Pala Mesa Resort Reviews

2020 has not been an easy year for the wedding industry, for couples, venues, and vendors alike. Our original wedding was planned for 8.29.20. However, closer to this point, weddings were not allowed. Pala Mesa was friendly and flexible in helping us postpone to 10.10.2020.

We got the pleasure of working with Luciana at Pala Mesa throughout the whole process. Luciana was very communicative, helpful, and creative with solutions to the new unchartered territory of wedding planning circumstances. Because this was all new planning territory, there were a few bumps in the road as expected while we both tried to figure things out on how to accommodate for COVID restrictions and city orders. Both us as the clients and Luciana with the venue had to make certain concessions and compromises to make it work fairly, but with Luciana we were able to do so amicably and professionally, and in a way were both parties were happy. And I’d also like to add that I’m not exactly an easy client to work with as I do have many questions, more than most, and Luciana was quite patient with me throughout the whole process and answered every single one of my 1,000 questions.

Now, onto the result: The wedding was ABSOLTUTELY PERFECT!

On the Big Day, both Luciana and another Pala Mesa representative named Tania were on-site , dressed to impress, making sure everything was up to par and good to go. They took care of all details that may have been overlooked by myself and the coordinator, and even pulled a few more stops and upgrades for us on the day of, details that made our wedding even more beautiful! The Ceremony at Garden Pavilion was dreamy with our harpist and floral decorations. While the original reception was supposed to be up at the beautiful Cliff Terrace, we had to instead change it to a dinner reservation down at the Aqua Terra Patio, the hotel’s restaurant, due to receptions currently not being allowed per the latest health order. This is where Luciana’s resourcefulness and creativity and Tania’s attention to detail really shined. The team dressed up the patio super nice with linens and centerpieces and charger plates, set out all the wedding favors and guest place cards on the tables, arranged the guestbook and gift table in a perfect spot by the patio entrance, arranged a cake table in a perfect spot by the pond, and even placed their recommended live musician in a perfect spot by the firepit for everyone to enjoy from a safe distance. The food exceeded our expectations, many guests commented on how good the food was. The live music was absolutely delightful, we also got many compliments from guests on that. And the service was great too, very attentive servers. One server even bought the groom a drink! How sweet! Honestly, even though we were not able to host a reception with a DJ and dancing as originally planned up at the Cliff Terrace Tent, the dinner at Aqua Terra was so classy, beautiful and relaxing, that we don’t feel any other alternative could have competed. Both the Ceremony and the Dinner were so perfect and beautiful, we are so very Happy. We would choose Pala Mesa over and over again in a heartbeat. Do yourself a favor and call Luciana and GO SEE THIS VENUE! It is gorgeous! Waterfalls and twinkle lights and ponds…. You name it. Gorgeous! On top of that, affordable! You just can’t beat Pala Mesa. You will NOT regret having your wedding here 😊. Thank you Luciana and Tania!!!

My husband and I had our wedding hosted at Pala Mesa Resort December 21,2019! When we were looking for a venue, we wanted something romantic, elegant and lots of nature and open environment. We got engaged January 26th and started visiting venues right away. We visited 6 venues before coming across Pala Mesa Resort. We had looked online and realize that it was out of budget but we had a “self guided tour” and we fell in love. So I contacted the wedding department and scheduled a tour. To our surprise they were having a “wedding special” which fit our budget perfectly. Since the moment we walked in, we were greeted by Luciana (wedding director). She was so kind, patient and super helpful. She gave us a tour and within a week or two we contacted her to sign the contract. She made everything so easy and comfortable for us. The staff were phenomenal! Sydney Molé was our main contact however Luciana was always available if Sydney was not able to answer our questions. I bothered both of them many times but they were always kind, polite and patient. They really worked with my budget and helped me figure out ways where I could save money. The day off the wedding Sydney was there and she was so helpful, we didn’t have much help from relatives and she made sure she helped me as much as she could. Also, Tania (bride assistant?) she was so caring and thoughtful and made sure I was taken care of. I am so blessed that we came across this beautiful venue and fantastic staff. I would definitely recommend this venue, it was a dream come true!!! Thank you all!

My wife and I LOVED Pala Mesa and cannot recommend this venue enough! There are many, many things we could rave about, but this review will focus on just a few key takeaways.

First, their staff is PHENOMENAL. Our primary point of contact was Sydney Molé. She was always extremely responsive, professional, and patient with us as we bombarded her with questions throughout our engagement. And, when the big day finally arrived, she made a fantastic day-of coordinator.

Likewise, our banquet captain for the rehearsal dinner and reception was extremely courteous. He made sure we were in the loop and well taken care of on both nights. In fact, when we came up against our 11:00 PM deadline on the night of our wedding, he kindly let us extend the music until 11:20 PM to keep the party going.

Next, focusing on the venue itself, the extremely close proximity of the ceremony spot to the reception location is a convenience your guests will thank you for. Our wedding was in late-August, and the ceremony was entirely shaded by the lush, beautiful hillside. This ensured all our guests were comfortable and no one was squinting awkwardly to watch the ceremony unfold. Once married, the ringing of the bell tower is a super fun bonus that you won't find at other venues. As the night progresses, the grand, permanent tent is the perfect mix of indoor/outdoor, letting the cool summertime breeze blow through while still providing plenty of lighting for photos and comfort for guests.

