BOOK THEM NOW! We can't express how thankful we are to University Club of Pasadena for hosting our dream wedding. My husband and I toured countless venues and the services University Club provides exceeded them all.
1. You get the venue for the entire day! Other venues we toured had strict times we could enter, some even requiring the bride to arrive completely ready because there wasn't a space for HMU. Cinthia was so flexible and even allowed us to arrive at 6AM to begin getting ready! We had a brunch spread with our family/bridal party there, where Cinthia had the staff assist with setting up and tearing down our brunch tables.
2. The bar package is VERY flexible compared to other venues. We noticed that most of the venues we considered have a per-head cost, expensive since some of our elderly don't drink. UC instead allowed us to set a general bar limit, which afterwards they would convert into a cash bar (we didn't end up reaching our limit, but this was a very cost-effective set-up for us).
3. Joy and Tony were incredible at customizing our drinks! Joy had so many creative suggestions for Asian inspired drinks - they allowed us to have multiple taste testings and we landed on a lychee mojito and strawberry soju in a martini glass. We had SO many guests rave about our signature drinks, asking us for the recipes!
4. They went above and beyond for desserts!!!! We were so disappointed when other venues either don't allow outside vendors or have a fee - we're not cake people so we wanted to bring in Fosselman's ice cream instead. Cinthia and Chef Tony not only allowed us to bring in outside ice cream, but even told us that UC regularly serves Fosselman's for the club members so they could provide the ice cream for us instead of us bringing it! We originally wanted an ice cream bar, but they informed us they could only scoop the ice cream from the kitchen and have the waiters pass them around on trays because of their freezer location. However, the week of our wedding, Cinthia called us and said they've figured out a way to create our ice cream bar! It meant so much to us that UC was still trying to figure out a way to have our dream dessert station even though my husband and I were fine with tray-passed ice cream - and SO many guests complimented us for the ice cream station!
5. Cinthia and Chef Tony are very willing to work with you to make sure the entrees are exactly the way you want it! We initially weren't incredibly happy with the salmon during out taste testing, so they had us come in again to try the chicken with another free taste test (this is a huge deal - other venues often charge for taste tests)! They even allowed us to sub mashed potatoes for scalloped potatoes etc. I'll be honest - we thought the food at our taste testing was okay, pretty decent wedding food. BUT the food the night of our wedding was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!! We had so many guests (some of our guests are even wedding coordinators) compliment us for the food! Multiple parents also said this wedding had the best kid meals they've ever seen with delicious chicken tenders and fries - I had a dad even ask if he could also have a kids meal!

Other details that makes UC stand out...
- Parking ON SITE with a private lot!
- You have the entire building to yourself!
- Indoors in case of rain!
- I noticed some wedding websites giving UC three dollar signs, but this venue is actually VERY accommodating to your budget with fair prices
- 10/10 STAFF. Cinthia, Tony (bar), Tony (chef), and Joy are absolutely amazing to work with!

Absolutely recommend if someone is considering a COVID-friendly intimate wedding. We decided to have a small wedding of 40 people and they were able to accommodate both ceremony and reception at their patio space. Depending on the seating arrangement, they host up to 50 for reception outside. Jonathan the event coordinator had so much experience and was very professional and knowledgeable in coordinating weddings. The quality of the service and food overall was excellent.

My husband and I got married in May 2019 at the University Club so my review is woefully overdue, but I cannot speak highly enough of the entire team at the UCP and of our experience. Jonathan and Kelly made everything feel seamless and were so supportive throughout the entire planning process. They made us feel like they were part of our team, and let me just tell you - if you have parents with strong opinions like we do, they are a team you can't pass up having on your side. There plenty of things to be stressed about out on our day of, but not a single one of them related to our reception. The food, layout, setup, service, and attention to detail and to us and our guests was above and beyond what we could have imagined. THANK YOU UCP!!!

(photography credit for pictures in this review go to Carrie Rogers Photography)