Serra Plaza Reviews

Lauren was fantastic to work with for our big day. Any questions we had were answered promptly and clearly despite us living in the Bay and only visiting the venue twice before the wedding. Having the all of the food catered by Jay’s and complimentary tasting days was convenient and their preferred vendors list made our lives much easier. The venue was stunning and we could not be happier with how it turned out. Would 100% recommend !

I recently had my ceremony and reception at Serra Plaza on September 3rd, 2017. Working with Mary and her team was truly one of my favorite experiences of planning a wedding. Mary was a complete professional from start to finish. She was so accommodating, responsive, organized, detailed, and overall made me feel at ease with having my event at her venue. Our guests were in complete awe of how beautiful the location was and how we transformed it into our vision and dream for this spectacular day.

From the beginning, the design and look of our event took shape at first sight of Serra Plaza. Seeing the numerous arches and the beautiful Tuscan color palette, we were completely speechless, and understood quickly what we were going to create. We had a long engagement and booked the venue a year and half in advance. While most people do a vintage or rustic look who book this venue, we built our vision as classic with modern touches, a romantic, elegant, ‘black-tie optional’ event. It felt like we were all in Italy in a secluded Villa.

Our family and friends are still raving about our wedding and how absolutely beautiful and perfect the event looked. I cannot thank Mary enough for her support and expertise. She exceeding every expectation I had when working with vendors. She was my absolute FAVORITE to work with, made this a wonderful creative process, and I wish I could have an event every month there just so I can keep in contact with her!

If you are looking for a wedding that is classic, modern, rustic, romantic, vintage, casual, whimsical or just DIY this venue is PERFECT for any vision you have!

Serra Plaza was everything we could have wanted as our wedding venue and more. This venue is stunning! What really makes Serra Plaza so wonderful is Mary. You can tell she truly loves her job and was a pleasure to work with. My husband and I chose to have our ceremony outdoors and reception in the Grand Salon. The ceremony space is so beautiful and unique with the option of pews for seating it felt as if we were married in an outdoor church. Mary has a large selection of furniture and pieces she lets you use to decorate the venue and make it your own. I would definitely recommend this venue to any Bride!

I have heard that many venues are not prepared for the big day. The outdoor venue and grand salon is a lovely place for a reception. It is very private and holds many guests with plenty of room to roam for kids and adults alike.

Serra Plaza made my wedding day PERFECT. We had our reception only here, and it was the greatest location. Mary and her staff were very helpful during the process and gave great recommendations for vendors. Advice: a dance floor at this venue is NOT needed - everyone danced in the courtyard and that saved us an expense.

The list goes on about how amazing this venue was... Mary is the owner and she was absolutely perfect. Serra Plaza is a "hidden gem" "a blank canvas"... This was our second venue we looked and I knew about 5 minutes into the tour this was going to be the location! I didn't have a date or a dress but I knew that I could make this into anything I wanted. We met with Mary to sign the contract and she was so calm and collected. She has a great sense of humor and we had a great time with her. What was even more wonderful is that any ideas we had she was open to, and we loved that. Throughout the year of planning there were times where I would have questions and concerns and Mary always had a quick answer to help me out and great ideas. Serra Plaza has a beautiful bridal suite, which was very important to me because I wanted to get ready on-site with my girls and they also have a great grooms room for the guys to hangout in. The pricing is very fair for how large the location is. We had an outdoor ceremony and reception but we had the cocktail hour in the grand salon. Mary has beautiful furniture for the bride and groom to use day of which makes it even more special.
I would absolutely refer Serra Plaza to any bride and groom looking for a wonderful evening with their friends and family! Thank you to Mary and all her staff! It will always be a night to remember!

Absolutely perfect! I love Mary, her team, and this venue. Everything was so beautiful and perfect. I am still on cloud 9 when I think about how amazing everything was. Don't judge the venue by the outside. When you pull up for your first visit, you might think it looks like a business park. It turns into the most magical setting for a romantic wedding. The soft lighting strung across the open sky, the draping of the curtains in the archways (costs a little extra and totally worth it), the fountain, the fireplaces, the furniture, etc., is all so perfect and makes your wedding and reception look like it's out of a movie or photo shoot. The ONLY thing I would change is the amount of time I booked. I had the place for 5 hours and I think I could have used 1 more. I just didn't want it to end.