Our wedding was in the summer of 2019, and at that time the resort was undergoing renovations to become a Hilton DoubleTree hotel. As a result, the hotel rooms mere steps away from the ceremony and reception spots were unavailable for our guests, as the rooms were mid-renovation. That said, the resort still managed to give my wife and I the honeymoon suite we had requested when we first toured the venue. And, despite the construction, there were still plenty of rooms available within a short walk of the ceremony/reception. If you're planning a wedding in 2020, the newly upgraded rooms and their incredible proximity to ceremony/reception is something you'll be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.

We could go on, but we'll stop here. We hope you'll consider Pala Mesa for your wedding... we're sure glad we did!

What a beautiful and amazing location. The team is amazing and I can’t wait to get married here. Only downfall is having to hire your own coordinator, but luckily Sara worked there and knows her stuff.

I am SO SO SO happy we chose the Pala Mesa for our Wedding Venue! From the moment we stepped on property we knew it was the place for us. The ceremony site is absolutely beautiful, with a stunning waterfall behind you as you say "I Do." Very minimal decorations are needed since the outdoor scenery is breathtaking. The aisle is made of stone so no need to worry about heels getting stuck in the grass. The reception site is outside under a beautiful tent, with another beautiful waterfall. You will receive a nice breeze throughout the evening so its never too hot! Everything is tucked away from the golf course so you never have to worry about strangers just randomly walking up and watching your wedding.

The staff is INCREDIBLE! Sydney and Brianna helped us gather our thoughts and made the planning process so simple. They walk you through every single detail that you need and help you realize how little or much you have ready! They are very responsive and professional. We really felt like they were our close friends and were only working on our wedding alone! They made us feel so special every single time we talked to them and made our wedding day go off without a hitch. I did not feel one single ounce of stress the day of my wedding because I knew Sydney was taking care of everything.

The only draw back was having to load in and load out the same day. You have to store your decorations in your room if you are staying there at all. I recommend getting a great team of family and friends to help you with the decorating and load out process so you don't have to lift a finger on your wedding day!

I am the Mother of the Bride. My daughter and her husband fell in love with the ceremony sight at Pala Mesa which was the deciding factor. We also were looking for somewhere that had overnight accommodations for our guests. I can't begin to tell you how pleased with our with our decision to have the wedding at Pala Mesa. The grounds are beautiful, the tent is absolutely magical at night and the layout of the resort allowed us to have the most fabulous weekend with our family and friends. We started Friday afternoon with a rehearsal lunch and the food was delicious. They have a room with a very large patio and Friday night we had all the overnight guests over for food and drinks on the patio, it was so perfect. The service we received from Brianna and Cristina was not only organized and detailed but warm and genuine as well. Brianna really made us feel as if we are were the only wedding that she has on her agenda. She is so kind and genuinely cared about our happiness and satisfaction and was flexible with so many things from menu, to timing and other details. I am forever grateful to have gotten to work with such a wonderful person to plan my daughters wedding. We had a fabulous wedding day and night. Everyone there loved the setting and raved about the wonderful food, which is rare for wedding dinners. Finally on Sunday we had a farewell brunch. All of our friends and family has told me that the whole experience of being able to be together for the whole weekend made for the memory of a lifetime. Thank you Pala Mesa for holding the wedding of all of our dreams!

My husband and I got married here almost exactly 1 year ago! Everything was so beautiful and exactly what I imagined! The food was amazing and the service before the wedding/during was more than I could have asked for! Such a beautiful venue ??

Having a hotel on site is what sold us. But the people were great. They managed everything we requested. They made the entire weekend perfect.

We had our wedding on April 2 2016. Best wedding venue. The staff is great! the food is awesome! The first place we saw and the only one i wanted to see after. Pala mesa is such a beautiful venue. Our guest kept saying how beautiful of a wedding venue it is and how we found it. I cant keep expressing how beautiful the venue is and how much i fell in love with this place! Dont think about it twice if you should have your wedding here. You will not regret it.

We had the wedding of the century and Pala Mesa was the place! The venue itself is absolutely gorgeous! And the coordinators (Lindsey and Briana) work with you every step of the way, always available for the many questions we had leading up to the wedding. The day of the wedding they were invaluable at keeping us all calm and only concentrating on 'us'....they handled EVERYTHING else. Always checking in to see if they could help. I highly recommend them for any events, we are 100% thrilled!

Since the moment I asked for more information on Weddings at Pala Mesa Resort, to even after our Wedding, the staff at Pala Mesa has been amazing!

We had three events for the Wedding Weekend at Pala Mesa Resort since most of our guest were visiting from out of town. We had a Welcome Cocktail Reception, our Wedding Reception (no ceremony since ours was held in a church) and a Farewell Brunch. Most of our guest even stayed at the resort which made everything a lot easier for our Guest.

All of the staff for all of the events were so kind and attentive. I have to say that Briana is truly amazing! She was so thoughtful and fun to work with during all of the planning.

