Gatherings

When my husband and I began planning our intimate wedding, we came across Gatherings through Wedding Wire. Upon our first meeting, we knew it would be the perfect spot as it was close to Lover's Point where our ceremony was planned, charming, and felt an amazing sense of customer service from the beginning. Jana, our coordinator for the ceremony at Lover's Point and reception at Gatherings, genuinely cared about our day being perfect and went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure all of the details were perfect. All communication was prompt and she made the wedding effortless for my husband and I. When the time came for Jana to leave for the night, she turned everything over to Jennifer who was attentive and kept everything on target. The food was beyond amazing and all of my guests are still raving about it! A huge bonus was being able to bring my own liquor in with no corkage or serving fees which was a huge asset. I highly recommend Gatherings to any couple who wants a stress free wedding with excellent quality and good value for the money!

Mr. and Mrs. Monselle

These guys are absolutely amazing!! From Set-Up to sound to staff to food to decorations to timing, they did not miss a beat. I would highly recommend this company to anyone who is trying to plan a beautiful and smooth wedding. Not to mention probably the best pricing you will find in the Monterey Bay area.

Rick and I could not be happier with the wonderful experience we had with our reception at Gatherings. All the team but especially Alicia were so warm, professional and relaxed--everything you need in planning a wedding! Alicia was so patient with our hectic work schedules and would gently remind us of little details that needed attention. The food tastings ahead of time for the couple were absolutely fabulous and gave us a wide variety of choices to try out. When the time for our wedding evening reception came, "WOW" is the word that kept coming out of everyone's mouths. The food was so delicious and impeccably fresh since we watched it being made! I would heartily recommend Gatherings for any event but especially for the couple who would love a special, family centered intimate wedding event. Thank you so much and loads of love to you and all your team, Alicia! JeanMarie and Rick Mead

My husband and I were married on July 20, 2012 in Monterey, CA and we had the most amazing reception at Gatherings (that we planned in less than 6 months). We wanted a reception that was easy for us, our guests and just fun! We chose the roaming reception, perfect for what we wanted, a cocktail party including dinner. Gatherings is not a typical venue it is a home where the decor is warm and welcoming, no decorations are needed, but they welcome you to bring in your own if you wish. They are an all inclusive venue you only need to bring in alcohol (mixers included and if they don't have what you want they will get it) and you also provide dessert/cake. The food... lets just say amazing! My guests are still raving about the food (like many other wedding guests you will read about in Gathering's reviews). Have fun going to the tasting - we loved everything and had a wide variety of choices. I was impressed that they made sure my husband and I were eating (something I hear most couples don't do at their wedding). And did I mention... the food is cooked in the home's kitchen, where you can view the chefs cooking through a large picture window, while you are mingling, so it is fresh and hot! And don't be concerned that your guests won't get enough food, if they want more they just need to ask.

The team at Gatherings is top notch - professional and courteous and made our planning easy and effortless! I think I have included the word amazing a few or more times because that is what it was amazing and perfect! One of our guests said that we saved the best wedding for last... Thank you Gatherings for making our wedding day not only memorable for us but also for our friends and family.

Oh Happy Day. Can't say enough beautiful things about the professionalism offered by the team at Gatherings. The venue provides a backdrop of vintage, old-world charm. We heard so many stories of what a whirlwind the wedding day can be. With Gatherings I felt that I was able to have conversations with our loved ones and feel the love in the room, all while nibbling on phenomenal food and sipping on spirits.
There is no rushed or hectic energy with a wedding at Gatherings. Every time I surveyed the room during our day I saw guests mingling, laughing, and there was such an easy flow between the inside areas and patio area. We are definite foodies and the caliber of the menu left nothing to be desired. The horseradish steak bites, ceviche spoons, and crab cakes are a must (quite photogenic as well as I thumb through our wedding album). Their alcohol policy allowed us to pick and choose local wines without a corkage fee, we ordered a keg from a fabulous liquor store down the street, and our signature cocktail was a hit. We brought the ingredients for a "French Kiss" which kept with our Parisian theme, and was prepared by a delightful bartender.
I cannot emphasize enough how taken care of we felt. Everything about our day just felt easy. Our original guest list was a hefty 150. I'm so happy we found Gatherings, cut the list down to 80, and enjoyed an intimate wedding ceremony and reception filled with love and laughter...all inside of a perfect little Victorian. Thank you Gatherings!
~ alex and erik

The day was beautiful, everything was great thank you so much for the great work you did.