The venue is not expensive compared to many other spots and you get so much more. It includes the tables and chairs for up to 200 guests and Mary has the most incredible selection of antique furniture that you get to stage all over the property. The photo opportunities are endless there. I really love Serra Plaza and everyone there. I can't thank them enough for making our wedding so special.

....Where do I begin?

There were a few adjectives I was going for when I chose a venue for my wedding. Impressive, Classy, Romantic. Serra Plaza, and their wonderful staff (Shoutout: Mary and Emily from Jay's), did an EXCELLENT job of pulling off what I was going for. In fact, those were probably the three most used words of the night from compliments of the wedding from our guests. I just about died over it.

It is a venue with tons of fun things to choose from (some complimentary, some with very reasonable charges) like chandeliers, romantic vintage love sofas, drapes, signs... the list goes on. It is right next to the Mission, romannnntic. And the staff is so terribly efficient in pulling your decor together for your wedding, its frightening. The entire production just seemed so surprisingly easy and I know this is something that is unique to the venue and their team.

Thank you, Mary and Serra Plaza peeps!!

Such a beautiful venue and the coordinator Mary has great taste and is so helpful and generous. Tons of beautiful furniture you can borrow!!!

We are so glad we chose Serra Plaza for our wedding. Working with Mary, the facility director, was a dream! She was amazing! So helpful and supportive throughout the entire process. The venue is stocked full of decor and collectible furniture which we were able to use on our big day. The space is beautiful, really unique with an old world Italian feel. It offers both indoor and outdoor options. They even have old vintage church pews for a traditional ceremony feel in a beautiful outdoor space. I could not recommend Serra Plaza enough!

We got engaged January 2012 and immediately started looking at venues. We really wanted a fall wedding in a Spanish courtyard atmosphere and out of all the venues we looked at, Serra Plaza really stood out. Walking in to the courtyard plaza, you wouldn't even know you were in the middle of a business complex, it is absolutely and simply beautiful. It was exactly what we were looking for and for the money, the best value for this style venue in Orange County. We met Mary and instantly felt that she was helpful, warm, friendly, and professional. Throughout the entire planning process, as all brides do, I had about a million questions and ideas. Mary was SO helpful in answering my questions, finding little treasures in her collection that would fit with our decor theme, and you can truly tell that she loves her job. The day turned out perfect. From the vintage pews lining the aisle, to the fountain and soft drapes on the archways, it truly was a the wedding of our dreams. We got married outside in the courtyard, had the cocktail reception in the gorgeous grand salon and returned to the courtyard for the reception. Just breathtaking. All of our friends and family are still talking about what a great time they had, how helpful the staff was, and that it was the most beautiful wedding they've been to. We couldn't have done it all without Mary at Serra Plaza. Get married here, you will have the wedding of your dreams! :-)

Serra Plaza was heaven sent and made our wedding magical & royal. After our original estate venue was cancelled we were devastated and didn't know where we'd end up. With just a few months away from our original date; we didn’t want to change the date especially since some of our guest already purchased air plane tickets. Out of no where we stumbled upon Serra Plaza that is tucked away in San Juan Capistrano and Mary the wedding coordinator will work with you and your budget. Our wedding turned out incredibly awesome and our entire guest said it was the best wedding they ever went to. I am sharing this info with all; you won't go wrong. Totally charming, beautiful, & elegant. Make it whatever you want; they will accommodate. Mary & her staff are the best! I give them 100 Stars...!!!

Serra Plaza is such a beautiful venue we were the first wedding in the new grand salon it is absolutely stunning! It has such a warm romantic feeling and you could really make the space your own. Mary is truly such a wonderful person to work with and so helpful and professional, she really made our experience that much more special!!! I highly recommend considering serra plaza for your special day

This venue was beautiful for hosting our wedding. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The venue was large enough to accommodate a large group without crowding and beautiful throughout the entire venue. The staff was very helpful before and the day of. The staff did a great job helping us personalize our wedding. The bridal suite was beautiful to get ready in and the ocean breeze kept it cool. The pictures turned out great. I definitely recommend this venue.