I would highly recommend considering Pala Mesa for your Wedding and Events!

I am so happy we chose Pala Mesa Resort for our rehearsal dinner and wedding venue. The grounds are beautiful, the food is delicious, and the hospitality was amazing. We got married on 10.17.15 and I mostly dealt with Briana and Luciana. They were both such a pleasure to work with and helpful no matter what my crazy questions or requests were. We also had the rehearsal dinner and farewell brunch on site as well, both of which were a great time.

We got lucky and had our wedding just after the artificial turf was installed in the ceremony location and the chandeliers in the reception tent, both of which were fabulous additions.

My husband, dad, groomsmen, and other family members enjoyed a round of golf before the rehearsal dinner and they said the course was amazing. All of us girls took a little trip to the winery just up the street which I would highly recommend as well. Overall our entire wedding weekend was fabulous from start to finish!

Pala Mesa is the most amazing place in the world!!! There is no other place in Southern California that compares if you want to do your ceremony and your reception in one area. (and I looked at about 15 venues) The site is absolutely breathtaking and everything is right there!! The wedding site is on the side of a mountain tucked away from the golf course and it has a beautiful bell tower for the ceremony site and then a HUGE tent for the reception!! The Tent has a backdrop of a waterfall that was behind our sweetheart table where everyone took their own pictures in front of..It has beautiful drapings and chandeliers..The lighting was incredible for photos all day/night..the food was all incredible, my guests all raved about it! My guests were blown away with the sites beauty as well. The best part about having it there too was that all your guests can stay at the resort and walk to the wedding and reception! The resorts not too busy on the day to day so they don't run out of rooms too often and it'd super cheap so your guests will appreciate it!! As for service and the staff..OH MY GOSH, they were amazing! From meeting Luciana initially, then working with Lorena for the room block, and then Briana for everything else, we just had such an amazing experience!!! These people do probably 2-3 weddings a week so I have NO idea how they balance it all!! Briana was on top of EVERYTHING!! I would email her with 10 line items and she would get back to me within a few hours answering ALL my questions! It was like my wedding was the only wedding she was working on! Even if she wasn't working, she would let me know she got the email and would answer as soon as she returned! She was so amazing, I don't have room to write here but I put more on yelp! CHOOSE THIS PLACE YOU WONT REGRET IT!!!! Thank you Pala Mesa for an AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!!!!!!!!

Searched high and low to find the perfect venue for our destination wedding - thank goodness we found Pala Mesa! It was the perfect venue to provide a mini vacation for everyone while at the same time hosting the perfect wedding for our guests. The Wedding Team (Cara, Briana and Luciana) were an absolute joy to work with. With planning a destination wedding, I had a million and one questions leading up to our wedding and probably sent just as many emails to Briana - she answered everything with detail, always in a timely manner. Cara hosted our tasting and rehearsal - both of which went smoothly as she organized and coordinated everything seamlessly. These two were a godsend the day of the wedding! They set everything out and ensured that everything went smoothly - for which I am grateful for! If you're looking for a wedding venue, look no further! The property itself is beautiful and the staff is simply amazing!!!

Our wedding was just on May 9, 2015. Pala Mesa was the first and only venue we looked at before we decided we MUST have our wedding here. The beauty is beyond breathtaking. Pala Mesa is so lush with tons of flowers and plants and is just overall extremely well kept. I knew that the beauty of Pala Mesa meant very minimal (if any) work needed to be done on my end to make sure it was a beautiful wedding. After we met Luciana (wedding Director), we were sold. She was so helpful, friendly and always made us feel like top priorities. Briana (wedding services manager) was also so helpful and attentive. She was always so prompt to respond to my (countless) emails! We also had our rehearsal dinner there, and Todd (restaurant coordinator) was the best! So sweet and did everything to accommodate our large party! Our wedding day ran SO smoothly. We had so many guests come up to us on our wedding day and say that they've never been to such a gorgeous and fun wedding. Which, as a bride (especially as Type A as I am), was the biggest and greatest compliment we could have received. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this venue and it's staff! If you are considering having your wedding here, just know that you will be in great hands and that you will have a phenomenal wedding day!

My son and daughter-in-law had their ceremony and reception take place at Pala Mesa Resort and I can truly say that the day was Perfect!

We knew our experience was going to be flawless from the moment we booked based off of the wonderful relationship we built with Luciana. She thoroughly went over the packages being offered made the process very easy when it came to signing a contract and moving forward with their dream wedding. She was also able to assist us in get our room block set for our guests which our family and friends loved. The room rate was very reasonable and it was so great knowing our guests could stay to enjoy the entire evening without having to drive home.

They also had the opportunity to work with Briana who was so detailed, organized, and just a doll. Briana ran the rehearsal and was the day of coordinator. She checked in on us regularly throughout the day and also set up the decorations. She met up with the vendors and made sure everything was running on schedule and being set correctly.

The ceremony and reception were perfect. Everything ran so smoothly and on schedule. The dinner was delicious and the servers were professional. A captain take over for the evening when it was time for Briana to leave. Briana introduced him to the my son and daughter-in law, my husband and I, and my daughter-in-laws parents.The transition was seamless and he was very helpful. He checked in on us frequently just to make sure we were doing ok and assisted in getting all of our items picked up.

