The French Estate Reviews

Sarah is such a wonderful person who really tries to help you make your wedding dreams come true without charging you an arm and a leg like most places. She has a lot of decorations to save you time and money and she allows you use plenty of time to get ready and set up so you're not stressed on your big day. This place is more than just a cute venue, it's a stress reliever!

Perfect for a small ceremony. Gorgeous garden estate.

This property is so cute and the people are not trying to pressure you it was a great calm experience.

With a touch of old-world charm in the middle of a bustling Orange County, The French Estate is a wonderful place to gather loved ones for a beautiful wedding or special event.

My husband and I are so happy we found The French Estate! We fell in love with the venue because it had so much character and charm. It was absolutely perfect for our laid-back backyard wedding!

This venue was also quite affordable and included unlimited use of the venue from 11am until 9pm, tables and chairs, and an Old Town Trolley to transport guests from an off-site parking area to the venue.

We aren't really DJ people and didn't care so much about whether people danced at our wedding, but we were a little sad that the sound system blew out from the wedding the night before ours. Sarah provided us with an amp and tried to rectify the situation, but it just wasn't loud enough.

Other that that, we had a perfect day and we would highly recommend this venue!

For couples looking for an affordable venue that allows you to bring your own catering and alcohol, The French Estate is for you! Sarah's home is beautiful and is a perfect venue for a wedding around the 100-120 size. We highly recommend that you also hire Susan Perkins, a wedding coordinator that has done many weddings at the venue and is a good friend of Sarah's as it's a HOME, not your typical wedding venue. Susan is so passionate about her job and is very creative with working within your budget and has a bunch of wedding things you can borrow.

This is possibly the BEST place to have your wedding in Orange County. I had passed by this place too many times to count and decided when I got engaged, this is where the wedding would be. Sarah was wonderful to work with, the whole discussion and planning was smooth, our date was wide open (hint, book really early), and everything we were hoping to do was fine by her.
The only challenge for people who are more partiers than we are is that the venue does have you turn off the music at 9pm because it is in a neighborhood (but tbh, I was so ready for bed by about that time). The day of the wedding setup was easy and Susan is an amazing day-of coordinator (she honestly saved the day when my florist really messed up our bouquets).
Everything looked beautiful and you can really tell Sarah and Susan care about each wedding and making it perfect. I've told any bride or groom looking for a place to go here first, you cannot find a better price where you can also book any vendors you would like (most places around have a required caterer/bartender). Thank you both again!!

Beautiful venue with a variety of backgrounds, textures, and lighting. The house is full of charm and character. The lush greenery provides a nice contrast while the market lights are a nice accent at night. Given that it is in a residential area, parking is limited (but there's a shuttle) and end time is earlier than at most venues (something to keep in mind if you want to party hard). I did not use the backyard patio, so I can't comment on that. I did use the one indoors, and it was impeccably clean. My bride did not hire the onsite coordinator, but Karen was present and she was very helpful and accomodating to my photo team and I.

French Estate is an affordable, romantic, and intimate venue. We had our wedding here July 15th, and could not have been more perfect. Sarah, the owner of the establishment, is a wonderful hostess who was unbelievably helpful and available during the planning stages, rehearsal, and the wedding day itself. I consider her a valuable friend and a kind and loving person. There are lovely niches, arbors, and comfy spaces in the estate, and our pictures inside the house turned out so lovely. So many photo opportunities, and many options for setup and what not. We could not have been happier with this venue. Thanks Sarah!!! Sincerely, Kelly and Marc McNaughton

MY WEDDING WAS AMAZING!!!!
We had the most amazing heart warming wedding last weekend here. And it's all thanks to Susan (the recommended wedding planner)
Back to the venue:
We love the French Estate and Sarah the owner. Granted, we didn't directly do much with her since I decided I needed the extra help from Susan since the beginning of booking. But given the few times, I went to check out the venue before signing the contract and after that We went a couple times. She is always nice and willing to let us come. She was there on my wedding date and said hi and very welcoming.
The price is affordable if you go with her packages deal (Ellegant Affair caterer and Creative Cakes). We did. The food was good. Everyone is happy with it. The cakes are amazing. We didn't finish it. They asked us if we want to take home but since Creative Cake will give you an extra cake on your anniversary, we didn't take it home.
Nobody has any problems with parking. They actually like it because it's like valet service.

