el PRADO (formerly known as Garden Court Hotel)

We found el PRADO Hotel through WeddingWire in the summer of 2021 when we first got engaged; they were going through a remodeling and let us stop by for a quick tour even before they were reopened. We had already toured other wedding venues but we were pretty impressed by the layout of the boutique hotel and fell in love with the architecture and all the little cute nooks that we knew would be absolutely fantastic for photographs. When they had a soft reopening later that year in the fall, we visited again for another tour just to see how things had been updated and heard about all the plans.

The Director of Events, Jesse Bresnahan, has been such a key player in our decision to book our wedding at el PRADO. el PRADO was probably the 6th or 7th venue we had toured and we hadn’t really been to one that we really walked in and felt comfortable saying yes to right away. el PRADO was exactly that. The combination of a super sweet staff and lovely setup and environment of the hotel even before setting up any wedding decor really vibed with us. We were pretty set on booking el PRADO after visiting a couple times and speaking with Jesse. Jesse has been extremely patient with our millions of questions (we have email threads of 40-50+ emails back and forth with him about wedding planning), is always professional about everything, was such a positive force during our planning, and guided us through a lot of decisions we had to make for our wedding.

We were able to start drafting a contract for our wedding to book our date (well in advance) by December 2021 and just had to wait on a couple things before signing it, but Jesse made sure that all of our concerns and questions were addressed and worked with us over email and phone calls to get our contract just how we needed it; we booked el PRADO 12 months in advance of our wedding and felt so comfortable and excited about our decision!

Sarah Rennert also started helping us with rooming blocks and wedding planning questions mid-2022 in the midst of all of our planning. Both her and Jesse were just phenomenal pillars of support for us. It was so great to meet her on our wedding weekend and she helped us get what we needed whenever we needed it.

el PRADO as a wedding venue is an absolute dream! The entire staff was extremely hospitable, everyone we encountered was so warm and welcoming and always put a smile on our faces. They let us set up for our wedding ahead of time (we did a lot of DIY decor since our wedding was so specifically themed to a particular video game) and went above and beyond for us from setting up some decor day of for us, plating our dessert donuts (which we were totally just planning to have in the boxes they came in with labels from our vendor), cleaning up our room (the bridal party got ready and made an absolute mess in the Penthouse and by the night of the wedding they had cleaned up the bedroom area and sprinkled a bunch of rose petals on the bed and in the shape of a heart!), and helping us clean up and pack things away after the reception ended.

Jesse kept checking in on me and my partner whatever floor we were on (1st floor lobby/reception, 2nd floor bar area or Biblioteca, 4th floor Penthouse, etc.), made sure we were fed and hydrated, and kept the event going and kept us aware of timing (when to come down for the processional, when to get ready for the reception grand entrance, when do start going around making toasts at all the tables, etc.). Seriously could not have appreciated him more!

During and after our wedding, our guests were just gushing about the venue, staff, and food. We’ve heard from multiple guests that the food for dinner was some of the best, if not the best, food they’d had at a wedding, and they loved how the venue looked!

We had our rehearsal dinner, wedding, and weekend stay at the hotel. If we ever need to hold another big event for whatever reason, we would definitely do it at el PRADO, and we’d absolutely try to find a reason (perhaps an anniversary) to stay at el PRADO again. The Penthouse is gorgeous with its outdoor patio (where we did our first look photos) and has such a lovely bathroom with a rainfall showerhead and a deep soaking tub.

After we booked for our wedding, they opened a Tapas Bar on the 2nd floor and we visited frequently in the months leading up to our wedding. The drinks and bites available daily are delicious!

Highly recommend el PRADO as a place to check out, have an event, do a weekend getaway, grab some drinks, or all of the above! Literally cannot stop thinking about everything, it was everything we could’ve asked for and more!

I absolutely LOVED my experience with the Garden Court Hotel. Jesse Bresnahan, who was our Event Manager, was AMAZING and perhaps a big reason why our wedding was so great. Planning a wedding, as most will figure out soon enough, is extremely stressful, but with Jesse's help, I couldn't be at more ease. He was super responsive, gave tons of details when needed, and had a "can do" attitude for everything. Of course I loved the actual setting, food, and general service at the Garden Court, but I don't think I would have had such a great time planning my wedding if it weren't for Jesse. As an added bonus to the Garden Court, they give you a 5 day stay at a sister hotel in one of their locations in Spain for your honeymoon (which you have a year to use)...unheard of! They also help set it all up for you, so just one less thing to stress about. My husband and I went to Barcelona and of course, it was a trip to remember. Thank you Jesse and Garden Court team for making our wedding what we wanted and more!

Wonderful venue, incredible staff. Delicious food, professional execution. Everything was stinky and Juli Calderon was an absolute dream. Thank you for helping us celebrate the beginning of our marriage with a bang!