Pala Mesa provided such wonderful service not only to my son and daughter-in law, but to our family and friends. Everyone had such an amazing evening and we just kept hearing how perfect the night was. Thank you Pala Mesa for the unforgettable and amazing experience!

The venue is perfect for a wedding or any celebration. I was shocked when I saw the beautiful grounds. I had no idea that it was hiding off of old highway 395. As soon as I pulled up my mouth dropped. I was excited to find this hidden gem. I used Pala Mesa Resort for my wedding and I am glad that I did. Every guest enjoyed the grounds and being able to stay on site. Pala Mesa was very accommodating and made my wedding a breeze. I enjoyed the service I had in the bridal suite and having a honeymoon suite for the evening. If I was to have the wedding again I would pick Pala Mesa. I was more than pleased with the grounds, the service and the smiles on all of my guests faces.

This venue is BEAUTIFUL! Briana Gesswein was my wedding coordinator from the venue and she was just a doll to work with. So polite, professional and on-top of everything. The food and the portion size they provided to us and our guests was perfect. Nobody left hungry! The bar staff was courteous and professional to everyone. The food service staff was attentive to all my guests and kept the reception very tidy. Loved it! Pala Mesa Resort was all-around the BEST place to have an outdoor ceremony and walk a few feet to our tented reception. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!

Pala Mesa is an outstanding and beautiful place to get married! I love how convenient it was to go from the ceremony straight to the reception, which was in a beautiful tented ballroom! The wedding coordinators were so incredible helpful and professional. They listening to my family and me intently and they provided responsive and valuable feedback. My wedding day overall was so incredibly organized and put together. They also catered our event which was great! The food was delicious and the service was efficient. Prior to the start of the wedding, Pala Mesa also provided a bridal suite for me and my bridesmaids to have lunch and get dressed in. After the wedding was over, my husband and I were also provided a honeymoon suite there at the resort. This venue was literally a dream come true. Everyone enjoyed the natural beautiful of the resort and it definitely made for great pictures!!!

We had contacted the Pala Mesa Resort for our Rehearsal Dinner after seeing wedding video at their beautiful golf club. We were wanting something cocktail style and informal and were having a hard time finding a place that could accommodate in that area. Everyone else we contacted was rude and snobby and telling us we could never have what we wanted and certainly not withing our budget. From the moment we spoke with someone at Pala Mesa they were professional, welcoming, and more than happy to help us. They even had us out for a tasting to put together a menu for us and our guests. They were so willing to work with our budget for our rehearsal, which after writing all the checks for the wedding we didn't want to break the bank on but we still wanted something very nice. I am so pleased with the service, the food, and the beautiful terrace they had us on. Thank you so much for getting my wedding weekend of to the perfect start!!

Wow! My husband and I got married here April 26, 2014 and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day! We booked a year in advance and were in constant communication. It was so easy to get a hold of them and they were so accommodating throughout the whole process. We wanted an open bar for the first hour and then just beer and wine the rest of the time. They have never done that before, but made it happen and the price was extremely fair.

The food at the wedding was delicious! Guests continued to tell me how great their meals were. For appetizers, we had cheese tables, jalapeno poppers, and mini pizzas. I had one friend tell me they were following around the jalapeno poppers just to get more! The food was seriously delicious and the service was great! Someone was always there to get me or my husband a drink as well... we never had to leave the dance floor! When we left the wedding to change before the after party, there was a cart there ready to take us to the suite and also water as I requested.

A week before the wedding we decided to rent the chardonnay suite for an after party. They gave us a great deal! We got to bring our own drinks and appetizers in and decorate as we wished. We had around 60 guests at the after party and the hotel made sure to put some of our young guests, as requested, near the chardonnay suite since we were probably going to get loud. The after party lasted until 3:30 in the morning and there were no problems!

The next morning we had a huge group come to breakfast at the hotel's restaurant. They were not expecting us as we had around 50 people. However, they were so accommodating and set us up in our own room for breakfast!

The wedding venue was beautiful. My husband and I just received the photos from our wedding and they are gorgeous. Guests keep talking about how amazing the reception tent was and how beautiful the ceremony was! I highly highly recommend Pala Mesa!

We hosted my daughter's wedding at Pala Mesa Resort. The Garden Pavilion wedding venue is stunning, and there are beautiful places around the grounds for photos. The Cliff Terrace reception venue is also very nice. Briana, the wedding coordinator, was very efficient in helping us plan the day. I was unexpectedly thrilled with the banquet staff and the help we got the day of the wedding. Every detail that came up was beautifully handled by Leah or Ben. I felt free to enjoy our guests. The day was perfect.

This venue was absolutely beautiful. Waterfalls at the ceremony site and in the reception area. Lush green grass and trees. All the guests loved the venue. I had a lot of family members to help me with getting the tables ready and assisting guests. The food was delish. We had Salmon and Chicken and it was really good. I look forward to going back in a year and celebrating our Anniversary.