Sarah goes above and beyond to make your day incredibly special!! I am so excited to have our wedding at The French Estate. I have two friends that got married there and have nothing but nice things to say about this BEAUTIFUL venue!

The French Estate is beautiful... it has that old cottage cozy feeling that makes people feel welcome and never uptight. It's inexpensive and it has almost every thing that you would like (being that you want a rustic feel). Sarah is amazing and will work with you and give you suggestions. She has a whole closet of decorations that she let's you use free of charge. The estate itself has also these cute corners. An arbor, rustic benches, swings... and the backyard already had string lights so there's no need to rent them. She also has vendors that she recommends, and we've opted to hire the caterers that she works with a lot. And the food is amazing. If you're on a budget, the French Estate is a place to really consider.

I am so, so happy that we had our wedding at the French Estate! We searched for a venue for such a long time. The places that were in our price range didn't feel special enough, and the places that had the right vibe were way too expensive. Then we found the French Estate in Orange, and its amazing owner, Sarah. It was affordable, beautiful, and just had the right feeling, like it was a special place. I knew I wanted to get married there. It's a gorgeous historic home, with an amazing front porch, lush landscaping, tons of precious hidden details, stunning lighting, and ample reception space. Sarah, the owner, lives in the home, and believes that a wedding should be about beginning a new chapter in life, not about going broke for a one-day event. Her rates are totally reasonable, and it includes a ton of amenities, like tables, chairs, decor, and lighting. It's the best deal I found, and the most beautiful property!

Sarah herself is wonderful to work with. She is calm and collected, and gives off the vibe that everything is under control, and you have nothing to worry about. I am naturally a very anxious person, and there were multiple times that she put me at ease. She helped ensure that our entire wedding day went smoothly, from the rehearsal the night before, to the clean-up at the very end of the reception. She was responsive and communicative during the planning process, and was happy to have in-person planning meetings and tours of the property. She acts as the day-of coordinator, and thanks to her, our wedding day went just according to plan and I was shielded from stress as much as possible!

My wedding was exactly what I had envisioned, and I truly believe that this would not have been the case at any other venue. I will always be grateful to Sarah and the French Estate for making my dream wedding a reality.

This venue was perfect for our wedding of 15 people. Sarah and Margie was super flexible when it came to me meeting them especially when I was living in a different state through the whole planning process. Margie was an excellent coordinator and was always available through text or email. We were able to have the ceremony in the front and the reception in the back and it was just a beautiful estate. They even had decorations we could use for that day! They also have a discount in the winter and they don't require you use their vendors but they have suggested ones if you need some.

The French Estate was our dream venue and the service was excellent from the start to the very end! Sarah and Margie were extremely accommodating from the planning to the day of. We could not have found a more perfect venue. The place is amazing!! We loved the vintage feel which was fitting to our theme and we had access to the inside of the house as well as the front and back yard, which are beautifully decorated with plants and lots of green. Our guests were treated with great respect and everyone had an excellent time! The cake which was included in our package was DEEEELISH and beautifully decorated matching our photo to the dot!!!!! We are so thankful for having Margie help coordinate and even help with the decorations!

Sarah has such a beautiful home and runs such a wonderful business. We were so lucky to stumble upon this amazing place and share our wedding day with our friends and family there. Margie and the rest of Sarah's team were super accommodating and helpful. There's also a special deal that sarah has with a local catering and cake company. You won't be disappointed - everything turne out beautifully! Thank you!

Margie mcCoy and Sarah are the best accommodated me and my guest to the fullest it's intimate and beautiful

We found The French Estate by accident, but we fell in love with it. Sarah is amazing in her abilities as a wedding planner/hostess and took care of us through the entire lead up to the big day. The landscaping is gorgeous and the backyard, once it's set up, is like a fairy tale. We couldn't have done better to find a venue that suited our vision and needs.

