right, I just know I'm going to be." I ignored her comments and did what I wanted where I wanted as long as I wasn't going against their guidelines and in the end I was happy with my decisions and at the end of our wedding night she went up to me and said "You win. I was wrong about X and X, etc. and hey, I told you I didn't want to be right."
On one instance my 5 yr old nephew got upset and took off running. My brother went to follow him but because of the crowd, lost sight of him. My brother asked Tamra if she had seen a small boy go through that area. Mind you there were no children at the wedding aside from those actually in the wedding so there weren't kids everywhere. She responded with "Do I look like a babysitter?"
We couldn't find my nephew for a few minutes, we were truly worried and that's how she responded to it. We weren't asking her to watch him we simply asked if she happened to see a small boy.
Because of the factors I listed above, that is why I gave professionalism 2 and a half stars and quality of service 4 stars.

Music is off at 10:00 p.m. which sucks but we just had an after party.

Overall I'm pleased with Clarke. The only negative really was Tamra's attitude, but it's not enough to make a dent or make a change of venue. She was friendly but she has her moments I guess.

I love, love Clarke Estate and would do it all over again. And I would recommend Clarke to any bride looking for a venue.

We had our reception in Clarke Estate's backyard in June and were extremely happy with their services. People are still raving about Clarke Estate--a hidden gem in Santa Fe Springs.

It is a magical place, perfect for a spring or summer day. There are so many gorgeous places to take bridal pictures (our photographer took advantage of that!). I highly recommend you check our their website and photo gallery. From the entrance to the quaint & private courtyard, to the lovely backyard with the fountain. It is an elegant and classic spot for outdoor weddings.

Tamra was helpful throughout, even though we planned our wedding from across the country. Professional & experienced. The staff made sure things went smoothly the day of the wedding.

My husband and I got married at the Clarke Estate in October of 2009. The whole experience from booking the venue to the wedding day was wonderful. Tamra, Genevee and their team made our wedding so special. I have been to one other wedding here several years back and it is a beautiful site with big bamboo, fig, oak , and banyan trees. They can accommodate up to 300 guests and you can choose all your own vendors, except DJ. The one drawback is that you cannot have a band, but with approval, we had drummers and flutists for our ceremony. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the Clarke Estate!

Tamra is really charming and Genoveve is a doll. They are both very professional. At no point did we feel like we were being supervised. The Clarke Estate itself is beautiful. No disappointments from either the venue or the staff. It?s a very romantic, calm, simple yet fun place to wed. All of our guests fell in love with the place.

Tamra and her staff were great to work with. We could have not had a great day without them. The venue itself is beautiful, our guests were in awe of its beauty.

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.

Working with Tamra and her team is always a pleasure. She is down to earth and treats you like your part of her extended family. The venue is outdoors and is beautiful and well kept up. We've had some really fun events at The Clarke Estate. You get to pick your own Catering so we've had everything from an In 'n Out truck, Carne Asada Tacos, Barbecue Tri-tip and Ribs to Italian food. There is plenty of room for guests counts over 300. The side lawn is the perfect spot for your beautiful outdoor ceremony. There is also plenty of extra room for a Photobooth, Video Montage plus many extras. The Clarke Estate comes highly recommended by Station Identification Entertainment.

Clarke Estates is truly a hidden gem. The history and the beauty of this facility is breathtaking. Who knew this was right in the middle of the city of Santa Fe Springs. With it's beautiful trees, plants etc truly offers to be a great location for any special event. Ms. Tamara is wonderful to work with and will take care of you and your guests.

This is an incredibly beautiful location and the coordinator is a joy to work with.

Clarke Estates and Tamra Cook are a Pure Delight to work with! The venue is absolutely Beautiful and the staff makes everything come together in an Elegant and Stress-Free environment!

It's always a Treat to attend Events at Clarke...

I love working with the folks at the Clarke Estates!! Very easy to work with, professional, and friendly. Being a preferred vendor here is a great honor and I always look forward to doing an event with them. Kind of a hidden gem in the middle of the city, but well worth checking out!!

The Clarke Estates is a beautiful venue for an outdoor wedding. The staff there is very receptive to the needs of the couple. I have been on their preferred DJ list for many years. I'd highly recommend this venue for your outdoor wedding.

I have worked with Tamra at The Clarke Estate for the last five years and have found her to be easy to work with, friendly, proffessional and fun ! The Clarke Estate is an amazing venue with a flow that works well for small or larger events. It's a beautiful property with great amenities. I highly recommend considering them for any event you may be having. You and your guests will have a wonderful time ! ! !

Loreen Saldana
Eclectic Vows Wedding Ceremonies
562/925.9922

There is a grand simplicity about the Clarke Estate. Beautiful gardens provide the perfect backdrop for the most romantic photographs and the home's architecture is all the decor one needs. The staff are professional, friendly and very helpful. I enjoy working with them any chance I get!

The Clarke Estate is a wonderful venue to host your memorable day. The staff is very helpful, the grounds are beautiful, and the various settings for photographs can not be beat. As a vendor, I truly enjoy entertaining at the Estate as it feel like an extension of someone's home not your typical run of the mill wedding venue. You literally own the venue for the day to make it your own from ceremony to reception.

Amazing venue and Tamara is great to work with! We have special packages for this location

Clarke Estate is the premiere venue for the inland area. It's gorgeous grounds make for ideal scenery and beautiful backdrops. It's spacious, open and has lovely interior sitting spaces as well. You can't go wrong with a venue this lovely and accessible.

One of my favorite places to perform wedding ceremonies