The Darlington House

We looked at about 15 different venues around San Diego before finally touring The Darlington House and we knew right away that's where we wanted to have our ceremony and reception. I couldn't have imagined a better place to have it and that was the main thing the guests commented on over and over again was how beautiful the venue was. Emily was also so helpful leading up to and on the day of the wedding. She helped coordinate with the vendors, wedding party, and guests to make everything run as smoothly as possible. The only downside is they don't provide tables and chairs, which we ended up paying about $1000 for through the caterer. Not a big deal, just added cost. We loved the Darlington House for all it's character and natural, timeless beauty!

Absolutely LOVE this venue. We couldn't have picked a more perfect place.

My fiance and I wanted a wedding venue that was not a hotel and that had a lot of character. The Darlington House was the perfect choice. We had about 75 guests, which we thought may be too small of a wedding for the venue, but everything turned out better than we could have anticipated. We had the ceremony in the Egyptian patio, which has a beautiful water fountain Mrs. Darlington curated from Egypt (hence, the name of the patio). The cocktail hour was held in the Andulusian Patio, and the bar was located in the Library, which is the most charming and interesting rooms in the Darlington House. The reception was held in the Rose Garden, which had a great, charming ambiance and perfectly accommodated the size of our wedding.

The Darlington House required more planning and work as you would have to bring in all the vendors (they do provide you a long list of required caterers), but it was absolutely worth it. With the right vendors, all you have to do is highlight the natural and history beauty of the Darlington House to make it the wedding venue of yours dreams. One thing worth noting is that we hired valet service, which our guests really appreciated since there is no commercial lot in that area, and street parking is quite limited.

The venue is located in a residential area in downtown La Jolla, about a few block from the beach. Our wedding was on the earlier side (ceremony began at 3:30pm) as the municipal code would not allow outdoor noise/music after 10:00pm. The time restriction was not a problem for us at all, and our guests thought the venue was beautiful. We did experience one minor confusion with the Darlington House's Director of Reservations regarding receipt of a payment (they sent an email indicating that they hadn't received our last payment check, but in fact they had), but that was quickly straightened out. Our initial contacts appear to be a few different volunteers at the Darlington House. However, about a month or two before the wedding, Emilie became our contact person, and she was great. Overall, my fiance and I were very happy with the Darlington House, and would recommend the...

What a perfect Venue for our special day... We still talk about how nice it was and professional everyone were. Thanks to everyone who helped us there...

Everyone absolutely loved the location and how beautiful the house and courtyards are. The place has so many different areas that we could have an area for the dance floor and music, a separate area for socializing near the bar, an area for smoking, and multiple areas for groups to hang out. Absolutely a wonderful place to have your reception.

Lovely place if you are looking for a small gathering, which we were. The Music and Bar must stop at 9:30 p.m. not bad if you are ready to end the party, paid extra to stay until 10:00 p.m. but most guest left once the bar and music ended. You have to be out at 10:00 p.m. on the dot, but we were aware of this from the begining. People were friendly- again the Darlington House is a very lovey place.

This is the first reception venue we looked at and I fell in love with it instantly. Barely two blocks from the beach and if it weren't for the luxury retirement home in front of it, you would be able to see the ocean from the front door. Gorgeous Spanish-style villa with beautifully decorated interior. Receptions happen in their terra-cotta tiled rose garden which can fit up to 200. There is also two other courtyards perfect for cocktail hour - one with a blue and white tiled fountain in an Egyptian theme and the other with Moor-inspired pillars.

The privacy and intimacy offered by the beautiful house is a definite plus as well as the fact that the fee for use of the home goes toward a non-profit committed to taking care of senior citizens. That being said there are quite a few restrictions and the cost per hour is quite high considering that you still have to pay for rentals and catering (all chosen from their required vendors list). If you're looking for flexibility and value, this may not be the best option. However, it is a must if you are going for an intimate ambiance.

For the most part, the staff was very professional. There was a bit of a mix-up with my paperwork but I think this is because they non-profit and rely on volunteer office help. Also, while you have your wedding volunteer docents are present in the house to make sure that your guests respect the historic home. For the most part, they were very helpful but one of the older docents became very annoyed with the children of my guests who were playing in the house and scolded them. Unlike me, you probably want to consider hiring a babysitter if you're planning on having a lot of children at the reception to avoid this.

The Darlington House was the perfect place for our small, intimate wedding. We loved the privacy offered by the venue, the indoor space, and the beautiful courtyards. It made a big difference that I had an event coordinator, though. It would have been a little unpleasant to have to deal with all the ins-and-outs of an historical venue on my own. It was an additional cost and a pain to have the rehearsal when I needed it and to have the venue for an extra hour in the evening. Everything was beautiful, though, and I had a perfect wedding. All of my guests thought that the Darlington House was just wonderful.