We held an intimate wedding at the French Estate on a sunny, warm, spring Saturday afternoon/evening. The backyard garden was just perfect for what we were looking for - beautiful without being too prissy, the garden, grounds, and house were all wonderful. The location has a lot of flexibility of locations for different needs for the ceremony/cocktails/reception and all the services are a la carte so you can go big or small and bring in your own vendors if there is something special you want with no issues. Sarah, who manages the property, couldn't have been more relaxed or helpful throughout the whole process. Its a great spot!

Shortly after being engaged, my main concern was to find and book a venue. I searched on countless websites about an orange county venue but failed over and over again to find "the place" Most of the places I have seen are gorgeous on the internet until I clicked on their prices and my hopes of booking some of them quickly diminished. My fiance was the one who footed the whole wedding bill and I wanted to find a venue that was beautiful but will not break his back. One day, I decided to use google and type in orange county wedding venues and out of the blue, The French Estate website popped out. I was immediately dazzled with the pictures. It was a very beautiful, nicely decorated house that had an absolutely wonderful vintage theme to it. I immediately asked for an inquiry and found out that a sweet lady runs and owns the place. Her name is Sarah and she saved my wedding on so many different occasions. At one point pressure from family and other factors got to me and she decided to meet with me right away to calm my nerves. She is not a wedding factory. Her prices are way beyond reasonable and she most definitely does not treat you like a walking check book. You have freedom to use whatever decorations she has and she has the best packages in orange county. She works with a caterer who is also a gem and they work together to offer a catering package that is almost unbelievable in price. The food is great and it comes with a wedding cake! Our wedding was small and intimate and on our wedding day, Sarah made sure to make everyone feel comfortable. She coordinated my wedding and when I was getting ready at her very very spacious bridal suite, she made sure to come in every once in a while to see if I needed anything. She calmed me down a lot and all my guests couldn't stop talking about how great she is and how beautiful the day is. At the end of the day a wedding is just a wedding, its the marriage that really does matter and my husband and I have always believed in that and we were blessed to find Sarah who believes in the same thing. It made our wedding so much more special and intimate and I would not change a single thing about it!

I just got married at the French Estate and it was awesome!

All the guests loved the place! It is such a beautiful place - it has a quaint garden/outside feel. The house, i believe, was built in 1895 so its technically historic.

Sarah, the owner of the French Estate, is so wonderful - she's sweet, calm, helpful and she even has vendors that she works with that are professional and great. I used her caterer, cake person and DJ - all wonderful. She even provides a wedding coordinator for the day of which was AWESOME - I am so glad they were there!!! They kept me and my husband up to date with whats going on and how the day was going - it was great.

My photographers loved the lighting in this place - GREAT PICTURE PLACE!!

All the costs were very reasonably priced as well.

This place is just so amazing for a wedding! I highly recommend!

I had my wedding in May and it was great! Sarah was very helpful during the whole process. The venue is very affordable and perfect for a large or smaller wedding. I was able to personalize the wedding to our liking, I highly recommend this venue!!

I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED this venue. Sarah was amazing and so helpful at answering those random questions that I had about anything. The venue itself was so charming and perfect for our vintage theme. I loved everything about the venue - especially that the packages were so inexpensive for our tight budget and that we could bring in our own alcohol. I would recommend this venue time and time again to anyone looking for something with a lot of charm without breaking the bank.

Sarah opens her home to couples so that they can create amazing memories on the biggest day of their lives. She did just that for us. She was so flexible with our plans during the pandemic when we had to down size our guest count, incredibly helpful, and a pleasure to work with. She takes great care of her grounds and they were well kept. It is a gorgeous venue with plenty of our door space!

The French Estate is a cute and rustic elegant bed and breakfast. If you are going for that chic, DIY feel, book this place, many have, I heard she's almost booked entirely for the year of 2012 already!!! Sarah is super chill and such a calming force, perfect for that hectic day! She conducted the wedding rehearsal (something I could not have done with so many bridesmaids and groomsmen:17!) She went beyond her duties to make sure everything would go as best as it could... I got married in November of 2011 there and right after a rain storm episode so it got so chilly at night and I wasnt able to afford the heaters, but she took out blankets and hot water for coffee and tea without asking or extra charge!!!! I love this place....I can't wait to rent it out for other events!