As mother of the groom, we spent 4 days and 3 nights at Pala Mesa and experienced all it had to offer. Since we hosted our daughter's wedding last Fall in Napa at a similar type of golf resort (Silverado), I think we can make a good comparison. We gathered for family breakfast in the Aqua Terra restaurant, dined there with the bride's parents in the evening, held the rehearsal dinner in the sun room and the wedding and reception up the hill at the Bell Tower. The service was wonderful at every level -- everyone was so friendly and helpful. We were given a free upgrade on our rooms. While it's true that the rooms were built in the 60s/70s and the decor is not modern, it had a mountain retreat feeling to it that was not at all unpleasant. The wedding coordinators were exceptional from start to finish -- much better than Silverado. I was communicating with them up to 6 months prior to the wedding and they never forgot us, got the pricing right, explained everything in great detail and very clearly. The attention to detail was just what we needed, and they were right on the spot just when we needed them. The setting is very beautiful -- with the ceremony under a bell tower with a waterfall in the background. The reception was held in an outdoor tent with heaters that kept us warm after a sunset wedding. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of our stay -- and they took care of us, even though there were many other events going on, including a reality TV show golf fund raiser! Yet, it never felt like the wedding was over-shadowed by all of these other events. The General Manager came out to greet us right before the ceremony, which was a nice personal touch. All the food was very good, fresh, and well-served from the breakfast to the rehearsal dinner to the wedding. And the price was SO REASONABLE compared to Napa. Very good value for the money. I can honestly and whole-heartedly recommend Pala Mesa.

Pala Mesa Resort is absolutely beautiful venue with a staff that is ready to meet your needs. Before booking Pala Mesa, I check out other venues in the area and was not impressed with their interactions with potential clients. At Pala Mesa, I had many people willing to show me the grounds and answer any questions that I had. I quickly booked my wedding date. During the planning process, they were readily available to answer all of my questions and requests.
The day of the wedding the food was fantastic. It tasted the same as it had the day of the tasting. The staff was very attentive and flexible. (We had to make many last minute changes due to the heat, 102 degrees!)
Overall, it was a very positive experience!

BEAUTIFUL. ROMANTIC. ELEGANT. MY FAIRYTALE. Everyone loved the venue just as much as i did. They were great with communication and made sure i didn't stress over anything. Very organzied, and made sure that the whole day was only yours and no one elses. We had the venue from dawn to midnight. Thank you so much for everything!

Pala Mesa seriously bent over backwards accommodating all of the special requests that my husband and I had before the wedding. The day ran so smoothly that I can't even honestly remember if there were any mistakes at all. It was a warm day so they even had servers find us where we were taking pictures with water and some of the passed trays that the guests were receiving at the cocktail hour. The reception was set up perfectly, even better than I had imagined. So thank you very much to Adele and Louise and the rest of the hard working staff at Pala Mesa for a wonderful day.

Pala Mesa is the absolute greatest place to get married. The location is beautiful. It was the second venue I looked at and I took my mom and siater with me. When the wedding location was shown to us all we could say was "Wow." I knew I found the place I would be getting married! They helped give us a good deal and offered different packages to choose from which even included the cost of wedding cake! Kendra was wonderful to work with. She was so professional and responded to all my questions in a timely manner - no matter how silly they were. I knew I chose the right place to get married. Kendra is amazing!! She kept everyone on schedule and was always willing to help in any way possible. The service was great the day of the wedding. Guests were very pleased with the attention they got during dinner and courtesy of the waiters. Food was the best. Guests have been talking about how it was the most romantic and beautiful location. They all enjoyed themselves because Pala Mesa accomodated all their needs. Pala Mesa is THE best location to get married!!!

My wedding was held at the Pala Mesa Resort almost a month ago (8/28/09) and let me first start by saying oh my goodness!!! Kendra Koenig should win an award for her kindness, sweetness, dedication to you, planning capabilities and everything in between. She made the planning process so easy and fun. Whatever she could do to help she did. Pala Mesa is a gorgeous venue to have your princess, fairytale wedding. And for the price....!!! My guests still tell me, wow you really must have spent a fortune....when in reality we didn't! I was your typical bride that had been dreaming about what my "day" would be like ever since I could remember. I wanted a beautiful wedding and knew, I was only going to get married once so I had to have what I wanted or I would regret it. My family and I visted soo many venues...including the Grand Tradition a few miles away. Yes, the GT is beautiful and stunning and all that, but holy crap....you could buy a house for what they charge!!! Its 5 hours and its over!!! Once I came across Pala Mesa I knew I was going to LOVE my wedding and have that princess wedding I'd always drempt of! The wait staff the night of was absolutely PERFECT almost to a fault....they took half eaten cake plates away when guests got up to dance....they thought they were done and wanted to clean up the tables! They food was amazing, Pala wins awards for there food and boy could you tell. The tent is gorgeous at night and looks exactly the way it does in the pictues in person. Kat the catering manager is so sweet, amazing and helpful! The spots to take pictures are to die for and the location is great.... even if you want a summer wedding because the ocean is just west and gives that cool nice breeze on a hot summer day/night. The one and only down fall I can think of was the nats. In the ceremony location (only) there were little nats that were flying in my husband and my eyes and mouths as we were trying to say our vows. Mist a tiny little bit of the sentless "Off" on you before you walk down the isle. :) But, again AMAZING location, staff, food and service. The golf carts bring your guests up and down the hill in a timely manner...they are NEVER waiting. The night of we got a free honeymoon sweet and when we got to our room that night there was chocholate covered strawberries in a tuxedo design with two flutes and champagne waiting for us with a sweet letter. WE LOVE PALA MESA RESORT!!! :) Thank you for making our dream wedding reality. Our guests will be talking for months, even years to come!!! :) Pricing: We spent $25,000 on our wedding. Pala Mesa was 15,000. The 15,000 included 110 people, the tables, chairs, ceremony site and fee, cake table, card table, cake cutting/serving, linens, china, gift table, wedding coordinator, 3 appetizers, 2 bottles of wine per table (seved by the wait staff), honeymoon suite the night of, parking for your guests and shuttle service, champagne/cider toast, one hour rehearsal, and sooo much more I am probably forgetting. Lets just say I am a tight wad and I was budgeting throughout the whole planning process visiting sooo many venues and Pala Mesa was by far the BEST price around for the beauty and service!!! The next day when we were checking out Kendra came up to us with a 900.00 check and said here you go you had some guests not show up so here's your refund for them. OMG!!!! You will NOT find a venue that does that for you...most the time you are screwed whether the guests show or not. CALL KENDRA....She'll amaze you every step of the way!