This is a fantastic venue that demands respect. It is a historic home just a few blocks from the beach in La Jolla. If you are looking for a classy, romantic venue that will be the perfect background for your pictures, this is the place. Parking can be an issue and music must stop rather early but it is well worth it. In addition, proceeds help the elderly so you are helping a good cause. The staff is warm, helpful and professional.

The Darlington house was a great venue....it really matched the look and feel we were going for. The staff is friendly and always open to having you come in and take a look and walk around. Emily, the site coordinator for events is super professional and is straightforward. The best part for me and my husband is that the money you use to pay for renting the place, goes to the "Social Service League" which houses low income seniors in the apartments right next door. So your money goes to a good cause...AND...they event make sure to tell you to claim it on your taxes!!

They were ver accomodating with timing issues and start time issues we had. Terry was very willing to accomodate and understood my concerns. Emily let us bring our stuff in a day early.There is a docent there that makes sure that people are complying with the house rules and kids dont break anything....This was actually really nice to have them there

There are a ton of rooms that people can gather in...we made one a babysitting room and the other room people used for drinking thier tea/coffee. The library housed the bar.....it was truly a nice set up and very unique

Tips:
your reception cant go past 10pm...so think about that.
and also they open the doors 30 min prior to your start time but your catering services/alcohol has to start at your actual start time not at that "30 min" prior mark
Parking might be an issue. It wasnt for us, but it depends on time of year and time of day.

I will start by saying that I LOVE the Darlington House and can't imagine a more beautiful spot for my reception. I wouldn't change a thing. I will warn potential brides that there are a lot of hidden costs, since you have to rent EVERYTHING- tables, chairs, dance floor, flatware, dinnerware, etc. You can save a major cost because you can bring in your own alcohol (and have a licensed bartender serve it), but just beware when you are checking out venues. Also, it's a historic home, so during your wedding there will be ladies who "supervise." Beware, these women are AWFUL! I heard from multiple guests that they were outright rude to them. At the end of the night we went outside to do sparklers, and the ladies would not let my own mother go back inside to grab the flowers and table decorations. My bridesmaid left her purse in and the docent wouldn't let her go back in! Just know that once the alloted time is up, you have to be out, no exceptions.

The Darlington House is such a beautiful spot and was the perfect place for our wedding. It has a beautiful garden and numerous patio areas that held all of our guests comfortably. People continued to rave and rave about how gorgeous the space was. All the people that we encountered at the Darlington House were all very sweet and happy to have us there.

The Darlington is absolutely gorgeous, and is cheaper than almost all the locations nearby in La Jolla. It has a couple of drawbacks though...they are strict. Everyone has to be out by 10, the sound volume limits (they tell the DJ they will check with a decibel meter!), no red wine in the house, no kegs, etc. They also don't have any parking, so you generally will need a valet. The money goes to a good cause (the retirement home next door is supported by money from Darlington), and at least if you have to be out by 10 it is so low-income old people can sleep!

The Darlington House was a lovely venue. I had both my ceremony and reception there. My only disapointment is the fact that although you do have use of the upstairs suites 2 hrs prior to your event 2 hrs was not sufficiant time for my bridal party and myself to get ready which meant we all had to get ready somewhere else. I just felt if my event was the only one being held that day, it shouldnt have been a problem to let my bridal party up for more time.Without charging more. This small issue made me late for my wedding. Other than that the staff was very helpfull and especially Emily was just wonderfull. The Darlington House is lucky to have her as an employee.

The Darlington House was great to work with. A very beautiful venue, with nice staff and grounds. Their price was very reasonable compared to other sites. They provided a volunteer staff to watch over the gift table, they had volunteers to give tours of the house to our guests, and Emilie did a great job in making sure everything went well. I highly recommend this private venue.

The Darlington House is such a beautiful vintage romantic location. Very private and so many colors. Indeed you can save on flowers do to the lush landscape and beautiful flowers and greenery all around. I only needed flowers for the wedding party. Not much decorating is needed. The house manager Emily was very pleasant and helpful (A+). Only issue is flexability with dropping things off prior to event can be a problem if location is being used.

This venue is beautiful. As a professional event planner myself, it was the perfect place for our wedding. I did think the people in charge were vague and just assumed you knew everything, all the rules etc. Most importantly, they didnt offer suggestions on weather patterns (its all outdoors) so sometimes its windy (get containers for candles) or very hot or chilly...However, overall, everyone was friendly. They are very strict and not flexible about any overtime, the band MUST quit 1/2 hour prior along with the bar to the end of your event. Sometimes it's hard to control, but our wedding worked well and it was stunning.

We loved the Darlington House. They were so accomodating and the venue looked perfect. The gardens are gorgeous.

We had a great experience with the Darlington House. I would highly recommend them. The only draw back is you can't use any caterer but you have a list of about 12 to choose from.