Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden

I had my ceremony and reception at the Japanese Gardens and it was Amazing!!! From my very first interaction with the Garden coordinators they were so friendly and helpful. The day of the wedding I was lucky enough to have Janelle as the main coordinator she was wonderful!! I was a stressed wreck and she was so sweet and calmed me down and made sure everything was set up perfectly ~ even my last minute changes.

The garden was beautiful ~ I had seen so many pictures of it before my wedding but they did not do justice to the beauty of my day. The bridge was the perfect setting and the candles and twinkle lights glowing at night was like a fairy tale.
My pictures came out beautiful with the garden in the background.

There were a few problems with the sound system but I believe that was due to the band system not working with the garden system so I would recommend making sure your DJ/ Band does a sound check before the reception to avoid that problem.

Overall I would highly recommend the garden!!

this place is absolutely beautiful! we booked it right away when we saw it. its so breathtaking, so surreal! also our guests who attended agreed and their children were allowed to feed the koi fishes too! will post pics as soon as we get them from our photographers! =)

We got SO many compliments on our ceremony!

As one of my friends said, "It felt very intimate, even with 200 guest."

Another friend said, "There was no bad seat in the house."

Everyone enjoyed the beauty of the garden and especially the koi pond. Many guest stayed until the very end to hang out, feed the koi, and just enjoy the setting. The garden was such a beautiful setting for the ceremony. The children (and adults) loved the koi pond and feeding the kois.

The garden coordinators are actually CSULB students. They don't guarantee that you'll get the same person at rehearsal and the actualy wedding, but they take notes at every meeting and keep it in your file. Lucky for us, we had the same person from our consultation through the wedding day.

We never went over the schedule and ceremony with her until the night of rehearsals though, so rehearsals went long (2 hours). We could've saved time that night by meeting with her beforehand, but she never brought it up and we didn't think about it. But the day of the wedding went very smooth. We handed over everything the night of rehearsals and they took care of all the set up.

Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden is the hidden zen of CSULB campus. The garden was actually the first and only venue we checked out. I wanted my wedding to be romantic, unique, and fun. The venue was intimate and it felt like a dream especially when the rope lights and candles were lit for the reception.

The garden staff were very helpful and sweet. They are CSULB students, but very professional and unobtrusive on the day of. I didn't even notice the garden staff setting up as we were taking our post-ceremony pictures.

We fell in love with this venue the first time we saw it and we booked it right away. It's very beautiful and unique and although the guests are on the other side of the koi pond, they still have a great view.

We had some issues with the dates and had to change the date and time twice, but because we agreed to it, they gave us a discount and threw the chairs in for free(!)

We didn't meet our coordinator until our rehearsal, but she did a great job coordinating everything the day of our wedding. The ceremony ran very smoothly, perfect in fact.

DH's review:

Beautiful & Unique
Intimate setting
Plenty of Seating
The coordinator was excellent in coordinating the event
Parking is plentiful

Getting married here is like getting married in a secret garden a world away. Many of us dream of destination weddings, but few can afford that luxury. Here at the garden, I was able to feel so far way, but be close to home where all my family and friends can attend. It is the balance of both worlds. It does not hurt that they provided great service.

This venue is gorgeous and breathtaking. We chose to get married at the Japanese Garden despite the strict guidelines (e.g. no hard liquor) and somewhat hefty rental fee (at least for our budget). The staff was very helpful and always responsive during our planning. Our day-of-coordinator (included in the rental fees) was uber-helpful, organized, and professional even though she was only a student. Our ceremony was held on the bridge -- which was a major selling point of this place for us. The setting was so romantic and beautiful when it was lit by candles and rope light during our reception.

I had my ceremony and reception here and it was perfect!!! Any bride would love this place! All the guests were taken back with the beauty of this place. Choura, the caterer, was delicious!!

We were married this summer at the Japanese Garden, and it was truly wonderful.We visited 2 other venues, but when we saw the garden, we knew we had to have it.
We even pushed back our wedding date until it was available!
It was well worth the wait! It's a hidden oasis in the middle of nowhere. The staff (CSULB students) is so helpful and responsive. They helped us set everything up and things went so smoothly. We wanted something different, elegant, and breathtaking... and we found it here.