The wedding planners/catering coordinators were awesome. Pala Mesa is the place to have a wedding if you want breathtaking surroundings and fabulous service. Kendra (our wedding coordinator) is a one of kind person that thinks of every detail and helped our wedding day go so smooth and worry-free. She went above and beyond to make our day so very special. We are so happy we choose this location and the people to work with there.

I loved this place!! Not only is it gorgeous, but they are so professional there, and respond in a timely manner - as in immediately! I highly recommend Pala Mesa as a place to have the wedding of your dreams!

Pala Mesa is such a romantic place to get married. Employees are so friendly and they will help you as much as they can and they will make you feel very important and special.

The venue is beautiful. Everyone at my wedding loved the look of the wedding and reception. We wanted a venue that our guest could easily move from the ceremony to the cocktail hour then to the reception easily. Additional, we had a lot of family coming from San Diego area and Riverside area, so Pala Mesa was a perfect midway point. The food was great at the reception. Our wedding coordinator that was provided from the venue was very responsive in receiving my emails and updates before the wedding and during the wedding the wedding day I didn't worry about set up once I handed over my items to them. The only hiccup that happen at the wedding was a late start at the ceremony and the mics for our officiant not turning on when she started the ceremony, but it's expected to hit a few bumps. Besides that the venue was great and provided me with a beautiful wedding.

I have so many wonderful things to say about Pala Mesa. We just had our wedding there this past weekend and the whole experience was so great. Briana, Leah, and Luciana are wonderful and were so helpful through the entire process. They went above and beyond to make the day special and it took a lot of stress off of me knowing we had a great team behind us helping to make sure everything went smoothly. They accommodated even the most ridiculous requests and I'm so happy to have had the chance to work with them. The only snag we had was that someone was working on the lighting apparently prior to our wedding and our event was the first to test that out and it ended up blowing a fuse and we had to go without power for certain things. It was extremely hot so we couldn't turn the fans on and that bummed me out, but PMR was so apologetic and did everything they could to remedy the situation. Thank you guys so much - I would get married there 10x over :)

The site was amazing, the set-up was beautiful and the honeymood suite was great. The wedding was as close to perfect as I could have imagined, we started a little late due to another ceremony before ours, but that didn't ruin our fun. It was wonderful. Kat and Kendra (the wedding coordinators) were easy to talk to and get a hold of and did everything in their power to make sure everything was perfect.

Melissa was so friendly and really guided us to plan a wedding that fit our desires, timeline, and budget. I never felt like I was compromising, or being pushed to buy more than I wanted. We had a very small wedding in the Fireside Room and hope to return one day for a big anniversary party or vow renewal our on the Terrace! We loved the feel of the place. It was the only venue that me, my mom, AND my mother-in-law ALL LIKED! It's beautiful without being pretentious, and feels very peaceful without being too far from the suburbs we live in. Due to extenuating circumstances our wedding was not what we originally envisioned, but thanks to Melissa and Pala Mesa it was truly perfect.

We had an amazing wedding at Pala Mesa! The ceremony site and reception area are so gorgeous, we did very little additional decorating which really helped us to have a laid back wedding day. Briana was a great coordinator and had the perfect amount of stepping in to keep us on track and stepping back to allow us to enjoy the moment. It was the perfect wedding in the perfect setting.

Our wedding was perfect. For almost a year we had been working with Briana for our wedding. She is the sweetest, most kind person. She was prompt with all of her emails. Always so nice. She was so professional when it came down to the wire. From the rehearsal to the actual wedding day it was so smooth. I didn't have to worry about a thing. The only thing that bothered me is that when we got to the honeymoon suite they had spelled my name wrong on the card they had ready for us. But if that's the only thing to go wrong, I'll take it. Perfect venue, food was delicious, and staff was so friendly.