Serra Plaza could not have been more perfect for our wedding! Our guests were absolutely amazed at how beautiful it was and it provided the perfect backdrop for my husband and I to make a life long commitment. Mary was so friendly and easy to talk to, she is very knowledgeable about all things wedding and was quick to provide guidance, an honest opinion or even just suggestions/recommendations. Planning a wedding with her assistance made the whole process run that much more smoothly and definitely eliminated some of the stress. The cost of the venue is worth every penny especially because it includes antique benches, 200 chivari chairs, tables to seat up to 200 guests and several other beautiful antique pieces that bring out the beauty of this venue! I wouldn't have changed a thing about that day and feel that having chosen the perfect venue made it that much more amazing! Thank you Mary and Serra Plaza staff for all your hard work and the dedication you show to your clients!

Serra Plaza is such a beautiful and flexible place. We had our wedding reception of 300 people here and it was perfect. Of all the days in 2012 ours was the day that it rained, but Mary and our rental vendors did a great job prepping the venue for such a problem. Mary was amazing to work with as she went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we needed. We've never worked with anyone as amazing as she is and are so blessed to have made such a great friend. Everything we needed was taken care of, and she worked with us for every little request and concern that we had. The parking is plenty, and minimal decoration is needed to make this venue look amazing. From simple to extravagant, Serra Plaza will hold it's own. We had a huge tent outside to block the rain with chandeliers and up-lights providing our lighting, enough space for a dance floor and a band on a stage. We moved the party inside after 10pm because we wanted to keep the party going with the music on blast and the Salon was a perfect spot for this. Fireplace, high ceilings and a beautiful floor. Serra plaza was more than we asked for.

My husband and I were married at Serra Plaza in May 2014. We can't recommend the venue enough. The space was perfect for our wedding of 120 guests -- plenty of room for all of the tables without squishing guests together, plus the dance floor, photo booth, cigar lounge and children's play area. The Grand Salon and back patio were great for the cocktail hour while the courtyard was flipped for the reception. Mary was so easy to work with, and we saved a ton of money on rentals by using the fantastic furniture and decorations Mary offers free of charge. Everything looked magical with the market lighting and all of the candles, and our guests kept saying how beautiful everything was.

We worked with some awesome vendors (LVL Events, Jay's Catering, Pixie's Petals, Elevated Pulse Pro, Splendid Studio Booth, Oskar Strawberry videographers, Josh Elliott photography), and with their help, we had the wedding of our dreams at Serra Plaza.

We got married here two years ago when they were just barely finishing the saloon. We found this venue after losing our chance for the Nixon Library and it was the perfect choice. We rented the whole outside because our party was fairly large (270 guests). The facilities had everything we could ask for and Mary was just amazing to work with. She was very professional and very straight forward when dealing with us.

My fiance and I have not been married yet, but we have chosen Serra Plaza as our ceremony and reception site and we couldn't be happier! We looked at a few venues before coming across Serra Plaza and didn't really have a great experience. Once we saw Serra Plaza, we both knew that was where we would have our wedding! Mary (site coordinator) is a little hard to get in contact with, but once you do she is an absolute dream! She is so nice and friendly! The grounds themselves are breathtaking. Everything is so knew and clean. Plus they have an indoor space just in case it rains. The venue fee is a bit pricey since you have to get your own catering, howver they have such great decorations and props that you can use that make up for price. We cannot wait to be married here in August!

Our wedding was so perfect and this venue is a big part of the reason why! Beautiful indoor and outdoor areas with plenty of space for large and small weddings. The staff was friendly and helpful and very courteous. We had to switch to this venue when our wedding list grew too large for our first venue and I'm so glad they were available!