Gatherings made our wedding day very special and unique. All of the staff were very professional and attentive. Many of our guests said it was the best wedding they had ever been to. I would definitely recommend them to family and friends!

Gatherings was dream for us. From the time we met Alicia to talk about what we wanted for our wedding through the actual wedding, everything was SO easy! We wanted classy elegance and that's what we had.

We had our ceremony at Lover's Point (the weather was PERFECT!). The sound system was a great idea, making it easier for our guests to hear the entire ceremony. Having water available while the guests waited for me (the bride) to arrive was a nice touch.

The Gatherings "house" gave our reception the initimate feel we were hoping for. The food was excellent. Alicia suggested the wandering reception (rather than sit down) and we were so glad we agreed. Everything was so comfortable for our guests and my husband and I didn't worry about a thing! Many guests commented that it was the nicest wedding they'd been to!

Highly, highly recommend!!!

My husband and I had our wedding at Gatherings in November of 2011. We absolutely loved working with Alicia, who made planning our entire wedding in 3 months much more enjoyable. Our ceremony at Lovers Point Park was set up beautifully and went off without a hitch. Back at Gatherings, the centerpieces I made looked wonderful along with the rest of the decorations. The food was incredible as was the service. Our bartender was friendly and kept the party well hydrated.

So why only 4 stars? First off, Alicia was not our "captain" the night of our event, so we had someone we never met (Samantha). Normally, I don't feel we need to meet our captain first, but I felt we were holding her hand throughout the night. I was not able to sit back and enjoy the night because I constantly needed to be telling her what was supposed to happen next and keep the timeline on track. Every time I got up to tell our captain to move onto the next thing, my food was cleaned up. I actually never got the chance to eat that night because of this.

Overall, we absolutely LOVED having out wedding at Gatherings. It was the perfect setting for our small 40 person wedding. I would not have wanted it anywhere else. But, if you are planning an even there, make sure the person helping you plan the event is your captain. Also, I recommend making the plates for the bride and groom look different so the servers know not to clean those plates up.

Holding our reception at Gatherings was worth every penny we spent! They made the planning process totally stress free! On the day of the reception (our ceremony had been held a month earlier) everything was BETTER than I had anticipated. The food was AMAZING and the staff were helpful and professional.
All I had to do on the day of our reception was show up and focus on enjoying time with friends and family - and for me this was the most important!

Mary Lisa @ Gatherings is AMAZING! Gatherings set up our ceremony at the beach. It was just like always dreamed of. Mary Lisa is a wonderful person to work with and my husband and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND them for your ceremony services :)

Gatherings is an amazing venue and reception package. It’s a true bride's dream come true. From their website to their incredibly friendly staff and team, this place far exceeded our expectations! The website is very thorough and provides the basic pricing packages which all have no hidden fees! We went with a roaming reception which was a fantastic, low-stress way of having all of our close friends and family together (without having to figure out seating arrangements, etc..). We also had about 6 kids at the reception, and the staff took great care with the children, with mac & cheese for the little ones and for the older kids, even provided use of the team's own entertainment systems (DVDs, Wii).

We had the ceremony and reception package, and it was a very stress-free event with the amount of detail and planning that Gatherings has already done. We and our family and friends basically showed up at the ceremony site on the wedding day, and all is taken care of (setting up the music, the arch, chairs, 2 attendants during the ceremony, water for the guests). You can also do a walk-through of the ceremony set-up with your coordinator about two weeks prior to the wedding, and they provide great feedback on how to set up the arch, # of rows for the chairs, length of the music, etc… We also highly recommend Berwick Park, which is not at crowded as Lover's Point (especially in the summer!) and provides amazing view of the bay. Plus, the parking at Berwick Park is a local park (i.e.: no tour buses allowed) and provides much easier for your guests during the crowded months.

The food is fantastic! As other reviewers have already noted, the Classic Caterings team is phenomenal in working with you to select the perfect blend of main dishes, appetizers, and main display. Mary Lisa (our coordinator) even brought in her own personal cake platters to help us with our cake display. She is fantastic, by the way! The bartender was also really friendly, and even with 75 guests at the reception, the bar was never crowded, and there were lots of great drinks made. The no corkage fee was a huge plus for our families - as they certainly love their wines, beer, and mixed cocktails! And whatever drinks are leftover, you get to take home with you at the end of the night :)

Lastly, we (and our guests) arrived to our reception about 30 minutes late (due to pictures at our ceremony), and the Gathering staff was so friendly in adjusting the evening schedule to accommodate our plans. They even let us stay an extra hour, and provided their own party music, for an incredible night of dancing (in the parlor - and the guests sure do dance!) Thanks Gatherings for an incredible day!