I got married at Pala Mesa about 2 weeks ago and it was absolutely wonderful! Luciana and Briana were fantastic to work with. They were always very welcoming when we stopped by and greeted us with hugs! The venue is beautiful along with the tent. It's the classiest tent I've ever seen! I love that the whole floor is the dance floor instead of a 10x 10 wood plank which gave us more freedom to move around. Guests commented that the food was delicious. We also had our rehearsal dinner here, and guests commented the food was delicious that night too.

Luciana and Briana were quick to respond, usually within a day and were very flexible when last minute changes needed to be made. They didn't make me feel bad at all when I kept changing plans or ideas. Also on the night before the wedding, the resort left cheese platters and wine in both our rooms. On the wedding night, they left us chocolate covered strawberries.

The only reason for the 4 star on professionalism is because of an incident with one of the bar tenders and my husband. My husband was backing up his car towards the tent to pack our belongings and one of the bar tenders was very rude to him and accused him of being drunk. He doesn't drink- he's just bad at backing up the car. Also he had some issues with one of the coordinators throwing empty boxes into our car when she told me we could leave the trash there.

Overall, Pala Mesa was a beautiful place to get married and the staff were very accommodating.

We couldn't of dreamed of a more beautiful place for our outdoor wedding. Pala Mesa has a great location and all the amenities for the perfect wedding. Brianna was our wedding coordinator and she was awesome! She made sure everything was taken care of and the day of the wedding she didn't miss a beat. All the staff at the reception did a great job covering all the services. All of our guests raved about the food. They went above and beyond our expectations and I would recommend having a wedding there to anyone.

The wedding coordinating staff are amazing! They are responsive and work fast to make your day perfect. They worked with us from the day we booked the venue to the big day itself, being there to work with our planner and make the day truly perfect.
The things that I loved most about this venue were the ceremony site and the reception tent. Both were so breathtaking on our wedding day that every guest came up to us and complimented us. The only draw back to this venue has to do with the resort and resort staff itself. There are the old hotel guest rooms but they are currently in the process of renovating them so hopefully they will be better. The hotel staff was not very accommodating, friendly, or flexible while we were staying there unfortunately. But I did not let that put a damper on the weekend and the real reason why we were there.
** I also recommend that if you set up a room block you ask for your room block to be rooms near each other. We were scattered and the best man was wayyyyy at the end away from the other bridal party members.

Getting married at Pala Mesa was everything we wanted. Our guests were arriving from all over the country (and world), so it was wonderful to have everyone come and stay at Pala Mesa and enjoy a weekend of festivities together. The staff is warm and welcoming, you can't walk more than a few feet before one of the staff drives up in a golf cart and offers you a ride, and the grounds of the resort are beautiful and well taken care of. A lot of our guests enjoyed the award winning golf course, while others sat around the pool, or enjoyed the amazing food at the restaurant. The wedding ceremony site is breathtaking and provided a stunning backdrop for our photos. We had our reception under the large tent, utilizing the waterfall and large paper lanterns for awesome visual enhancements to the decor. We worked with Karon Cartright and I loved working with her. Karen is sweet, but don't be fooled, this lady knows her business and will do what it takes to ensure that your wedding is everything you hoped for and more. I wholeheartedly recommend Pala Mesa as a wedding ceremony and reception venue.

We got married in December and the venue was absolutely gorgeous. The wedding coordinator was great. She made sure everything ran smoothly and we always knew where we were supposed to be and what was coming next. The bridal suite was a great place to get ready with all of my bridesmaids. The reception hall was so beautiful and the food was fantastic. We highly recommend Pala Mesa!

This venue was everything we had wanted. The ceremony location and reception tent space was already beautiful as it was and it was important for us to have a hotel onsite for our guests as well as a place for our rehearsal dinner. The Catering Manager, Briana, was very friendly and professional as well as very attentive on the actual day of our wedding. I would definitely recommend this location to anyone wanting a beautiful garden setting.

When i fist saw Pala Mesa in person it took my breath away and I knew then that this was my dream wedding location! From the ceremony site to the Reception under the tent, everything was so beautifully done I was very pleased.
I have some of the best memories of my life there and i couldn't be more thankful with how everything turned out.
They were very helpful with me while my husband was deployed and being flexible with my schedule and his.
I wouldn't have changed a single thing about my day.

Staff were very helpful and responsive. Beautiful venue. Would recommend.

I had soo many wonderful comments in regards to my venue. The place is beautiful. Briana was soo helpful with everything. Our Banquet manager was so professional and made sure we were taken care of all night. Great value and memories to last a life time!

Pala Mesa was great. It was a little to difficult to push them out of their normal cookie cutter wedding, but everything turned out beautifully. Would recommend them to a friend.

The venue is naturally beautiful, making our pictures turn out amazing! The grounds were groomed, prepped and watered the day before so everything looked perfect. The natural beauty of the grounds allowed us to save money on expensive decor. The venue offers complimentary optional details such as a sign easel, votive centerpieces, and up-lighting in the reception tent.