The site is beautiful, but getting a hold of the event director Mary is difficult.

pro: includes vintage furniture and decor, tables and chaivari chairs for 200 included, indoor and outdoor space, rustic european feel, does not need much additional decor to dress up

cons: site manager pushy (very determined to have me place both bars outside bc she thought it flowed better, would let me put by photobooth in a certain area bc no one would go over there) and can be abrasive (mocked me when I said I was ending the bar 1 hour before event ends, lapped water out of her hands while saying my guest might have to drink bathroom sink water), very particular rules (wedding invitation on file as time proof, security guard for 200+), alcohol can only be served by your (approved) caterer or the one approved bar vendor who was very difficult to work with (poor communications and very disorganized, overcharged me 2 months after my wedding)

overall: With a wedding coordinator whose familiar for with the rules and will stick up for you, its worth the strict rules and headaches. They hung up the wrong chandelier and with a couple of reminder emails they refunded me the full amt. I was happy in the end but it wasn't the smoothest ride along the way.

Venue was beautiful and because of that, and maybe only that, I'm glad we chose it. My husband and I both agree they could do SO much more with this place.
CONS:
• It takes a few days for a response and you probably won't get all your questions answered
• Lots of rules and limitations; not flexible
• A few important items came up on our final walk through that we felt were big things and should’ve been mentioned before we booked
• On the day of our wedding one staff member of Serra Plaza, who was working our event, was very rude to me. I was very taken back and offended as a customer and the bride.
• Preferred (as in you have to use them) list of food vendors and if the vendor you choose doesn’t have bar option you only have one choice to choose from: Cocktail Concierge and they’re the worst at getting back to you.
• Wedding can’t start til 6pm on Friday
• Noise ordinance at 10pm and you must move inside
• Expensive with lack of customer service:
o Friday Wedding: $6,500 for venue only and for only 5 hours (I think it was $600 per additional hour)
o Pews: $250
o Chandeliers: Range from $50-$150 each to hang
o $200 for a security guard if you have more than 200 guests (we did not)
o Insurance needed for yourselves (bride and groom)—not sure why because all vendors had insurance—the venue should have their own insurance to cover bride and groom
o Charged us, out of our deposit, for the time the doors to the venue opened and they let people in, instead of our actual start time
PROS:
If you can get past the above annoyances, the venue has some great assets such as beautiful furniture you can use, pews (extra cost), and chandeliers (extra cost, per chandelier)

I loved our venue for how beautiful it was, but we wish the level of the service was equal. There was definitely a period of time that we regretted booking it when dealing with the staff, but all in all the photos were beautiful.

We had booked with Serra Plaza (vendor that also works with “the modern” and “the loft on pine”) in 2019 for a wedding during memorial weekend 2020 however had to reschedule due to covid. It was then my dream venue. We could not move it past 2020 because we had discovered this was going to be taken over by Marriott. So we moved it to September. She gave us a new contract to sign and we signed it quickly thinking they were so nice and accommodating. When pandemic got worse, we had to ask it to be changed to 2022. They said we could have it have it at the loft on pine (Long Beach) or the modern (Long Beach). They said our price would be $1000 more and if we wanted to book on Memorial Day weekend as we had it originally, then it would have been $2000 more. I asked if They could honor the same price however they said no. I was so surprised ... with the pandemic we had lost so much money for save the dates, invitations etc already and they put us at a situation where we had to cancel. It was either move it and pay extra or cancel and lose my $3000 deposit. I asked for only partial deposit back (I was willing to accept anything) if possible and it was a hard no. The new contract they made said you lose your deposit no matter what. I’m a healthcare worker and knew there was no way having a wedding with 100 plus guest was going to be safe however she said the county allowed it therefore they were not breaking any rules allowing it. Also they stated that we should be lucky that they even allowed for us to move it in the first place because no where in the contract states we were allowed to move it. I was so surprised how fast someone that was so nice when we were willing to put $7000 to their venue to someone who spoke like a lawyer when asked for the same price at the new venue or partial deposit back (this was Katie the venue coordinator by the way). I took the hit and lost $3000 along with the other losses already from preparations for the wedding. All my other vendors were extremely accommodating and helpful. I got many deposits back and cancellations without loss. Although it was my dream venue, I truly regret booking with this company. That being said... Marriott is taking it over so I hope others who want it at this venue will have a better experience. Again, this company owns “the Modern” in Long Beach and “the loft on pine” in Long Beach. I would think twice about signing their contract.