Stunningly beautiful garden. Every detail is planned well. There's a cute cabana for the bride and her bridesmaids. I received so many compliments about the garden from my guests. You can also save some $ on flowers. I spent $0 on decorating the garden with flowers. The garden is simply that beautiful. The staff was very calm and organized. Absolutely loved it.

We were pleased with the service and the ceremony went pretty smoothly. No complaints. Courteous, efficient staff.

Our wedding was absolutely perfect! The main thing I was really worried about that day was the music coordination - I was so afraid that the person in charge of playing each song would somehow screw up the music (because, before our wedding, I knew NOTHING of the Japanese Garden. It was PERFECT. I was planning to make my appearance (during the bride entrance) during a specific part of the song and they told me the EXACT second to which I should enter. They even timed it =) Okay, I have no frame of reference or any basis for comparison for wedding sites (besides my own), but it couldn't have been more perfect! And the price was cool too. It wasn't super expensive, as most places are.

Our wedding and reception were at the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden at Cal State Long Beach and it was perfect. The coordinators made sure that everything went according to our timeline and were so helpful! They made sure that we had everything that we needed and were always there to help.

The garden was absolutely beautiful. In fact, all of our guests kept telling me that they felt that they were in a wonderland. Even after the wedding, people keep telling us that ours was the most beautiful wedding they had ever attended.

Another plus is that we didn't decorate the garden at all, the only flowers were on the tables and our personal flowers. It just didn't need any decoration because it is naturally beautiful. This was a huge money saver.

The caterer they use is the Grand and the food and service was great. All in all, I don't have any complaints and if anything didn't go as planned, I didn't and don't know about it!

Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden is the perfect way to seal your love and unite your lives together because it starts it with a beautiful BANG!! The staff (Kat) was the best! She made sure everything went smoothly throughout the rehersal and the ceremony. The Garden is BEAUTIFUL!! Everything I would've wanted for my wedding day!!

I had a romantic dinner for two here and not only is the garden beautiful, but it is a well kept secret. It was truly an incredibly romantic evening, candles everywhere, staff appropriately out of sight, wonderful food and service. I would highly recommend this exquisite site to anyone who wants an over the top surprise for a very special partner!

The garden fulfilled all of our expectations! Lovely setting, from daylight to moonlight, and delicious food/champagne! The staff was very helpful too. Thanks so much for a very memorable evening!

We booked the venue a year in advance, not because we had to, but because we loved it.So come three days before the ceremony, we were assigned to a student coordinator (Diane I believe), and she was WONDERFUL. Very detail oriented, and really put my fears to rest. The whole event went off without a hitch and was perfect. It was the best wedding I've ever been to (even though I am biased). I would hight recommend this place, and you really can't get a better deal for the money!

This was the most beautiful location to have a wedding. The gardens not only were meticulous, but the staff was very friendly and helpful. I had a huge list of items I wanted placed for my event, and the Gardesn took care of everything perfectly. I didn't have a single worry and everyone talked about how lovely and memorable my wedding was.

Got married here and was the best wedding ever. Not because it was mine, but because it is beautiful, unique, and the staff is great! They did everything to accommodate our needs including a photo booth that was a hit at the wedding. The grand (their caterer) was great as well.

The staff at the Japanese Garden is top notch. They are very good about including vendors working the event in the day of coordinating process and they genuinely care about their clients. Additionally, the location itself is beautiful, unique, and is guaranteed to be memorable experience or all attending!

We love the Japanese Garden it looks so nice with the White Dove Release call (714) 903-6599 to book your White Dove Release at the Gardens! www.ocdoves.com

This a beautiful venue and the staff is absolutely fabulous! The gardens are just big enough to make you feel completely removed from the city, but quaint enough to be very cozy and personable. I thoroughly enjoyed working at the gardens and can't wait to be there again!