Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden

I am so glad we chose to have our wedding reception here! It was so peaceful, and beautiful, and tranquil, and basically everything that we hoped for our reception. The staff were wonderful, professional and accomodating. Highly recommend this venue, as did many of our other vendors (catering, etc)!!

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!!

I LOVED THE GARDEN!BUT STAFF ON THE DAY OF MY WEDDING WASNT VERY ATTENTATIVE EXCEPT FOR OUR COORDINATOR...BUT OVERALL THE PLACE WAS BEAUTIFUL PERFECT FOR A WEDDING CEREMONY!

An amazing place to get married. It was beautiful and I couldn't have asked for a better venue. The only downside was that you had to use the catering, Choura. The food was only okay but if you're not too concerned than I recommend the Japanese Gardens. Amazing.

Pro's- The venue is beautiful & made for awesome pictures!The staff is super helpful.Price is reasonable- there aren't many excess fees.You're walking on the other side of the koi pond so if you're shy/nervous in front of people, you feel less pressure! (This could also be a con, I suppose.)They put out umbrellas to help shield the sun.Con's-As a previous poster said, back to back weddings make you feel rushed.My officiant's microphone was not correctly positioned so it was hard to hear us.

This was the only choice I ever would consider for our reception.They worked so hard to make sure our wedding day was better than we could have imagined.There is an amazing outdoor area for the ceremony. They did an amazing job making sure that anything and everything we could need was taken care.

I loved the garden. I recently had my ceremony here and it was perfect, everything was so beautiful and all my guests were amazed. Aside from the occasional low flying plane, at which time the staff was able to turn up the speaker volume so nothing was disrupted, it was a prefect venue. I will say I was a bit disappointed with the staff, I think it's a lot of college students working and some of them are not very responsive or professional. I had multiple appointments to drop off my deposit at their offices and when I would get there everyone would be gone. Luckily my "day of" coordinator was great. She kept us on schedule, in a nice way, and was very professional. I would highly recommend this venue for a ceremony.

This is a really pretty venue. We love to visit here on occasions, it's beautiful.

This place is BEAUTIFUL. No questions about it. Everyone loved the place and once there everything is peaceful. The staff was very nice and explained everything. The only thing that I was not too thrilled with was the fact that the garden is schedule back to back. My vendors only had 30 minutes to set up. When I got there there was another wedding going on and after my wedding there was another wedding schedule so we had to hurry out of the garden as fast as possible

My ceremony was beautiful there. We even had a dove ceremony as they inquired and suggested different visual elements to place in our ceremony. Everyone enjoyed it very much as it's an intimate place. Only thing is the guests are seated across the pond so they don't see a close up view of you however, they get a wonderful view of the entire ceremony and profile of the party versus the back of the bride and groom.You have to take a trip and visit it....and if you love gardens and nature, and a quite intimate area away from the world, ...this is a great place.

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!!

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.

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!!

We had our wedding here, and this place by far was one of the nicest place I've ever seen. If you live around here, pick this place. I love it so much, and prices are good.

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.

It was indeed a BEAUTIFUL location and I am so happy I had my wedding there. The problem is it is run mainly by students, and the students change with the semester of school. We had problems with people getting back to us, and losing our rehearsal time.Also, our coordinator that we were eventually assigned, seemed a bit uninterested and rushed (especially at the rehearsal). Overall, for the price I felt a little let down by the service.

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.

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

The staff was wonderful. They really made my special day a beautiful one.

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 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

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!

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.

The venue is at CSULB and it is beautiful. The student workers changed many times over the year and a half that I dealt with the garden, between booking and actual wedding day. Yet, everything still went off without a hitch. I strongly suggest using this venue and using their preferred vendors.

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.

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.

great venue for wedding and reception.

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.

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.

We booked the venue a year in advance, not because we had to, but because we loved it. It was beautiful and a little unconventional. They offer someone to help coordinate the event for you, but some times you're working with the full-time professional coordinator, other times a student employee. I was very concerned by the lack of communication as the even approached. In fact we showed up on the day of our consultation (both sets of parents in tow) and they rushed us through because they double booked! 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). We did not opt to have a dance floor as it would have been small and awkward, but rather our reception turned out like an elegant and magical dinner party. I would hight recommend this place, and you really can't get a better deal for the money! I also recommend buying the extra time for photos-- otherwise it will be very rushed!

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



Full Service Wedding Prices for White Dove Release:

We oversee every detail of the process from start to finish, including:

* Initial consultation to define your event needs and interests

* Budget planning

* Help selecting vendors and ceremony and reception locations
* Dove Packages:

* 2 white doves one basket & handler $250
* 16 white doves two baskets & handler $280
* 20 white doves three baskets & handler $300
* 30 white doves three baskets, stand & handler $400

* Advice on etiquette and protocol, timeline

* If more than 12 miles from loft in Huntington Beach add $50

Day of Wedding On-site:


* Doves will be on site from 15 to 30 min. before event.

* Coordinate , setup, layout, of the dove baskets.
* Make sure vendors know when doves will be let go for photo's.


Al a Carte Planning Services

I can help you with most any portion of your special day. Just give me a call to discuss any special needs or requests. (714) 903-6599 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!

I have performed many weddings here and the staff is great and the gardens are picture perfect!

This Wedding location has everything!! A beautiful garden, amazing catering, organized and friendly coordinators and a Koi pond. When you get married here, you feel you're away from the city, surrounded in an outdoor gardens in Japan. The facility is relatively large as well, fitting more people then you'd expect. So many beautiful places to take great photographs. Every wedding here is truly a memory that will last a lifetime.

Beautiful location and great people to work with!

What a great place for a wedding. Not your typical "banquet room".

The Japanese Garden on the campus of Cal State University, Long Beach is a great place for a Wedding & Reception. The words to explain it is customer friendly, great staff, beautiful ambiance, trust worthy vendors on their Preferred Professionals List. This is a nice private venue that your guest will be talking about forever.Lynette Roberts & Assoicates

Japanese Garden is amazing! a great place to have your wedding in Long Beach California, we enjoy working with staff members here with the white dove releases we have done in the past here! "Newport Coast White Dove Release" www.ocdoves.com call for open dates (714) 903-6599