I searched several places and since I wanted a wedding on the beach I searched the Monterey area. I found this place on yelp and it had very high reviews so I decided to take a chance and go visit. It had a nice cozy warm feeling to it and the staff was friendly and the food was amazing! I had no issues and felt comfortable with my decision at Gatherings. It was different than other weddings because we had a roaming reception and everything was passed butler style so our guests could mingle and eat and drink as they pleased. If you want an intimate feeling this is the place for you! People are still talking about our wedding!

Our daughter was married March 12, 2011 at Lovers Point and the Reception was held at Gatherings. We had the max amount of people. From the beginning of the planning stage which started in July, to today I can't stop thinking of how PERFECT it was. Everything my daughter wanted she got. Samantha, who was there for us every step of the way was professional, accommodating, kind and fun. The ceremony site was public but Giovanni, who we met for the first time the day before, made it seem like we were at a private park. It was amazing! I can say the same for everyone that works here. They were all wonderful. The food was the best we'd every had and there was plenty. To be able to watch the kitchen and fabulous chefs work was one of my favorite thing. All the servers and bartender could not have been nicer! The house is charming, the deck was warm, festive and comfortable. The owners Debb and Dino were VERY involved and really seem to love what they do.
If you pick this place, you will not be sorry!

The people at Gatherings were great. We had a wonderful reception at their facility.

Gatherings gave me the wedding of my dreams. I never thought I would be able to afford a beach side wedding in Monterey. Gatherings was able to provide me with an affordable package that included the ceremony setup in Lover's Point Park and the wonderful reception at Gatherings. The food was incredible. The service was spectacular. Samantha, Debbie, and the entire staff treated me, my husband, and my guests with such care.
The reception location is so unique and special. I loved the passed plate style reception.
My husband and I were so happy to have chosen Gatherings. It's an ideal space, if your wedding is formal, casual, or in between.

Gatherings is amazing! The venue is beautiful and the food is absolutely delicious! All of our guests commented on how wonderful the food was and even our married guests wished they had had their wedding at Gatherings! Debbie and Dean were very accommodating to our requests and even made us specialty vegetarian options and a sauce for the skirt steak that were not on their menu. Samantha was our main point of contact and she was very easy to work with and very responsive to our questions. My husband and I are big foodies and are so happy we picked Gatherings. The food is so fresh, you can even watch them prepare it because the kitchen is open. All of our guests had a fun time and there was plenty of yummy food to go around. With Gatherings, you do not have to stress out over the details because Debbie, Dean, and Samantha take care of everything for you. We had the most perfect wedding and Gatherings made it all possible.

I loved working with Gatherings. We had researched several venues around the area and found Gatherings to give the most for the price. They really do not nickle and dime you for small things like a cake cutting fee. Samantha was our event manager and her response to emails was very timely, I usually had a thorough response withing 1 -2 days. She even made sure a few days after our wedding was over that we were happy with everything.

Ceremony: We had an outdoor ceremony at Lover's Point park. They set up and brokedown the chairs. Ice water was provided for the guests, which I thought was a really considerate touch. We also used their outdoor speaker system, which I highly recommend if you're having an outdoor ceremony!

Reception: We are still hearing comments about how much fun everyone had and how they loved the food! The food was amazing! Everyone loved watching Dean and his crew make the food through the window they have in the piano room. The ingredients were fresh and prepared wonderfully! Debbie made sure that the evening ran very smoothly. She was so nice to even fix a meal to go for one of our guest who had to take his kids home! I'm telling you, you will not find anyone nicer than these people! If anything went wrong I am not aware of it at all!

We are very happy with our decision to use Gatherings for our wedding day. I really can not say enough nice things about the people who work there and the work that they do. We were lucky to find them and I really do think that they made a special day even better!

I had the honor of having the help of Gatherings and their staff for both my wedding ceremony and reception. I planned this all from 7 hours away, in Hollywood where I live (My husband is from Monterey). My guests can't stop talking about what an awesome time they had, the food being awesome and the presentation and staff is outstanding on your special night. I highly recommend them!! My wedding, even planned at a distance, was seamless, stress-free, and turned out to be better than I had even imaged! Thanks everyone again at Gatherings for a memory I will never forget!

Gatherings is a lovely, intimate venue for events. I have worked with numerous couples that have used Gatherings for their weddings and they are always so happy with everything. I love the location and the fantastic smells that come from the kitchen! I highly recommend Gatherings for weddings and other events.