Located in Saratoga, California, Hakone Estate and Gardens is a historic wedding ceremony and reception venue. Unique in its appearance, Hakone Estate and Gardens is the oldest Asian estate and gardens in the Western Hemisphere. The beautiful Japanese gardens are the ideal place to exchange vows with the person you love the most. Cascading waterfalls and koi ponds are just some of the relaxing features that Hakone Estate and Gardens has to offer. If you want to give your guests an international cultural experience in a timeless oasis, peacefully Hakone Estate and Gardens is the place for you.
Facilities and Capacity
With a maximum capacity of 180 people, Hakone Estate and Gardens offers both indoor and uncovered outdoor settings. The overall feel of the 18 acres private venue is classy and outdoorsy.
Services Offered
The wheelchair accessible venue offers nearby parking for its guests. Event planning services are also available by Hakone Estate and Gardens to help couples plan a day that they can remember for the rest of their lives. Although the venue does not provide catering or event rentals, they do have a list of trusted preferred vendors who have years of professional experience. The long list of preferred vendors that Hakone Estate and Gardens provides range from caterers and florists to entertainment and officiants. Each of their preferred vendors have worked with Hakone Estate and Gardens before and is familiar with the venu’s policies and regulations.
History
As mentioned above, this 100 year old garden is one of the oldest Asian estates and gardens located in the Western Hemisphere. Hakone has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2013 and is known as one of the premier sites of the Nation Trust for Historic Preservation. It originally started as the private estate of a San Francisco philanthropist and his wife in 1915. A half a century later, the gardens were sold to the city of Saratoga, and Hakone ceased to be a private estate.
Recommended by 87% of couples
Kristine · Married on 11/04/2015
Hakone Gardens was where my husband and I started dating. We thought what better place to get married at than the exact location our relationship became official. We held our wedding ceremony at Hakone this past November 2015. It was perfect for our 60 guests. Tony, the event coordinator, was great. He helped make our ceremony run smoothly. This location is truly a hidden gem of the South Bay. Our guests felt as if our ceremony was a destination wedding. It will feel as if you are actually in Hakone, Japan.
Sent on 01/21/2016
Thu Tran · Married on 06/01/2019
Picture-esque wedding venue
I highly recommend this venue! It's so beautiful and literally every spot is a perfect picture. My family and friends were all amazed and dazzled by the beauty of this Japanese garden. Also, Tony was amazing to work with. He was patient, kind, and really understanding. He knows exactly how weddings normally run and he can help with any questions you might have. Overall, I recommend it!!
Sent on 08/05/2019
Victoria · Married on 06/22/2014
If you're thinking of having this be your venue for your reception, I highly recommend you follow through. We met with them ~10 months before our reception, and from that first meeting until our last email and the day-of everything was perfect. Yes, PERFECT!!!! They are very professional which is shown by their responsiveness in their email, and with the clarity of their contract. They also did not talk us down, something I feared as it is quite the nice venue, which I appreciated. They didn't find it was odd that our reception was about half a year following our actual marriage ceremony nor did they mind working with us to use a halal catering company, something that was off the list.
Sent on 07/09/2014
Flexibility? I changed my mind on some decorations the month of and they were able to accommodate. Paying with X on one card and Y on another card? They can do it. Meeting with your catering company? They do this too, and this is something I didn't think of at all so I'm glad they did.
Now for value... this is the true reason why they deserve 5 stars. It's an estate. A full estate that you're renting out for hours, and it's only for you and your guests plus vendors. I got a big building for everyone to eat in, a bamboo forest, a koi pond, and wonderful backdrops all over. My bridal suite was actually a small traditional Japanese building. My bridesmaid didn't have to fit into one small room, they got a huge area with sliding paper doors to dress up in. If they stepped into the hallway they'd see a rock garden. Oh, and the rock garden area had been renovated from the time I signed the contract to when my reception took place. You don't just get awesome, you get even more awesome as they seem to be continuing working on improving the gardens et all.
Seriously the worst part of our wedding was having to go home... I wish we could have spent like 5 more hours chilling there with our guests. So stress-free. I can't wait to go back there, if only we didn't live so far from them.
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