They went above and beyond by making sure guests who arrived after dinner, were served their entree. The waitresses and bar tenders made sure to ask throughout the night if we needed anything, if the heaters were close enough to us, etc.

The only negatives we experienced was our wedding coordinator's lack of presence in the morning of the wedding. She briefly arrived once while we were getting ready & never showed for the groom's sound check. Also, since our final head count was less then originally planned for, our number of tables decreased causing the numbering layout to change after we had already printed every place card. This caused my parents and family to be seated in the second row off to the side. They tried to remedy the mistake by asking my family if they'd like to move but everyone was already seated.

We had our wedding at Pala Mesa in September and it was such a gorgeous venue. When me and my husband first saw the Garden Pavilion, it took our breath away and we knew we wanted to get married there. The staff was wonderful and paid attention to all of the details so we didn’t have to. When it was too expensive for us to afford, they worked with us to lower the price to something more affordable.

By far, this venue was the most beautiful we looked at. Kendra and Kat went above and beyond in making sure all of the details were covered. The end result was the perfect wedding - a gorgeous location and some of the best food I've ever eaten.

I choose to have my wedding at Pala Mesa Resort, after meeting with their wedding coordinator. We had a morning wedding in October 2012. Shortly after we had made our deposit (non refundable) they were going through some changes in their staff. Needless to say, it took several phone calls and left messages for them to return my calls about changing things for the wedding. On the day of, prior to the start of the wedding, there were empty alcohol bottles scattered throughout the ceramony site, my family members were picking up after the night before's wedding. My wedding started at 10:30a! Pala Mesa (in our contract) their staff was supposed to have tables, decorations etc set up. Things did not get under way until close to 8:30a. My family members (whom flew in from NY) had to start cleaning and decorating! My wedding coordinator did not show up until 10a to check and see if we needed anything or if everything was going according to plan. In spite of all this hiccups, my wedding went off with a BANG! my guest raved about their meals, the location, landscaping etc. I would deff reccommend Pala Mesa for those reasons, but Im not sure I would if I was to base it on anything else.

One star is actually generous for the wedding services at Pala. Although the location itself is beautiful, unfortunately the wedding services are not organized nor on top of their game.

First, on more than one occasion the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom were confused by Pala staff, and their respective credit cards mixed up (their names are not even remotely similar).

The final invoice we received prior to the wedding had numerous errors which cost us time and energy at the last minute to fix.

Rooms were promised to our wedding party, but then later we were told no rooms were available as they overbooked the resort for other parties that weekend.

Our rehearsal schedule the day before the wedding was changed by Pala staff without consulting us in order to accommodate their other events booked well after we had secured our dates. We had to push back on this since we had out of state guests that could not arrive in time for their altered timeline.

On the day of the wedding, the air conditioning in the bridal suite shut off late in the afternoon after all of the ladies had finished hair and makeup. It was even hotter outside so there was no good remedy for this.

During the cocktail hour, I saw one guest order a coke from the bartender and he handed the person a cup with ice and the bottle of Coke instead of opening the bottle and pouring it into the cup. Not a huge thing, but just a glimpse of the shabby level of service provided.

The dinner entrees at the reception were served 30 minutes after the salads were served. The chicken and steak weren't warm any longer and were also overcooked.

After the wedding, we had to collect all of our memorabilia late in the evening after the reception, and items and a couple of items were misplaced. Granted, these were our responsibility to keep track of, but when we requested help in locating the missing items in the days following the wedding, the Pala wedding staff were more concerned with emphasizing that this was not their responsibility rather than offering to lend a hand to take a second look for the items.

We would not recommend Pala for wedding services. The people who we dealt with was Sarah. The way they handled these various matters demonstrated subpar customer service and a lack of concern for overall customer experience.

This was by far the most unprofessional group of women I have ever worked with. I was in great hands until the two wedding coordinators I was working with left Pala Mesa and I had to start from scratch with two other women. If I can give any advice at all, it would be to a. pick somewhere else to have your wedding b. make sure that all topics of conversation are written down and you have documentation for the "verbal agreements" you make c. make sure that when they give you your FINAL bill, it includes EVERY last payment.
This place nickle and dimed us and left out an extra $700 and some change for the extra hour we wanted and signed our contract for. However, since I fell ill on my wedding day and only participated in my reception for my first dance and toasts, wouldn't you think they would have the common sense to not continue the wedding without maybe asking for my consent? Also, shouldn't that extra hour be included in the final payment?? I am still so angry at the way these people handled my account. The 3 friends of mine who are engaged and were potential clients of Pala Mesa have decided to book their wedding elsewhere since they experienced first hand how customer service is not at the top of their priority list.

They used false advertising to lure us to book our wedding at there venue. As soon as they had our money and signed the contract they we difficult to get a hold of. The day of the wedding we were promised golf carts to shuttle our guest back and forth to their cars. There we no golf carts in sight when the wedding was over. So Grandma, Grandpa and guests had to walk a half a mile to the cars, at night. Then our Pala Mesa wedding coordinator changed the schedule of events the day of the wedding. The coordinator left an hour and a half before the wedding was over leaving me to handle everything. I would not recommend Pala Mesa to any bride.

- Disappointed Bride -